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Macs in Amateur Astronomy



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 8th 05, 05:11 PM
Davoud
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Default Macs in Amateur Astronomy

(Dear _fellow_ Windows user: please don't be offended. There is nothing
here of interest or importance to you, nothing meant to convince you
that the Mac OS is somehow superior to Microsoft Windows, nothing meant
to inflame you. Please move on to the next post.)

I get quite a few e-mails from Mac users who have found my personal web
site while looking for information on Macs in amateur astronomy -- and
quite a few from amateur astronomers who are Windows users interested
in switching to the Mac, but who don't want to start a flame war by
asking for information in this or other Usenet forums.

Microsoft Windows users who are happy with Microsoft Windows, please
move on to the next post _now_. There is nothing here of interest or
importance to you.

The web page at http://www.davidillig.com/ast-threemacs.shtml is
designed to provide the briefest introduction to using a Mac in amateur
astronomy, at or away from the telescope. While Macs are used
extensively by professional astronomers, the pros are often taking
advantage of the Mac OS's Unix foundation, and they are often using
software that may be more specialized than that required by an amateur.
The referenced web page lists some of the standard software (with
links) that might be of interest to amateurs who use Macs.

Interested persons seeking details that I may have omitted from the
referenced web page may e-mail me at the address below or at the
address provided on my web site. davidillig.com is a non-commercial,
family-safe web site.

Davoud
  #2  
Old February 9th 05, 10:35 AM
andrea tasselli
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Default

Davoud wrote in message ...
(Dear _fellow_ Windows user: please don't be offended. There is nothing
here of interest or importance to you, nothing meant to convince you
that the Mac OS is somehow superior to Microsoft Windows, nothing meant
to inflame you. Please move on to the next post.)

I get quite a few e-mails from Mac users who have found my personal web
site while looking for information on Macs in amateur astronomy -- and
quite a few from amateur astronomers who are Windows users interested
in switching to the Mac, but who don't want to start a flame war by
asking for information in this or other Usenet forums.

Microsoft Windows users who are happy with Microsoft Windows, please
move on to the next post _now_. There is nothing here of interest or
importance to you.

The web page at http://www.davidillig.com/ast-threemacs.shtml is
designed to provide the briefest introduction to using a Mac in amateur
astronomy, at or away from the telescope. While Macs are used
extensively by professional astronomers, the pros are often taking
advantage of the Mac OS's Unix foundation, and they are often using
software that may be more specialized than that required by an amateur.
The referenced web page lists some of the standard software (with
links) that might be of interest to amateurs who use Macs.


Reading the list there is very little compelling reason to switch to a
mac, isn't it?

Andrea T.
  #3  
Old February 9th 05, 03:03 PM
Davoud
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Default

andrea tasselli wrote:

Davoud:
...Dear _fellow_ Windows user... There is nothing
here of interest or importance to you, nothing meant to convince you
that the Mac OS is somehow superior to Microsoft Windows...


Microsoft Windows users who are happy with Microsoft Windows, please
move on to the next post _now_. There is nothing here of interest or
importance to you.


Reading the list there is very little compelling reason to switch to a
mac, isn't it?


Duh...

Davoud
  #4  
Old February 10th 05, 12:49 AM
Karatepe
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Default

andrea tasselli wrote:


Reading the list there is very little compelling reason to switch to a
mac, isn't it?

Andrea T.


You just couldn't help yourself could you? .... MORON
  #5  
Old February 10th 05, 01:38 AM
bt schmidt
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Default

In article , Davoud
wrote:
The web page at http://www.davidillig.com/ast-threemacs.shtml is
designed to provide the briefest introduction to using a Mac in amateur
astronomy, at or away from the telescope.


Thanks for sharing this info Davoud. Interesting reading and nice photo
of the 17" PB next to your LX200! Sweeet!
  #6  
Old February 10th 05, 03:11 AM
Tim Auton
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Default

Davoud wrote:
andrea tasselli wrote:
Davoud:
...Dear _fellow_ Windows user... There is nothing
here of interest or importance to you, nothing meant to convince you
that the Mac OS is somehow superior to Microsoft Windows...

[snip]
Reading the list there is very little compelling reason to switch to a
mac, isn't it?


Duh...


Thanks for the link. A couple of apps I'd not seen before. I was
actually planning on writing an equivalent to iAstroPhoto so you've
saved me some work (not least of which seems to be getting hold of the
Canon SDK. Perhaps their vetting procedure isn't as harsh as they make
it sound - I was going to wait for 20D support before applying).

However, as a Windows and Linux user as well as Mac I have to say you
are asking for a Mac vs Windows argument given the content of the
page. The "Here's the beginning of a typical observing session with my
Windows laptop" section is a blatant troll. Part of your original
message - "nothing meant to convince you that the Mac OS is somehow
superior to Microsoft Windows" is demonstrably false. Up until a few
months ago my astro-laptop was a Windows laptop, it's now a Mac
laptop. My Windows-assisted observing sessions were not as you
describe; the substance *is* exaggerated.

