why .Mac ?

[Christopher Bort]

On 10/30/06 at 21:27, Hex Star wrote:

> maybe all this at http://www.apple.com/dotmac/features.html ?

[snip]

> Seamless integration with iWeb

Don't need it, don't want it. I run my own web server on which I can
publish anything I want to put online (turns out it's not that much...).

> .Mac iDisk makes it easy to exchange files with friends or centralize
> your documents so that you can access them anywhere, at any time.

Don't need it. My MacBook goes where I go and I can make files available
online from my own servers as needed.

> Groups

Don't need it. Don't want it.

> Sync

Don't need it. My MacBook goes where I go and I don't use any other
computers for anything that I would need to sync. At least, nowhere near
enough that it's a problem I need to solve.

> Member Benefits
> 
> Exclusive member benefits include free software downloads as well as
> special product discounts — all available through Member Central.

Not compelling enough to justify a .Mac membership. I have no need or
desire for most of what's offered and I can find alternatives on my own for
what does interest me.

> Photocasting

Don't need it.

> Backup 3

Don't need it. I can take care of my own back-ups on my own media, thank
you.

> Mail

Don't need it. Don't want it. I run my own mail server with my own domains,
which are not tied irrevocably to any particular ISP.

> Learning Center
> 
> The Learning Center offers step-by-step tutorials on the applications you
> use most, including iLife, iWork, Mac OS X, and .Mac.

Like I can't figure them out on my own just by using them and reading their
documentation. This ain't rocket surgery.

I realize that I'm not a typical Mac user in that most users probably don't
have the inclination and|or knowledge to run servers of their own and many
Mac users have a more, shall we say, casual understanding of how things
work. I also realize that other people do find value in what's offered by
.Mac. I'm just pointing out that in reality 'one-size-fits-all' solutions
don't necessarily fit everyone, and not everyone wants|needs to be crammed
into them.

-- 
Christopher Bort
<topher at thehundredacre.net>
<http://www.thehundredacre.net/>