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Mac Pro, Mac OS X Virtual Desktops Announced at WWDC
haym37 writes "Of the many announcements yet to come at WWDC, the first is the announcement of the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro contains two Intel Xeons, up to 3 GHz, and is supposed to be 1.6x to 2.1x the speed of the PowerMac G5 quad. It can hold up to 2 TB of internal storage and up to 16 GB of memory. The graphics card can be up to a Radeon x1900 or an FX4500. The case will be the same as the PowerMac." MacRumors.com is providing running coverage from the floor (Note: "[U]pdates will be automatically inserted at the top of the updates section. Do not reload manually."), including another announcement that OS X will include virtual desktops. What a great idea!
I'd just like to see more OSX capability in GNUSTEP, so that we can have a free and open OSX as we're getting a free and open Windoze in ReactOS.
-uso.
What you hear in the ear, preach from the rooftop Matthew 10.27b
I'll go through my impressions mostly in order (I'm writing this in TextEdit as I follow the keynote). Not much surprise in the Mac Pro department (although it's nice to hear that they are actually cheaper). The pure 64-bit OS was predicted and is unsurprising. I like the little jabs at Microsoft. It's one thing to say "MS steals from us" but to put up comparison shots is just great, after all the features are just implemented so closely. The price comparisons were neat, but I wonder how long they will hold (I don't think Dell will take it in stride, their prices will get adjusted I'm betting).
I've gotta say I love the idea of Time Machine. I'm glad they put that in there. Considering how little hard drive space the average person uses compared to how much space is in new computers, this is an excellent feature. Now I don't have to use some stupid 3rd party program any more. I question the interface a little though.
They are building Front Row into Leopard. That's kind of neat, although I don't see myself using it right now. Still, if I was in a dorm and had my iMac or something I bet it would be great.
Spaces! Seems like the true virtual desktops that everyone has been asking for. I like the idea that you can pre-create a space and then launch it and it will bring those apps up (if I'm reading about it right). That would be fantastic.
I'm glad they improved Spotlight. It is a tiny bit pokey on my 1.67 GHz G4. To use it as an application launcher is great. I used it that way for a while but it was just too slow, so I started using Quicksilver (although I don't use any of QS's advanced features). The ability to search across your home network is KILLER and would save my parents SO MUCH TIME from how they do things on Windows.
CoreAnimation looks interesting and I bet a few people will do some incredible stuff with it, although it's also one of those features I can see being abused. I found it very interesting they promoted Universal Access. You never hear about that in the Windows world (I know it's there, it just doesn't ever seem to be talked about on mainstream sites).
Moving ToDos into Mail is interesting. The idea that ToDos can be moved into multiple applications and they all talk with the same database is quite nice. I'm sure quite a few people will like the stationary idea, but to me e-mail is best as plain text. I can only see that ending up like looking at my little sister's AIM conversations. You want to talk about eye-bleeding-color-schemes (and they say men have no sense of color). Notes is great too. I've been using the scheme that I've used since I was on Windows (type them out in TextEdit or NotePad and just save 'em). Still, having the pictures in there well and making it look like the iWeb templates is nice. I haven't seen any other e-mail software really try something like that (not that I've looked).
Note: iWeb needs a SERIOUS update. It really proves the "Apple 1.0" theory.
I've got to say, these improvements to iCal and iMail just make me want a new Newton all the more. My Windows Mobile 2k3 device is just so clunky compared to iCal or the Newtons of olde.
Web Clip looks killer. That is just a great feature. I have quite a few sites where I only look at one little portion and to be able to bring up Dashboard and see that portion would be great. Only Apple seems to make it that easy for an end user. Why go search to see if someone has made the widget you need when you can do it yourself so easily? "See Grandma, computers aren't so scary."
Being able to show photos to people over an iChat chat is great.
My only real complaints with OS X as it is now are kind of minor. Dashboard sucks up WAY too much CPU (especially when starting). I'd like to see finder be multi-threaded, you can occasionally see it need it. I'd like to see a special button put on the MacBooks to activate Expose. Using F9-F12 is clumsy when F9 and F10 are already bound to something else and you have to hit "function". Using the screen corners just c
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
About time with the virtual windows! Took them long enough...all other major *nix based window managers have them. Makes their "photocopying" comment at WWDC seem double edged, eh?
