Spotlight On Apple’s Upcoming Desktop Search Engine - Spotlight resides in Tiger's menu bar and is indicated by a magnifying glass icon. And unlike Internet-based search engines, Spotlight query results begin appearing as soon as the user starts typing, instead of waiting until the Enter key is pressed. Results are also "up-to-the-moment accurate." Do Not Underestimate The Power Of Automator - Since the latest Power Mac was announced a couple of weeks before WWDC, the hardware wow-factor was left entirely to the new displays. Had the Dual 2.5GHz been launched in the keynote, I wonder how the crowd would have responded--the promised 3GHz not delivered. I suspect it is this fact more than any other which has caused the perceived disappointment in the latest batch of keynote goodies
Widget wars: thoughts on the Konfabulator-Dashboard brouhaha - The Konfabulator-Dashboard issue is a public relations nightmare for Apple. The company should have seen it coming and did nothing to diffuse it (couldn’t they have at least considered using another term besides “widgets”?). However, after culling through all the info I can get my hands on and speaking to some industry folks, I’ve concluded that there are enough differences between the two utilities that Apple’s biggest snafu is exhibiting a major lack of tact.
Screens from Apple's Mac OS X 10.4, aka Tiger - Mac programmers attending Apple Computer Inc.'s recent Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco found a special treat tucked into their knapsacks: A preview copy of Mac OS X 10.4, aka "Tiger."
Software Makes a Tiger of Panther - But to users of some third-party Mac utilities, not all the nifty data-hunting features demonstrated in Tiger were wholly new. Existing utilities stir some Tiger-like features into current versions of OS X, and they provide some of the potency of next-generation search well before Tiger makes it official.
Apple's Human Interface Issues - There used to be a time when the user interface came first at Apple. The Mac OS was the model of what a GUI should be. Many years and millions of dollars were spent designing the interface to be as simple, non-obtrusive, and consistent as possible. Unfortunately all that time and money went to waste when OSX came out. Apple threw out many of the rules that had made the Mac so simple to use
Apple Releases Rendezvous for Windows Technology Preview - Rendezvous is Apple's Open Source-based networking technology. Rendezvous allows for zero-configuration networking between applications, computers, printers, and other devices
Why you WANT a 64-bit Mac OS X 10.4 - But why is 64-bit computing so important? Other than the latest version of Adobe Photoshop, no Mac OS program takes advantage of the newer G5 processors. So let’s look (briefly) at what 64-bit processing means to the Mac market, and why you want it.
Apple Lets Cat out of the Bag - Users will be able to use queries to create smart folders that automatically archive new material corresponding to specified search terms. Jobs showed Spotlight working in Apple's Mail application; a smart "Paris" folder archived messages mentioning the French capital, and new messages would be added as they arrive, he said
Apple unveils faster searching tool - Spotlight can scour through more than 100,000 files in less a second. It achieves this by using special classifying information known as "metadata", which is automatically tagged to documents to provide a simple description
OSX 10.4 preview: hits and misses - The news of banners poking fun at Microsoft made people think that the new operating system would be something to contend with. With statements like "This should keep Redmond busy", one would expect some radical improvement to this new OS... but most of the changes were under the hood and most of them showed a company that seems to be on the defensive. Let's look at what they offered and what are the hits and misses in this new OS
Apple Previews Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" - Developers in attendance at the WWDC were very impressed with the new technologies and tools built into Mac OS X. Video Units, Image Units, Spotlight, the new iChat version, Safari RSS, the .Mac SDK...all of these announcements were greeted warmly by the packed ha
Apple Previews Mac OS X Server “Tiger” - “ With more than 200 new features, Tiger Server is the best release of Mac OS X Server ever,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Tiger Server combines over 100 of the best solutions from the open source world with Apple’s legendary ease-of-use to create the easiest way to deploy powerful open source server solutions.”
Is Mac OS X Going to Go Open Source? - Its effects on the long-term development of Mac OS X have been astounding. Just five years ago, there was little hope in sight for the Mac OS to become a modern operating system. Yet, thanks to Darwin, this vision was realised despite the fantastic failures of some of Mac OS X's predecessors. What's been missing from the Mac OS X open source equation is Mac OS X's frameworks and UI
Release the Tigers! A Top Ten Wishlist - Here are some predictions. Firstly, people will complain that they will have to pay for it. They'll say we bought 10.1, we bought Jaguar and then Panther. They'll whine and complain and talk about how much it costs. To these trouble-makers I have a very simple response. Don't buy it. Last time I checked car manufactures make you pay for that new improved car released months after you purchased your new car. It costs money to pay people to innovate. Enough said.
Apple's Next Operating System - Jobs got my attention as well with something called "Automator," an application that will make it much easier for regular folks to wire together various functions from various applications, to save time and automate repetitive activities. An example from Monday's show was a series of automated steps downloading photos from a relative's Web site, putting them into the Mac iPhoto image-organizing, then loading them into DVD-making software and, finally, creating a DVD slide show complete with a soundtrack
Mac OS X Tiger: Overview - Tiger keeps up Apple’s blazing pace of innovation with more than 150 breakthrough new features, including Spotlight, a revolutionary new way to find files and information on your personal computer; Safari RSS, a new version of Apple’s innovative web browser that provides instant access to the most current RSS information on the web; Dashboard, a dazzling new way to get in and out of a collection of new all-purpose “widgets” quickly; and iChat AV multi-way video and audio conferencing, the industry’s first consumer solution with a stunning 3D interface.
