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  • cavemonkey50
    Now that they dust has settled a bit from yesterday's keynote, I think it's time to give my opinions of it. First of all, it seems that the general consensus is disappointment. Speculated products weren't announced, and neither were some of the speculated Leopard features.
     
    Part of the problem might be our mindset. It's easy to think that the Worldwide Developer's Conference is for consumers. While consumers certainly benefit from the conference, the main focus is developers. If you look at it from that sense, Apple delivered everything developers wanted. They released professional-grade machines and showed off features of Leopard which are important to developers. Leopard features like a new Finder or virtualization technology are things which can be added later with very little effect on developers, and the existing Macs can easily get a Core 2 speed bump with just a simple press release.
     
    The Hardware
     
    Now that we're in the right mindset, it's time to talk about what was announced. Apple released some amazing new hardware. The Mac Pros are insane powerhouses, with the Xserves getting a huge speed bump over previous hardware. While I won't be purchasing a Mac Pro, the prices are perfect. Apple's standard configuration is perfect for just about anyone's needs, and it doesn't break the bank either. What's even better is the price when you downgrade some components. If you change the dual 2.5 GHz processors to dual 2.0 GHz processors and only get a 160 GB hard drive, combined with the student discount, it's only $1950. That's not bad at all considering a slower MacBook Pro is right around that price.
     
    Finally, I'm very impressed with Apple's build-to-order options on their new machines. Apple has always stuck with pretty much standard configurations across their product line since there wasn't very many options with the PowerPC chip. Now that Apple is on the x86 platform, they have a more room for flexibility, which is showing through in the amount of configurable options on the new machines. I'm looking forward to seeing what other options Apple will provide for their other machines in the future.
     
    Leopard
     
    While nothing too groundbreaking was announced with Leopard, I'm still very exited. First of all, I can't wait for Time Machine. I don't backup enough, and when I do backup, I don't have a great method. I'm dragging files to an external drive or CD, just like Steve Jobs mentioned. Having a Subversion-like solution for OS X will just be amazing. There have been times where I have accidentally overwritten files, so selective restoring will be perfect for me. There has also been times where I've wanted to do a complete restore, so that functionality of Time Machine will rock also. Apple seems to have created the perfect backup solution for anyone with external storage.
     
    The other major feature that Apple has announced is Spaces. I'm not too excited about Spaces at all. I've always found multiple desktops confusing, so it's a feature I probably won't be using. However, Apple does seem to have a couple of great ways to try and prevent it from getting confusing. Spaces exposé seems like a great way to easily see where everything is, and if you're really lost, clicking on the application's dock icon is perfectly for jumping to the "space" which contains that application. Maybe Apple's approach will finally get me to use multiple desktops, but for now, I'm not jumping for joy.
     
    Finally, hearing about updates to Mail, iCal, Spotlight, Dashboard, iChat, Front Row, and Boot Camp is certainly getting me excited. I've tried Apple's Mail in the past, and never could switch to it. This upcoming version looks like it will finally bring me onboard. In regards to iCal, that's another application which I haven't really touched. Depending on how well it integrates with Mail, I might find myself using that application also.
     
    Advanced searching and application launching with Spotlight is something that should have been there from the beginning, so it will be a welcome addition. The new ways to create widgets are looking great for Dashboard, especially how easy it will be for anyone to create a widget. The new iChat also sounds great, especially sporting its new Unified interface. From the previews of it, it looks like it will finally have a combined buddy list for different services, a welcome addition. Finally, while we don't know what's coming for Front Row and Boot Camp, just hearing that they're going to be updated is music to my ears.
     
    Conclusions
     
    While this year's WWDC Keynote was a disappointment for many people following the rumor sites, if you were trying to stick with reality, I think it was perfect. The new professional-grade hardware is blowing the competition away at a cheaper price, and Leopard's new features are already ahead of Vista. Things are only going to get better from here.
     
    Apple has laid the frameworks for a great operating system, and when they report on Leopard at Macworld in January, I'm sure they're going to have some more great features and enhancements to tell us about.
  • Swad
    Two big developments on the virtualization front today.
     
    First, Microsoft announced that they're killing VirtualPC for Macs (God rest its soul). According to MacWorld, they're moving on to bigger and better things, like a Universal Office.


    “Developing a high-quality virtualization solution, such as Virtual PC, for the Intel-based Mac is similar to creating a version 1.0 release due to how closely the product integrates with Mac hardware,” the statement concluded. Secondly, VMware did indeed announce their plans for a Mac based virtualization solution.


    The new Mac product is based on VMware’s robust and advanced virtualization technology, shipping for more than seven years and used by more than four million people today. Moving forward, virtual machines created with any of VMware’s products will run on Intel-based Macs and, similarly, non-Mac OS X virtual machines created with the new product will run on the latest versions of other VMware platform products. You can pre-register here.
  • Swad

    Blast from the past: 1997

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    Ah, late night IRC conversations - you can never be sure what'll come up. We ran across this great ol' Wired Magazine article (via digg) from back in 1997 entitled "101 Ways to Save Apple." We thought we'd take a look at it to see how far Apple has come.

