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Mac OS X "Tiger" Enters Final Candidate Stage
Orangez writes "Apppleinsider.com reports that 'Tiger' reaches the final candidate stage. 'With massive software projects such as Tiger, Apple will sometimes seed several final candidate builds before one is declared gold master...'" The final release has widely been speculated to be in the next month or two.
It has been rumoured for a long time so this final candidate stage is obvious.
It also appeared on my Swiss reseller's catalogue last week.
I'm however glad it'll support my Samsung 213T rotation.
Trolling using another account since 2005.
thankyou you've beening such a wonderful audience
ciao
What will apple do when they run out of felines to name their OSes after?
I woulda got first post but Bittorrent is using all my bandwidth downloading OS X Tiger Final Canidate.
sgarringer@gmail.com
I will bow down and pay tribute for my copy...
Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. -Martin Luther
It's Great!
Mind | Body | Spirit | Cash
Interesting... Tell me more about this "release candidate" thing that Apple seems to have invented for large software products? =)
I'd like to see them ship this sooner rather than later. People are excited about this release and we'd like to get our hands on it to become familiar with it.
I hope this release sticks around for a few years and Apple chooses to update it rather than come up with some new cat name and ask people to pay for it. I doubt that, however, since OS updates seems to be a major cash cow for Apple.
They are inadvertently (or purposefully) creating a situation where people are running 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, and now 10.4...makes it very tough for developers. We can't assume that everyone has the money to upgrade their OS all the time (and yes, I know they should).
Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
Does anyone know what Apple typically does for new systems? I bought my G4 Powerbook about a month ago and curious if I will have to pay the full rate for the upgrade. I recall in the past there have been special discounts/freebies for new owners.
www.lonseidman.com
Any word on how it's expected to run on older hardware: meaning, any G4 from the last 4 or 5 years?
Every newer OS X has run better than the previous version on these machines from my experience, and from what I've heard others say. Realistically, how long can that go on though until newer versions start to overwhelm older hardware?
Anyone with their hands on a pre-release version of Tiger have any insight into this?
quiquid id est, timeo puellas et oscula dantes.
Rumurs are that it will be presented this Friday (april 1st) and that it will be "unleashed" on April 15. Is it logistically possibly that right now it's not even "gold master" and that 2 weeks later millions of discs are pressed and packaged?
So I believe the 15th as release date is very improbable (by Zarquon), maybe June 6th at WWDC?
No, this is nothing new.
Yes, the version number seems to indicate it's not a new version but only an update. You have to simply ignore the leading "10.". It ain't that hard.
Yes, this is actually like Microsoft charging you for XP (NT5.1) after you already bought Win2000 (NT5.0) or NT4.0 or NT3.51 - the leading "10." is like the leading "NT" from Microsoft.
Yes, this is old news, but the issue comes up every time Apple releases a new version of OS X.
I had never heard the expression "run like a raped ape". I think I shall have to use it now :)
Nobody would've claimed that 10.0 was a "massive speed improvement" over 9.2.2 and before.
All the compliments like "omg Tiger is sooo much faster" is compared to either Jaguar or Panther.
In fact, some people would say that Panther and Tiger are back up to OS 9 levels of responsiveness...
*yawn*
The Mac Mini (in its default/cheapest config) is perfectly good for surfing the web, checking mail and playing music and DVDs. And it's affordable. I know because I had mine pre-ordered and have been using it ever since it arrived.
Apple's OS software tends to get faster with every release, so you can be sure that Tiger will work fine on a Mac Mini. In fact we have it running on a Mini at work.
If you want a Mac, buy one instead of your next PC. If you really dislike the Mini, iBooks are cheap on E-bay.
Follow me
Looks like there will be a 10.3.9 update soon, interestingly enough.
I really hope that they don't release Tiger early since an unstable, unfinished product isn't good in any one's book. Apple have a history of updating their operating systems every other month with a point release for stability, small new features and such and it would be nice to actually have a finished operating system from day one for once.
I LOVE Panther and I am in no need for upgrading, so my message to Apple is: DON*T RUSH IT! There's really no need. Wait a month or two and get it right!
