Frequently Asked Questions
Macalicious doesn't generate a whole heck of a lot of mail despite the volume of visitors, but here are the most common questions I get. Please don't take the answers the wrong way. Rather than sugar-coat the answers, and obfuscate the reasoning in the process, I've simply given the answer, sans double-speak. I'm working from the assumption that those reading this are all intelligent adults who would rather simply have the truth. So at the risk of having my responses appear impolitic, here they are.
- Do you support Windows?
- Why do you dislike Windows so much?
- Can you convert the .dmg images to a Windows-readable picture?
- Why don't you support OS 9 anymore?
- I'm running OS X, but the downloads appear in my browser
as garbled text. What do I do?
- Do you have any plans to offer tutorials?
- The site displays funny in my browser. What's
wrong?
- I really like your artwork but am running Windows. May I redistribute/convert it for other Windows users?
1. Do you support Windows?
No. I get this question on a somewhat regular basis, sometimes from people quite irate. I rather like the fact there is at least one site on the web that turns the tables. ;-) We Mac users are told on too regular a basis that such-and-such site is Windows only, usually for no discernible reason. At least I do have a reason, and it's that .dmg files offer a level of control over the download experience that is just too lovely to pass up. Which means, among other things, that I have zero plans of offering Windows support in the future. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is.
There is a solution though. Get a Mac. You won't regret it. Besides, 90% of what the site offers is Mac oriented. You wouldn't fool anyone by having an Apple symbol on your desktop anyway. A pig in a silk dress is still a pig, just a well-dressed one. ;-)
2. Why do you dislike Windows so much?
It's fugly.
3. Can you convert the .dmg images to a Windows-readable picture?
This question arises from a misunderstanding from Windows users. Not their fault, as there is no reason they should know what a .dmg file is. Here's the short description: a .dmg file is not a picture, but a Disk iMaGe file. You double-click it, and it mounts on the desktop as an ejectable disk, much like that old jurassic technology, the floppy. It's merely a convenient way to transfer files over the web. As far as I know, it remains an OS X only technology.
4. Why don't you support OS 9 anymore?
I could give you a soothing song and dance, but the real answer is: because I don't want to. It sounds harsh, and I guess it is, kind of, but well, there you have it. I did support OS 9 for over two years after OS X came out, but when the time came to re-vamp the site in 2003, I made the decision to make the leap to X exclusively. This site is maintained by one person (Me!), and I realized that due to time constraints, I needed to simplify maintenance and upkeep of the site. Why? Well, for one thing, I have to work for a living. Another reason is that for a long time I'd meant to unify all the downloads into a consistent theme. .DMG files allowed me to do that by specifying the layout of items in the disk image, its background image, and even the placement of the opened window on the screen. Admittedly, these are all pointless taken separately, but what it has allowed me to do is to integrate the download experience into the Mac GUI in a way that is very nearly seamless. I have yet to see another GUI site even attempt this level of integration, much less pull it off. Excuse me while I go pat myself on the back. ;-)
5. I'm running OS X, but the downloads appear
in my browser as garbled text. What do I do?
This results from imperfect mime-type support in browsers, if I remember correctly. The solution is to either control-click, click and hold, or right-click, depending on your mouse or browser, and choose 'Save as,' or its equivalent. That will download the file to your specified download location. Alternatively, you can let it load in the browser window, and choose 'Save as' from the file menu. If you're running Jaguar, you can get Safari from Apple. It's free, fast, and understands what a .dmg file is. This should become a non-issue given a little more time.
6. Do you have any plans to offer tutorials?
The short answer is no. If you want more detail, here you go: I'm really just a dilettante at using Photoshop, and have pretty much created every nifty effect by simply screwing around with it. The end result may be quite nice, but I usually end up with a gazillion layers, each containing only one little facet of the picture. And more to the point, I usually have no idea how I did it. ;-) Many, many Photoshop tutorial sites already exist, and they do the job far better than I ever could. As cool as I think many of my desktops are, I don't think I've ever created an effect I haven't seen elsewhere. I may use it in a novel manner, but the effect itself isn't novel, if you follow. I also just don't have the time to write tutorials.
7. The site displays funny in my browser. What do I do?
I get this question mostly from Internet Explorer users, though iCab also has issues displaying the pages properly. Why does it happen? Well, in iCab's case, the browser is still in beta, even after all these years. In Internet Explorer's case, it's mainly because it's old. Microsoft hasn't updated it in any significant manner for Mac OS since OS X debuted several years ago. And they won't be updating it any further as they've pulled all future development for the Mac version of the browser. No great loss. FireFox and Safari have picked up the torch, and beautifully. Could I make the site view properly in IE? Yes. Will I? No. I don't have the time to make sure it's compatible with such an old browser, unfortunately.
8. I really like your artwork but am running Windows. May I redistribute/convert it for other Windows users?
No. I'm sorry, but I really do prefer to keep the artwork centered on the Macintosh. And while I appreciate the interest, I prefer to keep control over the site's artwork's distribution. The site is, in essence, my graphics portfolio, which is why I wish to be the one distributing the artwork.