The Lion preview is available to Mac Developer Program members through the Mac App Store today, and the final version of Lion will ship to customers this summer.
I wonder if the final version will be available for sale through the Mac App Store too, eliminating the need for external media?
Sure would be nice to talk about what's new rather than to complain about what's old, especially from someone who clearly doesn't use it.
I do use Macs, have been since the 90's, I currently own an iMac, no need to buy Lion if it doesn't offer anything new. Snow Leopard was nothing but a developers OS, hence the cheap asking price for it. Will Apple finally make a firewall that includes outbound controls? There is a list of things that they need to fix before they move on. I see no real reason to upgrade.
The saving and versioning features sound interesting but the big one for me is the inclusion of Server. That will certainly make my setup far more interesting and versatile.
Only concern maybe the cost with Server included, are we going to see >$200 pricing? What is it now, $500 for SL Server?
My fear for network people using macs is that apple has effectively given up and the Lion server is dumbed down.
Over all though, I haven't been this excited for an update since OSX first came out.
Aqua defines the look and feel that users come to expect from Mac OS X. Lion takes this experience and brings it to a new level with popovers, overlay scrollbars, and powerful Multi-Touch gestures and animations.
Popovers
AppKit framework now includes popovers, a new unit of content that can be positioned relative to other content on the screen. Popovers automatically move whenever the positioning view moves. You can also design popovers that can be detached, allowing them to become a separate window.
Overlay Scrollbars
Mac OS X Lion introduces overlay scrollbars similar to those in iOS. These scrollbars appear as an overlay on top of the window's content while the user is scrolling and remain visible briefly to allow scrollbar dragging.
Multi-Touch Gestures and Animations
The fluid, responsive animations that create the magical user experience on iPad and iPhone are available in Mac OS X Lion. Design your apps to use Multi-Touch gestures and animations and redefine the interaction users have with your apps
... Apple giveth and Apple taketh away, now they want to sell a free service that was included with OS 9. Let me know when Apple finally brings something new to the table, because all of this regurgitated CRAP is old already. I really see no reason to buy Lion , the same way I saw no reason to buy Snow Leopard. Apple wants my money like Microsoft, but they aren't offering anything really new.
Hmm. Mac OS 9 (and below) was a religion way back in 2000. It had feature this and nicety that; no matter that it bombed like crazy, was effectively worse than single tasking and looked like 1985.
It was impossible to explain the virtues of OS X that eventually led to the gigantic Apple imperium we have now to fanatics like that. And I fear its the same with you.
I'm not seeing anything good about Lion. A new file vault, what's wrong with the old one? Oh , that is right, it was never secure, but they sold it to you, and now they want to resell it again. The mobileme thing is crap. Back in the days when I had OS 9, iTools came with it, sort of like mac.com. Apple giveth and Apple taketh away, now they want to sell a free service that was included with OS 9. Let me know when Apple finally brings something new to the table, because all of this regurgitated CRAP is old already. I really see no reason to buy Lion , the same way I saw no reason to buy Snow Leopard. Apple wants my money like Microsoft, but they aren't offering anything really new.
Yeah, I'm really not seeing much here to recommend it.
Can anyone confirm the real deal-killer on this "upgrade" - the rumor that Rosetta is going to be removed? Because it's WAY too soon to stop PowerPC software from running.
Imagine a beginner sitting down to a Mac with all those gestures enabled. They're just trying to learn the trackpad and they'll be having things flying left right and centre and not understanding why. They will freak out.
No kidding.
The first thing I do when I'm setting up a new Mac for a user is disable most of the multi-touch crap. Every time I forget, somebody calls me in a panic, "Why did everything on my desktop just get really small?!???!!???"
The one-button mouse was one of Apple's best innovations. It's a shame they've forgotten that lesson.
AirDrop? They should just buy Dropbox or integrate somehow with them.. but nice anyway.
Airdrop is for passing files between computers on a local network. Dropbox is for syncing multiple computers and storing files in the cloud. Very different.
Yeah, I'm really not seeing much here to recommend it.
Can anyone confirm the real deal-killer on this "upgrade" - the rumor that Rosetta is going to be removed? Because it's WAY too soon to stop PowerPC software from running.
A bit more detail on Versions and Autosave etc here.
Autosave sounds like a nightmare. People don't expect their computer to automatically save what they're doing. And unless I'm guessing wrong, it won't - unless they're using new 10.7 aware applications. More user confusion ahead.
And versions? Hard to believe that it's taken until 2011 to finally get around to pulling this feature out of 1980s VMS, isn't it? Yeah, that's right, multiple document versions were automatically maintained by an operating system back in the '80s. It was simple enough, the OS just appended a semi-colon and a version number to the filename. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see it happen, but don't imagine for a moment that it's actually an innovation.