Too bad about natural virtualization in OS X though. At least VM Ware is now coming to the party.
LainTheWired = isgod( int Lain, int denial, float truth)
I'm loving Boot Camp and the ability to use my Macbook Pro at home (OS X) and work (Windows XP). I had to use Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit to remap the right-hand Command key into a "delete" button so I could log into our domain...and I don't have the ability to use home/end/pgup/pgdown by depressing the fn key...which is OK since I use a bluetooth keyboard at work anyway. However, if I get some indication from Apple that they're going to provide full keyboard support for their notebooks under Windows XP, I'm definitely going to upgrade to Leopard.
Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
I consider it a bit of a double standard to be criticizing Microsoft for "photocopying" on one hand and then unveiling a bunch of features that have been done before. Virtual desktop yes, but also the whole "time machine" which is really just a versioning system from the looks of it. VMS had that years and years ago, it's nothing new.
It just seems like they are stretching with Leopard. They promoted the hell out of tiger before the WWDC where it was first shown off, and for good reason. I personally will be sticking with Tiger till my next mac, which won't be till 2008 provided my powerbook doesn't get stolen.
Monstar L
...I am a bit surprised at the stagnancy that seems to be pervading Apple's style choices. Now that we've entered the Kubrick-esque world of white (or black!) plastic and brushed aluminum, it doesn't seem like the Apple line has anywhere to "evolve" to. The MacPro's case, for example, is simply the G5 tower case with another whole in it. The user experience seems to be a bit stagnant too; while I do believe that Tiger outshines Vista, and Leopard will as well, I've yet to see anything that says that Leopard will be a major leap for the end-user. Of course, I'd love to be proven wrong...
Going back to school for entry-level jobs?
Good features *should* be copied from operating system to operating system - that way everyone gets the best of what is available! Who cares who invented it first, as long as people are implimenting the slickest ideas and improving on them where possible.
I just hope they get around to copying window shading, window tabbing and focus on mouse as fast as possible.
Think of the Children; Sleep with your Sister
looks like Vista is gonna be delayed another 4 months now.
"Don't want Redmond's photocopiers started too early"
Seriously. Steve is smart NOT to show off every little detail of 10.5. Look at Microsoft, they promised so much in Longhorn/Vista, then take things out.
It's either on the beat or off the beat, it's that easy.
I moderate therefore I rule!
--
I was hoping he's say the high-end will not be available until October (since I'm planning my Mac as a late-Oct birthday present to myself) and will sport a double-dose of the quad-core chips Intel is releasing in Q4.
But hey, dual 5150s for $2500? I think I might just buy that baby and an extra flat panel instead.
Start a happiness pandemic
The outside of the case is almost the same as the G5 case...the inside is completely different, and has a pretty sweet setup for the drive bays, not to mention the 8 ram slots and room for a full length graphics card.
The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. - Albert Einstein
apples page on leopard is up here
and the mac pros are here
i noticed nothing was said about the finder.. shame.
Live EVERY week... Like it's Shark Week
Core Animation? Maybe nice, I'd have to see. It sounds like they're really going after Adobe with that one though; I hope it doesn't backfire...
Mail stationary? I hated that 'feature' in Outlook Express a decade ago, and I can't imagine not hating it today.
The most disappointing thing was the lack of Core 2 MacBooks. I was planning on ordering one this evening. The Mac Pros look nice, but I can't imagine buying a desktop in 2006.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
so it looks like Apple's Mac Pro and the new XServe are relatively powerful, etc., etc., but....
who fired their design team? I mean, Apple hasn't released a new form factor since the Mac mini... two years ago now, nearly? And I understand that there are technical challenges with making the transition to Intel, and that the Mac Pro is all new on the inside even if its little different on the outside.... but... Apple's products used to be items to be lusted over because of their looks alone.
The only new look from the Intel transition is the MacBook (not Pro) and... its almost uninspiring. Its like they took an iBook and flattened it a little... and while it is a pretty sexy form factor, its not like the days of yore when the PowerBooks were new and beautiful (and now you can get the SAME enclosure, almost unaltered, in a MacBook Pro, 3 years later), the iMac went from cute to beautiful, etc.