I would hate it if they released 10.4.1 in May and 10.4.2 in time for WWDC in late June. If they did that (and they will, mark my words) they obviously did a rush job and that'd really suck.
Why not release a time bombed public beta if they desperately need a larger beta test group?
- Henrik
- when the Shadows descend -
I worked as a Mac Genius when Jaguar came out, and there was an official cut-off date about 5 weeks before the official release. If you purchased a mac between then and the release date, you got the free upgrade. Not the stand-alone OS install, mind you, but the "drop in" upgrade discs that they toss in the boxes of new macs at the store that don't have the OS preloaded. They do have a little give around these dates if you whine enough (hope I'm not violating my NDA...=)
You CAN install the OS from scratch (you aren't forced to do one of those nasty upgrades), but you MUST have the previous OS installed for the discs to work. Which you do, so don't worry. It just means if you ever need to reinstall your OS in the event of a disaster, you'll have to install 10.3 first, then do the format-(or archive)-and-install with 10.4.
With the first link, the chain is forged.
so only one candidate to vote off and we're left with the winner?
All this talk about "point releases" is just semantics. I know most Slashdotters aren't zoologists, but all significant OS X upgrades are SPECIES updates.
Jumping over to Family Canidae from Family Felidae, would you upgrade from a Chihuahua that shits on your keyboard to a Golden Retriever that fetches beer and Hot Pockets? I sure would.
That's about the difference that Tiger is going to be over 10.0 (Cheetah).
If you price out similarly configured ibooks and dells, you will see that the price is not all that different. Add to the fact that as a student, you can get a discount on the laptops (about $150-200 IIRC), and it's a little sweeter. But, there is nothing on the low end of latptops that the mac can compete with in price. A celeron based laptop for $499 will always beat out an iBook, pricewise. OTOH, you have to use a celeron laptop....
Maybe a new better *Linux* will arise. :)
Hey! I tease! Linux is great. Calm down.
If Linus and Apple with their Tiger release got together and released an OS would you have a Liger, only like, the best OS ever? Gosh.
I agree $129 is a bit much. I just bought a Mac Mini a few months ago, the upgrade should be free. You can pre-order Tiger now at Amazon for $94.99 after a $35 rebate.
Online Coupons |
Actually, I believe it came from "Soul of a New Machine" by Tracy Kidder. The main character in the story, Tom West, uses the phrase to describe how fast their new machine, the Eclipse, will run when compared to a VAX.
Oh I think you are a bit off. Its not that Apple does not aim to own the whole industry. If that was the case, why release the mini to try and get the masses to own an Apple? And the iPod is certainly aimed at owning its whole industry. But it's NOT the software industry that Apple wants to own, its the hardware. What you fail to realize is that Apple is primarily a hardware company, not a software company. Sure they sell software, but only to support their hardware business. That is why style is paramount with Apple hardware. Porting OSX to x86 does nothing to promote Apple's core business, hardware sales. In fact it would really hurt it, so that is why I doubt we will ever see OSX on an x86 platform.
Actually, I think they would release the x86 version (reportedly, they have one ready to go, but won't release it), but there are business reasons they won't or can't.
One would be the riot by their developers.
It would be not a huge deal for developers of Cocoa applications to recompile their applications to run on OS X x86.
But many developers took the quicker route of converting their old classic applications to carbon.
It would not be an easy thing to move these carbon applications over to the new platform.
I think it's just too soon for apple to try to force these developers to make another move. They need time to recoup their costs on the current platform. If you try to force a move now, many would just quit OS X altogether.
Also, there's the little detail about Microsoft. I'm not too certain that Microsoft would continue to make Office for the PowerPC OS X in this scenario, yet alone port it to OS X x86.
I know, there are alternative office applications out there. But at the moment, I think it's still too big a risk for Apple to take.
My guess is you will eventually see OS X x86. But it's gonna be a couple of years. Once most new applications are written in Cocoa, it would really be a simple matter to move the entire platform to intel.
But that time isn't now.