    10. Get a great image campaign. Let's get some branding (or rebranding) going on. Reproduce the "1984" spot with a 1997 accent.
    Check. Well, ok - the new Mac/PC ads are just decent. The WWDC remix was much better.

    13. Exploit every Wintel user's secret fear that some day they're going to be thrown into a black screen with a blinking C-prompt. Advertise the fact that Mac users never have to rewrite autoexec.bat or sys.ini files.
    Probably not a good idea these days.

    14. Do something creative with the design of the box and separate yourselves from the pack.
    Done and done. iOragami, anyone?


    34. Port the OS to the Intel platform, with its huge amount of investment in hardware, software, training, and experience. Don't ignore it; co-opt it. Did Steve help write this article?

    37. Take advantage of NeXT's easy and powerful OpenStep programming tools to entice a new generation of Mac software developers.
    "Mr. Jobs, I'm going to have to ask you to step away from that keyboard..."

    48. Get Ben & Jerry's to name a flavor after you. Suggestion: Apple Silicon Chip Supreme.
    I'd buy it over a MacBook anyday.

    62. Build a computer that doesn't crash. Speaking of the MacBook...
    75. Speed sells. Push your advantage on the speed of the processor. This summer, you'll release Macs using 450- and 533-MHz processors. Your lead over Intel will be remarkable. Brag about this.
    Was it really that bad in '97? Oh wait, I was 12... (Wow, that makes me feel really young - and I'm betting it makes a lot of you feel really old)

    83. Develop proprietary programs that run only on Macs. Crow about them.
    I think they're still working on this one.

    86. Organize a very large bake sale - look what cookie sales have done for the Girl Scouts.
    Yeah, but the last time I bought brownies from a guy in the San Fran area... well, come to think of it, those were pretty darn good brownies.


    88. Acknowledge that there are people with repetitive stress injuries. Why do loyal customers have to go to a weird third-party vendor to get a split keyboard? Because those suck.

    93. Develop a way to program that requires no scripting or coding.
    I am so there! WWNon-DC 2007, here I come.

    97. Have Pixar make 3001, A Space Odyssey, with HAL replaced by a Mac.
    Steve? Can you hear me Steve?

    101. Don't worry. You'll survive. It's Netscape we should really worry about.

  • Swad
    Although many folks thought that Darwin was dead (well, the old evolution guy is... but ya know), Apple just posted the 10.4.7 source on their site. From the mailing list:


    As of today, we are posting buildable kernel sources for Intel-based Macs alongside the usual PowerPC (and other Intel) sources, starting with Mac OS X 10.4.7. We regret the delay in readying the new kernel for release, and thank you for your patience. Now don't you just love WWDC? You never know what to expect.
     
    Let us know your thoughts in Reader News (Thanks, bofors).
  • Swad

    Hardware Galore!

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    Let's skip right to it - a list of all the things you want for Christmas this year.
     
    - The all new Mac Pro. Quite impressive indeed. Get up to two 3 GHz Xeons along with 2 TB in storage.
     
    - Cheaper (along with slightly improved specs) Cinema Displays
     
    - An Intel Xserve. Two 2.66GHz or 3GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon 5100 processors, up to 2 TB (!) of storage.
     
    Anyone bought/buying one? Or 10?
  • Swad
    Today brought our first taste of Leopard and, based on the reaction here and elsewhere in MacLand, it was bittersweet.
     
    What we saw:
    - Updated Mail, iCal, Spotlight, Dashboard, iChat. A few very cool things in the works.
    - Time Machine. Easily the best backup system around, if only slightly ripped from (gasp!) Vista.
    - Core Animation. A technology that rocks. Period.
    - Universal Access. Much improved synthetic speech. Not that useful for most of us, but helpful for a few.
    - Spaces. Desktop switching comes to the Mac! (...if only slightly stolen from Linux)
    - 64 Bit Support. Cool implementation, should be handy.
     
    What we didn’t see:
    - New Finder. Probably the thing most of us want the most. Mostly.
    - Built in virtualization support. Looks like it’ll be Parallels or VMware for now.
    - A silent death to “Brushed Metal.” See the Safari window in the Spaces video?
     
    Leopard is clearly a strong addition to an already strong OS. And, in spite of Apple’s barrage of “copying” jokes, it will undoubtedly be better than Vista.
     
    Keep in mind that, at this point, we don’t even have a beta to play with, so Apple still has time to throw in a lot of fun features (not to mention Steve’s “Top Secret” items... I suppose we’ll have to wait for his next podcast...).
     
