Tag Archive for ‘Riccardo More’

Riccardo Mori:

And on a more philosophical plane, sideloading ultimately means freedom of choice and giving back a bit of agency and responsibility to users. How Mac software works could very well work for iOS, too. There wouldn’t be the need to dismantle the App Store as it is today. Keep it as the curated place that it is (or wants to be), but allow iOS software to be distributed and installed from other places as well, with sandboxing and notarisation requirements in place just like with Mac software. And just like on Mac OS, at the user interface level you could warn the users that they’re about to install an app by an unidentified developer, outside of the App Store, and that if they choose to install it, it’s at their own risk. Let them make an informed decision.

He gets it.

➝ Source: morrick.me

Riccardo Mori, on the new M1 iMacs:

You may say, Sometimes things are just designed to look cool, and that’s okay, I guess. I think it’s a philosophy that works best with objects that aren’t everyday tools, but that’s me.

But even with some past Apple computers where it was clear that the primary purpose of their design was to look different and distinguishable from other PCs (think of the iMac G3 or the first colourful clamshell iBooks, or the Power Mac G3 Blue & White, and the following generations of Power Macs), there was at least one element in that design that made it also practical and smart. A common denominator of all those past Macs I’ve mentioned was their handles. All those machines had smartly integrated handles to lift and move them around. There was more of course, but even this small detail was enough to give their design a certain depth and purpose. These new iMacs are as razor-thin as their design is razor-shallow.

Apple’s hardware designs have been hit and miss for me lately. The new iMac is definitely more in the miss category. I’m just unconvinced that the thinness of the design is worth the compromises necessary to achieve it.

➝ Source: morrick.me

Riccardo Mori:

What I want from a new version of an operating system, especially one as mature as Mac OS, is that it fixes or improves what was not working well in previous versions, and that it leaves tried-and-true features and functionalities as untouched as technically possible. I don’t need and I don’t want disruption for disruption’s sake on a yearly basis. While I understand that today’s tech motto is The show must go on, that also doesn’t have to mean that the show should get painful to watch.

Instead, Catalina has so far proven to be quite the disruptive experience.

My work laptop, a 2018 MacBook Air, is still running on Mojave and I don’t expect I’ll upgrade the machine any time soon. I can’t risk running into any unexpected issues with the software I rely on to get things done. I might not run Catalina on my work computer until I get a new one that comes with it pre-installed in 6–12 months.

This feeling isn’t unique to my work laptop, though. I’ve reached a point in my life where I care more about my devices working than I do about having the shiny new features of the latest software update. This is undoubtedly influenced by the quality of Apple’s software over the last few years (or lack there of). But I certainly don’t mind being a bit behind and not having to deal with all the new annoyances — at least until they’ve had a chance to iron things out a bit.

➝ Source: morrick.me