And I don't buy that Apple's worried about scaring away people with new form factors with the Intel transition - I mean, would anybody REALLY be that surprised by a new physical enclosure? I mean, really?
Sure, there are issues to be sorted out - MacBooks yellowing, MBPs burning at corona-like temperatures... but I feel like these are start up issues that would be the same whether Apple played it safe with new form factors or not.
So it looks like OS X is less about the new shiny than before, and their hardware's less about the shiny than before. Before, OS X and Apple's hardware were both technically advanced AND beautiful - why is Apple just saying "job's done, lets move on" with the beauty aspect?
Tim
The 30 inch Cinema Display has it's price reduced from $2499 to $1999. I don't think this was said on the keynote, but you can see it on the website.
Teenagers these days don't have as much sex as they want each other to think they do.
Maybe I should just avoid the Apple rumors sites from now on?
+1, Insightful
This is a developer's conference, not E3.
I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
Does anybody know if Apple made their own technology to do backups, or did they actually implement ZFS? (there were rumors that they were going to put ZFS in 10.5)
The presentation made it clear that 32bit apps would run on 64bit machines, although I hope they make it easy to support both 32bit and 64 bit machines easily. I just ordered a MacBook and I'm a little worried about how quickly the current line will become legacy machines since it is pretty certain that Apple won't be shipping 32bit Intel machines in a year and has only been shipping 32bit Intel machines for a little while.
all well... no since in worrying too much about something that might not be an issue and that you have no control over.
As for the case design, I think Apple is sticking with a good thing until people get comfortable with Intel being in a Mac. To many crazy changes all at once can really scare users, and stock holders. Having the new Intel Macs look a lot like the old ones will make sure the person feels like they are using a Mac, not a fancy PC running OS X. Bright White, Shiny Black and brushed metal, (Black, Gray, White) are newtral colors that go well with most colors and look good in most homes, offices, and dorms, to match our cultures more consertive nature, in the 90's the "Hippy" styles and colors were popular and so Apple made their computers to work with that culture. It is like from going from college to work. (For me since I graduated 2001 it makes most sience) In college you wore very libral clothings and in the Corprate enviroment you are more town down, you may still look good either way but you are more formal. The same with Apples. The early iMac (G3) were attened mostly for college students, iMac G4 was a transistion still fun but a little more formal, to the G5/Intel Mac (which I personally dont care for) while interesting and different is more of a formal design. The same with the iBook/Mac Books, Now Black was added because they sold some black iPods and they were popular so they added black to the list, and I am sure using a Black Mac Book seemed more Manly then using the white ones. Brushed Metal Systems (for their Pro Line) are attened to look somewhat intimadating, They are ment to look more powerful and used for real computing. If you were an IT Consultant and you used a Mac Book Pro that were coled like the Toilet Seat iBooks you wouldn't be taken as seriosly as if you had a Brushed metal, or having a server room that looks like candy store. Perhaps color Macs will be in the future but right now Dull/Clean colors are in.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
I agree, Time Machine sounds like just VMS file versioning - but I wouldn't discount Apple bringing a lot of good UI on top of that. There's a lot of value into bringing versioning to people who otherwise would not be able to use it.
I was actually pretty glad to see Time Machine as the file versioning coming in Vista was the one thing I was wishing I could get in Leopord, and did not expect to see.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
There is a good full write-up of the WWDC here: http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/07/live-from-wwdc- 2006-steve-jobs-keynote/
[re: spotlight] Imagine that... quick access to your applications, including recently used ones... Sounds an awful lot like a "Start Button" to me.
Obviously you have no idea what Spotlight does. It's a search feature, and they intend to make it more convenient to search for applications. It is NOTHING like the start menu, which basically just presents you with a list of files (and thus boils down to just another take on the Mac OS 7-9 Apple menu, speaking of photocopying OS features).
I'd guess the "recent items" feature they were referring to pushes more recently used items to the top of the list when you search.
If you downgrade the Mac Pro to the 2.0GHz configuration (two 2.0GHz dual-core Xeons), you save $300. If you downgrade the 250GB hard drive to 160GB, you save another $50, bringing the cost to $2,149. Still a little more expensive than the base $1,999 Power Mac G5, but the base Power Mac G5 didn't have two dual-core processors (just one dual-core G5). Quite a great deal.
