What's with all the whining about Leopard?

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
What gives? Why does it seem like everyone is hating on Leopard? I am personally starting to get fed up with the Leopard whiners. (You know who you are.) There seems to be a chorus of Mac commentators who feel it is their "duty" to point out potential flaws, or snark about how boring the new features are. It is as if they believe it makes them cool, impartial, and in possession of elite knowledge that sets them above the anticipation and fandom. Many of the commenters have never used, or even seen a working copy. But they have no shortage of opinions on every aspect of the OS.



I, for one, have the latest release and I couldn't be more pleased with what Apple has done. Don't bother asking how I got the copy. Let's just say I am not under NDA. I am trying to figure out what exactly it is people are wanting out of an OS. I have Windows XP and Vista Ultimate. Based on what I have seen out of the "competition", Apple did not have to produce anything to be light years ahead of what's out there. Vista does not even compete with Tiger. Tiger will still be running circles around Vista five years from now. If all Apple had done was to put a new coat of paint on it, it would have been enough.



Instead, Apple continues to give their customers new ways to be more productive. I will be one of the few people to say that Leopard, like Tiger, offers a paradigmatic shift in computing. To understand this better, it helps to take another look at Windows.



When you look at the last few Windows upgrades, you are left with a question mark. What ability did you gain, or what experience was enhanced over what the previous system provided? You might produce a short list of meaningless changes, but even that would be difficult. Now, ask yourself the same question about Apple's upgrades. Expose' changed the way we manage multiple windows. This would never occur to MS because Windows does not handle memory well enough to do many things at once. Spotlight changed the way we find things on our computer. I am convinced that Google Desktop Search was invented to give PC users Spotlight. Dashboard changed the way we run small applets. I love the implementation of Dashboard because it is like having a second monitor devoted to those applets you find most useful without taking up any of your valuable workspace. See what I mean? This is how Apple approaches an update.



Now, Leopard. What paradigms have been shifted? Where to begin? I will start with something insignificant. Still it is the kind of thing that can rock your world when you use it. Mail. I'm not talking about Notes, To Do lists, or stationary. By the way, Stationary really is neat. I'm talking about Mail, from the first time you open the app. Because of the registration information, It already has your first and last name, as well as your email address. It only asks for your password. That's it. Click! Boom! Your email account is automatically created and populated with your email. No Setup from the user is necessary. I didn't even need the other features. They had me at Mail's opening dialog.



You just don't get how nifty Stacks is until you use it. Frankly, compared to the Windows task bar, the Dock needed no improvement. you could already easily put anything you wanted in a one-click launch tool that was infinitely expandable, easily readable, and remains hidden when not in use. What more could you ask for? I know you have always been able to drag a folder into the Doc and right-click it to access the contents. Stacks takes that to another level. They are so easy to create, and Stacks launches so much faster than a right-clicked folder. If you like a Doc with fewer icons and categories rather than items, or a combination of both, Stacks will change the way you access your information.



Where has Quick Look been all my life? I didn't know how much I needed this feature until I used it. It only took once to understand its power. Icons, and lists only tell you so much about what is in a folder or item. If you are a document hound like me, you can use spotlight to find a bit of text. The problem is that text could be in multiple documents. Which to choose? Enter Quick Look. I tend to use List View the most. With a touch of the Space Bar, I am seeing the actual document. Another touch, and I am back to my lists. I find myself using it all the time. Just leave Quick View on and use the arrow keys to speed through entire lists. As a musician, I make lots of mixes of the same song. Seeing the title of the song is not enough. I need to know what version of the song it is. Is it the one where I flubbed the vocal, or the one where I mixed the drums too hot? When using Quick Look on music, It starts playing the song automatically. Ever tried to find one particular photo in your iPhoto library in the Finder? Unless you are meticulous about labeling every photo, that task can be impossible. Not with Quick Look. I can cruise through photos as if I were in iPhoto.



Speaking of photos, I have heard a lot of complaining about Cover Flow in the Finder. Let me tell you, it is the only way to go when searching photos in the finder. It also does a great job with movies and any type of graphical media. Those two features make your time with the Finder both a joy and considerably more productive. They make the Finder finally live up to its name. No matter how you organize your stuff, finding it has never been easier. No one ever suspected that it could also be fun.



Spaces is not my bag. I have never understood the point of Virtual Desktops. I have played with them, though. I have never encountered one a slick a Spaces. The best part about it, as with many of the other apps, its built right in at the OS level. You do not have to deal with a bunch of third party software that cost $20 - $30 plus continual updates. Its all built right in, and it all just works.