    The question is: Is this what you were hoping for? Is this process of slow, consistent OS improvement what you’d been expecting from Leopard, or had you been hoping for something completely new? Now that the “cat” is out of the bag (sorry for the bad pun, but hey - it’s better than a few at the Moscone Center), what’s your take?
     
    P.S. Catch all the Keynote goodness here.
  • suleiman
    Here I'll be posting news from the WWDC Keynote Address minutes (maybe seconds) after it rolls out of Stevie's mouth. And then (like BOOM!) you can all post your reactions. The format will be as close to one-liners as we can get them, so subscribe to this thread and you'll be sure to stay abreast of the latest and greatest.
     
    We are also collecting feeds from many different sources for WWDC and displaying the results in #WWDC on irc.macspeak.net with your IRC client or use our forum's java client.
  • Swad
    Since one of Mr. Jobs’ most impressive features tomorrow is bound to be something related to Windows/virtualization integration, I thought it’d be wise to take a few moments and look at where we stand in the pre-WWDC world.
     
    As most of you are aware, Parallels Desktop remains essentially unchallenged in the realm of Macintel virtualization. It’s fast, efficient, and has become a favorite of InsanelyMac Nation. VMblog had a good interview with the Parallels folks last week. It’s well worth your time to read, but in case you don’t, here's the CliffsNotes version:
    VMBlog
    : No matter which virtualization platform is used, people always ask about virtualized graphics support. Do you get a lot of questions centered around gaming or high-end graphic support?
     
    BR: Our ultimate goal is to make Parallels virtual machines identical to “real” machines, and that involves including 3D graphics so people can play games and use high-end rendering software without any performance hit. It’s something that we’re actively working on and hope to include it soon so users can run high-end 3D games just as easily as they can run critical productivity apps like Outlook and Project.
     
    VMBlog: With the desktop virtualization products that you currently support, what are some of the top feature requests that end users are asking for?
     
    BR: We’ve had a lot of requests for virtual SMP support and USB 2.0, and both of those will be in the next version of Parallels. We’re also working on a number of booting options that we’re hoping to include as well, and continue to work on the 3D graphics support that I discussed earlier. VMware, as mentioned in the above interview, has been relatively late to the new Intel Mac scene. As in, hasn’t shown up yet. As in, "still waiting in the car 'cause I'm under 21." According to a few reports, VMware is planning on announcing software for Intel Macs tomorrow… the day (which will live in infamy) of the Keynote.


    A company spokesperson would not comment on what VMware would announce, but it is likely that the Palo Alto, Calif., company will demonstrate a Mac version of its virtualization product for running Windows on Intel-powered Macs.
     
    There is also speculation that VMware will demonstrate Windows Vista running in Mac OS X under VMware. Parallels Desktop currently will not run the Windows Vista Beta, which does not support ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface), which Vista uses.
    And as if news of the battle of the “install the whole OS (including spyware)” titans wasn’t enough, this week also brought information of two other Windows-integration technologies, Crossover and Northstar.


    CrossOver from CodeWeavers is a commercial product based on the open-source Wine program. The company has a Linux version and plans to release a Mac version in August. True North Technology's Northstar is a Web-based service that also employs X11 and Java. CrossOver runs only on Intel-powered Macs; Northstar works with PowerPC-based as well as Intel-based Macs. What is this newcomer Northstar all about?


    Like DarWine, Northstar puts Windows applications in an X11 window on the Mac. Users log on to the Northstar service with a Web browser. Northstar then sends down a Java tuner applet that feeds X11 packets that represent the display.
     
    But Northstar strays even further from the virtual machine model and may be an approach that will be more difficult for users to grasp. For starters, Northstar users don't need to own their own Windows applications. True North will license applications on an annual basis, or on a monthly basis if the user only needs to use the application for a short time. The company offers different pricing packages for sets of software, and offers business and enterprise subscriptions. True North will keep Windows application up-to-date and apply the latest service packs.
     
    For a fee, True North will let customers upload their own Windows software to Northstar or mail the company the disc media. The service makes installed software available to the user through an interface element called the Northstar Desktop. 4 different approaches to Mac-Windows integration. 4 different chances for success and failure. Parallels has the benefit of substantial momentum but they’ll certainly meet their match with the much older and venerable VMware throwing its hat into the proverbial ring.
     
    I have the feeling that tomorrow will open a host of new virtualization possibilities. How about you?
  • kevin_4e
    Along with moving the Forum from The OSx86 Project to InsanelyMac, the IRC Network has also made its own small transition.
     
    As a result of the creation of the two dedicated sites, the IRC Team has decided to establish #OSx86 as a channel just for OSx86 discussion and help. #InsanelyMac will be open for more general discussion of all Mac related topics. Both channels strive for the same friendly atmosphere as you'll find on this Forum. If you are unfamiliar with the IRC Network, feel free to check out the Chat Home Page or visit the forum's Java client. We hope to see you around.
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