Yes, I would have loved for Apple to release a cheaper tower computer. However, Apple doesn't do product announcements like that during the WWDC. The WWDC is about releasing products intended for professional Mac developers; the operating system and the flagship developer machines. Professional developers such as MS, Apple, Adobe, and the rest of them need the most powerful Mac they can get with their money; the Mac Pro fulfills their dreams. Apple releases other products either during some other conference (such as the Paris event every September and MacWorld), or just out of the blue on a Tuesday morning.
For all of you dreaming about MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo machines, Apple tablets, $1000 Core Duo mini-towers, $700 Core Solo MacBooks, and other announcements, there is still plenty of time for Apple to release those products. Apple doesn't announce nor release those types of products during the WWDC.
I want-- oh, wait.
*checks wallet*
Uh, I want a Mac mini. With fries and a chocolate milkshake, please.
Circumcision is child abuse.
.. making, 2 years ago.
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
I was at first skeptical when Apple said there are "millions of configurations" for the new Mac Pros. So I tested it out...
Based on the options from the Apple Store configuration page, the total combinations possible is given by 3 * 6 * 3 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 6 * 4 * 4 * 2 * 4 * 2 * 2 * 4 * 2 * 3 * 5 * 2
You have the option for either...
Matter of fact, the NVIDIA 7300GT is standard, and you can have upto 4 of them.
All bets are off with this one.
and nobody's talking about
...
"xcode 3.0 released today"
k2r
I don't think TimeMachine is a versioning FS. I think it's just a pretty GUI over incremental backups.
I think if they want to do a versioning FS they'll go to ZFS.
I hereby place the above post in the public domain.
- 2 x NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB [Add $150]
- 3 x NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB [Add $300]
- ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB (2 x dual-link DVI) [Add $350]
- 4 x NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB [Add $450]
- NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 512MB, Stereo 3D (2 x dual-link DVI) [Add $1650]
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/There is a spark in every single flame bait point.
Look, I know I haven't taken the time to research this properly, but I thought you'd like to read this:
... (skip ahead, I'm in a hurry) ...
Xerox Parc: The GUI, +1 Brilliant
Apple II: The Usable GUI on a home computer, +1 Informative
Apple II: Hierarchical File System, +1 Interesting
Apple II: 3.5" Floppy, +1 My Favorite
MS-DOS: Directories, -1 Redundant
Macintosh: QuickTime, +1 Interesting
Macintosh: 44khz 16-bit sound, +1 Funny
Microsoft: Windows, -1 Offtopic
Microsoft: MPC standard (attempt at multimedia), -1 Overrated
Macintosh: SCSI, +1 Fast
Macintosh: 68030 multitasking, +1 Useful
Microsoft: Windows 3.1, -1 Redundant
Macintosh: Apple Menu, +1 Informative
Microsoft: Windows 95 Start Menu, -1 Redundant
Microsoft: Windows 95 Recycle Bin, -1 Offtopic
Macintosh: PowerPC, changing processor architectures, +1 Gutsy
Microsoft: Windows NT Alpha, -1 Unsupported
Macintosh: OS X, +1 Drool
Microsoft: Windows 2000, -1 Bugfix
Macintosh: BSD utilities included, and the OpenDarwin project, +1 Insightful
Microsoft: TCP/IP stack, -1 Stolen
Macintosh: Spotlight, +1 Useful
Microsoft: Windows Vista, -1 Nothing To See Here, Move Along
Okay, and the preliminary scores are:
Xerox Parc: +1
Apple: +12
Microsoft: -10
And for the record, I don't own a Mac. (*shakes wallet, hears two nickels rub together*)
Does somebody want to reply to this with a more comprehensive and accurate list? I've gotta go watch "The Pirates of Silicon Valley."
What, automatic, free, version controlled backup isn't a leap forward? Data loss is probably the next biggest thing a user can encounter outside of spyware and viruses, and so far the Mac has proven itself relatively immune.
:)
Then there is the free built in video conferencing, desktop sharing, and remote access made possible with iChat.