I don't see why you felt the need to pollute a useful resource for
Mac astronomers with an anti-Windows rant.


Tim
--
This is not my signature.
  #7  
Old February 10th 05, 05:09 AM
Davoud
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Default

Davoud:
...http://www.davidillig.com/ast-threemacs.shtml...


Tim Auton:
Thanks for the link. A couple of apps I'd not seen before. I was
actually planning on writing an equivalent to iAstroPhoto so you've
saved me some work (not least of which seems to be getting hold of the
Canon SDK. Perhaps their vetting procedure isn't as harsh as they make
it sound - I was going to wait for 20D support before applying).

However, as a Windows and Linux user as well as Mac I have to say you
are asking for a Mac vs Windows argument given the content of the
page. The "Here's the beginning of a typical observing session with my
Windows laptop" section is a blatant troll. Part of your original
message - "nothing meant to convince you that the Mac OS is somehow
superior to Microsoft Windows" is demonstrably false. Up until a few
months ago my astro-laptop was a Windows laptop, it's now a Mac
laptop. My Windows-assisted observing sessions were not as you
describe; the substance *is* exaggerated.

I don't see why you felt the need to pollute a useful resource for
Mac astronomers with an anti-Windows rant.


*****

Firstly, I accurately described Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP1 operating
as it was intended to operate; as I noted, there was no exaggeration in
the substance of what I wrote. If that's an anti-Windows rant, so be
it. I would argue that, by definition, nothing on my personal web site
can be a troll. My site gets very few visitors, and with very few
exceptions, is clearly meant for distant friends and family. It is no
accident that I have no BBS on my web site; if people want to conduct a
Mac-Windows war over my page, they will have to do it elsewhere, and
without my participation.

Secondly, there is no indication from the e-mails that I have received
on this subject that any of my fellow Windows users were inflamed by
the page; I expect that most of them took me at my word and did not
visit. I have received 27 e-mails on this subject from amateur
astronomers. Sixteen were from long-time Mac users, every one of whom
found at least one software package that they had not been aware of and
that seemed interesting to them. Four of the 27 e-mails came from
recent "switchers," all of whom used words like "Amen!" The other seven
came from Windows users who claimed that they were going to switch; two
of the seven claimed to have Macs on order. Each of the seven said that
he/she was fed up with Windows security problems and the Windows user
interface; the similarity of these seven e-mails was quite remarkable.
My factual description of Windows' normal behavior struck a familiar
chord for every one of the respondents who is or was a Windows user.

Lastly, for any satisfied Windows user who sees this, I am quite
serious when I say that there is nothing of interest or importance to
you on the referenced web page. If you visit out of curiosity, you will
find it quite boring -- a waste of your time. Please move on and read
the next post.

Davoud

Gotta go now. I have to install _eight_ "critical" Windows security
patches for previous fixes to other fixes that apparently didn't work.
  #8  
Old February 10th 05, 12:29 PM
andrea tasselli
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Karatepe wrote in message ...
andrea tasselli wrote:


Reading the list there is very little compelling reason to switch to a
mac, isn't it?

Andrea T.


You just couldn't help yourself could you? .... MORON


Poor brainless idiot.

*Plonk*

Andrea T.
  #9  
Old February 10th 05, 06:29 PM
Pierre Vandevenne
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Default

Tim Auton wrote in
:

saved me some work (not least of which seems to be getting hold of the
Canon SDK. Perhaps their vetting procedure isn't as harsh as they make
it sound - I was going to wait for 20D support before applying).


Canon has been extremely prompt and helpful with us about their SDK. I even
-gasp- lost my password (must be the first time in 20 years) and when I
contacted them, an very nice lady responded within a few hours with the
information I needed.

Thanks for the list Davoud. I am sitting between PCs and Macs right now and
your list will help!


--
Pierre Vandevenne - DataRescue sa/nv - www.datarescue.com
The IDA Pro Disassembler & Debugger - world leader in hostile code analysis
PhotoRescue - advanced data recovery for digital photographic media
latest review: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1590497,00.asp
  #10  
Old February 11th 05, 03:04 AM
Tim Auton
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Posts: n/a
Default

Davoud wrote:
Davoud:
...http://www.davidillig.com/ast-threemacs.shtml...

Tim Auton:

[snip]
I don't see why you felt the need to pollute a useful resource for
Mac astronomers with an anti-Windows rant.


Firstly, I accurately described Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP1 operating
as it was intended to operate


Show me where Microsoft tell you to install Zone Alarm, a virus
scanner and a malware scanner and fail to configure them to operate
silently in the background.


Tim
--
This is not my signature.
 




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