- dj
However don't expect all the bells and whistles with only 32 Mb of video ram.
I have a Mini with a 20" Cinema Display and expose is already choppy (Courtesy of the 1600*1050 display).
I've read Tiger will require 64 Mb of Video Ram for all the cool "Core Video" features.
Does anybody know if they managed to get these features working on the Mini? Apple would be shotting itself in the foot if a 2005 machine could not run their 2005 OS
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity
I bought my first mac (a 15" PowerBook 1.25 GHz) as soon as they were announced. As I recall, it was only about 4-6 weeks later that 10.3 was released. I called Apple and asked about using my 'OS Upgrade certificates" to be told "we currently are not running any promotions with those."
{rant mode on}
I was very upset to think that they would not offer me the option to upgrade at a discounted rate so soon after I bought a top-of-the-line notebook. I've never dropped $3K on a PC before, and it was shocking.
I subsequently contacted customer relations, the apple store, the apple on line store, and even though I was polite and respectful, I got nowhere.
Today my PowerBook sits running 10.2 and I'm counting the days until I can get the 10.4 discs. A couple of months ago, I was at an Apple store, and told my tale of woe to the employees there while they were demo-ing iLife '05 for me.
I was wowed by iLife '05, and proceeded to buy a copy. I was really frustrated when I got home and it would not install!
Now, before you ding me by saying 'it clearly says 10.3 on the box' remember that I was not dealing with Linux where you'd better check compatibility VERY closely. I was in a high touch sales situation where I expected that the sales team would tell me that the software would not work.
On top of that, I have a PC that is less that 18 months old. I bought the top of the line OS from the vendor, and applications from that same vendor won't run on it? Ridiculous! Even Microsoft doesn't act that way.
I've got apps on Linux that have not been recompiled in 6 years. They run just fine in spite of hardware, kernel, and distribution changes.
The idea that Apple would leave me stranded, and offer me no options other than to drop an additional $129 on 10.3 which will be obsoleted VERY soon seems outrageous!
Oh, and I can't return iLife '05 because I broke the seal on the box. Gotta love Apple's support. I loved the way that during my 90 days of free customer support they told me "we don't support network printing." High touch, and extremely helpful - NOT...
In spite of that, I still love the PowerBook
{rant mode off}
But Herr Heisenberg, how does the electron know when I'm looking?
11.0 Halle Berry
11.1 Eartha Kitt
11.2 Julie Newmar
11.3 Nastassja Kinski...
meow!
I like microcars
I mean, if you stick with Microsoft you'll only have to pay for a new OS every 7-10 years or so!
You are obviously not a developer
Agreed. Still, I'm grateful it's finally here.
They are not done. CoreData is just being introduced as is SpotLight, CoreImage and CoreVideo. QuickTime is just now being integrated with the Quartz display engine. There are still lots of things to add and make better.
I for one am looking forward to Lion or whatever the next cat's name will be.
It is.
It is.
New widgets and OS features can make you more productive. Just ask some Mac users about Exposé
Andreas
I am most looking forward to having JDK5 (or JDK1.5) support. I have put off using the new Java language extensions for production code because I do a lot of development work using OS X. JDK5 support alone is worth the upgrade price to me.
I am also interested in playing with Searchlight.
I actually see it the other way round.
;)
Granted, I bitch and whine all the time about how crap Apple's default graphics boards are so primitive compared to the latest and greatest, and because of that OS X gaming won't be on the cutting edge.
However, for the UI stuff that doesn't require constant high framerate + 3D rendering + physics + AI, these GPUs should be completely tits for Quartz Extreme.
That is to say, for nongaming purposes, these GPUs are essentially desktop accelerators and feature enablers. Even the lowly FX5200 and Radeon 9200 w/32 or 64MB RAM is fine for this.
If Tiger ends up pushing more work onto these (for Macs) underworked GPUs, the UI will actually _speed up_. And the lowest-spec Mac (Mac mini) will have enough GPU to handle Quartz Extreme handily, while those with older AGP Macs should still be able to find 32/64MB QE cards fairly cheap.
