Important links:
Below are selected signatures and comments from the online petition
created to support this proposal. The selections, pulled from the many
thousands of supporters' comments, are meant to show the diversity and
passion of the supporters of this proposal.
Support in the developer and professional communities is strong:
"Engineer at REAL Software (makers of REALbasic)"
--Joseph J. Strout
Mac user since 1986, signature 3505.
"Apple User, Developer, and Solution Expert"
--Martyn Arnold
Mac user since 1984, signature 1217.
"Founder - Apple Corps of San Diego"
--Philip Lemon
Mac user since The Beginning, signature 2117.
"Former President of Aladdin Systems - Makers of StuffIt"
--Marco A. Gonzalez
Mac user since 1985, signature 2262.
"MacOS, Unix, and Java developer since '96."
--Todd Lipcon
Mac user since 1991, signature 2014.
"Unix scientific developer, hopefully MacOSX soon too."
--Daniel Mainz
Mac user since 1987, signature 2353.
"Director of Instructional Technology at a major university"
--David B. Sawyer
Mac user since 1984, signature 4132.
"Mac developer since the beginning (WordPerfect)"
--Harry Mahoney
Mac user since 1984, signature 4816.
"Apple Solution Expert - MacNRG"
--Rob B. Campbell
Mac user since 1991, signature 4517.
"Network systems analyst, Duke University"
--John Norris
Mac user since 1988, signature 5844.
"Co-recipient of 3 Apple Design Awards"
--Clifton Little
Mac user since 1987, signature 3471.
"As the SysAdmin for public Macs at UMICH, I'd really like to see
that metadata included; it would sure help with lab management
(synchronizing, etc)"
--Harmon Abrahamson
Mac user since 1992, signature 1021.
"As a software test engineer in the Microsoft Macintosh Business
Unit, I urge you to retain or even expand support for file
metadata in the Mac OS."
--Will Parker
Mac user since 1990, signature 876.
...as is support among Apple shareholders, and even ex-Apple employees:
"I'm confident that the folks at Apple will eventually recognize
the role that basic metadata, such as type/creator, plays in the
Macintosh user experience. When I was working on the Finder in
1982 and designed the type/creator, desktop database, and resource
mechanisms, I wanted to make sure that the user would almost never
have to care about what the file's type was, how it should be
named, or what application was appropriate to edit it. At the same
time, I felt that the Finder should allow users to override the
Finder's application preference as needed; thus, drag-and-drop to
an application was provided. In the following years the software
designers at Apple have done beautiful work in maintaining this
ease of use with the Finder and File Exchange. Promoting a
least-common-denominator solution is inappropriate for a company
sustained by innovation; Apple needs to embrace the entire concept
of metadata for user information, and consider type/creator as the
beginning of something much more powerful for OSX."
--Bruce Horn
Member of the original Macintosh development team,
signature 252.
"Apple employee 1988-1996 (software engineer)"
--Joshua Susser
Mac user since 1984, signature 234.
"Apple Co. Shareholder"
--J. Elias, M.D.
Mac user since (Macintosh Plus), signature 3445.
"Ex-Apple employee"
--Adam Lang
Mac user since 1989, signature 885.
"I'm also an ex-Apple employee."
--Chester Campbell Jr
Mac user since 1990, signature 2593.
"Former Apple employee (91-93)"
--Scott Outterson
Mac user since 1990, signature 2591.
"I am an Apple stockholder"
--Robert Braun
Mac user since 1984, signature 3577.
The historic advantages of the Mac platform's handling of file
metadata are widely acknowledged and praised. A move towards a more
primitive system is condemned as foolish and dangerous, regardless of
any intended cross-platform interoperability benefits.
"There are many great things about the Mac OS. File metadata is
the most important of these."
--Craig Hockenberry
Mac user since 1984, signature 156.
"Apple was ahead of its time when it introduced File Type and
Creator metadata. They should create an extensible system that is
ahead of its time again, not use a 20 year old system created by
Microsoft, especially when Microsoft is slowly moving away from
it."
--Shane Palmer
Mac user since 1990, signature 149.
"I grew up around mainframes, TTYs, BBSs, Ataris, Commodores, and
the Apples 2. In my late teens I was introduced to IBM XTs and
some other clones. Five years later upon employment in a large
educational customer of yours I was asked to help my particular
unit with IT purchase and installation, but could only buy Apple.
I thought them mad and daft. However, I came to realize that the
Mac was ahead of the curve not behind it. As a often loved prize
fighter would say, "Often imitated, but never duplicated!" That
has been my experience on the Mac. Apple has always been (for the
most part) the vanguard of innovation. I don't see the point in
copying devolution now."
