ITunes Music Store

Update.-- I did find this iTunes Web page for music which uses the iTunes store to listen and download music, but still you need to know the artist than see the newest or recent music.

I've liked the various types of world music for a few decades, once I found sources to listen and buy the music from around the world, and for awhile the iTunes Music Store was a good source. I say was because they've slowly changed the world music section to be harder to actually find artists and the latest albums.

And today I went to the store to find the links in the world music section have changed and many don't work. I suspect they're switching over the design but it's really a WTF when it's just before Christmas to see the Asian music effectively unavailable unless you know specific artists.

I know Apple has had issues with Asian artists and music because of competition from the major music publishers who have exclusive contracts which don't include selling through the iTunes stores, such as Sony music.

That's a pity since many of the Asian artist would find a market here in the US. I have a number of albums from artist and use Amazon Japan to buy the CD's which I can't get in the US or in the iTunes store. It's a shame the companies can't work something out to market the music worldwide for people interested in the music.

Ok, a rant, and the point besides the obvious? Nothing except why did Apple redesign the world music section and links don't work just before Christmas? Well it's about finding music in the iTunes store. Try searching for recent or the latest from some countries.

Good luck there because they show a long list of artists but in many cases, they don't have any albums by those artists. And if you want to look for new artist or different artists in the same genre of a country, good luck because it sends you back to the main music page.

In short, the store is set to sell the latest American music and forget the world outside what they can sell. It would be cool if they could have a search by country similar to the regular pages, such as a drop down list by continent and then country.

That's not rocket science for the Apple developers, and it cetainly would sell more music. And then get agreements to sell more world music by the other music publishers who don't offer music here or have a store like iTunes where customer can listen and buy.

How about it Apple? Or don't you really care about world music and your customers?

Apple App Store

It would be nice if Apple would require companies with applications in the Apple App Store to keep the Apple version updated comparable to the one they sell on their Website or either post a notice on the page in the App Store that the version isn't the latest available or remove the app or the company from the App Store.

I say this because I continually have applications going back a year which are out of date according to the company and the version on their Website. The companies are clearly not sending updates to Apple for the App Store for whatever reason(s).

In reading about some of the companies they will say they don't like Apple's policies or the process for the App Store. Ok, then don't sell there and don't use the App Store license to bypass selling Apple approved applications.

In addition, many of these companies refuse to honor the license or copy bought through the App Store for the version available on their Website, so if you want it there you have to buy it again where they'll promise to keep it updated.

I've written about this before and while I've moved some application off the App Store, it's only because the company withdrew the application from the App Store and honored the Apple receipt to issue a license for the application on their Website.

Apple needs to address the practice of companies trying to have it both ways with applications, to comply with Apple's policies for applications to have one on the App Store but then only sell the latest or new versions through their Website.

Apple needs to ensure people who buy applications through the App Store will have some assurance that the application will always be updated or upgraded through the App Store or the application will either have a notice it may not be updated or it will be withdrawn.

It's time Apple stopped the con some companies are using the App Store to sell applications which will install and work but not available through the App Store.

OS-X 10.9.1

What I've seen in the short time I've installed and used the latest update to OS-X Mavericks, specifically 10.9.1 is encouraging but also discouraging as while they're tweaking the underlying operating system flaws they're also playing with the bells and whistles ignoring some residual problems.

First, though, OS-X 10.9.1 handles cpu memory better, but it could be better which I hope they keep going. They've made changes to the file cache where it doesn't seem to get out of hand too often. It still does at times, even maxing out your total cpu memory for some tasks if the memory is available, but it seems to recover some of it.

But they still haven't fixed third party file cache memory when you close the app, especially if you don't plan to reopen it. You still need to use the purge command occasionally to recover the memory or wait for the daily maintenance.

They didn't change the app memory enough to see it reduce if you close apps with no interest to reopen them. It still seems to hold the memory which is what they want to reduce the time to reopen them if the users wants the app later. It's really six of one, half a dozen which is right if the memory is there.

I still get occasional problems with the scrolling with Safari and Mail, but closing the tab or going to another mail sometimes cures it, but sometimes I have to close these apps to get scrolling back. This is something they seem to know about.

Ok, that's the story outside of my obvious anger they broke the menu bar icon control and didn't fix it. If they don't fix it with 10.9.2 I'll buy a third party app to do the same thing, but really that's stupid since the developers broke it and should fix it.

Enough said for now. I'm still waiting for 10.9.2 and until then I wouldn't recommend anyone upgrade to Mavericks unless you want the changes from Moutain Lion.

WTF Apple

I installed the latest update to OS-X Mavericks, OS-X 10.9.1 and I have to say what the title of this post says, What the fuck are you thinking Apple!?

You made improvements to Mail and some of other apps but you didn't fix the menu bar icon order which you broke with Mavericks. It was working great under Mountain Lion and all previous generations of OS-X.

As Steve Martin would say, "But Noooooo!", you decided to break something that wasn't broken in the first place. And with the update, it's now worse than broke, it doesn't fucking work! The user has absolutely no control of the order of the icons on the menu bar now.

Gee, we're supposed to think you folks are good but you break a great feature and tool and then don't fix it!? That really is a WTF moment. I certainly hope you fix it with OS-X 10.9.2 because right now I wouldn't recommend your fucking software over Microsoft.

At least we know they're stupid about their users, now you've proven your equally stupid about your users.

Mr Boehner

Speaker of the House John Boehner announced that his insurance premiums will double under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka. "Obamacare") which true because he forgot to add that the health insurance he had was with the Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) Program which is subsidized by the government, meaning us taxpayers, to the tune of 50-66% depending on the plan and family.

Under the ACA that subsidy is gone so his premiums will double. That's reality Mr. Boehner, something the rest of the American people know and live with in our lives. Welcome to reality Mr. Boehner, but then you make $174,000 a year so you can afford the premiums the rest of us have to struggle with every month.