And to be quite honest, one of the main reasons I built a dual celeron back in the day was to have all my KDE candy run more responsively.. I have no problem dedicating a cpu towards UI vanity
What impressed me more is these two technologies. It may lead to a complete transformation of the way we code: by simple drag-n-drop, we can combine inputs and outputs, making components, then combine those components with others ad infinitum...
1. The coupon says you have to pre-order by 5/31/05, and then postmark the coupon by 7/1. OK, that doesn't necessarily mean much, but that 5/31 date looks suspiciously as if the release will be June 1.
2. After I ordered it, Amazon gave me an estimated shipping date of 6/1/05.
Now maybe they don't know either and they are just giving themselves lots of room just in case. Or maybe they do know, and this is an indication of a 5/31 or 6/1 release of Tiger.
Mac OS X isn't revolutionary. It really is the synthesis of everything that we all wanted in an OS back in the late 1980s. If you take the better features of early Macintosh, Amiga, and all those competing projects that were attempting add a GUI to Unix, and mung them all together and then work out most of the kinks, you end up with Mac OS X.
;)
That sounds more KDE to me! And that's why I prefer KDE to any other non-OS X UI!
Seriously, the OS X UI and Cocoa frameworks are much cleaner and better thought-out than a munged hodgepodge of paradigms. Apple's value proposition is related to not just the technical underpinnings but the thoughtfulness of design and attention to end users. Apple sweats the interface details.
And the real question now is. . . Where do we go from here? After achieving the OS that everybody wanted 15+ years ago, now Apple's OS team suddenly find themselves without a goal. They've resorted to tacking on a hodgepodge of minor trinkets and calling it a major upgrade. It must be hard to step back and admit that they're done with this OS, and that continually adding new features to it may no longer be the right approach.
I'm not gonna try to push Tiger as a huge innovation, I have sympathy for your point here. However, to a certain extent, if maintaining OS X on the cutting edge (which may be a relatively slow crawl at times, if you're waiting for enough hardware to drive the really revolutionary stuff like voice recog or more miniaturization or whatnot) means putting up with continuous point releases to keep engineers working, that's fine with me. The US gov't does this to a degree with companies like Electric Boat: they don't _need_ new ships all the time, but they need to maintain the ability to build them, and they can't afford to let the skilled people become unavailable. If keeping a solid core of engineers at Apple paid and happy means the occasional softball release, so be it.
And honestly, I don't think Tiger's a softball release. For me, Panther was, and for any particular Macista a particular OSX release may be. But Tiger's got interesting stuff at the framework level, and who knows how useful Spotlight and Dashboard stuff will be?
If it was up to me, I would focus on maintenance, bugfixes, security, optimization. . . and de-emphasize the OS as a product. Put the OS back in its proper place, I say! An operating system shouldn't be a featured product, it should be merely a component -- a part of the computer, just like the hard drive, the RAM, the processor, etc. -- that is required for running applications.
Work for Intel then?
Seriously, when it comes to defining the place for an OS, you have to take the user into account. This attitude is great for hardware folks and embedded developers, but for desktop people it's toxic. As an end user, I want someone _else_ to make a lot of these decisions, because I don't want to waste my time on them. Having an 'advanced user' preference pane to offer finer-grained control of things is nice, but it shouldn't be necessary for normals.
The goal should be to provide a stable, efficient foundation for apps to run on, because apps are where your work gets done.
Sounds like a kernel to me, and Darwin does a pretty decent job of this. Cocoa frameworks also contribute, and Apple's OS releases typically contain a ton of interesting framework improvements (like CoreImage and CoreVideo for Tiger for example.. Imagine realtime SGI-like stream filters for video and image effects) that make upgrading worthwhile (and mandatory for the new apps enabled and/or improved by these new optimized libs).
Is that like a P-P-P-Powerbook?
