Making the user environment conceptually fraud-proof implies to protect the computer from the legally flawed man-in-the-middle backdoor logic, by migrating the whole system from the international catalogue of what is technically possible, to the European pre-configuration of what is legally allowed. Which translates into a certain number of decisions to be made prior to the creation of any type of user account, with regard not only to the intended usage (interacting with family members, friends, prospects, and colleagues), but also to the subject matter purpose thereof (which is supposed to provide for appropriate indexation in related application and network directories).

With the perimeters to be monitored grossly framed, let us reimagine the user experience so as to make the latter even more transparent right from the moment we decide to purchase a new computer device, in order to find a way out of that debilitating race for social hybridation imposed by the buzz and other market rumors, back to what is actually supposed to make the reputation of a Mac computer, provided it is properly used, i.e. respected as such: namely the reliability thereof, an essential quality for whomever wants to create with confidence in the system. For a self-respecting web author for example, it all starts with the type of webmail (see slide n°2/6 [5]) to be submitted upon creation of an user profile, i.e. way before the actual purchase of a device, considering that the entire configuration of the user environment, Cloud extensions included, will depend upon the reliability of that email address. Indeed, by agreeing to the terms of the EULA, you commit yourself to respecting all applicable international treaties in one click, which can only work - since no one is supposed to play the prophet - if you now the national laws that govern the internet access in your own country.

Optimizing the time it takes to customize a newly acquired computer requires to make the latter even more self-explaining, by putting back under the hood all the items that should not distract the user from doing what s·he is supposed to do, namely: produce quality contents. In other words, it is all about making the ex-works configuration even more generic, considering that too many cognitive and system resources are still being misallocated by utilities requiring OS expertise. If the responsibilities of the users towards the developers (editors and constructors) are clear from the start (and vice versa), the feedback process should be enough to produce added value for the greater good: which also means that by not expecting the users to get their hands dirty in the developers' code, there’s no point for the latter to put the user’s stew under surveillance either.

Enabling users to optimize their performance towards self-motivation requires to upgrade this new generic configuration by giving the first the means to measure their progress: a new "Base+" version of Automator, redesigned for that purpose, would be highly appreciated. As much as a complete dashboard for web conferencing, all of which would make iCloud (6) the native Mac OS X equivalent of Yahoo! Groups (multi-OS), and help the first (6) out of this state of embryonic incompleteness in which it is being kept vegetating due to the absence of such essential locks that provide for safe sharing across networks: both an "eyes-only" option (to prevent download of shared content) and group (server) extensions, which - by extending the basic family sharing (8) features into an "Intranet+" experience natively dedicated to what people actually produce with their Mac devices - would enable users to reach out beyond the boundaries of their domestic network. This would round up the optimization cycle pertaining to the prerequisites for "personal efficiency in a network environment".

Let us now move on to the just as non-existing Net-Enterprise catalogue, by pointing out to what is missing - in the category of native web editing applications - to square a NetPlusUltra®-sustained production cycle: at the Netfolio level of an author seeking to present himself to his target audience, I am missing a new version of iWeb (9) - let us call it iNet for now - into which it would be possible to import existing iWork (10) projects. Upon depublication of the outdated version of such a website module, the latter would remain exportable into an iBooks-Author-enabled (11) web archive reusable for further web projects, whereby iBooks Author itself would remain a standalone design solution. To be perfectly complete, both applications would have to be fully DRM-enabled (12) and support the migration of protected contents over to Mac-friendly web hosting solutions to be provided at the multi-OS-enabled "Extranet+" level.

At the professional Profolio level of business management, the absence of a web editor dedicated to a CMS (13) such as Python (14) is still defaulting OS X Server’s websites service (15). Here again, a NetPlusUltra®-compliant version would enable the import, into the CMS, of existing iNet projects web-archived using iBooks Author, whereby the new end product would remain fully lockable by the author, i.e. publishable in the form of an unbreachable DRM-protected website capsule. A publication process entirely native from start to finish would also bring about the corresponding native search engine, and contribute to solve the web audience analysis problem, by promoting the development of a dedicated native solution which would recognize the self-authoring producer as the legitimate business owner, since there is absolutely no point - for us European users - to let Google take care of our businesses.

Finally, such a comprehensive system upgrade would help rid the Mac App Store of all those useless gadgets which keep distorting the user’s perception of Mac OS X, since such apps promote nothing but distorted product evaluations that are biased by the abusively prevailing social hybridization of systems. With a new generation of professional (i.e. business critical) apps natively specialized by format, usage and subject matter expertise, users could optimize their production environment much more efficiently, and get rapid satisfaction from native and third-party developers alike through much more targeted direct feedback. In this scenario, third-party apps would be reserved for edutainment (tutorials and games) and graphic design (templates for iWork, iNet, iBooks Author, etc.). In line with this, the present article is intended for self-employed independent knowledge professionals (16) who love their job and wish to join me in confirming that the basic Mac configuration is still much to incomplete, with regard not only to what should already be provided for considering the technical possibilities, but also in light of the NetPlusUltra®-sustained mission statement pertaining to this organizational dimension (17), to which I am referring you back as a reminder.

Daniela BERNDT

French / German

Further reading

1. Testfolio Alpha > Home
2. Metafolio > Agenda 2013
3. Metafolio > Agenda 2014
4. Metafolio > Agenda 2015
5. Dashfolio 2015 > Slidefolio
6. iCloud User Guide
7. Help for Yahoo Groups
8. Presentation of "Family Sharing"
9. Wikipedia > "iWeb" page
10. Wikipedia > "iWork" page
11. Wikipedia > "iBooks Author" page
12. Wikipedia > "DRM" page
13. Wikipedia > "CMS" page
14. Wikipedia > "Python" page
15. Presentation of OS X Server
16. Extrafolio 2014 > Index of occupations
17. Exterfolio 2014 > Formula

Tags:Metafolio,Dot-info,Dot-net,Dot-org,Testfolio