Apple 'launches Longhorn' with better search, graphics - Many of the features due to appear Microsoft's Longhorn will appear a year early in Mac OS X "Tiger", Apple claimed today. The next major revision does indeed offer some benefits that OS vendors have been talking about for more than a decade, such as real-time content retrieval, and point and click scripting. But there are other attractions amongst the ten CEO Steve Jobs showcased this morning at Apple's Annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), such as APIs for video and image manipulation libraries which will be bundled withe OS, real 64-bit addressing, and iChat video conferencing. But the stars are undoubtedly search and scripting
Jobs Unveils Tiger—for 2005 - Apple CEO Steve Jobs had good and bad news for software creators Monday at the Worldwide Developers Conference here: While the next version of Mac OS X will afford Mac developers plenty of new capabilities for their applications, Apple won't spring the "Tiger" release on end-users until the first half of 2005
Apple Previews Mac OS X “Tiger” - Apple® today previewed Mac OS X version 10.4 “Tiger,” the fifth major version of Mac OS X that will ship in the first half of 2005, extending Apple’s leadership in software innovation. Tiger continues Apple’s blazing pace of innovation with more than 150 breakthrough new features including Spotlight, a revolutionary way to instantly find any file, document or information created by any application on the Mac; Safari™ RSS, a new version of Apple’s acclaimed web browser that incorporates instant access to RSS (Really Simple Syndication) data feeds on the web; Dashboard, a dazzling new way to instantly access a new collection of accessory “Widgets;” and a new version of Apple’s iChat instant messaging client with the industry’s first multi-person audio and video conferencing in a stunning 3D interface
Running Mac OS X Panther: Inside Mac OS X's Core - James Davidson has targeted the advanced user who wants to learn useful advanced Macintosh techniques, but does not want swim through a 1000 page technical reference. It's a pleasure to find a book that covers complex material in a readable way, without losing focus amidst a flood of geeky detail.
Best of 2004 - Operating System - Panther's sleek interface and reliable performance are impressive. Although we aren't suggesting that you ditch your hardware and buy a Mac, Apple deserves credit for raising the bar for OSs. And we hope Microsoft is paying attention as it works on the next Windows
Apple: X update tightens security - Reports from security experts Secunia and Security Trackerboth offer Apple's claims that the update repairs an "issue in NFS (Network File System) logging when tracing system calls"
Tiger to Be Unleashed at Apple Event - Apple Computer Inc. CEO Steve Jobs will let the company’s latest cat out of the bag when he offers the details of Tiger—Mac OS X version 10.4—in his Worldwide Developers Conference keynote June 28 at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center
Mac OS X "Panther" 10.3.4 update - I typically wait a day or two after an OS update is released to see what horrifying problems others encounter. I'd been checking the reader report updates at MacInTouch and saw none of the problems people reported would be show-stoppers for me
Mac OS X Multiple Unspecified Vulnerabilities - Apple has issued an updated version of Mac OS X, which fixes some unspecified vulnerabilities
Don't worry - just pay attention to OS X security - I think that we've all been a bit lazy about security issues since OS X shipped. Despite some some Henny Penny attitudes and details of recent exploits - overblown Trojan Horse scares, the fake Microsoft Office installer silliness, warnings from Secunia over URI (uniform resource identifier) security holes - Mac OS X remains a sturdy platform. But, no operating system with links to the outside world is going to be perfectly secure, and we need to be more diligent - and smarter - about securing our systems
Mac Office Suite: Upgrade or Wait? - I'm trying to decide whether to move to the latest version of Microsoft's Mac OS version of Office. Some of the comments over on Macintouch are a little too worry-making.
Mac OS 10.3.4 Update has Bluetooth Caller ID - I just tested it. You have to pair your bluetooth phone in address book, and a little pop up comes up, like bluephonemenu. The dialog choices are: add card/log call, sms reply, hang up, answer
Mac OS X update fails to fix vulnerability - A major revision of Apple's Mac OS X operating system released this week fails to come bundled with a vital, recently-issued security fix. A security patch (2004-05-24) which guards against a vulnerability in the Help viewer sub-system is absent from the Mac OS X version 10.3.4, despite claims to the contrary by Apple
Introduction to Apple Software Design Guidelines - These guidelines are intended to help guide you through the obstacles that confront Mac OS X developers. They cover different aspects of the design process and offers tips on how you can use Mac OS X features effectively in your design
10.3.4 Update Is Happy Chocolate Fun Time. - It's weird. The only one who didn't seem to think this was weird was Masako. She installed it immediately and has been humming this little tune all day
OS X Tools Help Westlake Interactive Bring Halo To The Mac - Mac gamers have historically had a rough time of it; game makers looking to make a buck normally won't develop a new game title for the Mac because of low market share. Games appear on PCs first, then theymight make it to the Mac. Lately, however, the gaming prospects on the Mac have improved greatly. That's thanks in part to Westlake Interactive, which has helped bring top notch games like Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and Unreal Tournament 2004 to the Mac
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