"The all new FileVault, that provides high performance full disk encryption for local and external drives, and the ability to wipe data from your Mac instantaneously"
Does the quote above suggest TRIM support for SSDs?
... The autosave, versions, airdrop and filevault features all sound incredibly useful. Here's to hoping this, and much more pans out. Really think I want some kind of visual refresh tho
All I'm hoping for in the way of a visual refresh is that they move to a more greyscale UI, and throw that giant smeary pink and purple space picture to the depths of hell where it belongs!
Seriously though, whenever the topic of that desktop image comes up I find most people fall into two camps. Those that always thought it was trashy, and those who thought it was cool for maybe a week or so before they decided it was trashy. I've yet to meet anyone who "loves" it and after two iterations of OS-X with it, they should move on to something a bit more classy IMO.
Autosave sounds like a nightmare. People don't expect their computer to automatically save what they're doing. And unless I'm guessing wrong, it won't - unless they're using new 10.7 aware applications. More user confusion ahead.
And versions? Hard to believe that it's taken until 2011 to finally get around to pulling this feature out of 1980s VMS, isn't it? Yeah, that's right, multiple document versions were automatically maintained by an operating system back in the '80s. It was simple enough, the OS just appended a semi-colon and a version number to the filename. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see it happen, but don't imagine for a moment that it's actually an innovation.
I think perhaps that a lot of less able users than you and I *do* expect their computers to start where they left off. I certainly know of plenty of users I have the need to "support" who just don't get saving, or even files and directories in a lot of cases. A bit of a switch in our expectations will probably harder for an experienced user to accept than the less able.
As for versions, I totally get you, but let's not think for one second that your Mum would have ever bought and used a VME system for email Bringing what was once an enterprise feature (no matter how old) to everyone including your mum has to be a good thing so long as it's easy to use, and that's they key, not if it can be done, but if it can be done in a way that is understood and usable to your mum...
"The all new FileVault, that provides high performance full disk encryption for local and external drives, and the ability to wipe data from your Mac instantaneously"
Does the quote above suggest TRIM support for SSDs?
Speaking of Lion Server, I hope they finally update QuickTime Streaming Server so it can stream to iOS devices via Apple's HTTP Live Streaming protocol.
Comments
I wonder if the final version will be available for sale through the Mac App Store too, eliminating the need for external media?
A bit more detail on Versions and Autosave etc here.
Sure would be nice to talk about what's new rather than to complain about what's old, especially from someone who clearly doesn't use it.
I do use Macs, have been since the 90's, I currently own an iMac, no need to buy Lion if it doesn't offer anything new. Snow Leopard was nothing but a developers OS, hence the cheap asking price for it. Will Apple finally make a firewall that includes outbound controls? There is a list of things that they need to fix before they move on. I see no real reason to upgrade.
Mac user since the 90's
The saving and versioning features sound interesting but the big one for me is the inclusion of Server. That will certainly make my setup far more interesting and versatile.
Only concern maybe the cost with Server included, are we going to see >$200 pricing? What is it now, $500 for SL Server?
My fear for network people using macs is that apple has effectively given up and the Lion server is dumbed down.
Over all though, I haven't been this excited for an update since OSX first came out.
any news on aqua scroll bars??
Aqua
Aqua defines the look and feel that users come to expect from Mac OS X. Lion takes this experience and brings it to a new level with popovers, overlay scrollbars, and powerful Multi-Touch gestures and animations.
Popovers
AppKit framework now includes popovers, a new unit of content that can be positioned relative to other content on the screen. Popovers automatically move whenever the positioning view moves. You can also design popovers that can be detached, allowing them to become a separate window.
Overlay Scrollbars
Mac OS X Lion introduces overlay scrollbars similar to those in iOS. These scrollbars appear as an overlay on top of the window's content while the user is scrolling and remain visible briefly to allow scrollbar dragging.
Multi-Touch Gestures and Animations
The fluid, responsive animations that create the magical user experience on iPad and iPhone are available in Mac OS X Lion. Design your apps to use Multi-Touch gestures and animations and redefine the interaction users have with your apps
... Apple giveth and Apple taketh away, now they want to sell a free service that was included with OS 9. Let me know when Apple finally brings something new to the table, because all of this regurgitated CRAP is old already. I really see no reason to buy Lion , the same way I saw no reason to buy Snow Leopard. Apple wants my money like Microsoft, but they aren't offering anything really new.
Hmm. Mac OS 9 (and below) was a religion way back in 2000. It had feature this and nicety that; no matter that it bombed like crazy, was effectively worse than single tasking and looked like 1985.
It was impossible to explain the virtues of OS X that eventually led to the gigantic Apple imperium we have now to fanatics like that. And I fear its the same with you.
J.
At best LaunchPad looks dated like the 2007 iPhone icon grid... at worst it's like the OS 7.5 Launcher.
