Inside OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: Safari 5.2 offers to set up local Internet accounts

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014


When users log into web accounts (such as Google) in Safari and opt to save their account login, the browser will now offer to also configure local native apps, including Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Messages and Notes, in this summer's release of OS X Mountain Lion, leveraging the same easy account setup pioneered by iOS.



In OS X Mountain Lion, Safari more tightly integrates the web with local desktop apps. Previous segments in the Inside OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion have highlighted Safari's upcoming new user interface, anti-phishing, Reader and sharing features as well as new password management, privacy settings and an alert feature that allows web sites to send updates to the Notifications Center.



Another desktop integration feature of the new Safari is the ability to set up web accounts for use with local apps. When logging into an Internet service like Google Gmail for the first time, after being prompted to save their account information (below top), the user is also given the opportunity to have the account automatically configured for use with other apps (below bottom).













In the current prerelease build Apple seeded to journalists, Safari offers to set up Mail, Calendar (the new name for iCal) and Messages.













After setting up the account, it appears in System Preferences, and individual services can be selected. In the the "Mail, Contacts and Calendars" pane, Gmail is set up for Mail, Calendars & Reminders (both of which use CalDAV), Messages, and Notes (which, like Mail, uses IMAP; in Mountain Lion, Notes is now a standalone app that can work like the old Stickies).













When attempting to set up Calendar, we ran into an issue with Google's servers and CalDAV, but this should be resolved when Mountain Lion ships.



Google does yet not support CardDAV for Contacts (the new name for Address Book in Mountain Lion, which like iOS Contacts, is based on the open CardDAV specification). Google currently only offers its own AtomPub/GData-based Contacts API. Other Internet services, including Yahoo, already support Contacts in OS X Lion.









By setting up users' accounts automatically, Mountain Lion makes it easier for non-technical users to login once and gain access the the advantages of native, local apps, without having to follow directions for configuring IMAP services, CalDAV and CardDAV services on each account.





[ View article on AppleInsider ]

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Didn't Lion do that? I can't remember.
  • Reply 2 of 17
    rokradrokrad Posts: 143member
    Haha um why did the author blur the email address of osx108mountainlion@gmail? Its clearly visible on the top of the windows...
  • Reply 3 of 17
    jinjo235jinjo235 Posts: 17member
    Lion has done this since day 1...I'm confused.

    http://www.macworld.com/article/1612...ri51_lion.html
  • Reply 4 of 17
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rokrad View Post


    Haha um why did the author blur the email address of osx108mountainlion@gmail? Its clearly visible on the top of the windows...



    There goes the ruse.
  • Reply 5 of 17
    What a a sloppy, useless report. The reporter should really do their research before publishing this shit. As others have pointed out, this functionality is currently available in Lion.
  • Reply 6 of 17
    aizmovaizmov Posts: 989member
    I'm not the only one who noticed that 10.7 already does that.
  • Reply 7 of 17
    ljocampoljocampo Posts: 657member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aizmov View Post


    I'm not the only one who noticed that 10.7 already does that.



    I'm sure you're not... I knew this too and in Snow Leopard it did it for me with a Yahoo POP mail account too.



    On another note, no way would I allow Safari do my passwords or allow Google services anywhere near my system, let alone configure them. That's like asking Facebook not to track you because their not as evil.
  • Reply 8 of 17
    badtzbadtz Posts: 949member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rokrad View Post


    Haha um why did the author blur the email address of osx108mountainlion@gmail? Its clearly visible on the top of the windows...



    LOL, good catch
  • Reply 9 of 17
    alienzedalienzed Posts: 393member
    wouldn't be suprised if this embarassment of an article disapeared and the author was tarred and feathered... look it up.
  • Reply 10 of 17
    I just hope that Apple has FINALLY settled on names for their contact apps.



    The next Calendar, should be called "Calendar" or "Calendar 2014" but not "neoCal" because Apple has a new naming convention.



    Do we NEED 4 different names for videoconferencing tools? I might have to keep the old one around just in case.



