Mac OS X Leopard, Windows Vista, Flamewars... Oh My!
I have to say that the last few days have been interesting
to say the least. I have been reading all the diarrhea of
the mouth that has been spewing back and forth between Mac's
and PC's ;)
This post is in response to many post I have been reading.
I happen to pick 3 out of the bunch, but there are more
where these came from, trust me.
http://www.internet-nexus.com/2006/08/leopards-ten-new-features-dissected.htm
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/08/mac_os_x_leopard_preview/
http://www.wired.com/news/columns/cultofmac/0,71557-0.html
I have to say that it all comes down to ignorance. I have
been part of the Windows world ever since I can remember and
been doing development on Windows since I was 17. I have
always had my likes and dislikes about Windows. I think
everyone does. I started using a Mac when they released Mac
OS X version 10.0. I am a technology freak. I love reading
about new OS releases. I remember reading about NeXT and
their technologies. I knew that what was being released was
part of what came out of the Apple purchase of NeXT.
Once I started using Mac OS X, I started getting familiar
with that user base. Their big expo shows, the keynote
speech, and all the hype. It was like waiting for your
birthday or Christmas. I remember saying to my self I have
become one of these fanatics. So knowing what I do about
their shows. The WWDC is held every year for the developers
that support the Mac OS X platform. Everything presented
and announced at these shows are for the benefit of the
developer.
So I wanted to touch on the things that Steve Jobs announced
and throw in my .02. First of all, Steve and company did
not keep using the term of innovation for everything they
were showing off. Innovation is creating something new,
even if that means utilizing something that already exist
and making it better or easier to use. The iPod is
innovative. It the whole idea something new? No it is
not. There were MP3 players out before the iPod. The iPod
just was an innovative way to store and play your music.
The way you interacted with it and retrieved your music was
a major part of what was innovative with the iPod. With
that said, I will continue on with my comments.
In general, when Steve and company say something is new in
this keynote, they really mean it's new for the Mac
community. So the new Mail features are new to Mac users.
They were not claiming that it was some new thing that no
one else has in there Mail application. This conference was
for Mac developers. This was not a consumer show.
Everything was relative to Mac OS X, the development of Mac
OS X, and the developers of Mac OS X. The fact that he had
others come out and help... maybe, just maybe, he is
allowing the people that had a huge hand in developing these
technologies present them so they feel like they have a
part. It's called being a team. Maybe you never heard of
that?
Time Machine; This is based on a technology that is seen in
many other places. One of the places mentioned a lot was
Windows Server 2003. This is all true. So what is
innovative about this? The interface. The way that they
made it easy enough to use and understand so that the
average consumer can use it. My mother could use Time
Machine. My mother could not use the Restore Point system
and Previous Versions that Windows Server 2003 contains. It
has an SDK that developers can use so that their
applications can utilize the same functionality. That is
the difference.
Spaces; Yes it is virtual desktops for Mac OS X. Yeah we
all know that KDE, GNOME, et al have had Virtual desktops
since before the man was here. Once again it is new to Mac
OS X and has a very easy and clean interface. The thing I
liked was the monitor panel like view, where you see all 4
desktops at once and interact with them while there zoomed
out. This is just a start of something they can expand on.
I think it is a great addition... FOR MAC OS X.
CoreAnimation; This is strictly for developers. All the
Core "pillars" that Apple has provided are for developers so
they can provide great technologies to the developers. Once
again this is new for developers. Animation is not
something Apple invented and they are not claiming that!
Universal Access; I think you would have to be a drooling
invalid to not see this is way better then Windows Vista and
not innovative. That voice is one of the best I have heard
in text to speech systems.
Mail; The features were new to Mac OS X users. The other
features like notes and to-do's are just the start of a
system wide set of services that will allow collaboration
across the board for applications. They will release an SDK
to developers that will allow them to add the same services
in there applications and share data. The other features
are similar to other Mail applications, but much easier to
use. That seems to be a constant theme... easier to use.
Hmm, interesting. That is all I got to say about that
*Forest Gump*.
iChat; Once more, these are all new features for Mac OS X
users and developers. I figure if I keep repeating my self,
they will get the point eventually. I do have to say that
the collaboration features are great additions and much
cleaner then most IM apps I have used.
Mac OS X Leopard is still in development. There will be
many more features. Steve even mentioned some top secret
features that were not going to be shown at this time.
These features are most likely something that is geared
toward the users and will be big when they are announced. I
just have to say I still use Windows everyday. I am a .NET
Developer. I think .NET and C# is probably the best things
Microsoft has released in a long time. I am very
disappointed in Vista. Vista has been in development for 5
years and we still do not have a product close to production
release. Mac OS X has had 6 major updates since 2001.
Leopard will be a big release too when it is complete. I
can honestly say that using my MacBook Pro has restored my
faith in computers. It is really refreshing to use a system
that I do not have to reformat my hard drive and reinstall
the operating system on a regular basis. I do not have to
worry about all the viruses and spy ware. I can just get up
in the morning and work. I even do .NET and C# using Mono
on Mac OS X. So I am still using the technologies I use
every day in the Windows world on my Mac. I still have a
Windows PC at home, but my girlfriend uses that since I am
on my Mac almost 100% of the time now. She is always
complaining about pop ups and search bars being installed
that she never authorized. I just smile and let out a sigh
of relief. I don't have to worry about those things.
Take care until next time ;)
Ben
first initial + lastname at g to the mail dot com
first initial + lastname at mac dot com
http://www.myspace.com/sanityisfordeath