smallerdemon

Tue, 17 Jan 2006 20:53:22 -0800

"The market isn't so cleanly divided between Grandma and Professional Web Developer. There are plenty of users who want a simple website they can customize..." Indeed you hit it on the head. I'm not a computer dummy. I do IT support every day, day in and day out, for PCs and Macintoshes. But there's one thing I don't do, can't do, have tried to do and fail doing. Coding. That's now how my brain works. And CSS is coding. Try as I might (and I point to the pile of HTML books and such I keep thinking will help), I don't get coding at all. I struggled through mathematics until linear algebra and physics through the freshmen level somehow thinking "Yeah, I want to be a physicist!" and let me tell you how much happier I am with the philosophy degree. Making half as much as my friend with the PhD in physics, mind you, but much happier as a result. I can put together the most basic of stuff. And I can follow some directions. I can be creative when necessary (here are some examples even). But when it comes to that mathematical thinking thing, it's not my strong suit, and I know it. I play to my strengths on the web and I'm thankful for LiveJournal for giving me a nice looking place to post my thoughts and to apps like Coppermine for giving me a mostly easy way to have a nice looking online web photo gallery. And it may soon be that I'll be giving props to iWeb for giving me an easy to way be more creative with my photos. I already wanted to make a podcast style narrated slideshow of my first trip to Europe but had been scratching my head how to do it. Now, no problem. I've got Garage Band 2, my photo collection in iPhoto, and a microphone. I see it happening sooner than later. And thing is, it's not like I've not been creative with what Apple already sold me. iMovie got me in to this year's Butt-Numb-A-Thon. If being in the first audience to see V For Vendetta wasn't worth $79 to me, then I don't know what is. (I got in this year because along with my essay I put together retrospectives of the previous Butt-Numb-A-Thons with iMovie and some sound editing software. You can see them here. The large ones require QuickTime 7.) Still... I agree with you on so many points, especially your conclusion. Apple really needs to open up Mac OS X to quick, easy and smooth integration into LiveJournal, Blogger, Typepad, Moveable Type, etc. And open iPhoto up to quick and easy uploading into things like Coppermine and Gallery. I think it's all a good start, but do remember, too, Apple still is a business. They want our money along with our adoration.

SFist: SFist Tech Labs: Reading Too Much Into iWeb

smallerdemon