Bloody damn, Apple previews OS X Leopard

[Artemiy]

iDrool

http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/

[nsheldon]

Oh yea. Good stuff that Leopard.

Regards,

Nathan Sheldon
http://www.nathansheldon.com/

[trix]

Leopard the operating system right?

So what type of computer/laptop will apple release for this operating system?

[Artemiy]

It will run on all Mac computers made since about 2003-2004.

[theologiae]

looks like some cool stuff. the time travel stuff is really nice. the mail and iChat is kind of a sleeper for me, but every OS apple has done has been better and better. not just a switch in the kind of bugs you get.
and the new tower they have going........damn!

circle 6

[Reef Ranger]

Yuup, looks 'mighty' nice!!! And there would appear to be several other key reasons for potential buyers of the new Intel-based Macs to be patient until mid-2007 or so:

1. The Tiger OS will is expected to be replaced by the Leopard OS by then.

2. The Mac Pro and other new models with Duo Core 2 Intel chipsets are expected to be 'quad-core' by then.

3. All or most of the conflicts with software/programs and dual boot systems (i.e., OS/X and Windows) on Macs will have been resolved because most will be universal binary (UB) by then.

Certainly worth the wait

[Artemiy]

Reef:

Well, I'll agree that if you have a decent Mac with Tiger you should wait and get a new Mac with Leopard

I am looking forward at Leopard, but instead of buying it boxed I may go for a new iMac with it pre-installed if Apple release a totally new line of iMacs (I mean with new enclosure). I'd also like a 20" version now, would be better for more stuff going on than on my current 17" iMac.

Regarding #3: conflicts - what conflicts? I have been running an Intel Core Duo Mac since March this year, haven't any kind of problems. Roland's drivers are Universal, librarians work a little slow but totally fine in Rosetta. Otherwise 100% of the stuff I use is Universal - synths, effects, hosts, etc. (oh who needs the M$ office, iWork rocks).

[Reef Ranger]

Hello Artemio!

By "conflicts" I meant various anomalies reported by people running Windows independently via BootCamp 1.1 or virtually via Parallel, both of which have been somewhat problematic from what I'm hearing.

Also, a fair number of complaints have been surfacing from people using various peripherals on the Mac Pro via firewire. Probably just 'growing pains' of various kinds that will hopefully get worked out over the next several months.

Either way, its awfully tough to resist the current 2.66GHz Mac Pro with 4GB RAM, an ATI Radeon 1900, and a 30" LCD! Hoh! Dat buggah's ono brah! Yum!

[Artemiy]

anomalies reported by people running Windows independently via BootCamp 1.1

Holy mamma, Windows *is* that anomaly! I still don't get why people need to install this piece of crap alongside OS X... This is beyond my understanding.

[Reef Ranger]

Quote: "need to install this piece of crap *alongside* OS/X"

I hear you amigo! Or worse yet, installed *inside* OS/X (i.e., virtually) as with Parallels. Its nuts! All I can figure is, they're probably 'gamers' or people with a need to run specialized programs of some sort that are not yet available in UB. That's my guess. Because otherwise, you're right, there's absolutely no reason to buy a Mac other than to use OS/X. None! So why buy one and then put Windows on it? Makes no sense.

[illiac]

Well, I don't run Windows on mine, but it's certainly easy to understand why someone who *must* use Windows-based software (say, as part of their job) would enjoy having a Mac that can also be booted as a Windows machine - it saves them having to buy a second computer.
-illiac

[Reef Ranger]

Illiac,

I firmly agree. Although I don't currently own a Mac myself, I'm certainly going to purchase one (probably a customized Mac Pro) in the next 4-6 months time for primary use with my music studio application(s). And when I do, I will likely look to evaluate the use of Windows on it at one level or another (probably bootable = on a dedicated and physically distinct hard drive) for several key reasons as follows (and Artemio, you're welcome to pipe-in here):

1. Much (if not all) of the flack that Windows gets as an OS is related to the hassles/conflicts that people experience with aftermarket (or second party) peripherals, and with security issues that arise out of internet usage (e.g., spyware, viruses, worms, yada-yada). So, if you used Windows on a Mac and excluded it from internet usage (i.e., games, other programs), it would seem that you should have few (if any) problems.

