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  • Swad

    What is your Mac workflow?

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    If you're like me, you have a handful of apps you use everyday to complete the task at hand: Photoshop, Firefox, Word, etc. Some of these I love using - some I'd rather not. On the whole, I'm always open for using a new app if the benefits seem great.
     
    For many new OSx86 users, the old Mac workflow they knew so well in the old days of PPC are gone, due to new apps or non-universal ones.
     
    So in this transitional phase, let us know: what is your everyday Mac workflow? How has the list of your applications changed in the past 6 months to a year (even if you're not on an Macintel)? Got an obscure utility we should all know about? Tell us about it!
  • Swad

    Will Apple Drop Mach?

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    There has been a lot of talk in recent months about the sense in Apple keeping its Mach kernel, a remnant of Steve’s NeXT days. While it certainly presents advantages, its microkernel architecture has serious drawbacks. (Check out that link to get up to speed on the debate)
     
    I, Cringely has an interesting take on Windows on Macs and thinks that Boot Camp is a sign that Apple will be dropping the Mach kernel with Leopard.


    Don't be surprised, either, to see that OS X 10.5 has a new kernel, finally giving up Mach and a big piece of its NeXTstep heritage. I write this for one thing -- because OS X has kernel problems and needs some help, especially with swap space. I say it also because of the departure of Avie Tevanian, Apple's chief software technology officer, and the guy who hung onto Mach for so long.
     
    I have no insider knowledge here, but it isn't hard to imagine an instance where Avie's favored position with Steve Jobs was finally undermined by someone pointing out just these problems, so Avie had to go. That's the way it is with Steve, who sees his people as either part of the solution or part of the problem.
    This is a very interesting idea and makes quite a bit of sense. While Apple has improved the speed of the kernel over recent years, it’s still not as fast as it may become by switching architectures. Also, the longer release cycle for Leopard may be so that Apple engineers have time to bring a new kernel up to snuff.
     
    It seems that almost every aspect of Apple’s future is up for debate at this point. Where do you stand on the microkernel - good idea or a Mach(o) mistake by Steve?
  • Deetman
    Due to a few recent, isolated incidents, we are actively scanning and globally banning all users that connect to the MacSpeak network using open proxies. It is unfortunate that we have to do this due to abuse from a few users, but to ensure a quality experience on the MacSpeak network, it is a necessary step.
     
    For a list of all banned open proxies (proxies that are open for use by any user), please visit http://www.blitzed.org/
     
    Once again, sorry for any inconvenience, but we must enforce this rule. If you have a specific reason why you can't connect to the network, please PM cmoski.
     
    If you haven't checked out our top notch IRC network with more OSx86 geniuses then you can shake an IOKit at, see us at:
     
    IRC Server: irc.macspeak.net
    Channel: #osx86
    New to IRC? Click here!
     
    Thanks!
  • Swad

    Merom in a Mac Mini?

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    You know that desire of many teenage boys to get a little MG or old Fiesta and drop a huge Ferrari engine inside?
     
    That's a lot like this. MacRumors lets us know about a rumor (hey, that's a surprise) going around about the ability to use the up-coming Merom processor in the current Intel Mac Minis.
     
    We're not sure how practical this is, especially since some of the other Mini components (like the graphics) are really the parts that make it a low end machine.
     
    Nevertheless... bragging rights count for a lot, and this kind of upgrade would certainly deserve them.
  • Ouch

    Multicoloured Macbooks?

    By Ouch, in OSx86,

    Bored of Apple's bland ivory colour scheme, the new macbook may be just the Intel notebook your looking for:
     
    Source: The Register
     
    " Apple's upcoming Intel-based iBooks - now firmly believed to ship under the MacBook brand - may see the company once again offer the product in a range of coloured cases not seen now four more than four years.
     
    It's highly likely that the MacBook will debut in shiny white, but sources cited by AppleInsider suggest the machines may come in other hues too.
     