    >> I prefer the new name "Calendar" but I also worry that Apple will adopt Microsofts penchant for renaming things and processes as generic terms. You can search google with "scripts for iCal" but if you search google for "scripts for Calendar, you know the one that runs on Apple Macintosh computers on the Mountain lion OS? #noinclude 'cougar'"



    Microsoft Word used a lot of generic terms for linespacing, or "letting" and ruined the whole vernacular of desktop publishing. Searching their own Help pages, for their common commands, would force people into a reciprocal self-referencing vortex of generic terms leading to generic terms. I think Google got it's start as a way to actually get reference for Microsoft products; "Microsoft Word the f#%king thing that copies attributes that looks like an eyedropper but isn't named eyedropper and why does it f#%kk up?"



    /OK, rant over. Apple just needs to heed my warnings.
  • Reply 11 of 17
    lowededwookielowededwookie Posts: 1,143member
    Actually Lion does NOT do this at all because Calendar, Contacts, Messages, Notes, and Reminders do NOT exist on Lion. It only does it for Mail, iCal, AddressBook and iChat.
  • Reply 12 of 17
    jlanddjlandd Posts: 873member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ljocampo View Post


    On another note, no way would I allow Safari do my passwords or allow Google services anywhere near my system, let alone configure them. That's like asking Facebook not to track you because their not as evil.



    Same here. Google now basically doesn't let you use any of their services without allowing them access to your browser. Obviously, it's not just Google, it's anyone who can, including Apple. The only reason to not say "I pass" is because it's more or less too late. There is no such thing anymore as browsing without being tracked by a friendly (as opposed to a virus/worm) online presence, even when you opt out of everything.



    * sigh *
  • Reply 13 of 17
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Fake_William_Shatner View Post


    I just hope that Apple has FINALLY settled on names for their contact apps.



    The next Calendar, should be called "Calendar" or "Calendar 2014" but not "neoCal" because Apple has a new naming convention.



    Er, what? There has only ever been one name before: Address Book. Now it's Contacts on both OS X and iOS.



    Quote:

    Do we NEED 4 different names for videoconferencing tools?



    Seeing as we only have two and have only ever had three (counting both OS'), I'm not sure where you're getting 4.
  • Reply 14 of 17
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stellaclose View Post


    What a a sloppy, useless report. The reporter should really do their research before publishing this shit. As others have pointed out, this functionality is currently available in Lion.



    I hope you demand a refund for the good money that you payed for this article.



    Seriously, grow the fuck up. Is that type of vicious hatred really necessary? You sound as if the author raped your dog. I for one never noticed this in Lion, and only in ML, so I also assumed it was new. No need to get your panties all in a bunch because you spent 2 second clicking on a 'useless article'. Breathe.



    Oh, and your last post was like 18 months ago. So you've been assumedly reading hundreds of article since then without bothering to post a peep, then the one screw up you notice you feel the need to come in here and bash the hell out of the author. Nice to see what gets you motivated.
  • Reply 15 of 17
    rbryanhrbryanh Posts: 263member
    Like certain sex acts, I read this thinking I might like it if it were done very, very well, despite only ever having experienced it being done very, very badly.



    The only thing worse than a computer that make no attempt to correctly anticipate one's needs is one that tries and guesses wrong.



    After all, if I wanted to be interrupted with a stupid question every 10 minutes, I'd either a) switch to Windows or b) go back to my ex.
  • Reply 16 of 17
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    I wonder how the companies that run these websites feel about it? Mac users go to their website once, and instantly OS X offers to configure Mail, iCal etc for them instead: no more need to visit that crummy website. Less ad revenue for the companies. But I suppose they already factored that in when they offered IMAP etc servers in the first place.
  • Reply 17 of 17
    myapplelovemyapplelove Posts: 1,515member
    I guess the well is running rather dry Dan with mountain lion service pack's (which doesn't actually service any of the glitches of lion btw) new features (aka minor tweaks) so now we have to suffer through minor features already available in lion...



    May I suggest a few more of mountain lion's major innovations for you guys to present:

    spotlight search

    expose

    3-d dock.



    Meanwhile the finder still unlike $3 ipad apps cannot reliable connect, share printers, and search smb shares (that doesn't happen whether reliably or not), so apparently mac users can't connect to their corporate office windows servers, mission control is a mess, versions can't be disabled and create all sorts of problems, colour cues are absent and make the os a monochromatic hell, we keep deactivating open windows upon start up, not even a modicum of resolution independence has been implemented (can anyone actually read app store font?) and os applications get ipad looking os x makeovers that don't translate well at all to the different interface and non touch screen... From Bernard Serlet to Greg Federichi...what a mess...
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