If I want a grid of application icons - just set the Applications stack in the dock to open as a folder grid.
I'm not seeing anything good about Lion. A new file vault, what's wrong with the old one? Oh , that is right, it was never secure, but they sold it to you, and now they want to resell it again. The mobileme thing is crap. Back in the days when I had OS 9, iTools came with it, sort of like mac.com. Apple giveth and Apple taketh away, now they want to sell a free service that was included with OS 9. Let me know when Apple finally brings something new to the table, because all of this regurgitated CRAP is old already. I really see no reason to buy Lion , the same way I saw no reason to buy Snow Leopard. Apple wants my money like Microsoft, but they aren't offering anything really new.
Yeah, I'm really not seeing much here to recommend it.
Can anyone confirm the real deal-killer on this "upgrade" - the rumor that Rosetta is going to be removed? Because it's WAY too soon to stop PowerPC software from running.
Imagine a beginner sitting down to a Mac with all those gestures enabled. They're just trying to learn the trackpad and they'll be having things flying left right and centre and not understanding why. They will freak out.
No kidding.
The first thing I do when I'm setting up a new Mac for a user is disable most of the multi-touch crap. Every time I forget, somebody calls me in a panic, "Why did everything on my desktop just get really small?!???!!???"
The one-button mouse was one of Apple's best innovations. It's a shame they've forgotten that lesson.
My fear for network people using macs is that apple has effectively given up and the Lion server is dumbed down.
Over all though, I haven't been this excited for an update since OSX first came out.
What Apple is doing is democratizing the IT department.
Apple has gotten rid of the big intimidating server and replaced it with an approachable server that starts at only$999.
Now they are giving away the server OS so anyone can setup a server.
Apple tried competing with Microsoft from the top-down.
Now they are competing with a bottom-up strategy.
Small businesses and SOHO users will find this very attractive.
This also represents a changing IT landscape.
Gmail has replaced the mail server.
Dropbox has replaced the file server.
Fewer people are seeing the need for a server since they have the cloud.
AirDrop? They should just buy Dropbox or integrate somehow with them.. but nice anyway.
Airdrop is for passing files between computers on a local network. Dropbox is for syncing multiple computers and storing files in the cloud. Very different.
Yeah, I'm really not seeing much here to recommend it.
Can anyone confirm the real deal-killer on this "upgrade" - the rumor that Rosetta is going to be removed? Because it's WAY too soon to stop PowerPC software from running.
2005 called. They want their crappy CPUs back.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/lion/
A bit more detail on Versions and Autosave etc here.
Autosave sounds like a nightmare. People don't expect their computer to automatically save what they're doing. And unless I'm guessing wrong, it won't - unless they're using new 10.7 aware applications. More user confusion ahead.
And versions? Hard to believe that it's taken until 2011 to finally get around to pulling this feature out of 1980s VMS, isn't it? Yeah, that's right, multiple document versions were automatically maintained by an operating system back in the '80s. It was simple enough, the OS just appended a semi-colon and a version number to the filename. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see it happen, but don't imagine for a moment that it's actually an innovation.
Does the quote above suggest TRIM support for SSDs?
... The autosave, versions, airdrop and filevault features all sound incredibly useful. Here's to hoping this, and much more pans out. Really think I want some kind of visual refresh tho
All I'm hoping for in the way of a visual refresh is that they move to a more greyscale UI, and throw that giant smeary pink and purple space picture to the depths of hell where it belongs!
Seriously though, whenever the topic of that desktop image comes up I find most people fall into two camps. Those that always thought it was trashy, and those who thought it was cool for maybe a week or so before they decided it was trashy. I've yet to meet anyone who "loves" it and after two iterations of OS-X with it, they should move on to something a bit more classy IMO.
Autosave sounds like a nightmare. People don't expect their computer to automatically save what they're doing. And unless I'm guessing wrong, it won't - unless they're using new 10.7 aware applications. More user confusion ahead.
And versions? Hard to believe that it's taken until 2011 to finally get around to pulling this feature out of 1980s VMS, isn't it? Yeah, that's right, multiple document versions were automatically maintained by an operating system back in the '80s. It was simple enough, the OS just appended a semi-colon and a version number to the filename. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see it happen, but don't imagine for a moment that it's actually an innovation.
I think perhaps that a lot of less able users than you and I *do* expect their computers to start where they left off. I certainly know of plenty of users I have the need to "support" who just don't get saving, or even files and directories in a lot of cases. A bit of a switch in our expectations will probably harder for an experienced user to accept than the less able.
As for versions, I totally get you, but let's not think for one second that your Mum would have ever bought and used a VME system for email
"The all new FileVault, that provides high performance full disk encryption for local and external drives, and the ability to wipe data from your Mac instantaneously"
Does the quote above suggest TRIM support for SSDs?
Not to me, what's your reasoning there?