[Bill Davis] "I will quietly and respectfully note that this is *you're* definition of what Mac users need. Mine is decidedly different."
I think you may have misunderstood what I said, Bill. I'm not trying to tell you what Mac users need. I was responding to Gary's statement "no company gets the juices flowing like Apple." I simply disagree with that notion... there are a lot of great companies doing innovative work, and some of them inspire the same kind of passionate debate and discussion that we were talking about earlier. I just don't think the world of post production revolves around Apple.
[Bill Davis] "The people who need to fully understand all the editing programs you note above are the decision makers in the shop/workflow/hardware managerial class - and system integrators."
First, not all of the companies I listed develop NLE software - perhaps if you got out more... just kidding. If you go back and read what I wrote, you may note that I listed
software companies that have products and technologies which are every bit as innovative as Apple's... though I never named any specific applications. Second, I never said anything about needing to understand a bunch of editing programs. I just think it's (generally) a good practice to get outside of your comfort zone once in a while, and see what other tools, processes and platforms other people are using in their day to day work.
[Bill Davis] "This thinking brings to mind another thing that's always surprised me...
I've known quite a few professional writers in my time. A fact that's alwsy surprised me is that someone who's superb at writing advertising copy, or screenplays, or novels, or technical manuals - is hardly ever at that same level writing in any other genres. They can be competent - but very seldom are they really excellent."
You seem to be responding to something I never said, or implied. Where did I express any opinions about being a specialist as opposed to being a generalist? Again, I was just making the point that there are a lot of companies providing innovative products and technologies for creative professionals... companies that spark lively discussion and heated debate... companies that aren't Apple.
[Bill Davis] "You can certainly be competent with with quite a few. But it's hard to excel above the pack if you're always trying to be a "jack of all trades."
Those who disagree, feel free to make your case."
Okay, I'll bite.... but for the record, this is
NOT what we were originally talking about. I seem to remember you having an exchange with Walter Soyka on this subject a while ago. Being a generalist myself, I tend to agree with Walter's comments in the thread below.
http://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/335/25161
[Walter Soyka]"Gathering skills that span disciplines, though -- like an editor learning compositing -- that's the foundation of being a generalist. The fact that software developers sell suites instead of products, and that every editor here knows how to pull a key speaks to how generalized our industry has become.
Editorial, compositing, audio, color grading, motion graphics -- these are all areas of specialty, with room for high degrees of expertise and nuanced expression out of the reach of anyone other than a specialist -- and they are all practiced by generalists such as yourself and most of us here.
Everyone knows the first half of the saying, but the second half is rarely heard. It seems apropos to emphasize here:
Jack of all trades,
Master of none,
But ofttimes better
Than master of one."