    Apple's flirtation with colour began in May 1998 when it launched the original iMac. At the time it was only available in blue and white, but the following January, Apple launched a range of colours, and subsequent versions of the all-in-one, CRT-equipped computer sported new shades, until Apple introduced the all-white LCD model in January 2002. "
     
    Full Story
  • Swad

    The (Virtual) Reality of VMware

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    This may just be the hype of a CEO, but the head of VMware says that the company is testing VMware for the Mac… and it’s done. At least in the labs. In an interview with USA Today, CEO Diane Greene had this to say:

    "We'd like to let anybody run any operating system (OS) on any machine," Greene says. "You'll be able to buy any application you want and not worry what OS it runs on."
     
    Apple's Boot Camp only takes that so far. It makes it easier to run Windows XP on a Mac, but you'd have to restart your computer to get from one to the other. There is software on the Web that can make a Mac run another OS, but it's difficult to use.
     
    Virtualization software tricks the computer into thinking each OS is the only one on the machine - so multiple operating systems can run simultaneously but not get in each others' way.
     
    VMware has plans to roll out virtualization for consumers over coming years. "We can run it on the Mac OS in our labs already," Greene says.
    This goes right along with previous rumors about VMware for Macs, although stating that they have it running in the lab doesn’t mean much at all.
     
    Will “VMware Mac Edition” be the next big topic in our Virtualization forum? Will you be waiting in line for your copy?
  • Swad

    MacBook On Its Way?

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    ThinkSecret is reporting that Apple should be releasing its “MacBook” – the replacement for the iBook – within one to two months. From the article,


    Apple has begun manufacturing its new MacBook and should have the laptop in consumer hands in the next 30-60 days, sources report. The MacBook—and it will indeed be called the MacBook, sources have confirmed, as Apple will be dropping the iBook moniker—is being built exclusively around a 13.3-inch widescreen display with a 1280x720 WXGA resolution, as previously reported.
     
    The MacBook will likely share internals with Apple's recently revamped Mac mini, meaning a Core Solo processor can be expected in the low-end and a Core Duo in the higher-end MacBook. In doing so, Apple will position the 13.3-inch MacBook as both an entry-level laptop and as a replacement for Apple's 12-inch PowerBook G4.
     
    Apple will discontinue the 14-inch iBook G4 immediately upon release of the MacBook but sources expect the company to continue to offer the 12-inch iBook G4 in limited quantities for a period of time.
     
    The article goes on to say that the 17” MacBook Pro (I’m a little sad that I’ll now have to tack on the Pro to specify which computer I mean) may be coming soon as well.


    Sources have added that a 17-inch MacBook Pro, being built by Quanta, could also arrive in tandem with the release of the MacBooks. The 17-inch model will pack a brighter display than its predecessor but specifics are not expected to diverge significantly from the high-end 15.4-inch MacBook pro.
  • Swad
    Has the day actually arrived? In all my recent geek letters to Santa, my computing wish list included running OS X (preferably on a fast RISC chip - we can dream, right?) while using Windows in a fully native virtualized environment. It appears that my wish is coming true (and proving that yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus).
     
    Talk about Parallels – the new “VMware for OS X” app – has been brewing for a few days but reached critical mass as our forum members have hammered out its benefits… and rough edges. (Don’t miss our upcoming article this weekend why you haven’t read about it on the blog yet! It’s a great, although highly annoying for the author, story about the woes of PC support.)
     
    According to the Parallels website,
     
    Parallels Workstation is a hardware emulation virtualization solution. This stable, trusted technology maps the host computer’s hardware resources directly to each virtual PC’s resources, allowing each virtual machine to operate identically to a stand-alone computer. Parallels Workstation’s sophisticated virtual machine engine enables each virtual machine to work with its own processor, RAM, floppy and CD drives, I/O devices, and hard disk – everything a physical computer contains.
     
    Parallels Workstation 2.0 is the first desktop virtualization solution to include a lightweight hypervisor, a mature technology originally developed in the 1960s to maximize the power of large mainframes. Hypervisor technology dramatically improves virtual machine stability, security and performance by using a thin layer of software, inserted between the machine’s hardware and the primary operating system, to directly control some of the host machine’s hardware profiles and resources. It not only makes Parallels Workstation-powered virtual machines secure, stable and efficient, but also empowers users to immediately realize the benefits associated with Intel VT hardware virtualization architecture.
     
    The only downsides? 1) It’s a beta and 2) the full version will set you back $49.99. The beta is free.
     