--Michael De Bose
Mac user since 1993, signature 7507.
"This MUST be addressed. Metadata should need no evangelizing. The
fact that Linux and Windows have both begun to embrace a
transition from .dum makes OS X look .silly."
--Scott Boone
Mac user since 1985, signature 171.
"after I started using OSX (I do love it!) I have had *more*
problems with 'unknown' files than before. And now I have to
manually adjust things on both foreign *and* Mac created files..."
--Jan Melander
Mac user since 1985, signature 1477.
"The current backsliding on these issues has already caused
significant grief for my colleagues and myself. Please start on
these fixes soon!"
--James Elliott
Mac user since 1984, signature 243.
"Whatever happened to making the computer more human compatible
instead of making humans more computer compatible? Isn't that the
whole point of Mac?"
--Joe Fanning
Mac user since 1987, signature 262.
"Please do not cripple my ability to use my own computer and to
share files with *other Mac users* in favor of a quixotic,
pseudo-seamless UFS and/or Windows compatibility"
--Ian Jones
Mac user since 1984, signature 271.
"This is arguably the single most important difference between
MacOS and Windows. Don't toss out the baby with the bathwater."
--John Manning
Mac user since 1992, signature 374.
"The interface and freedom to CONTROL *YOUR* COMPUTER are what
converts people to the Mac and makes them rabidly loyal. The
feeling that YOU are in charge at every juncture in the computing
experience feeds the end-user's creativity and allows him to WORK
WORK WORK!"
--Todd Papaleo
Mac user since 1988, signature 1979.
"While I understand that file extensions are a necessary evil for
compatibility with Windows computers, that system has never worked
nearly as well as that of the MacOS in my experience. Make file
extensions an option certainly, but also keep the file typing,
etc. system that has helped make the so MacOS successful. I also
believe that such metadata facilities as the MacOS has always had
(until the campaign now) will become even more important in the
future. Getting rid of it would be a huge mistake that will be
hard to recover from in the future."
--Robert Burns
Mac user since 1987, signature 404.
"Dropping meta data is an embarrassing step backwards and a huge
inconvenience for those of us who have to live in the OS 9 _and_
OS X worlds. This has already cost me money and time."
--Barry Abrahamsen
Mac user since 1986, signature 479.
"As a long time user of, and developer for, Macintosh, Win9X/2K,
AND Unix I have always viewed the HFS/HFS+ metadata system as a
major competitive advantage for Apple. For them to surrender this
advantage and move toward the horribly confused systems of the
competition is baffling. [...] "Fit in, stand out", "Think
Different", etc.; somebody isn't listening."
--Andrew Brownsword
Mac user since 1985, signature 2368.
"The Mac's use of metadata has been one of its most significant
advantages since day one. It is simply not necessary to abandon
metadata to achieve compatibility with other platforms. In fact,
it's a major step backwards. Apple has always stood for making
computers usable by average people, not just computer geeks. Using
metadata is a major tool for making the Mac usable. Filename
extensions (and the requirement to learn a large number of rules
governing their use) are a major impediment to most users because
only computer geeks will ever really understand them. In fact, the
Mac OS should take the lead in EXPANDING the use of metadata in
order to make computers easier to use. Apple has survived by
striving to always be the best -- that includes being better than
Microsoft. If Apple gives up major advantages in the name of
"compatibility" then there is no particular reason to choose the
Mac over Microsoft. And I think the dangers of becoming "just
another marginal OS" are obvious."
--Ed Heckman
Mac user since 1995, signature 531.
"If seamless file interchange with Windows users was a high
priority for me I would have stopped using Macintosh years ago.
The fact that Apple doesn't "get it" regarding file metadata and
continues corroding the user experience with enforced use of file
name extensions in Mac OS X is damning evidence that the original
Macintosh ethic has been degraded to a sad, pathetic low."
--Joel Ingulsrud
Mac user since 1984, signature 473.
"It would behoove Apple to realize that their 5-10% market share
is not 'limited' by their differentiation from Windows--it exists
solely because of the differentiation. Cease to be better than
Windows, and cease to exist."
--Mike van Lammeren
Mac user since 1994, signature 496.
"if you keep taking feature qualities away that make the MacOS
unique, pretty soon the argument that Windoze is just as good as
the MacOS will become valid."
--Damion Michaels
Mac user since 1987, signature 820.
