MacDevCenter.com
Serving the Mac OS X Developer and Power User Community
Market Share, Paradigm Shifts, and Fashion
From the iPod to desktop publishing, the Mac stands its ground (and then some)
Imagine life as we know it without the Mac…no iPod, no iTunes, desktop publishing at the mercy of Windows, with viruses disguised as software installing themselves on hard drives without asking permission. The mind reels.
Despite having nowhere near the market share of Windows, the Mac operating system acts as David to Microsoft’s Goliath by being agile and opportunistic and by appealing to the influential community of creative individuals drawn to its flexibility. Not to mention their attraction to its trend-setting reputation. Besides the cell phone, is there a more ubiquitous and fashionable accessory than the iPod? One that when connected with its parent component, iTunes, has revolutionized an industry (in this case, how music is bought, sold, stored, and played)?
This kind of success means developers for Mac OS X not only have a lot of resources to work with, but also face high-wire-act expectations when it comes time to roll out the product. This is because the Mac end user who uses iTunes, iMovie, or QuickTime, or who works in desktop publishing or digital photography, not only has high standards, but historically has often aggregated with others, thus providing a “tipping point” that may set off paradigm shifts. In other words, for the Mac developer, the stakes are high.
Since December of 2000, MacDevCenter.com has been doing its part to support these tipping points and paradigm shifts by offering a mix of feature articles, tutorials, weblogs, and news to Apple developers, Unix programmers, power users, and others interested in the Unix-based platform humming under the hood of the Mac’s sleek Aqua interior.
Each month the site serves up 900,000 pages to 175,000 unique visitors, and is monitored by other Apple-centric sites—including Apple Slashdot, Macslash, and MacCentral, among others. Beyond the biweekly newsletter and co-sponsored events with Apple Developer Connection, the site dovetails nicely with the O’Reilly book-publishing arm’s titles about the Mac.
Editorial Content
In addition to the content areas noted on the left nav-bar, coverage includes articles such as: "What is Turbogears;" "Web Apps with Tiger: Backups and Speed;" "An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence;" "What is Darwin (and How It Powers Max OS X);" "Top Ten Digital Photography Tips;" "Connecting OSX to your Windows PC," and much more.
Source Code: In addition to overseeing the MacDevCenter, Derrick Story is the editorial director of the O’Reilly Network, and author of Digital Photography Hacks, Digital Photography Guide, and Digital Video Guide. He is also a regular speaker for Macworld conferences, a contributing writer for Macworld Magazine, and syndicates his own podcast via thedigitalstory.com.
“Part of the inhumanity of the computer is that, once it is competently programmed and working smoothly, it is completely honest.”— Isaac Asimov