If the only thing that came in the retail box was Time Machine, it would still be worth it at twice the price and half the value. You may think you have seen some great back-up utilities out there, but you ain't seen nothing yet. You have all seen the demos. I am telling you, it actually works. Grant it, I have limited experience with it. But it is truly amazing. There really is a sense of going back in time to find and restore that missing file. The implementation is so slick, even the stars move in the background. They didn't have to do that. But that is one of the subtle things that make a great utility a joy to use. I can't wait to lose something just so I can restore it with Time Machine. I have heard many people, who should know better, say that Windows has had this ability for years. They are absolutely talking out of their butt. There is nothing like Time Machine on any platform that I am aware of. It is unique in both form and function. It is an app that you hope you never have to use. But when that time comes, you will understand why you have a Mac in stead of a PC.



I really can't speak to iChat as I do not know anyone with Leopard to try it with. However, I can say that the screen sharing feature is definitely in there as of now. I have heard many commentators groan about this feature being absent because SJ didn't mention it in the latest keynote. I may not be under NDA, but I will not go as far as to give a quote from the help file. But I assure you, Screen Sharing in all its glory is there. I would love to actually try it with someone. Once again. It will change the way you troubleshoot, and help others with their Mac. That is only the beginning of its potential. If this is as well implemented as everything else, it changes everything.



There is so much more, but I will wrap it up there. Perhaps the most amazing thing about my Leopard experience is that as a beta, it works like a retail version 1.0 Vista wishes it was this ready when it shipped. It is stable and fast. Everyone knows that betas have a lot a code that slows them down. You can't test speed until the final release. If the same is true for Leopard, you will be blown away by the performance. It will be like buying a whole new Mac. One word of caution. Upgrading Tiger could be problematic. I did that at first and I am lucky to get my system back in working order without data loss. Then, I looked at that 25GB I was giving to Boot Camp Vista. Hello, clean install. Best yet, I can access almost everything on my Tiger partition through Leopard. It just treats it like a second HD. I can't wait to buy this software. It is so good, I might just spring for the family pack. Right now, there is no gadget I would rather spend my $130 on. Leopard haters and skeptics, get over yourself. You are not cool and you are not smart. This time, it really is OK to be a fan boy. I'm taking a risk posting this because I don't want any trouble from the fine mods on the forum. But I have heard so much FUD about this product, that I thought It necessary to counter it with hands-on facts and impressions from a consumers point of view. MS could release a new OS every year for the next ten years and they still would not come close. October can't come fast enough for me.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    dave k.dave k. Posts: 1,306member
    10.5 is a logical and progressive upgrade to 10.4. It further refines the Mac OS. 10.5 shouldn't be view anyway else.



    In a world where Windows is still (by far) the dominate computing platform, I think many users want some sort of justification on why they are Mac users.



    Each time Jobs takes the stage at a trade show and doesn't introduce the next paradigm in desktop computing, people get pissed off and start calling what was annouced unimpressive. Folks, Apple is not going to create the next desktop computing paradigm. Apple is done with that. Quite frankly, until someone replaces the keyboard and mouse as standard input peripherals (touch isn't it, sorry) the 20+ year old desktop will remain.



    Apple isn't about desktop computing anymore, its about using/porting their operating system to other smart devices (i.e., OS X will redefine what an applicance OS is) and the computer desktop is one of those devices.
  • Reply 2 of 16
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dave K. View Post


    Apple isn't about desktop computing anymore, its about using/porting their operating system to other smart devices (i.e., OS X will redefine what an applicance OS is) and the computer desktop is one of those devices.



    Yeah, this is quite obvious lately. But that's the laws of survival in an open market. It was a matter of time to happen.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    mac voyermac voyer Posts: 1,294member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dave K. View Post


    10.5 is a logical and progressive upgrade to 10.4. It further refines the Mac OS. 10.5 shouldn't be view anyway else.



    Sorry, mate, I have to disagree. 10.5 is a major improvement over 10.4. Even if there were only one feature that changed the way you approach computing, it is enough to count as a major shift. Any new features between 2 and 2,000 are just icing on the cake.



    Quote:

    In a world where Windows is still (by far) the dominate computing platform, I think many users want some sort of justification on why they are Mac users.



