Apple developing "Automator" Web site
Apple is reportedly developing a Web site to help promote its upcoming Automator workflow application.
Apple Computer is in the process of developing a resource Web site for its forthcoming "Automator" personal automation assistant, sources close to the computer company tell AppleInsider.
The new Web site is expected to be ready for operation in early 2005, about the same time the company plans to launch its next-generation Mac OS X Tiger operating system, which features the new Automator application.
Using Automator, users can create step-by-step "Workflow" scripts that draw upon a library of actions. Workflows can accomplish tasks ranging from filtering and renaming a batch of images to creating customized Mac OS X Finder actions.
Similar to Apple's iCal Web site, sources expect the Automator site to include helpful user tips and a section where users can submit or share their Automator creations.
Although the site has yet to debut, sources say it's slated to appear at www.apple.com/automator/.
Work on the initial release of Automator continues this month, as Apple refines the application and finalize its user interface. With the most recent builds of the application, the company has removed all script actions associated with its AppleWorks office suite, but provided no explanation.
Automator 1.0, along with Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger," is set to debut in the first half of 2005, though unconfirmed reports have recently suggested Tiger could debut much earlier than previously anticipated.
Apple Computer is in the process of developing a resource Web site for its forthcoming "Automator" personal automation assistant, sources close to the computer company tell AppleInsider.
The new Web site is expected to be ready for operation in early 2005, about the same time the company plans to launch its next-generation Mac OS X Tiger operating system, which features the new Automator application.
Using Automator, users can create step-by-step "Workflow" scripts that draw upon a library of actions. Workflows can accomplish tasks ranging from filtering and renaming a batch of images to creating customized Mac OS X Finder actions.
Similar to Apple's iCal Web site, sources expect the Automator site to include helpful user tips and a section where users can submit or share their Automator creations.
Although the site has yet to debut, sources say it's slated to appear at www.apple.com/automator/.
Work on the initial release of Automator continues this month, as Apple refines the application and finalize its user interface. With the most recent builds of the application, the company has removed all script actions associated with its AppleWorks office suite, but provided no explanation.
Automator 1.0, along with Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger," is set to debut in the first half of 2005, though unconfirmed reports have recently suggested Tiger could debut much earlier than previously anticipated.
Comments
Originally posted by Hobbes
Ahem. CoughAppleWorkssuccessorwillatlastarrivethisMWSFah em.
And what that tells me is that all the system libraries that the next AW will basically be a container for will finally be in place.
Between Core Data, Core Text, Core Video and Core Image and Core Whatever I Forgot to Mention, it has the potential to be a lovely thing indeed.
The RTF, DOC and PDF support built into the system probably won't hurt either...
Originally posted by Hobbes
Ahem. CoughAppleWorkssuccessorwillatlastarrivethisMWSFah em.
This seems like a fairly reasonable guess. Apple appears to be going the direction of pushing core functionality (pardon the pun) down into "Core" libraries. Then the applications like iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, Safari, iWorks? simply become (relatively) thin UIs on top of those Core libraries.
That's the dream anyway.
Originally posted by Hobbes
Ahem. CoughAppleWorkssuccessorwillatlastarrivethisMWSFah em.
I hope that Apple jumps into OpenOffice with two feet.
Apple's open source track record is strong... OpenOffice would be the cherry on top.
Seriously... with the focus on XML and all of the work that is going into making word processing and spreadsheets trivial to implement, this could be a good time for an OpenDoc revival out of Apple. I am not going to hold my breath, but one can dream....
Ah, good ol' Stepwise.
At this point, I'll only believe it when I actually see it.
Originally posted by FormatC2
I hope that Apple jumps into OpenOffice with two feet.
Apple's open source track record is strong... OpenOffice would be the cherry on top.
But there is no way Apple spent all this time building those Text API features into Mac OS X to go and launch an Open Office distro.
If they actually do anything with OO, they will adopt the file format, that's it.
Originally posted by BuonRotto
Cocoa = OpenDoc for (almost) all intents and purposes. Well, the APIs and umbrella frameworks are part of this too.
I think you are a bit off base on this one. OpenDoc was all about having a single document format and allowing third parties to add their own document portions and the plug-ins to read that format. There was also a set of API's to allow some standardization of common "section" formats (like text) to allow interaction and another API to allow for controls and display of that portion. Think of it sort of like turning a document into a bowl of soup where anyone can todd their ingredient in.
You would have to quint really hard to see the Cocoa API's in that. The closest I can come is trying to make NSViews look like this idea... or NSCell... but both of those are compile-time similarities... nothing really like OpenDoc.
The big thing that killed OpenDoc was that in order to view any document you had to have all of the components to view it, and no component ever got enough critical mass to be really valuable. Same problem that Word processors have now against Word, but generalized across all of the components.
However, I think that things have settled down enough at this point that you could build in a basic set of components and then encourage people to sub-class those components to build better ideas, but still allow people without the newer components to view something through the base class... pie in the sky, but a neat idea. Oh... and I see no evidence of this thinking at Apple.
Originally posted by BuonRotto
I think Apple adds software like Keynote when they're convinced developers aren't quite "getting it." Motion and Keynote are each a kind of proof of concept for their respective technologies. I'm not so sure Apple feels the same way about their text objects and APIs. There seem to be enough developers who have adopted and extended these tools. Of course, I wouldn't be shocked if some day they do make a real word processor if these efforts go nowhere in the land of third parties.
I'm not so sure I see things this way. First off, yes I think Apple makes apps when they see an opportunity or need. However, I think they make them to dominate or at least hold their own in the market-not just to kick start developers.
Second, I think MS office is stale and really hasn't gotten better in a long time. Keynote made many inprovements over PowerPoint IMHO, I think an office suite taking after keynote would bring back elegance and simplicity that has been missing for some time. I'm hoping for something in between MS Office and InDesign. Soemthing that fits well with SOHO, teachers and such.
I don't mean to say that Apple develops software only as a proof of concept. But I do think they hang back in some cases to see how thing go, especially if the product doesn't fill an internal desire or need, and if the software isn't a major piece of their long-term growth strategy. I don't think a word processor is a primary concern as far their a long-term strategy, no matter if people want an Office competitor, and I don't think Keynote was either strictly a pet project for Steve nor a missing piece of many people's software arsenal.
Originally posted by Thinine
Open Office is crap. Whatever new app they develop will be magnitudes better.
KHTML wasn't the best thing in the world either, but Apple started with it as a base, and worked hard on it and it became Safari.
I agree with the file format angle also. If everyone but M$ used the OpenOffice format, who really cares what "frontend" you use to produce the files.
Originally posted by FormatC2
KHTML wasn't the best thing in the world either, but Apple started with it as a base, and worked hard on it and it became Safari.
I agree with the file format angle also. If everyone but M$ used the OpenOffice format, who really cares what "frontend" you use to produce the files.
Which indicates what they should really do: Dump Aqua and implement a kick-ass build of KDE for Darwin!