Detailed Reviews of Mac OS X "Tiger" Preview 467
An anonymous reader writes "AppleInsider has been publishing some very detailed articles on Apple's new Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' operating system, which include numerous screenshots of the system. So far the publication has discussed overall installation and Spotlight search technology, Safari with RSS, a new Mail revision with
Smart Mailbox technology, and a websearch enabled Mac OS X Help application."
Not much news... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Not much news... (Score:5, Funny)
I have a hunch that the lead-off to this story should have been "An anonymous AppleInsider editor writes ...".
RSS? (Score:5, Funny)
Smart Mailboxes. (Score:5, Funny)
I'm tired of people trying to convince me that my breasts need to be larger, when clearly that would only make my penis look smaller.
Re:Smart Mailboxes. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Smart Mailboxes. (Score:5, Funny)
Smart Folders == Labels? (Score:5, Interesting)
It looks like Apple caught on quickly to the Gmail label paradigm shift away from folders and has put "smart folders" into Mail 2.0 for 10.4.
IMHO labels and smart folders are long overdue for mail. They've been usefull in iTunes for months and just make good sense data that does not belong in only one bin.
Re:Smart Folders == Labels? (Score:5, Informative)
or in Evolution (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:or in Evolution (Score:3, Interesting)
I suspect that is the origin.
Re:Smart Folders == Labels? (Score:3, Informative)
Microsoft Entourage [microsoft.com] has been able to save searches for later use (a smart folder) since its debut in 2001.
hmm... thats twice in as many weeks that i've put microsoft in better light... whats happening to me?!
Re:Smart Folders == Labels? (Score:5, Interesting)
Apple had this feature (save searches for later use) in the ill fated Copland preview in the mid 1990's. in fact i got the impression that apple was resurrecting many features from Copland during the WWDC keynote (see Automator)
Other Ideas Borrowed from GMail (Score:5, Interesting)
Apple Link (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.apple.com/macosx/tiger/ [apple.com]
photocopiers? (Score:4, Interesting)
You mean like Office2003? And even OfficeXP, I think.
I'm just sayin'...
-bZj
Re:photocopiers? (Score:5, Informative)
Microsoft's web enabled help applications are selective.
Re:photocopiers? (Score:2)
Like Active Desktops, which Windows users had since 1995.
Re:photocopiers? (Score:3, Interesting)
Apple had a billboard truck driving across the street that said C:\NGRULAT.ONS (making fun of the old DOS file length limitation. They shouldn't have been so cocky because Win95 had 255 character file names, while Mac was stuck at 32.)
Most inconsistent user interfaces (Score:5, Insightful)
Interestingly, sources noted that while the Tiger Finder interface contains no noticeable changes from Panther, Spotlight uses its own sleek window interface design, which is only accessible from windows that are spawned from Spotlight searches. The interface features windows with a smooth, grey-colored titlebar, with sharp webpage-like table results on one side, and an html-style control bar on the other. Details of these new webpage-like Mac OS X windows were first report by sources in an earlier report, though sources described them as Mac OS Finder windows.
If you look at the screen shots you will notice weirdly blue colored bars, but just in that one application. Honestly I thought Macs were supposed to have a consistent UI. If I wanted a mish mash of colors and widgets I would just get a Windows PC.
Re:Most inconsistent user interfaces (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Most inconsistent user interfaces (Score:5, Informative)
From the Apple Human Interface Guidelines [apple.com]:
I think that's pretty strict, and it provides a great way to distinguish between iLife-type applications from other non-"life experience" (that's a technical term) applications. Additionally, I challenge you to find an Apple-made program using brushed-metal that doesn't conform to the above guideline.
Overall, if you actually read the AHIG, you'll find the guidlines make sense and serve a specific purpose; they aren't just some willy-nilly part of the system that changes at the whim of Steve Jobs or some apparently AD/HD influenced designers.
I for one welcome our Apple Human Interface overlords.