And on top of that is the network capable Spotlight, allowing a private network to access public files from any machine... a great reason to have a second machine
Data is:
1) No longer trapped on a single machine (think end users who require floppies and CD-Rs to transfer files)
2) Data loss is less of an issue (think end users to delete whole directories by accident)
3) Remote access is easy (think end users who don't know how to use the Control Panel to update their settings)
GPL Deconstructed
Let's face it, folks. The open source community has been a FAILURE when it comes to beating Exchange & Outlook at calendaring. Don't waste my time with Mozilla "Lightning" or Sunbird. They have managed to create exactly *dick* in the past few years. (See my previous posts about it.)
Here comes iCal, doing everything that Sunbird should have done several years ago. Here is the first chance at an "Outlook killer." Mail 3 & iCal = notes, to do, free/busy scheduling, auto scheduling, resource scheduling..
http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/ical.html
The year of Linux on the Desktop? No. It's the decade of OS X taking over the desktop.
So when Apple includes the BSD utilities, it's "insightful", but when Microsoft includes a BSD networking stack, it's "stolen"?
If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.
For me since I graduated 2001 it makes most sience) In college you wore very libral clothings and in the Corprate enviroment you are more town down
I think you should consider returning to school (and perhaps slapping the teacher who was supposed to have taught you to spell.)
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
From the Leopard Accessibility page:
QuickTime currently supports closed captioning by including a text track alongside audio and video content. But improved QuickTime support will automatically display the CEA-608 closed captioning text standard in analog broadcasts in the U.S.
In analog broadcasts? Wouldn't that suggest some sort of interoperability with TV equipment? Which would require hardware...hmm...perhaps a hint at things to come?
16GB RAM and 2TB of disk is overkill, but...
Is there anything preventing the MacPros from sporting 8x8GB FB-DIMMs or 4x750GB drives?
Will this box be able to achieve the max 192GB ceiling for FB-DIMMs?
---k--
</stupid>
I'm not surprised that they didn't change any of the design elements (case, etc.). An important part of the marketing strategy during the transition to Intel was to assure mac fans that "it's still a Mac, even if it has Intel inside". Keeping the same industrial design highlights that the change of chip doesn't make them any less Mac.
Now that the transition is over (no PPC macs left in the product lineup), expect a future release of the new generation of apple design (judging from the MacBook and Nano... I'm betting on black, which will be "the new white").
I want a mid range mac to replace my g4 dual tower. I don't want a huge tower and I want more than the mac mini. The trouble is.. there is nothing in the 1000$-1200 range without a screen.
Come-on apple. There is a middle ground between "pro" and "home"
More likely it's an extension of the versioning system available in Aperture. It wouldn't be the first time Apple has taken the functionality of an application and extended it throughout the OS.
Given that this is a developers' conference they would have said ZFS if it were ZFS.
Okay I don't know what level of expertise you have with non-Windows OS's so I'll assume none and go from there. Say you want to launch photoshop. In Windows you go to the start menu or the Windows explorer, navigate to it and run it. To do this you use the mouse. It takes more time than you think, since when you're using the mouse, you concentration is focused. If you actually watch someone else do it, this takes a little time, but nothing to unreasonable, unless they actually have to hunt through menus to find it, like they sometimes do. For the few programs you use most frequently, say top 10, Windows has them right there for you. And maybe you remember the locations of the next ten most common. Then there are the ones you rarely use which you actually have to hunt for in the start menu, maybe in Start->Programs->Utilities->Ubisoft->Monkey.exe or something.
On OS X the search feature is fast enough that it is easier to just use it for everything including launching most applications. Sort of the way Google is faster than trying 3 URLs before finding some company's fairly obvious domain name. You hit cmd-space and type the first few letters of the application or file name. then you use the arrow keys to select it (usually the top item) and hit enter. The whole thing is really, really fast when you try it, much faster than using the start menu in Windows. The recent items feature refines this slightly, so that if you have say 15 images beginning with the same letters, it will pull them up, but put the most recent ones on top. This is not the most recent 10 items you've used, but the most recent 10 items beginning with whatever letters you entered. The granularity and the interface mechanism are the difference.
