Seems Paul Thurrot can't make up his mind

Danny Gorog
31 October 2007, 3:30 AM


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Paul Thurrott can't make up his mind about Leopard. Its good. No, its bad. Tech journalism at its most confusing.


OPINION | I don't normally worry when I read crappy articles that make no sense, but on this occasion I'm going to have to take exception and take Paul Thurrot to task over his review of Leopard.

He makes no sense. In the first line of the conclusion he says:

"Leopard" is the real deal, a mature and capable operating system and a worthy competitor to Windows Vista. But then, so was Tiger, Leopard's predecessor.

So Tiger, which is nearly two years old, is a worthy competitor to Vista. And Leopard is good. Thumbs up. Ok, keep that in mind when you read, not more than 2 paragraphs later:

That Apple was only able to come up with something that's roughly as good as Vista is both surprising and telling, I think. Leopard just isn't better than Vista.

Ok, so now Leopard isn't that good.

But it gets better with the last line:

Leopard is an excellent product. Mac users will upgrade immediately or purchase new Leopard-based hardware with no regrets, and that's just fine. But if you're a Windows user sitting on the fence, Leopard doesn't change the switcher equation at all.

Oh, no, sorry, Leopard is good, just not good enough to create switchers.

Well Paul, frankly, if I was John Gruber I'd call you a Jack-ass. Firstly, one of the biggest selling features of Leopard is a thing called Boot Camp - exactly the feature that will make it easier for switchers and will change the equation. Anyway, with over 50% of sales to switchers now, Apple is obviously doing something right.

You'd think Boot Camp would in fact be the most important feature for Paul to discuss with his readers however in his 'balanced' 5600 word review he spends only 158 words discussing it - just under 3%.

It's time for SuperSite readers to get their news from somewhere else.


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Anonymous222:

exactly ...agree


29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

tin:

Uh... OK.
Can I have my 2 minutes back?

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

techdribble:

I would certainly use Paul as a more reliable source of Apple information than the faux journalism that you continue to pump out.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

u752181:

You normally don't worry when you write them either

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Michael:

Yeah, I want my two minutes back!

This isn't news.. this is a slander against Paul? Everyone makes mistakes as a journalist but I doubt that gives you the right to post about it.. I mean, come on! Is there any point to posting about him in this post other than to steer his visitors away?

APCMag.com has been a great source of information for me, but I think this post is seriously way out of the usual professionalism APCMag.com produces.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Theo:

If it wasn't for other contibuters on this site, I might be leaving APC to get my news from somewhere else as well.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

T Harris:

Leopard is an outright mess! It has caused so many blue screen and prg failures that it has become a joke! Don't belieev me go to the Apple forum , its embarissing mess! Warning - Do not load it untill they fix the problems.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Guest2:

Nice TRY. I personally have upgraded ten Macs in the last few days without ONE problem. Interestingly, I also have VMware running Windows on several of them also without one problem.

Can Vista say that?

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

J Rolf:

Good for you BUT! You and other Mac users NEED to read the Apple help forum. Apple have had endless problems with this upgrade.

You would have to be blind to miss all the negative talk. Its not a pretty situ.

Mac upgraders need to follow the new instruction at the forum.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Adam:

WTF... this isn't news?!

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Matthew K:

I am so pleased this article is flagged as an opinion piece, simply because it's based on such a poor reading of the source material as to be totally flawed.

As anyone with even a half-decent reading ability would be able to see from the quotes Danny has selected, Paul Thurrot is totally consistent with his claims that Leopard is a worthy competitor to Vista, but isn't so good as to be either an outright superior OS, nor one offering even greater reasons to switch to a Mac.

I think, Danny, you need to go back and re-read your own argument. It just doesn't make sense.

You know, it's such a shame that a quality publication like APC Magazine allows such ill-judged "opinion" pieces like this to sit on their official site. Not only would something like this harm the professional relationship between APC Magazine and the SuperSite (because this is just a baseless attack by Danny on Paul Thurrot), but it really lowers the overall editorial standard, when it's clear the argument put forward here is totally false.