Re:Most inconsistent user interfaces (Score:5, Insightful)
Ummm...Let's see...
Safari?
Re:Most inconsistent user interfaces (Score:5, Interesting)
That's *really* a stretch. The purpose of a web browser is to browse the web, not manage a list of bookmarks. That reasoning can be applied to just about any app (Mail uses a source list of mailboxes; Xcode uses a source list of project files, etc). Safari and iChat are metal because Steve wanted them to be; then the HIG were retroactively changed to make it a vaguely justifiable choice.
Re:Most inconsistent user interfaces (Score:4, Interesting)
I challenge you to find an Apple-made program using brushed-metal that doesn't conform to the above guideline.
Apple Remote Desktop v 2.0.
Good pic [apple.com] if you haven't seen it yet. I think it's 100% stupid, too, and I don't mind the metal on most apps, really; but for an Enterprise Admin tool, it adds "pretty" when you really need better efficiency.
Re:Most inconsistent user interfaces (Score:3, Informative)
You can see my response [slashdot.org] regarding Safari. Another questionable program is iChat... many people say that its because iChat AV is an interface to iSight, but we all know iChat pre-AV was also brushed metal. What's the reason? The contact list is again, a source list.
Didn't realize pointing out your lack of understanding regarding the AHIG would hurt your feelings, but your second paragraph is again, addressed in it. If you actually think about what you're doing when you use configuration panels, you'll notic
Re:Most inconsistent user interfaces (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Most inconsistent user interfaces (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Most inconsistent user interfaces (Score:3, Insightful)
Smart Folder == Opera M2 Mail Client (Score:5, Informative)
It works under the 'everything is a database' [markschenk.com] premise for email, with 'smart filters', multiple views, multiple email integration, everything controlled via CSS and much, much more.
It's free as in beer, too.
Re:Smart Folder == Opera M2 Mail Client (Score:2)
Re:Smart Folder == Opera M2 Mail Client (Score:3, Informative)
Some common answers to Tiger questions (Score:5, Informative)
Is Tiger usable as a daily OS, currently?
No, Safari 2.0 currently does not work with HTTPS sites. Many common apps, including FireFox crash upon execution. Additionally, there seem to be some pretty serious filesystem bugs which can trash your entire hard disk (not just your Tiger partition).
Do I need a DVD drive? My pirated copy of the Tiger DVD crashes upon boot up.
No, you don't need a DVD drive. Visit the following URL for good installation steps:
Install steps [absent.org]
He also has a Tiger FAQ here:
Tiger FAQ [absent.org]
This is why it is called a DEVELOPERS release... (Score:5, Informative)
Oh, BTW, did I mention it was a DEVELOPERS release?
Upgrade questions (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Upgrade questions (Score:4, Informative)
Since Apple continues to opmitize and hone the operating system I would guess that Tiger will be quicker that previous versions och the same hardware. I've noticed significant speed ups on a PowerBook G4/400 compared to the previous Panther install. This is consistent with the history as Jaguar was quicker than Puma (10.1) that was quicker than Cheetah (10.0).
Re:Upgrade questions (Score:3, Interesting)
As a general note: Apple has rarely sent out paid upgrades as anything but a combination of both a full and upgrade installer. They are almost always bootible media (CD's or DVD's) that have disk tools on them so that you can choose to erase/repartition the disk, and "clean" upgrade options (in MacOS X's case it offers to move the "system" folder aside and the option to migrate user folders and system settings).
Next year when thi
Mailbox feature I need... (Score:5, Funny)
-Adam
Re:Mailbox feature I need... (Score:5, Funny)
Heh heh heh heh.
Fantastic Idea! (Score:5, Interesting)
The best part is, if spammers start using spell-check and correcting their mail before sending (changing V1@gr@ to Viagra) it will be caught by the spam filters instead! It's a win-win situation, less spam and correct spelling...