All in all this is pretty cool, unless you don't have any idea what the name or contents of the file or program you are looking for are, then you have to fall back to using it like a traditional search (with content) or use the hierarchical directories for organization. I personally find it useful to organize my files and folders in a start menu like way, for when I want to launch that audio editing app whose name I don't recall at all. Then I just right-click on the icon on my dock and navigate to Audio and select it. Both methods are better for different instances, but they are not the same thing by any means. I hope that helps to clarify it for you.
XCode 3.0 let's you "rewind" programs while debugging. No more stepping through and accidentally stepping over a point. Just hit rewind and go back o the part of the program you missed. Huh! Guess it's dumping everything to disk while you run it. Also the Xray program seems kinda neat, shows your application performance sorta like it was running in GarageBand, you can hit different spots and see what was going on right there. The screen at the bottom is hard to see, but that's Xray stepping into a spot on an App named PictureFrame. XCode 3.0
Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
At the keynote, they showed entire stacks of iPhoto photos being "undeleted", which means after being "deleted" they were lying around, taking up space. Add videos to that, add huge temporary files that you might copy onto your computer; where does that leave your hard disk space? I'd like to know: at what point does this Time Machine stop? Or is it intended to keep storing backups of *everything* right up to the time it runs out of drive space? Whats the recovery strategy? Who decides which files are more important to keep than others?
I don't want to read
Uh, there's a few things wrong with your comment:
1)Get rid of spatial and give me an Explorer hierarchy!
The current OS X Finder isn't spatial. At all. If you turn off the toolbar, it kind of pretends to be spatial a little bit, but it's still not. The easiest way to tell is the following: Will Finder show the same folder in two different windows? If so, it's not spatial. (And, yes, Finder will... even in the psuedo-spatial mode.)
In addition to that, if you *do* set Finder to psuedo-spatial mode, it'll get turned off the next time you download and open a disk image that wasn't set as psuedo-spatial. Sometimes it'll just randomly get turned off for no reason at all, or at least no reason I can tell, even if you set "open all windows like this". At best, it's buggy, and at worst, it's so poorly designed that it's almost impossible to tell if a given window will open spatial or not when you double-click the folder.
Am I the only person here who loves the Mac's Finder for what it is? Clean. Spatial. Mouse-driven,
I'm presuming that you've never used Classic MacOS. The Finder in system 8.5 and later was brilliant... seriously brilliant. I still long for pop-up folders, a feature which has never been replaced after being removed. (And no, Apple, context-clicking folders in the Dock is NOT the same.) It was fast, it was clean, it was beautiful, and it worked. It was also 100% spatial, in a way no other OS has ever been.
The reason most Mac users say the Finder sucks ass is, because compared to the Finder in system 9.2.2, it *does* suck ass. Finder has gone WAY downhill while everything else in the OS has been progressing at record speed, and it's almost ridiculously stupid at this point.
Oh, I should mention that the Spotlight interface on Finder windows is terrible.
I can't keep my file organized on a Windows machine. Windows' file organization makes me feel chlostrophobic and I lose stuff.
Yes, but Windows Explorer can connect to file servers without spacing out (most of the time.)
It has Filmstrip view, which I find extremely handy... to the point that I'll use Windows File Sharing so I can connect to my Mac's photo directory and use Filmstrip view to organize things.
Explorer doesn't completely clog your CPU up while creating image previews, and it creates all the previews instead of just giving up halfway through the window like Finder does.
Explorer doesn't randomly forget your window settings, like Finder does.
Explorer gives you more options on which application should be used to open files.
Explorer handles printers much nicer, IMO. (Except it still doesn't allow dragging a print job from one printer to another, but neither does any OS.)
When Explorer creates invisible files, it doesn't show them to other OSes when file-sharing.
Sure, Explorer has quirks... personally I hate "Explorer.exe" mode, and I hate how Control Panel windows don't have entries in the task bar... but it's actually pretty good.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Even if you disagree with everything I've just typed, you have to admit that Finder's handling of network folders is broken.
Comment of the year
Forgot paying $100 for it, request a free SBS 2003 trial from Microsoft and it comes with a fully licensed version of Outlook 2003. The disc is an actual retail copy. I don't know why it comes free but it does and it isn't restricted in anyway afaik.
FROM BSD license
* Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
* notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
* documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
They didn't, thus they threw away the license.