"My 8 year old asked what the .cwk exension means. I should not
have to explain that."
--Philip Giltner
Mac user since 1989, signature 5774.
Existing Mac users repeatedly cite not only their affection for the
Mac's traditional metadata handling, but their dislike of the current
Mac OS X metadata system, their intent to avoid Mac OS X based on that
dislike, and even their willingness leave the Mac platform entirely if
its advantages are eroded.
"Losing metadata greatly diminishes the Macintosh user experience
for me and makes Windows XP much more attractive than it was
previously. I say that both as a personal user and also as a
Netowork Admin who influences the upgrade path of the 300+ Macs on
our University campus."
--Andrew Miller
Mac user since 1990, signature 572.
"File metadata is one of the defining characteristics of Mac OS.
If that goes away, it becomes easier to switch to another
platform."
--Philip D. Wasson
Mac user since 1984, signature 561.
"This represents a solution to the very reason why I have resisted
moving to OS X, a problem that strips the highest advantage of
using a mac away: ease of file management."
--Adriel Henderson
Mac user since 1992, signature 500.
"I won't buy a new Mac until OS X is as good as OS 9. OS X's
treatment of metadata is a giant step backwards."
--Michael Schmitt
Mac user since 1996, signature 602.
"File metadata is a key Mac GUI feature which enhances user
comfort and which avoids confusion. OSX is a retrograde OS in this
respect; I am very reluctant to move to it"
--Dr. Jeremiah B.C. Axelrod
Mac user since 1984 (first 100 days), signature 192.
"I was working in OSX the other day and I was renaming my mp3
files and for the first time ever I was afraid to rename them!
This is a mac. I shouldn't be afraid to rename files!"
--Kevin Brahl
Mac user since 1992, signature 51.
"I have been forced to use Windows for years, and the frailty of
the whole system has frustrated me and my coworkers for years, and
left us afraid to rename or move any files on the system at all.
This is not right. I should not be afraid to rename a file. [...]
Please, please, bring rich data back to the Mac filesystem. It's
one of the few remaining advantages of the Mac platform that
really speaks to people."
--James Robinson
Mac user since 1986, signature 7458.
"Forcing users to conform to file naming conventions is as archaic
today as it was when the first mac came out in 1984. Renaming a
file in an Apple OS should not result in a warning message
"Renaming this file will cause it to become a folder" which has
happened to me in OSX. Renaming an application's folder should
not result in that application no longer working correctly, which
has happened to me in OSX - its just like windows anymore, which
is to say BAD. The loss of OS9's method of handling these
situations in a matter that was invisible to the user, is my
largest complaint with OSX. Please fix it."
--Chris Caldwell
Mac user since 1989, signature 2599.
"I've found Mac OSX a scary deviation away from user centric
design. Please turn MacOS back towards ease of use for non
technuts."
--Ian Lessing
Mac user since 1991, signature 1136.
"Your big challenge was/is to make Unix user-friendly. It's not
friendly to make users afraid to deal with their own files! Don't
you get it?"
--Sensate_Mass
Mac user since 1992, signature 829.
"Losing Classic metadata is a big mistake. MacOS X is harder to
justify without it."
--David Vaile
Mac user since 1985, signature 246.
"This is one of the serious drawbacks with OS X and why I have not
upgraded."
--Myke Olson
Mac user since 1986, signature 4867.
"I am exceptionally dissapointed in the loss of TYPE/CREATOR in
10.X. This is one of the foundations that has made the Macintosh
superior and easier to use."
--Karl Smith
Mac user since 1983 (Lisa Tests-Purdue University),
signature 166.
"If I wanted the lowest common denominator, I would use Windows."
--Stuart Kinnear
Mac user since 1998, signature 88.
"I won't buy a new Mac, nor any native OS X apps, until OS X is as
good as OS 9. OS X's treatment of metadata is a giant step
backwards. File extensions are for Windows users. If Apple wants
me to buy Apple computers, they have to be better than that."
--Konrad Pfister
Mac user since 1985, signature 945.
"I have been a Mac developer for 10 years, and HFS metadata is one
of the reasons I prefer the Mac over Windows. When that is gone,
so is a significant reason for developing for the Mac OS."
--Richard Hough
Mac user since 1990, signature 862.
"My PowerMac (my home computer) has finally died and I need to
replace it. I am considering an Apple G4 but I see so many
similarities in OS X to Windows (what I use at work and for which
I write code for a living (for now)) that I have to wonder if
there really is much reason anymore to pay so much more money for
a Mac? There are a lot of lame aspects to Windows and the
requirement of file extensions is one of the biggest issues."