Re:Mailbox feature I need... (Score:5, Funny)
Alternatively: Grammer check? What's that, filtering out all the gratuitous Frasier references?
Re:Mailbox feature I need... (Score:5, Funny)
I believe that you mean that you'd like your mail program to run a spelling check... or possibly to run a spellcheck. But unless you mean a program called spellcheck you need the indefinate article. And the "to" as well. At least, if you want to receive your own email...
Re:Mailbox feature I need... (Score:3, Funny)
Heh. I hereby propose (drumroll) bheer's law: "In any slashpost critical of another's grammar and/or spelling, the probability of a grammar/spelling error rises to twice the
Will Linux ever catch up? (Score:5, Insightful)
Where are the free software projects investigating next generation UI concepts? Is Linux too wedded to the old ways of doing things to compete with commercial vendors like Apple? It seems to me that the Linux UI community has been very busy trying to emulate the functionality of yesterday's commercial desktops, when it should be pioneering new approaches and UI innovations, thus leap-frogging Apple and others.
Re:Will Linux ever catch up? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Will Linux ever catch up? (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't require a slick UI. I also don't require air conditioning, diet cola, or a high speed internet connection, but they sure make my life nicer and easier.
Re:Will Linux ever catch up? (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm holding out for OS X 10.5 (Score:5, Funny)
iTunes as a Teaching Tool (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:iTunes as a Teaching Tool (Score:3, Informative)
No worries, didn't take it that way. I refuse to start assuming that because some one does not know something they are a troll, just figured I would answer your complaints.
do want to use it with other software, primarily Linux software.
Not sure about that, but I would give a shot to the manual manage function, if you have not already.
I had been trying to right-click on the playlist area to add a new playlist and was annoyed that it did not work.
T
Re:iTunes as a Teaching Tool (Score:3, Interesting)
Of course, I'd heard all about its Unix base, awesome interface etc but it was the sheer elegance of both iTunes and the iPod that triggered me to take serious action.
Apple and Aliens (Score:4, Funny)
GABE: "So, we fought off the Aliens with their own technology?
ME: "Why...ah, yes, as a matter of fact, we did."
GABE: "So aliens have laptops too?"
ME: "Yes, well, sort of. Actually, no..."
GABE: "Arrrgh!"
ME: "See, they captured an alien ship back in the 50's and reverse-engineered the operating system."
GABE: "Hmmm...And they used it to blow up the aliens?"
ME: "Not quite. See, it takes money to fund these sorts of top-secret government wossnames. So what they did was eventually market the operating system in the private sector, as a competing OS. However, since it was the government that gave out the OS in the first place, they decided to keep it close to home, in federally funded areas... like Schools."
GABE: "You mean..." his eyes went wide "Apple Computers are made by aliens? Oh no!"
ME: "No, Apple Computers are made by Apple. However, their OS was originally hacked from an alien spaceship. That's why they never managed to produce clones like the PCs."
GABE: "And we made the aliens blow up with an Apple computer?"
ME: "No, we just used their technology to remove their shields, so that our weapons could blow them up."
GABE: "Did we use alien weapons?"
ME: "Nope, just good old fashioned American-made missiles and stuff."
GABE: "Good," he nods sagely. "Cause next time, we might not be so lucky."
ME: "Indeed. And THAT'S why we celebrate the 4th of July, every year."
MY FIANCE: "Just for the record, Sweetie, our kids are never going to be home-schooled by you."
Much more under the hood... (Score:4, Insightful)
It will be a great OS release... one that I feel will become a must have for every Macintosh user (with supported hardware). At least I hope it will be a must have because I really want to use some of he features that will exist to help speed the development and richness of applications.
Re:Much more under the hood... (Score:3, Informative)
It's still quite buggy (lots of graphical glitches) but apart from that everything works as expected. The OS X GUI is made up of bitmapped tiff's at 72dpi at the moment, so scaled up it doesn't look too crash hot, but this could easily be changed with a quick revision to quartz, and I expect it will be. Because changes only affect newly opened applications in the present i
"Smart" buzzwords (Score:3, Interesting)
"Smart" would be a filtering system that recognizes senders based on last name, and realize that people named "Smith" are probably in my family. "Smart" would automatically recognize messages about the Bernoulli account after a few back and forths and organize them by sender and time (kind of like how I have my filing cabinets). When it matches a personal assistant, it's "smart".
Re:"Smart" buzzwords (Score:3, Insightful)
For example: People named "Smith" may well not be in my family, since Smith is a common last name. Furthermore, so what if they are? Maybe I don't want to have a "My Family" category, and a non-annoying program wouldn't assume that I do.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:before anyone starts on Dashboard (Score:5, Interesting)
http://daringfireball.net/2004/06/dashboard_vs_
---
"Konfabulator = (Custom XML format) + (Custom JavaScript engine)
Dashboard, on the other hand, is based on WebCore, the underlying open source layout and scripting engine behind Safari. Dashboard gadgets are indeed scripted using JavaScript, the same language used by Konfabulator, but Dashboard uses the JavaScript engine that's built into the system. And for UI layout, Dashboard gadgets are specified using HTML and CSS -- using the same rendering engine as Safari.
. .
Do you see how huge this is? How it opens the door to gadget development to anyone with web design experience? Indeed, I've read the preliminary Dashboard developer documentation (generously provided by a source attending WWDC), and it is outstanding from the perspective of making gadgets easy-to-create.
The idea that Dashboard is derivative because it's scripted via JavaScript is missing the point. Dashboard isn't using JavaScript just to use JavaScript -- it's using JavaScript because Dashboard gadgets are little floating Web Kit views."
---
The article also argues, and offers documentation in support of the position, that you can trace the idea for such widgets all the way back to the first "desk accessories" like the puzzle and calculator from 1984. Then combines both points to paint Dashboard as a natural outgrowth of fundmental Apple ideas.
While Konfabulator is an implementation of similar concepts, they were not the inventors of them and their chosen means of implementation makes their software practically useless to Apple from the buy-and-incorporate perspective.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
suggested rewrite (Score:5, Funny)
I'd like Mail rules like those in Pine (Score:3, Interesting)
For example, if I receive e-mail that contains at least one e-mail address containing mycompany.com, then I want the mailer, upon selecting Reply, to auto-set the From header to my work e-mail address rather than my home e-mail address. (All my e-mail routes my my home Linux server and is split into mailbox files by procmail.)
Anybody know of a GUI mail client with rules like Pine's? (Oh, and it has to be able to support IMAP over SSL and SMTP AUTH too.)
Re:I'd like Mail rules like those in Pine (Score:3, Informative)
I use PowerMail [ctmdev.com] on OSX, and it allows a filter to be set up with the following rules.
FROM contains XYZCOMPANY.COM then SET ACCOUNT to XYZCOMPANY.COM
As the program automatically responds using the designated accounts e-mail address, that should work.
Oh, and it has to be a
Re:I'd like Mail rules like those in Pine (Score:3, Informative)
At least in my experience, it often does, but it doesn't always do so. From some experimentation I just did, it appears to base it on the address to which the mail was sent - but if it was sent to a mailing list, so that none of my e-mail addresses appear in the To: or Cc: header, it doesn't pick the address I happen to use on that list.
If it could be given rules to say "if it's to any of these addresses, use address XXX in replies", as I infer
Fix Printing to Linux CUPS Queues? (Score:3, Informative)
Contrary to all rules of CUPS when Apple ported it to OSX they decided to add client side filters which means when you send a job to a shared queue hosted on a linux box, the local printbox hangs and the linux box either bounces the job or prints garbage.
For details go here [comcast.net]
Please!?!
Re:Why?! (Score:5, Insightful)
It's cheaper than XP, it's mostly open (it's not Free, but that doesn't bother me), and my three-button+wheel mouse works just fine, thanks.
Oh, and by the way - 1994 just called. They want their FUD back.
Re:Why?! (Score:3, Insightful)
This one is not entirelycorrect, if you want to stay up to date. The yearly upgrade cycle so far made OSX quite more expensive than XP if you started with the first released version on both. And if you're talking OEM, XP might be actually cheaper now.
Granted, if the software would be the only difference, OSX would have XP beat hands down. However, if you're out to buy a cheap and reasonably fast computer, Apple is not exactly in the top 10 choices (emphasis on both cheap and fast).
Ad
Re:Why?! (Score:3, Insightful)
Windows retail is pretty dang expense (for the full NON-oem version). Likewise, the hardware requirements seem to go up quite nicely with each Windows release. Panther runs pretty well on hardware thats a few years old already (so long as its a G4 or later G3).
Don't get me wrong, if
Re:Why?! (Score:5, Informative)
BTW, Virginia tech found Apple to be the cheapest fastest option when measured against other PCs. What do you know, a cheap, fast, cool supercomputer!
Re:Why?! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Why?! (Score:3, Informative)
Mac OSX costs $125. For a 5 computer licence it's $199. Upgrades happen once per year, but you are not
Re:Can't Wait (Score:5, Insightful)
Six year cycle at one upgrade a year is $774. However, during that time you're likely to buy at least one new Mac, which would eliminate the need for one of the upgrades.
If you're really keeping your computer for six years, that's a solid testimony to the quality of the Mac platform. You really need a new PC for every new major version upgrade since the system requirements change so radically. It's torture running Windows XP on a low-end machine designed for 2000. I bought a used two year old 400mhz PowerBook G4 about a week ago and am very impressed by how well it runs in Panther. It was a slowpoke in the version of MacOS X available at the time, but now it's a more than acceptable performer for most things I need to do with it.
The reality is that the Mac platform's pretty cost-effective if you want to keep your machine running well. The horrors of dealing with Windows virus attacks easily make up for the price difference between Mac and PC.
D
Re:Can't Wait (Score:3, Informative)
This is quite a contrast to Windows -- the Windows 2000 Upgrade is still in the $190 range 4 years later.
Re:Can't Wait (Score:3, Informative)
My four-year-old iBook (9.2.2) is even more stable, reboots needed months apart rather than weeks or days.
Macs are more cost-effective in the long term, partly because the hardware and OS don't need upgrading as frequently,
Re:Only DVD? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Only DVD? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Only DVD? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Only DVD? (Score:4, Informative)
Things like Final Cut Pro can already do real-time image and video effects on the CPU, CI is just exposing it as a system library alongside all the traditional bitmap manipulation libraries.
Re:Grrrr (Score:3, Informative)
Lion is conspicuously absent.
Re:Grrrr (Score:3, Informative)
emacs is already a text editor.
I don't think Apple would use Safari
Internet Safari is already a web browser [internet-safari.com].
I don't think Apple would use iTools
iTools is already a Suite [tenon.com] of server applications for macs.
I don't think Apple would use Apple
Apple is already a record label.
I don't think Apple would use System 9
System 9 is already a the name of an OS by Microware.
Anymore out there ;)
cats-a-plenty (Score:3, Informative)
yes, i know lynx in the unix shell web browser thingy..... but it can still be trademarked for OS use (i think?). whatever the list consisted of, it was found because Apple trademarked the names.
Re:v^HsmartFolders (Score:3, Insightful)
The deeper answer is that the Mac UI is designed so you don't need to be a geek to understand it. Joe Sixpack knows what smart means but not what virtual means, let alone know that the v in vFolders stands for virtual.
BTW, I've never heard the term vFolders before so I suspect it doesn't have that much mindshare. It looks like a Linux thing.