Don't blame me -- I voted for Roslin.
archive and install is often the best. With major steps, upgrading can sometimes caue you to miss out on some features and make it a bit clunkier. A&I will save all of your apps, the majority of your preferences and usually all of you networking settings. Stuff that affects the kernel needs to be reinstalled, but it's a lot less work than redoing the whole box
Powerbooks still use a stone age FSB speed, unchanged since 2001. I believe it's 167Mhz? stone age for such a sought after piece of hardware.
I had never heard the expression "run like a raped ape". I think I shall have to use it now :)
A raped ape is still approximately 33% slower than a bat out of hell.
-CausticPuppy "Of all the people I know, you're certainly one of them." -Somebody I don't know
Hmm- Insightful note, and generally true, except.... Since "All Operating Systems are essentially emulators", I'd tend to claim that it still is truly backwards compatible. Classic mode is what I would call a "Quasi-Emulator"- it's sufficiently embedded into OSX that its performance does not suffer the common emulator problems.
In the same respect, Windows XP is backwards compatible to DOS, so it's not a Mac vs. PC argument.
Pay your $599 license fee, you slack-off bastards!
I, for one, welcome our new Antichrist overlord.
If everyone who says that had actually bought it when it was called NextStep / OpenStep / Rhapsody, they probably still would be.
echo 33676832766569823265328479713269.8639857989Pq | dc
From what I hear, every release of OS X get *faster*, allowing older hardware to run the new OS better than it could it's previous OS.
I would think Micro$oft would want to take a look at this....Of course this would mean people wouldn't have to buy PCs as often...I wonder how Micro$oft's relationship with PC makers compares with Apple making their own hardware...
Something to think about. Any thoughts?
When you choose to perform an Archive and Install of Mac OS X (this is valid for Panther at least, but I assume Tiger will be similar if not the same), the current /System directory is placed in a directory called "/Previous Systems" and you end up with what is essentially a fresh install. You also have the option of preserving network and user settings, which will keep your network locations and your user profiles as you have them set up now.
It only archives the system (It'll dump it all in a folder called Old System Folder, or something to that effect.). Applications and data outside of the system folder are unaffected. It will also preserve the vast majority of your settings.
If it's not on fire, it's a software problem.
That is due to the way they focused on OS X. Apple focused on all the groundwork(10.0, .1, etc) and foundation and only in .2 and .3 have they focused on optimizing what is there. Each release gets faster because 1. the past release (early OS X) was quite slow) and 2. they optimize non-optimized code. There is a ceiling, one can only assume, on how long Apple can improve speed on each release on moderate/old hardware.
.x release, that is), Steve Jobs has said that this pace is too break neck and they will be slowing down for 10.5 (11?) and on. Can't blame them, their release cycle has been unreal.
PS: Apple has made a release every 12-18 months on OS X (every
When Apple runs out of cool cat code names? Mac OSX "Hello Kitty"?
The BluePhoneElite site states that Tiger will allow you to use any non-BT speakers and microphone as a BT headset (i.e. the Mac can act as a BT headset). Being able to patch calls through to a BT headset seems less useful (can't the phone and headset do this without a Mac involved?)
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
CoreImage and CoreVideo are going to make these effects go as fast as they can on your hardware. It puts the power to do what the Quartz EX people have been doing into the hands of developers. Of course it won't be as fast on older machines, but that doesn't mean it's going to be any slower. Indeed, I'm sure we'll see a speed boost. And when developers can leverage these algorithms then suddenly 3rd party apps become faster too, which really helps with the perception of OSX's speed.
CoreImage and CoreVideo are groundworks for future apps, and proof that Apple really does care about the quality of tools available for its developer community.
If we based our criterion for software features based solely off how many people could derive immediate benefit, we'd end up with Windows, where the masses rule your OS. Apple is growing the OS towards certain goals. CoreImage and CoreMovie are cool, but they're only pieces in a larger puzzle.
Then I suspect you're not paying attention. Or not thinking about the implications or these products.
See? What did I tell you. You're missing the point. Let me bold it so you don't miss it: Spotlight unifies application and file data together! You may be the king of organization, fastidiously organizing every file, but when it comes time you find an address in AddressBook or a Mail in Mail.app, you still need to open these apps.
