On OS X

So I've been around the block a few times. I've written books, heard the chimes at midnight with people like Bertand Meyer, Marc Rude, Tim Mays, the guys from Black Flag and Husker Du, and generally used (nay - even developed) software that targets everything from small embedded devices to large 35,000 line telephone exchanges.

So I tried to upgrade an older iMac to OS X.

And Apple did not meet my expectations. For those of you that prefer the unfiltered version that was heard last night, here it is:

Apple sucks. Just absolutely fucking sucks. Is just the most suckiest crap-producing company in the world.

Here's the scenario for a quiz (one question, multiple choice, open book, please do your own work): You're developing an installation program for a new operating system. The OS is fundamentally different than the previous version, and you may need to validate that the target system meets minium requirements.

How would you handle the issue of firmware compatibility?

• a) - Provide clear warnings that the firmware must be upgraded. Run a shim program that detects the current firmware version, and verifies that the target system meets minimum requirements before beginning the OS installation. Also incude the 20 lines of 68K assembly required to check the firmware version when the OS boots up.
• b) - Provide warnings that the firmware must be upgraded in the failed installation troubleshooting portion of the installation manual. Also include helpful note that this should have been down before starting upgrade (note that this documentation relieves you of the need to list this step as a prerequisite.) Run a shim program that detects the current firmware version, and verifies that the target system meets minimum requirements after irrevocably beginning the OS installation. Also, ensure that your OS code takes the appropriate steps to actually damage the user's machine as a penalty for people that follow installation steps from the beginning.

If you can't make up your mind, you're drooling, or your mouse has but one button, go ahead and pick b.

Take as long as you need, as I'll be here all fucking night.

If you're stuck in a similar situation, go here.