2. If you play alot of games and want to continue doing so, Windows-based PCs appear to get the preferred nod (i.e., Macs are consistently noted for being sub-standard where high-end games are concerned).

3. If you've got some high-end Windows-based programs that you've already paid hard earned dollars for and you want to continue using them without having to buy another IBM PC (i.e., you want to run it on your $5,000!!! Mac Pro), you can do so without purchasing another, altogether different and expensive desktop.

4. And last but not least, what about the imminent release of Windows Vista? Who knows what Microsoft will bring us in the form of Vista? Will it be yet another headache riddled with conflicts that were known to Microsoft long before its release? Or will it be the "jewel" that Job wants us to believe "Leopard" will be? Either way, with one (1) single computer (i.e., my Mac Pro), I will be able to evaluate or determine that myself, risk free.

And that, my friends, is why I would look at loading Windows (XP and/or Vista) on a new Mac Pro.

[Artemiy]

Reef:

Yes, I, for the most part, agree to all four points, but I am happy to say they are not relevant to me. I switched from Windows to Linux in 2002, because I couldn't stand countless compatibility problems, losing my data, reinstalling the system each 3-4 months. Linux was and is cool, but limited to general tasks, not too much audio software for it. OS X is in a league of it's own, it gave me all Linux has (it's a UNIX too), plus it's interface is, to say it short, amazingly ingenious. I got a Mac early this year and I am so in love with it, I can't even explain. Everything works together with you, it's like a direct connection from your brain.

Regarding Leopard vs. Vista - well, all what Vista has to offer is already there in Tiger, available in a much more elegant, fast and simple way. So Leopard will be ages ahead of everything else as always. As you said, you will see yourself

[Reef Ranger]

Artemio,

It sounds like you are indeed an avid Mac-OS/X fan, and that's 'great' news, especially for those of us who are considering such a purchase but who have no practical Mac or OS/X experience.

And believe it or not, this short review of your's has basically clinched it for me. I'm definitely going to make the leap to a Mac soon because I too am literally *exhausted* by a decade or more of incessant hardware and software conflicts with Windows. In fact, I've got one currently with a video card on a Windows-based system. Can't be solved, not by Dell, not by NVIDIA, and not by Microsoft! No one can determine what the problem is! Add to that the fact that Macs-OS/X are consistently rated better for music studio applications, and its a 'done deal'.

But I'm curious about your set-up there . . . have you been using Linux and OS/X in tandem on the same Mac? If so, are they on different (distinct) drives or on the same drive somehow? I'd like to look into this sort of an arrangement myself down the line.

Thanks Artemio!

[Artemiy]

Reef, I'd like to present my view as a few simple facts:

1. Mac OS is tied to Apple-selected hardware. This means you get a system whose components work in harmony, and Apple has no problem with resloving any issues as there are not as many configs out there compared to PCs.

For peripherals it's also a charm. For example, what do you need to eject a USB drive on Windows? This is such a stupid and long procedure, I just do not know how dumb people can be to implement it though several windows and dialogs. On OS X, just press the eject button near the drive in your file manager. Also for printers, plug it in and if the driver is in the OS (which is mostly the case), you will not even see any wizard - launch any app and you can already print. This is awesome to say the least.

2. Linux vs. Mac OS X - no I do not dual-boot them. I thought I would, but the thing is that most Linux apps I needed are there for OS X too (OS X includes the X11 window server that is also used on Linux). Software like GIMP, Inkscape, OpenOffice is available for OS X too, so I simply have nothing missing here.

3. As about audio apps, well, in general for Windows there are at least 20-30 times more software available, but not from the big companies with most hi-tech stuff - these are providing their apps for both platforms. NI, Propellerhead, M-Audio, Ableton, etc. - you'll find all their stuff for both OS X and Windows.

However, there is some special stuff on OS X, there are some killer, amazing apps only for it. Like the Wave Editor that I have, Apple's Logic, some others. Also, Core Audio is low latency out of the box. No extra setup needed.