    Forum users who have been checking it out have said that the beta represents just about everything they’d ever wanted in a Mac – OS X with the option to run Windows in real time. There are still a few technical issues such as driver sluggishness and huge RAM usage, but reports are generally positive.
     
    So we have to ask – have we reached the best of both worlds? The ability to use Windows (generally believed to be the most annoying but universal OS) and OS X (generally believed to be unbelievable) at the same time represents a huge shift for the computing industry.
     
    On the one hand this development, when practical, means that there are no longer excuses for not buying a Mac on the grounds of compatibility. However, there is always the chance that software developers – most likely the small time shops – will finally be able to use the “Oh, Mac users can just use the Windows version virtually” excuse for ignoring Mac users.
     
    What say you? In the opinion of this writer, the days in which we’re living right now are the most formative the computing industry has seen since the 1980’s. The lines between PC and Mac were initially blurred with the Intel transition and have continued to disappear as the barriers to running both operating systems have disappeared. Did you ever think you'd see the Apple website stating "Windows running on a Mac is like Windows running on a PC?"
     
    What will be the historical shockwaves, if there are any, of these new announcements? Are we seeing the birth of the ultimate computer?
     
    [Digg it!]
  • Swad
    Apple today launched a shot across Microsoft’s bow with Boot Camp, the beta version of its solution to let Mac users boot Windows on their Macintels. While at first I thought I could see Steve Ballmer throwing a chair across the room at the news, I realized that with Apple’s semi-cozy relationship with Microsoft, this news isn’t likely to be a surprise to any of the major players. (There have been rumors in the past of a tacit OS agreement between the two companies) As Apple continues to regain market share against PCs, I doubt they want to risk an all-out war with Windows.
     
    But why should there be a conflict anyway? Microsoft ships more units of XP and, at some unforeseen date, Vista. Apple picks up new customers who would love to move a Mac but can’t leave Windows behind for various reasons. It seems like a win-win situation for all.
     
    Apple’s move also answers those who continue to ask why anyone would want Windows on their Mac. Why? Because it’s possible. Because, for the corporate environment, it makes business sense. And because now it’s simple.
     
    But there are larger implications for the announcement of Boot Camp. The largest is that it marks Apple’s first true strategic use of the switch to Intel. EFI was a smart move and the speed benefits are obviously nice, but the ability to dual boot Windows (and - likely - use it within OS X in Leopard via virtualization) is probably the trump card Apple was waiting to use. If they can get PC users to buy a Mac to use both operating systems, they’re betting that eventually those “switchers” will rely solely on OS X. But even if they don’t, another Mac has been sold.
     
    Should Microsoft be concerned? Maybe. But in the mean time, I have the feeling it’ll be a lot more acceptable to be toting a MacBook Pro around Redmond.
     
    [Digg it!].
  • Swad
    In what has to be one of the most earthshaking announcements the technology industry has seen in years, Apple today announced its Boot Camp system for dual booting OS X and Windows XP. From the Apple site:
     
    More and more people are buying and loving Macs. To make this choice simply irresistible, Apple will include technology in the next major release of Mac OS X, Leopard, that lets you install and run the Windows XP operating system on your Mac. Called Boot Camp (for now), you can download a public beta today.
     
    Boot Camp lets you install Windows XP without moving your Mac data, though you will need to bring your own copy to the table, as Apple Computer does not sell or support Microsoft Windows. Boot Camp will burn a CD of all the required drivers for Windows so you don't have to scrounge around the Internet looking for them.
     
    For your convenience, Boot Camp burns a CD with all the Mac-specific drivers for Windows:
     
    Graphics
    Networking
    Audio
    AirPort wireless
    Bluetooth
    The Eject key (on Apple keyboards)
    Brightness control for built-in displays
     
    This is obviously Apple's move to ensure that they maintain control over the booting environment of their computers and it shows that they are listening to the huge numbers that are asking for a simple dual boot solution.
     
    So check out the Boot Camp and let us know what you think in our dedicated Dual Booting forum! As always, our community is fast - don't miss the technical discussion going on here!
     
    EDIT: Here is Apple's FAQ for the beta of Boot Camp.
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