How someone is allowed to get away with posting stuff like this is beyond me...

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Got yo Back:

Danny has an opinion that should be respected. His articles are always well written and informative. While this piece may not be his best work, his views on Thurrot's article is valid.

Go over Danny's history of articles for this and other publications and you will find quality writing by a true Mac lover who is happy to share his personal experiences.

Good work Danny and keep it up!

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Ben T.:

I agree. Paul makes a lot of sense in saying that Leopard is decent, but it's not the Windows killer that Apple was selling it to be.

You have to at least find better quotes or something. Those quotes make sense.

This article is completely unfounded and just wrong. Anyone who has read Paul's work and listened to any of his podcasts would realise where is he coming from.

Do a bit more research before you write an article like this.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Phormic:

Once Thurrot was quite patronising about Apple. Now it's resurgence just leaves him apoplectic with rage (something you see in most Windows orientated websites lately). Quite funny to watch really.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

backspace:

You can't take quotes like this out of context. The article you mention makes perfect sense, even to a Mac fanboy like myself. Thurrot is a successful and influential journalist and author, whose writing is well considered, thought-out and influenced only by his journalistic integrity. The latter of which you may wish to learn. Thurrot wouldn't write an article simply to beat-up another journalist.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Jeff Hodgson:

God, I'm getting sick of Danny's articles. As a mac contributor I would expect reviews of mac stuff and maybe some discussion of the future thrown in for good measure. This article takes the pip really, an embarrassment.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Anyone:

This is the last time I visit this site. Microsoft bashing and Apple fanboyism from 'professionals' There hasn't been an article worth reading here for ages.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Ben T.:

Tell me about it.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Jarrod Spiga:

I'm no Mac expert (far from it in fact), but for anyone to say that "one of the biggest selling features of Leopard is a thing called Boot Camp" can only be considered the ludicrous ramblings of... What's that word? Maybe "Jack-ass" is what I'm looking for.

Correct me if I'm wrong (and for god sake, please do since the last time I used a Mac, it had a monochrome screen and one button on the mouse and by clutching at straws in regards to points in your article, I am stooping to the same level of nitpicking here), but hasn't boot camp been around for, ages (comparitively speaking in IT terms)? If that's the case, why is Boot Camp the "most important feature" to discuss when it's been around for the last year or so. From my perspective as a Mac luddite, I even realise that Boot Camp isn't a new feature of Leopard. Isn't saying so a bit like Microsoft saying that "Windows Firewall is a new feature of Vista", only said in a much more glib way? Because of that fact, I personally think that Paul's being generous devoting 158 words to the topic.

If indeed Boot Camp is one of the most important features, I'll keep firing up that dusty Mac classic that I have stashed in my garage for my Apple fix. In the meantime, I'll keep using Linux and Windows machines for my day to day stuff because I'm still not convinved that OSX can do anything that I cannot do on OSs that I'm already familiar with.

Lastly, from all that I have read with Leopord vs. Pussy-cat (or whatever the previous version was), I still don't see what is so special about Leopard that will cause consumers to fork out AU$158 for what (to me) amounts to a point release.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

justthething84:

Jarrod I believe the previous version was platapus

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

U752181:

So "one of the biggest selling features of Leopard is a thing called Boot Camp ". In other words one of the bggest selling features of the Mac operating system is the ability to not run the Mac operating system.

Yes I know this makes as much sense as Danny's original argument.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Ben T.:

How does that not make sense?

One of Leopard, and now Mac's selling points is that it now has the ability to run Windows.

What Paul has been saying is that it serves as an insurance policy almost to people who want to switch to Mac, who are afraid that they will lose functionality and would want to make sure that if Mac OSX falls through, they've still got a chance of running windows and they're not any worse off.