--Pete
Mac user since 1985, signature 4293
"OS X is a great foundation for the future, but lacks the user
refinements of OS 9 - all those little features which make a Mac
better than a PC. It currently feels like using Windoze NT from 2
years ago. Losing type/creator information is one of the omissions
which needs to be rectified - if a Mac's the same as a PC, why pay
a premium?"
--Tom Robinson (Wellington, New Zealand)
Mac user since 1984, signature 1736.
"When I purchase a system totalling in the mid-to-high thousands
of dollars, I expect it to act in a way similar to its price tag.
With OSX, I can never be sure what a file will open in, and after
years of simple ease of use, I now feel lost and confused. If I
wanted a computer that acted like a Windows machine, I would have
purchased a Windows machine and saved myself a few thousand
dollars. I buy Macs for several very important reasons. Take those
away and I will take my money elsewhere."
--Ronald Higgins
Mac user since 1998, signature 1722.
"I chose the mac because of the way it works, without the metadata
the mac is just another PC operating system. Hell I can use
Windows 2000 for alot less money."
--Dennis Henderson
Mac user since 1990, signature 1321.
"If all I wanted was unix with a nice GUI, I'd buy a linux box,
put Gnome on it and save a couple of thousand dollars. This will
be Apple's future if they don't heed this warning. Once classic
becomes irrelevant (in a year or two) then there will be little
reason not to switch to linux."
--J Boswell
Mac user since 1984, signature 2187.
"The lack of Metadata support is making Mac OS X more and more
like windows. If I am going to use a brain-damaged system I may as
well use the one my company keeps pushing (Windows). If Apple
wants to keep its loyal users it had best rethink this strategy"
--Timothy S Priest
Mac user since 1987, signature 1340.
"I'm holding my next purchase till this is cleared up. A Mac
without metadata is just an expensive PC that has fewer programs
to run."
--Ab Kuenzli
Mac user since 1984, signature 4972.
"If I wanted file extensions, I'd have bought a PC. I still may if
no progress is made on this issue."
--Peter Dodge
Mac user since 1984, signature 690.
"I have been a Mac developer for 10 years, and HFS metadata is one
of the reasons I prefer the Mac over Windows. When that is gone,
so is a significant reason for developing for the Mac OS."
--Richard Hough
Mac user since 1990, signature 864.
"the whole metadata thing kept me from buying a new Mac, because
i'm thinking a Wintel box would now give me the same user
experience"
--Ramsey Frye
Mac user since 1994, signature 5510.
"As a Macintosh developer for many years, I'm very upset with
Apple's relegation of the user experience to "afterthought"
status. I've always been proud that Apple and Mac developers
considered it important to sweat the details to make the user
experience as good as it could be. We've all spent significant
engineering time to make sure that the Mac "just works." Now
Apple's dropping the ball, and I'm certain the attitude of many
developers will eventually follow suit. If Apple abandons its
strengths, many of us will probably focus on Windows software
instead. Without the "Mac way", there's no reason to stay with
it. There's more money to be had in the Windows market."
--Jon Gotow
Mac user since 1986, signature 1101.
"If you make the Mac more like windows, why use a mac?"
--Ernie Cline
Mac user since 2000, signature 1515.
Users of other platforms, rather than being attracted to the Mac
platform by Mac OS X's decreased differentiation, are instead repelled
by the elimination of a history Mac advantage.
"I am a Win2000 user, the one thing that I have always admired
about macs is their handling of metadata, now I have no reason to
switch platforms ever."
--Andrew Johnson
Signature 3814.
"Been using Windows for a decade. Mac methods are better, do not
abandon them."
--Michael A. Crawford
Mac user since 9/2001, signature 568.
"I switched to Mac from OS/2 which had metadata handling superior
to every other platform. Metadata handling on classic Mac OS was
good but on Mac OS X it sucks. I might as well be using Windows.
Please fix this!"
--Daniel Evanko
Mac user since 1999, signature 1564.
"I teach visual c++ on windows in a computing lab, and am always
amused as students click around similarly named files to get to
the one they want. PLEASE DONT LET IT HAPPEN ON THE MAC."
--Zulfikar Najmudin
Mac user since 1988, signature 465.
"i switched to mac from windows recently because the mac does
things like this!"
--Matt Maurer
Mac user since 1996, signature 511.
"One of the reasons I switched to the Mac was its file system.
Don't toe the Windows line with forcing extensions."
--James Hromadka
Mac user since March 2001, signature 1537.