Spotlight is going to make the content of various apps searchable from a single point. So instead of deciding where to go, opening that app, and using its search feature, you open one search dialog and get all the relative hits. Any Mac user who's tried LaunchBar or the up-and-coming Quicksilver can attest to how powerful this idea is. Being able to open and control apps all from one small, powerful, searchable interface is fast, fun, and efficient. It also follows the theme of Apple caring about its developer community. Your app provides the data in an indexed format and Spotlight integrates the searching into the OS for almost not cost (you need to tell spotlight how to read your data).
This means that your bookmarks, RSS feeds, IRC/IM logs, text files, OmniGraffle documents, whatever, they all get cheap, fast, OS-integrated searching at minimal developer cost.
Excellent example of where Spotlight could do some good. Searching your feeds. Safari stores them and makes Spotlight.framework aware of them, and you get powerful, fast, integrated searching of your feeds.
NetNewsWire and NewsFire will add this as soon as Tiger comes out. You watch.
Incedentally, it seems that the next Safari is going to have incredible HTML and CSS support. This RSS thing is probably just an example to show how to leverage their new XSLT and CSS3 handling. The new web framework looks amazing, if the developer's blogs are to be believed.
For anyone who does develop
Slashdot. It's Not For Common Sense
I had a few problems when it came to an iPod order and a Powerbook repair. In both cases once I sent a formal written letter I got what I wanted. In both cases I had been flat-out turned down previously for what I thought was a reasonable solution.
In summary, I think that the first-line support is generally not so good at Apple. Getting beyond them, service gets much better.
Disclaimer: I am not under any Apple NDA, nor does any of this information come directly from someone under NDA.
There is some new hardware coming out, sometime between "now" and "the end of 2005" (how is that for vague). This new hardware will require extra drivers and code to support some new features. The beta testers have only been able to run Tiger on this hardware, released versions of 10.X don't work much, or at all.
Since releasing Tiger before the hardware is announced means that legions of Mac fanatics will be picking it apart, they will quickly find the code relating to new hardware names. So it is almost a certainty that Apple will release Tiger at the same time they announce the new hardware. The hardware might ship later, but at least it will be announced by the Tiger ship date. Tiger may be announced as much as a month in advance of its ship date, if past announcements are any guide.
So the speculation is centred around which events in Apple's calendar would be good for announcing a new round of hardware upgrades and new models, as well as releasing Tiger. The WWDC has been a favorite target until recently, as it is now approaching rapidly and Tiger is still in beta, MacPsychics are looking further into the summer for good announce dates.
the AC
My money is on the WWDC for a ship date
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
Before even cracking a book, I'd probably start out with Apple's own "Getting Started" developer documentation. It's included with Xcode, and the introductory material is clear, fairly concise, and offers a lot of tutorials and code samples so you can easily see the concepts in action (this is particularly helpful if you haven't worked extensively with MVC development before).
If you intend on developing end-user stuff, be sure to check out the Human Interface Guidelines -- Mac users have expectations for how applications should "feel" and Apple has spent a lot of time and money developing and revising the HIG over the years. If it feels like a typical mediocre X11 app, it'll get torn to shreds by rabid users.
As for books...
Aaron Hillegass' Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X is an excellent primer and my personal favorite. It's not cheap at US$44.99, but well worth it. The first few chapters are essentially a Cliffs Notes version of Apple's free introductory material, and from there the book tackles a little bit of everything -- Objective-C basics, bindings, custom views, localization... you name it.
O'Reilly's Learning Cocoa (aka Learning Cocoa with Objective-C in its second edition) by James Duncan Davidson isn't horrible, but isn't the best. It also isn't as up-to-date as the Hillegass book, but they'll both be dated pretty shortly with Tiger coming out in the next few months (or a couple weeks, if you believe the rumor sites).
Once you get out of the starting gate, there aren't a whole lot of applicable books (but Cocoa and Objective-C are fairly easy to pick up). This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Apple's mailing lists are a great resource and the developer and API documentation is quite good in most areas.