It's true the concept of versioned file systems is as old as the hills; Apple did not invent it.
But againb the innovation Apple brings are the UI touches that make versioned file systems approchable. When I was dealing with them only from the command line it took a little getting used to.
It's the innovations in UI and integration that Apple is teasing Microsoft they are copying, more than deep concepts. Practical implementations have always been a lot harder to produce than simply throwing an idea ouut like "Gee, I'd like an indexed filesystem with metadata" or "I sure wish I could automatically version files". To me it matters little which company claims to have thought of an idea first so much as which delivers a practical working example.
I should say here that really this conversation is in two halves in my mind - I don't think Vista in any way "stole" versioning from Apple, I think that was more of a simultaneous kind of thing with little borrowing on either side. When talking about Microsoft copying UI I'm thinking more of other features of the system or Applications.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I guess the more correct term (from Googling) is "tabbed windows." Here's a screenshot of them: http://homepage.mac.com/bgreen5/.Pictures/tabs.jpg
Basically, if you drug a window to the bottom side of the screen, the title bar would turn into a tab. Then clicking the tab would pop-up the entire window, which behaved exactly like a normal Finder window. The tabs persisted across reboots (mostly, it was a bit buggy, especially with resolution changes.)
I kept all my applications in one tab and my documents in another. If I wanted to open a jpeg in Photoshop instead of GraphicConverter (the default), I could pop-open my documents folder, grab the icon, drag the icon away from the tabbed window (which disappears), hover the icon over the tab for the applications window (which opens), then drop it on the Photoshop icon. When you describe it in text, it sounds awkward... but believe me, it's brilliant.
I based my entire computer workflow around tabbed windows, and I miss it a lot. Why Apple would bring back *Labels!* of all things and not tabbed windows, I'll never know. (My guess: Finder coders are lazy, and labels were easier.)
Comment of the year
Thought this was an interesting feature and funny comment from the new Xcode page:
Project Snapshots
Record the state of your project anytime, and restore it instantly. Experiment with new features without spending time or brain cells committing them to a source control system. Like saving a game in Civilization 4, Xcode 3.0 lets you go back in time without repercussions. If only reality worked this way at the Pentagon...
If you're planning on buying a loaded tower, consider getting a devloper membership just to get the hardware discount, even if you can get the usual student discount. IIRC, the Student membership is $99 and the Select is $500 (I'd check but that page is down). For a tower with max out memory, hard drive space, 3 ghz Xeons, dual 30" displays, a Quadro gfx card, 16 gigs of memory, a couple extras and OS X Server:
Regular price: $18,332
Student price: $16,003
Devloper price: $15,144
So by getting a Select membership for $500, you save over $2,600 over the regular price and $1,800 over the student price.
The versioning FS is nice, but it's really just a pretty UI on something that VMS had a couple of decades ago.
Cool. Well, let us know how using VMS goes for you. Myself, I like to use Photoshop, and I don't think Adobe's shipping that for VMS yet. I'd use Photoshop on Windows, and that doesn't have a versioning file system yet either. Darn. Guess I'm stuck with a Mac and it's twenty-year-old idea that someone finally brought to the desktop. Shucks.
Spotlight over the network? The pre-Tiger technical docs I read about Spotlight said that it was a Tiger feature; the fact that I didn't even notice that they'd pulled it shows how useful it is.
Your reading comprehension sucks. Spotlight is in Tiger. The new feature is that it now indexes and searches public files over the network.
Core Animation? Maybe nice, I'd have to see. It sounds like they're really going after Adobe with that one though; I hope it doesn't backfire...
Uh, how does this go after Adobe? This is an API developers can use to add features to applications. Does Adobe create APIs for Apple's OS now? Does Adobe write development environments for applications? I can't see how you might compare this to Flash unless...well, given all your other comparisons, maybe you're just that dense.
Mail stationary? I hated that 'feature' in Outlook Express a decade ago, and I can't imagine not hating it today.
Take a moment to surf over to Apple's web site and look at the stationery. Come back here and tell me that it's remotely like Outlook Express ten years ago. Then I'll know you're certifiable - as if your previous comments weren't enough. And you're not forced to use it. Good lord, what a whiny ass titty baby you are.