I meant that's why I bought a Mac, back when Bootcamp was Beta.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Michael B:

What was the point of this article Danny, other than to serve as a personal attack against on of the IT world's most well-known and respect journalists?

I'd much rather read Paul's elegantly written reviews than bother myself with your ad-hoc style of 'journalism'. At least Paul would take care to spell your surname correctly.

Grow up.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Jakob:

Stupid article - I will now delete my link to this place and not come again.

29 February 2008, 8:48 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tim Winfield:

Whilst Paul Thurrot professes to be unbiased and balanced in his reviews of all things Apple, he is anything but. I don't know if he is on Microsoft's payroll and don't care either way, but he has a thinly veiled contempt for Apple and rarely misses an opportunity to have a dig at the company. He often berates the 'Mac Zealots' for challenging his version of the truth but he is the biggest fanboy of them all. His bias is well known amongst Mac users and most who know of him just ignore his misinformed ramblings.

Anyone considering buying an Apple computer should take absolutely no notice of Mr Thurrot, take the plunge and make your own mind up... that's exactly what he doesn't want you to do.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Mac user:

Totally agree with your article. I use XP, Vista, Tiger, and now Leopard. And sure Leopard and Vista tend to look a bit like each other but with no doubt everything in Leopard is better, faster, more stabler. In short better executed than in Vista. Also it has some inovations that just work. Like no clutter on the desktop with stacks. Spaces and other ueseful functions.

Do not get me wrong I also like XP that with windowblinds can look good too. And for games it is great. But Leopard makes working with the computer more efficient and that is more value and will make me boot up more in Leopard from now.

If Paul Thurrott is truly objective he would acknowledge this. In the beginning he was very critical of Vista and he was right. I think Vista still sucks because it slows the computer down enormously. Only a servicepack 2 will hopefully alter that. In
the meantime Leopard rules.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

J N Rolf:

"...better, faster, more stabler"

What?

My upgrade is still locking up and I still have not been able to get 3/4 of my work programs to run on this OS update.

You need to read the Apple Forum, and pluck you head out of the sand.

I'm now not one of the so called happy Apple users after going through this instalation.

29 February 2008, 8:49 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

n-blue:

The thing that totally wrong is that OS X must install only on bitted fruit labeled machine. For what?

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

RobertC:

People who resort to expletives when criticising another journalist's material have no credibility whatsoever.

Anyone who follows Paul Thurrott's work knows that he likes Apple products as much as he likes Microsoft's products. He just doesn't like the juvenile lies and fanboyism that often characterises Apple officials and followers.

He was totally consistent in that article that Danny took the liberty to quote out of context. Leopard is a fantastic product but no better than Vista, and not significantly better than Tiger.

If you can't understand that, then clearly APC has sunk to new lows with respect to journalistic integrity.

This is the work I would typically expect from a delusional fanboy, not APC.

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

LiamB:

Thanks Robert. Couldn't agree more. Poor form APC...

29 February 2008, 8:49 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Andrew:

I don’t give a rat’s Ar$$, if it’s true or not, who really cares.

As a regular reader of both APC Mag and APCMAG.com, I for one will not be bothering to come back to APCMAG.com, this is just garbage and not worth my time.

At least in the APC Mag they wouldn’t print this type of sh*t as it’d cost money and wouldn’t get thru the editor based on cost and relevance.


29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Mark Wilson:

"I don't normally worry when I read crappy articles that make no sense"... perhaps I shouldn't worry about this one either... especially when you don't even spell Thurrott's name correctly in the title.

When read in context, those quotes make perfect sense.

I haven't used Leopard yet (so will not comment on its suitability...), but I do use Windows XP/Server 2003/Vista, Tiger and Red Hat Linux - it's good to see people like Paul Thurrott report on multiple platforms without becoming to evangelistic on any one... something which far too much Mac (and Linux) "journalism" suffers from...

29 February 2008, 8:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

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