I'd recommend you don't waste your time with Carbon, which is the API associated with legacy support. Learn Cocoa instead. Cocoa is the future.
u me ntation/index.html
e re ncelibrary/API_Fundamentals/Cocoa-fund-date.html
- dev
For learning Cocoa, the gold standard is Aaron Hillegass' "Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X", Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-321-21314-9.
In addition, read Apple's online developer documentation. Just install the developer tools and then point your browser at
file:///Developer/ADC%20Reference%20Library/doc
The introductory stuff on Cocoa is at
file:///Developer/ADC%20Reference%20Library/ref
For resources check out
http://www.stepwise.com
and join the Cocoa Developer mailing list at
http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/cocoa
other resource links, including book referrals, ar at
http://www.stepwise.com/StartingPoint/Cocoa.html
the macintosh asterisk mailing list http://www.astm
Probably not. Usually, the "Up-to-Date Program" (how Apple offers upgrades when new software is announced) is only offered for systems purchased after or just before -- generally two weeks -- the product is announced for release.
Tiger's release still hasn't been finally announced by Apple, so unless they radically change their program, there's no way a system bought in February will qualify (as would also be the case if you bought a Dell and Longhorn was magically announced for release two weeks from now).
If you qualify for student, corporate, or government pricing, use it when Tiger is released and save yourself some cash.
"wouldnt it be nice it they made OSX for a x86"
...
But they do, they just don't sell it.
In an interview last year, an Apple executive confirmed that an x86 port of OSX, aka Marklar does exist in Apple's labs and that they are keeping it on par with PPC development.
Before the release of the G5, Steve Jobs said in another interview that they do not plan to move to x86 but that they like to keep their options open.
If you take these two statements and add one and one together, it should become obvious that they have no intent to change their business model from making and selling "hardware including software" to "software including hardware" or even "software only". In other words, Marklar is just an insurance policy against unpredictable disaster scenarios where Apple would be forced to move to another CPU and as a result, Apple have a stronger negotiating position with IBM.
Consequently, for as long as IBM do a good job on fostering PPC, for as long as PPC is competitive, Apple have very little reason to move.
And should they ever decide to move, or should they decide to offer OSX on x86 in addition to PPC, their business model will almost certainly remain the same, meaning OSX will continue to be made to run on Apple hardware only, regardless of CPU compatibility.
So, you would then see an x86 Mac with exactly the same treats as today, from OpenFirmware to Apple's own motherboard designs, not compatible with other x86 hardware. In fact, such an x86 Mac might even have a custom x86 CPU, made only for Apple, ie bolted on AltiVec compatible SIMD. Without specific hacks, OSX would not run on other x86 machines. Likewise, Windows would probably not run on such an x86 Mac without some extra software from Microsoft, eg. Virtual PC or Mac/x86. Such an arrangement would also likely have Microsoft continue MS-Office development for the Mac - even more reason for Apple to choose such a path if they ever were to go x86.
So, whether or not Apple will release OSX on x86, if you want OSX on non-Apple x86 hardware, you will almost certainly have to rig your own.
Mind you, you can do this within limits already today. Darwin, the core of OSX, is available for x86 and it's a free download
http://www.opendarwin.org/en/downloads
You can get GNUstep and run it on top of Darwin x86
http://www.gnustep.org
GNUstep is the GNU implementation of OPENSTEP, the foundation on which Cocoa is build. In addition, GNUstep has some, but not all of the things Apple has added, so you get Cocoa compatibility within limits. This is as close as you can get OSX on x86 today. It's free, but it requires a little more effort than an OSX installation on a Mac. And if you want the OSX eye candy, you will also need to do a bit of DIY. If you do, consider becoming a contributor to the GNUstep project.
Thus, it comes down to paying a little extra for convenience or save some money and put in some work. You can't have it both ways. Remember, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.
the macintosh asterisk mailing list http://www.astm
The "release" as it is called, is actually a final sword duel to the end between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates atop the Seattle Space Needle. When the skies of seattle light with an unearthly golden glow, you will know either Tiger or Longhorn is releasing that fortnight.
Thus the term "Gold Master".
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley