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OS X Mountain Lion Out Tomorrow

Apple revealed in its third quarter earnings release today that OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will be released tomorrow, July 25th. "As a quick recap, the $19.99 software update brings a handful of iOS features to Macs, including the notes and reminders apps. It adds a few other things, like Twitter integration, Apple's Game Center and iMessage services. There's also a new security feature called Gatekeeper, designed to fend off malware by controlling what applications can and cannot be installed." The release also noted that iOS 6 will be coming out this fall, and that the company sold 17 million iPads in the third quarter, up 84% from sales in the third quarter of last year.

38 of 230 comments (clear)

  1. Wifi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Will they finally fix their WiFi woes?? My brand new macbook pro drops connections more than I drop the end of

    1. Re:Wifi by Lumpy · · Score: 3, Funny

      get your hardware fixed. I dont have that problem on my horribly old 2009 17" macbook pro or the out of date 2011 13" macbook pro my wife has.

      The only time I experienced that ws with a piece of crap Wireless router from belkin. Ripping it off the wall and smashing it solved the problem, well after it was replaced with a netgear.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:Wifi by Jeppe+Salvesen · · Score: 4, Insightful

      After upgrading to Lion, my 2008 iMac suddenly started dropping the wifi connection periodically, while my 2010 MacBook Air is rock stable. Anyhow, that's my experience. Anyhow, we'll need a bigger sample in order to determine if Macs really have more wifi-issues than Windows computers. Statistics matters.

      --

      Stop the brainwash

    3. Re:Wifi by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Are you telling me the GP paid a not-insignificant markup for a luxury, premium laptop which proponents will consistently reiterate is made of superior parts and Just Works(c), and it's flawed?

      In related news, there's a BMW repair shop near my house. There's a difference between "well made" and "magically impervious to any kind of damage or defect imaginable".

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
    4. Re:Wifi by Anonymous+Psychopath · · Score: 3, Informative

      Rubbish. I've routinely been able to connect to wireless networks with my various MacBooks over the years whilst PC using friends were struggling.

      I wasn't very specific in my original post, but there are known issues with Apple's 802.1x authenticator code. WPA Enterprise is less commonly used with Macs than consumer-level wifi, which is probably why our experiences are so different. For what it's worth, I've never had a problem using wifi anywhere where there was WEP/WPA-PSK security (or no security). I'm perfectly happy with the MBP I use for work, as are thousands of others who use them at my company. And the WPA supplicant in Lion works better than SL, but isn't quite 100% yet.

      --

      Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

    5. Re:Wifi by Tapewolf · · Score: 2

      get your hardware fixed. I dont have that problem on my horribly old 2009 17" macbook pro or the out of date 2011 13" macbook pro my wife has.

      The only time I experienced that ws with a piece of crap Wireless router from belkin. Ripping it off the wall and smashing it solved the problem, well after it was replaced with a netgear.

      No, for me at least, it's definitely failing inside the operating system (which ATM is still 10.6).

      For starters I've used three different types of Wifi module on this mac mini, and as many different brands of AP. I'm currently using an Airport Express as the access point, and for a long time I ran both the internal wireless and an external USB dongle on the mac to try and give me some failover capability.

      What always happens is that the Wifi stack reports station disconnection "due to inactivity", which is perverse because it normally happens while watching youtube or some other high-bandwidth operation (hence, downloading 10.7 is going to be impossible). Once the failure has occurred the entire network stack will go down permanently, taking out all the wifi modules and making it impossible to bring them back up again without rebooting the mac.

      A Google search found that it is possible to prolong things by setting a terminal to ping the router continuously in the background. IME that will usually get you about a week of connectivity before it crashes again. If you don't, expect to have the network stack die several times a day.

    6. Re:Wifi by LordLimecat · · Score: 2

      This is right up there with turn portfast on for STP routers where Mac's plug in, don't have a .local AD domain, and expect more chatter on your network than a "normal" PC.

      1) STP and portfast are switch settings, not router. STP prevents switching loops on a local segment; a router would have no need for that, since each of its interfaces will be on a separate segment and routing protocols are designed to prevent loops.

      2) Whether or not portfast is set should have no impact on your network connectivity, except for a slight delay (~10-30 seconds) on initial plug-in. After that it will work fine, and IIRC unix-y OSes like OSX tend to keep trying DHCP quite a while before giving up, so you shouldnt even have any DHCP issues.

      3) .local is not "necessary", and its not "bad practice" not to use it. It can be useful if you want to limit DNS from attempting to resolve outside, but it is entirely possible to have AD host your internal and external DNS and use a .com or .net.

      And really, im not clear what STP has to do with AD domains. I would recommend you brush up on what STP and portfast actually are before boasting about your IT knowledge, or criticizing others for their supposed lack thereof.

  2. Mac vs. the Linux Desktop by kthreadd · · Score: 3, Insightful

    We keep replacing our desktop environment every once in a while, now recently with Unity/GNOME3. Have we actually gone anywhere? At the same time OS X is in many ways very similar to the original Mac interface almost 30 years ago.

    Can the Linux desktop survive that long?

    1. Re:Mac vs. the Linux Desktop by h4rr4r · · Score: 2

      X is almost that old. It started in 1984.

      You might be replacing your DE as often as you change your underwear, but not all of us are doing so. My favorite DE is older than OSX.

    2. Re:Mac vs. the Linux Desktop by h4rr4r · · Score: 2

      I went the other way. Bought a Macbook air and had to install linux. Even after getting FFM to work using a pay for product and installing fink and iterm2 it was still a pain in the ass. I could never get the 10 key input working in vim on any server I connected to, lack of X style highlighting and middle click paste, and so on.

      To each his own.

    3. Re:Mac vs. the Linux Desktop by jbolden · · Score: 4, Informative

      Have we actually gone anywhere?

      Yeah. When I started using Linux in 1995 it was rather challenging to get X to run at all. To get a good functioning X people often had to buy a commercial X server. There were 0 GUIs. Microsoft announced they would not be porting their IE for Unix to Linux and people were upset. There were real questions as to why would anyone use Linux when for not much more money you could get an SGI or Sun workstation, there were also alternatives like SCO on x86 and AIX.

      Today there exist 2 major GUIs with large suites of applications. There exists a full office productivity suite which is capable of stealing market share from Microsoft Office, on the Windows platform. With the exception of Trident all the major browser engines are either open source of available for LInux. The server space is dominated by Linux and Linux desktops play an important role in server development. SGI, Sun and SCO are all dead, AIX is weak. No one who primarily wants a Unix workstation goes anywhere else but Linux. The Linux kernel is arguably the most advanced kernel available.

      That's real progress. Maybe not enough to beat Windows and OSX but there is no question there has been progress.

    4. Re:Mac vs. the Linux Desktop by DdJ · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You might be replacing your DE as often as you change your underwear, but not all of us are doing so. My favorite DE is older than OSX.

      So's mine, even though it basically is OSX.

      Ever since about 1989 or so, my favorite GUI environment has been NeXTstep. My employer got prerelease access (since we're Carnegie Mellon, where the Mach kernel came from), and it's essentially been my favorite desktop environment since version 0.8 or so, back when I taught myself Objective-C programming on it.

      I pretty much hated "classic" MacOS and didn't like most Apple products except HyperCard and the Newton, right up until Apple required NeXT. So much of what was great back then is still here. I wish they'd managed to keep the old application remote display mechanism (NXHOST =~ DISPLAY), but the unreasonably-licensed Adobe Display PostScript pretty much put an end to that... alas.

      If Apple screws it up too much (and signs are that they might, though I don't think they have yet), well, I'll probably end up switching to Ubuntu with GNUstep.

    5. Re:Mac vs. the Linux Desktop by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 2

      No one who primarily wants a Unix workstation goes anywhere else but Linux.

      That's a big surprise to those of us who bought a Mac so we could have a nice Unix workstation.

      I can run a Linux desktop (or a thousand, if you want me to) but I switched so that I could stop messing around with my desktop and spend my time using it.

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
    6. Re:Mac vs. the Linux Desktop by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 2

      I found Homebrew to cover almost everything Unixy I need on a regular basis. I run plenty of Unix daemon - PostgreSQL, Apache, etc. - on my laptop on a regular basis, and they do about as well as I'd expect them to on any laptop.

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
  3. Re:designed to fend off malware by ThePeices · · Score: 2

    designed to fend off malware

    Why would you need this on a Mac?

    to um...fend off the malware?

    Seriously dude, did you even read what you just wrote?

  4. GateKeeper eh by viperidaenz · · Score: 2

    Sounds like the beginning of the iOS walled garden for OSX

    1. Re:GateKeeper eh by MoronGames · · Score: 4, Insightful

      ...and that's a good thing for most users. Consider this: Most users don't care about whether or not they can run unsigned software. Many of those users don't know how to install software that they can't buy from a store, or through something like an app store (since they now know about app stores from smart phones and Apple pushing their app store on Macintoshes.) These people are not going to go poking around online to try to find software to install. Many of them wouldn't know how to install software that they did download! The walled garden is arguably better for these people. Want to extend your computer's functionality? Go on the App Store and download a new piece of software by clicking install and putting in your password.

      As long as Apple keeps it simple enough for people who know what they're doing to install and use software outside of the Mac App Store, it's my opinion that an OS X "walled garden" is a hugely excellent feature for the majority of users.

      --
      hey!
    2. Re:GateKeeper eh by tlhIngan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sounds like the beginning of the iOS walled garden for OSX

      There are three settings to Gatekeeper.

      First is the walled garden - Mac App Store apps *only*.

      Second is the default secure - Mac App Store apps AND verified developer ID signed apps. The latter is a program where developers buy a signing cert from Apple, then the developer can sign anything with it. Just like the current code signing certificate Microsoft has, except the OS enforces the signature.

      Third is the "full open" mode - any valid executable can run. Developers probably will use this mode to avoid needing to get a signing certificate (and we'd hope developers are smart enough to not click on any random executable that comes their way...).

      The second is default because there are a whole class of programs that cannot work under the Mac App Store. First - the Mac App Store has a limit of $999.99 as the maximum price - some programs cost more than that (e.g., AutoCAD 2012 vs. AutoCAD 2012LE (which IS on the Mac App Store)). Second - big names don't want to be subject to the Mac App Store terms - they want to do things their own way. You know, a little company called Adobe who makes a little-used program call Photoshop. Or a tiny Washington-based company who makes an insignificant productivity suite they called Office.

      Finally, another reason is utilities - disk defragmenters, disk repair tools, data recovery suites, even things like hardware drivers cannot be done via the Mac App Store - they must be distributed separately.

      Hell, developers cannot distribute a DEMO version of their app via Mac App Store - they have to host those themselves.

      I think for a good 60% of users, the Mac App Store is all they need. For another 35% the default setting is perfect, and the last 5% are hopefully smart enough to be the ones to turn it off completely and not do stupid things.

      As for the signing requirement - well, a developer can't sign any old binary as their name is attached to it. If they sign some malware, it won't be long until said certificate is revoked by Apple and all apps signed by that developer stop working (until overridden by the last option, or they approve the app again). So developers have an interest in not signing everything.

      Heck, Firefox did the smart thing and got TWO certificates - release builds are signed with one, and nightly builds and such are auto-signed with the other. This prevents the revokation of one key from disrupting firefox development.

  5. Re:Can't complain... by uglyduckling · · Score: 4, Informative

    There's a simple lock and unlock function for system preferences panes. So, for instance, you could have GateKeeper turned on for the family Mac, which would give the kids the freedom to install any software that is signed, but you would need the admin password to install unsigned software. It's a step up from the admin-only software install approach.

  6. Out of cats by Chemisor · · Score: 3, Funny

    What will they name releases when they run out of cats? I mean, "10.10 Housecat" just doesn't sound like a product people would be enthusiastic about...

    1. Re:Out of cats by prestonmichaelh · · Score: 3

      Pick a name from this chart? http://xkcd.com/1056/

    2. Re:Out of cats by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 5, Funny

      I dunno, but for the 40th Anniversary of Apple (2016) I'm betting they put out a Cougar release.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    3. Re:Out of cats by Megane · · Score: 2

      I'm waiting for OS X Liger (bred for its skills in magic!)

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
  7. Re:Now more Chrome-y by Anubis+IV · · Score: 2

    By the time Mountain Lion launches, it will have been a few days over a year since the previous major release. Hardly 10 minute updates. Plus, it's rare that you meet someone who is aware and legitimately cares about a difference between Chrome version X and Chrome version X+1. In contrast, Apple added a few hundred new features, a few of which people have been requesting for years.

  8. Re:Gatekeeper by HarrySquatter · · Score: 2

    Yeah, it's so restrictive to have the choice of what sources you want to trust for installing software.

  9. Re:Is Apple painting themselves into a corner... by kthreadd · · Score: 2

    No, it will be called "The New OS X".

  10. Re:What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Assuming regularly distributed birthdays, since AFAIK technical prowess isn't linked to birth date.

    AFAIK technical prowess isn't linked to slashdot readership either...

  11. Re:Gatekeeper by beelsebob · · Score: 2

    Huh? Optionally restricting the OS to running only signed binaries, and checking certificates haven't been revoked is ridiculous? What fantasy land do you live in?