Re:v^HsmartFolders (Score:3, Insightful)
You should have saved the comment for the next piece of KDE software named Kxxx. Long rants about how OSS sucks at naming software always get modded +5 Informative.
Re:v^HsmartFolders (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What is it with men and lesbians (Score:3, Funny)
Re:What is it with men and lesbians (Score:3, Insightful)
And yet if some sheepish computer dork tried to ask you out, you'd call him a nice guy and say no way. If you go out with assholes, you get the asshole treatment. There's not a whole lot to figure out here.
And no, I'm not posting this as some sheepish computer dork who's afraid of women. I'm posting this as someone who's tired of people complaining about their l
Re:One feature that I would like to see (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Any Real advantage to Smart Folders? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Any Real advantage to Smart Folders? (Score:3, Informative)
Moreover, it just doesn't make sense to have duplicate information. What happens when I want to delete a message that has been cloned into several folders? Or maybe add or delete something from it? That's why the virtual folder idea is useful. I love having folders that say "Today's Ma
Re:Sounds Familiar (Score:4, Informative)
2) Safari 1.3 and Xcode 1.5 will make it to Panther, and Panther will receive at least one more point release (10.3.5). Safari 2.0 and Xcode 2.0 will be Tiger-only, however, as they make use of updated frameworks.
3) If you don't see why you need to upgrade, then just don't - 10.3 will continue to work fine and they will continue to supply you with security fixes.
Re:Sounds Familiar (Score:4, Informative)
New machines get the newest OS. Everybody else can buy it as an upgrade if they like. Where's the problem here? If you aren't willing to pay $130 for a fully 64 bit version of the MacOS with a few extra features, don't pay it.
Re:Search, Indexing (Score:5, Informative)
2) The daemon only becomes active when it notices that files have changed. The performance loss is minimal.
3) Applications obviously need to make use of the provided APIs. That's what they're for.
Re:Search, Indexing (Score:3, Insightful)
As to how many apps will support this, I'd guess that plugins will be far more common that built-in searching, since they are not an integral
Re:Search, Indexing (Score:3, Interesting)
It will drag the system somewhat since this file will be wquite large and there wll be frequent read/writes to it, but the OS seems to do this quite transparently and I havn't noticed any noticable drag. OSX does multitask quite good and my computer mainly sits idle anyway.
Spotlight is an API that developeras can use istead of building theri own search tool. Old apps will not automagically benefit from Spotlight.
Mor info on spotligh
Re:Been running it for about a week (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Been running it for about a week (Score:5, Insightful)
Damn ungrateful end users always expecting flashy crap to get them excited. Why do you have a copy of the developer preview anyway? You don't sound like a developer to me.
Re:Why RSS if Safari is still "buggy?" (Score:4, Insightful)
My suggestion is that you run the "problem" pages through the W3 Validator [w3.org] before suspecting a particular browser's implementation.
Re:still can't import bookmarks (Score:3, Informative)
defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1
Then use hte debug menu to import them
Re:research & development (Score:4, Informative)
No, really. For 2003, Apple's income was $6.2 billion. For the same year, Microsoft's R&D spending was $4.7 billion. That's almost exactly 10 times as much as Apple's R&D spending of $471 million
-Mark
Re:research & development (Score:5, Insightful)
Given that so much of OS X is built upon the NeXTStep code base, and that the NeXTStep code base was (from what I understand) amazingly well-designed from a software engineering point of view, and that Objective-C really is an incredibly powerful, easy to use object-oriented extension of C, I wonder of the rapid output of new stuff from Apple research is just proof of what can happen when you've got well-engineered software libraries with good RAD tools in the hands of extremely capable programmers.
That's not intented to read like an Apple fanboy post (although it does). But it does seem that Microsoft "innovation" moves more slowly than Apple. And some of Microsoft's innovation just, well, sucks eggs. (MFC, anyone? Bob?)
Re:Looks interesting... (Score:3)