"Especially (!!!) as a former PC user, I feel that with the
current OSX version I have lost the most important part of my user
experience. I feel like I'm back in the bad old days when
Windows's file extensions made file handling a continuously awkard
job"
--Patrick Näf
Mac user since 1999, signature 1746.
"I'm a fairly new Mac user, and a smart file system was one of the
main reasons I switched from Windows. I'm disappointed with Apple
for taking a big step backwards now."
--Pauli Ojala
Mac user since 2000, signature 1465.
"The current direction of Mac OS X is a huge step backward for the
Mac, and is quickly eroding the advantages the Mac has over
Windows. I've converted many users from the PC to the Mac over the
years, and some of the biggest things they left the PC because of
are now coming to the Mac--like the use of file name extensions to
identify files, and the use of brittle pathnames to locate files.
Some of these users have even commented on the backward approach
of OS X, and given that Microsoft is trying its best to move away
from the things Apple is embracing, they're beginning to wonder if
it's not time to switch back, where they can get cheap peripherals
and more software. And truthfully, I have a hard time arguing the
Mac's case, since it really is moving backward. Were it not for
the fact that I make my living on the Mac, and that the only real
alternative is the monopolistic Windows, I'm staying, but the Mac
experience, while getting prettier, is definitely taking a
downward slide in the name of compatibility."
--Robert Williams
Mac user since 1987, signature 657.
Supporters of this proposal are not blinded by a narrow Mac-only world
view. They recognize the challenges of interoperability, but do not
think Mac OS X's current direction improves matters.
"I work daily across Mac/Win/*nix platforms, and have - by
necessity - become familiar with the failings of the Mac platform
in regards to importing and exporting its (locally excellent) file
metadata, and agree that Mac OS X degrades this experience
further. John Siracusa's recommendations are the clearest and
most sensible response to this issue that I have encountered, and
would result in a more compelling Mac OS X interface for all
levels of user experience."
--Jon Obuchowski
Mac user since 1992, signature 755.
"As the sysadmin for an entirely Macintosh college, and as an
ex-NT sysadmin, I feel that I have a firm grasp on the metadata
concept in it's implementation across various platforms. I
wholeheartedly agree with this petition, and urge Apple to rethink
the approach currently displayed in OS X."
--Nigel Kersten
Mac user since 1988, signature 2322.
"i must admit - i can't stand the mac community in general. but as
a programmer, i full-heartedly support this petition regarding
metadata handling."
--Janos Erdelyi
Mac user since used in college. can't stand them,
signature 4372.
Adoption of the proposal recognized as clear benefit to users and a
future source of competitive advantage for the Mac platform.
"As a computing professional, I agree that the proposed Metadata
format discussed in the Petition provides a superior data transfer
and cross-use capabilty. Updates to the rules, conventions, and
formats for new or changing programs could be easily provided
through the update service currently provided by Apple which
determines what updates are available and gives you the option of
downloading them. Full implementation could give a competitive
advantage to Apple for serving as a "Interpreter" Server that can
glue a diverse system network together. I believe that the
adoption and implementation of the Metadata proposal alone is
worth purchasing a new version."
--Sherrill J.H. Edwards
Mac user since 1984, signature 5829.
"[This] proposal, if properly implemented, will ensure the Mac OS
is at the forefront of both user experience and platform
compatability for years to come. These issues must be addressed
immediately."
--Matt Hale
Mac user since 1984, signature 695.
"An excellent proposal, with great benfits for the user community,
as well as the developer community. I hope that this stuff makes
it into future releases of X."
--Paul Forest
Mac user since 1990, signature 791.
"One of the most valuable features of the Mac OS is its attention
to the user interface. This proposal enhances that history of
making the system user friendly."
--Kreigh Tomaszewski
Mac user since 1984, signature 4913.
"This is a very thorough and thoughtful proposal. It's adoption
will greatly enhance the OS X user experience."
--Donald K Clifton
"This document's existence is the most hope-inspiring thing I've
seen since Apple first started to attack their own beautiful
metadata structure in the early releases of Mac OS X. Apple, my
faith in the Mac platform is a faith that you will read this"
--Brian Tiemann
Mac user since 1993, signature 2506.
There are many more thousands of signatures and comments available at
the petition web site:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?osxmd
and support continues to grow. I hope Apple will acknowledge the broad
and passionate support for this proposal among both current Mac users
and developers, as well as potential converts from other platforms, by
giving this proposal serious consideration. The future viability of the
Mac platform may depend on it.
Thank you.