  12. MOUNTAIN LION IS OUT?! by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 3, Funny

    I didn't even suspect it had teh gay!

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
  13. Re:Gatekeeper by acoustix · · Score: 2

    Is this anything like Gatekeeper from The Net?

    If so, stay away! ;)

    --
    "A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
  14. Re:designed to fend off malware by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 3, Informative

    In other words, Apple will control what third party software you're allowed to install on your own machine.

    If you don't like it, uncheck the box and install anything you wish. That's what I'll be doing.

    For the typical home user, though, I think it's a reasonable limitation that's not likely to impact what they can do *at all*.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  15. Upgrading immediately is a BAD idea. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I "upgraded" from Snow Leopard to Lion at the urging of a friend who had it already and
    that upgrade has been an unmitigated disaster. I then spent many hours getting things
    which had "just worked" working again. The loss of productivity which resulted was significant.

    Snow Leopard was stable, and did everything I needed to do.

    Lion includes a bunch of iOS mimicry which is a stupid mistake and which makes me
    regret being an Apple user because it feels like I have been duped into thinking I was
    buying great design when I have been hoodwinked into buying consumer-level crap.

    Apple's attempt at forcing the merging of iOS device and laptop interface design is
    beyond merely annoying ; it has degraded the usefulness of my machine in a permanent
    manner and there is no fix short of going back to Snow Leopard.

    There will be no further "upgrades" for me, not when reduced functionality at the expense
    of satisfying the idiotic design decision which makes my high-end laptop act like an
    iPad.

    I may be a bit premature but I think this is the beginning of the end of Apple's run of
    making great operating systems and great laptops ( glued-in battery ? No thanks ! )

    Tim Cook is going to be famous for leading Apple into the abyss.

    Mark my words.

  16. Re:ML drops support for my perfectly capable Mac P by kthreadd · · Score: 3, Informative

    The machine is 64 bit but some components aren't.

  17. Re:Will it be as good as Snow Leopard? by zoloto · · Score: 2

    SL is great, but ML is leaps ahead of Lion. After running the GM since its release I can say it's noticeably faster on my early 2009 mac mini.

  18. Re:ML drops support for my perfectly capable Mac P by slimjim8094 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    See, here's the thing you're missing. You have a fully functional machine which is running an OS more than 5 years newer than it, and it's doing it just fine. Lion will continue to work on it and be patched for the foreseeable future, and most software will run on it as well. What obligation does Apple have towards you? Did they sell you a machine that promised more than 5 years of updates? Or did they promise EFI64, which is what's needed to boot ML? (hint: they didn't). They sold you a 64-bit workstation, and you got a 64-bit workstation, and you've had no trouble upgrading the OS twice.

    Via hacks and other messy stuff, you might be able to get it to work, and I expect directions will be available shortly and relatively straightforward, but it's hard to blame Apple for not wanting to mess up the experience. They seem happy to allow "hacks" to extend their product's functionality, but they're not really the kind of company to give you enough rope to hang yourself with, which is how they keep their reputation that anything "Apple-sanctioned" "just works"

    --
    I have developed a truly marvelous proof of this comment, which this signature is too narrow to contain.
  19. Re:ML drops support for my perfectly capable Mac P by gmhowell · · Score: 2

    That's quite an attitude. What have you done for me lately?

    Not a damned thing. Which is why I don't feel bad about you not doing anything for me.

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  20. Re:designed to fend off malware by stripes · · Score: 2

    There is a checkbox in System Prefs to turn it off. Or if you control click on the app and select open it will launch (and white list for future launches).

    It is really so people don't double click an app that has an icon that looks like a MP3. Or maybe they won't launch what looks like PhotoShop, but isn't. If it gets enough adoption from 3rd parties I can see it being a huge help to the average user. If it gets low adoption it'll be more useful for folks that really know what is going on.

  21. Support life? by AntEater · · Score: 2

    I see a lot of comments asking "Why upgrade?" or not to bother if what you are currently running is working for you. What about security patches and support? I've searched all over the place and, so far, haven't been able to find any clear statement about when Apple stops support for a particular version of OS X. The "word of mouth" answer seems to be only the current release and one version prior are supported with patches and security fixes. It seems a bit irresponsible to drop support for an OS without letting your customers know that they're system is no longer being updated to protect against the various vulnerabilities that can be exploited.

    --
    Alex, I'll take keybindings not used by Emacs for $400....