The most disappointing thing was the lack of Core 2 MacBooks. I was planning on ordering one this evening.
No you weren't.
The Mac Pros look nice, but I can't imagine buying a desktop in 2006.
Yeah, I hate it when people don't ship the things I want. I mean, I I can't believe Apple has the gall not to live up to the rumors sites' promises! I'm really disappointed that GM hasn't shipped that Hybrid H2 with six-wheel drive yet either.
What even harder to believe than your weirdly off base post is that it was modded +4 insightful when I started this reply.
..sigh... i wish i could build a box running linux with those specs ....anyone know where i can find one ?
o otCamp.
The Apple Store, http://store.apple.com./
I believe some folks have BootCamp working with Linux, http://wiki.onmac.net/index.php/Triple_Boot_via_B
Currently Apple has a 12% market share in notebooks, they are still easily the underdogs for now. What gives them the right to bash down Microsoft? Because of similiar features, oh damn.
I wasn't aware that Apple and Microsoft were competing in the laptop market! And Apple's marketshare in laptops is rising. That may not be leading the pack, but rising share isn't usually associated with "underdog" status.
I am sorry but if you company was close to saved due to 150Million in 1998 from the very company you are throwing a fit at, you have issues.
Apple had four billion dollars in cash in 1998. Look up the history of the Microsoft-Apple agreement. Microsoft helped Apple--no doubt--but Microsoft needed that agreement as well. Microsoft makes more money per user from its Macintosh customers than it does from Windows customers. Apple's continued existence is a buffer against Microsoft having any worse antitrust troubles than it already has. Microsoft also got some technology that went into XP from the deal. Microsoft and Apple are competitors. They will always needle each other. It's no big deal.
Secondly, if you are completely playing an ego trip onto a company that has way more customers than you have currently. Boot Camp has 1/2 a million downloads BECAUSE probably 50% of those people want to use XP.
Try ninety percent. But even Apple is suggesting that users get Parallels to run Windows XP rather than Boot Camp. I've tried it and it works very well. The fact is that many crucial applications run only on Windows. I'm suggesting to local realtors that they got an Intel Mac, install Parallels, and use it to access a Windows-only website essential to their business. One machine, two uses. Running Windows on a Mac helps sell more Macs. Again, they're competitors, but they each benefit from the other's existence.
I'm fed up with Apple after seeing/reading about that conference, they are on an ego trip, and i definitely look down on them for that.
Apple is competing with Microsoft and doing a damned good job of it. They're also the leading force in personal computing today. Apple might crow and show off now and then, but I prefer that to a company that would rather make itself look bad than to facilitate adherence to standards in the industry. Microsoft has "embraced and extended" critical standards and doesn't hesitate to make changes that enhance its own operating system and products at the expense of others. The company's antitrust troubles are due to its "take-no-prisoners" method of competing. Being "fed up with Apple" for a little crowing at the developer's conference seems out of proportion to the offense. Especially given those of the competition.
I just watched the spaces demo, and I don't know of any VD implementation that looks that good.
So to the original poster's sarcasm I offer this counter:
Who's implementation of Virtual Desktops is that cool, that user friendly and that well done? If not, who will be the first X related desktop to pull off copying Spaces? Will you submit that article?
Just wondering.
a man, a plan, a canal, panama
No, the sheer mental cost of remembering how the offscreen information is organized is more than most people can handle. Either you have to memorize the positions and contents of Y layered windows on X different desktops, or you have to train yourself to follow some kind of 'this information goes on this desktop' work scheme, or you have to play 'hunt like hell' for that one window you were using five tasks ago, which has the information you want.
Those problems are intrinsic to virtual desktops. The whole point of virtual desktops is to make some (and usually most) of the user's working data invisible at any given time, and any time you make information invisible, you impose a load on the user's memory. In most cases, people switching between apps do so because they're trying to accomplish something and their minds are focused on doing that job, not on remembering how all the offscreen information is arranged. The 'what I'm doing right now' task and the 'keeping the virtual desktop organized' tasks end up competing for the user's mental resources.
It takes skill to use virtual desktops effectively and efficiently. Most casual computer users lack those skills, and for those people, the virtual desktop environment ends up being more of a nuisance than it's worth.