    You might be right; but that's just silly. I think most of the Mac community is bored because they do not have any new toys to play with. We love shinny new things. That is why some of the best Vista reviews came from Mac users. It was the only new OS they had to play with. Now that Leopard has been delayed till October, they are just throwing a temper tantrum. Mac OS is not good enough and the iPhone is stupid and iLife is old and stale. It is a childish, thumb-sucking, pouty reaction to what they perceive as a slow year. Not enough toys under the tree, so the ones they got are not good enough



    Quote:

    Each time Jobs takes the stage at a trade show and doesn't introduce the next paradigm in desktop computing, people get pissed off and start calling what was annouced unimpressive. Folks, Apple is not going to create the next desktop computing paradigm. Apple is done with that. Quite frankly, until someone replaces the keyboard and mouse as standard input peripherals (touch isn't it, sorry) the 20+ year old desktop will remain.



    Apple has created new paradigms. My world has not been the same ever since I could just flick my wrist and be at my desktop, another flick and I'm viewing all my open windows, another flick, and I am in whichever window I want to be. After having years to chew on this concept, the best MS can produce is Flip 3-D. The world still hasn't digested Expose' and hot corners. Mac users have grown so accustom to miracles that they don't recognize them anymore. They see the parting of the Red Sea, yawn, and demand an even better trick.



    Quote:

    Apple isn't about desktop computing anymore, its about using/porting their operating system to other smart devices (i.e., OS X will redefine what an applicance OS is) and the computer desktop is one of those devices.



    I respectfully disagree. Apple is absolutely about desktop computing. Most every consumer electronic product they produce requires a Mac running a desktop OS. The more they make Apple TVs and iPhones, the more relevant the Mac OS becomes. We will always need other devices in our life; but Apple will always try to tie those other devices to the Desktop OS. The moment They stop doing that is the moment they start losing their focus. The iPod would be nothing without iTunes. The iPhone will be tied to Safari. It all brings you back to your full featured computer. No matter how many Windows versions they produce, the experience is nothing like it is on a full featured Mac.



    As Windows users start to use iTunes and Safari and maybe iLife more than the MS alternatives, they will have no reason to not choose a Mac as their next computer. After all, they will already be familiar with the software. Once they see how it runs on a "real" computer, they will be hooked. Every appliance that Apple produces is a gateway drug to the Mac OS.
  • Reply 4 of 16
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Can we un-install updates in Leopard?
  • Reply 5 of 16
    jonnyboyjonnyboy Posts: 525member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aquatic View Post


    Can we un-install updates in Leopard?



    and why would you want to do that? \
  • Reply 6 of 16
    dave k.dave k. Posts: 1,306member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jonnyboy View Post


    and why would you want to do that? \



    So when Apple updates ruin our systems, we can rollback to the previous update...
  • Reply 7 of 16
    jupiteronejupiterone Posts: 1,564member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dave K. View Post


    So when Apple updates ruin our systems, we can rollback to the previous update...



    Hmmm, sounds like something Time Machine should take care of, no?
  • Reply 8 of 16
    Use CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to clone your system drive before every upgrade! Easy solution, backup included.



    I do this every time and never had problems returning to the previous system... (and because my e-mail is stored on a IMAP server, not even e-mail is lost)
  • Reply 9 of 16
    dave k.dave k. Posts: 1,306member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    Sorry, mate, I have to disagree. 10.5 is a major improvement over 10.4. Even if there were only one feature that changed the way you approach computing, it is enough to count as a major shift. Any new features between 2 and 2,000 are just icing on the cake.



    10.5 is a logical and progressive update to 10.4. I never said it was an incremental update to 10.4. 10.5 expands upon the existing Mac OS X foundation that Apple has been building up over the past 5+ years.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    You might be right; but that's just silly. I think most of the Mac community is bored because they do not have any new toys to play with.



    I too think its silly. But I think its true.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    Apple has created new paradigms. My world has not been the same ever since I could just flick my wrist and be at my desktop, another flick and I'm viewing all my open windows, another flick, and I am in whichever window I want to be. After having years to chew on this concept, the best MS can produce is Flip 3-D. The world still hasn't digested Expose' and hot corners. Mac users have grown so accustom to miracles that they don't recognize them anymore. They see the parting of the Red Sea, yawn, and demand an even better trick.



    I agree with your thoughts. Apple has always taken the desktop to new levels of productivity. But each progression is a result of building upon what was previous developed. When I talk of paradigm shifts, its like text-based UI to GUI. I think too many people are waiting for Jobs to annouce the next big jump...



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    I respectfully disagree. Apple is absolutely about desktop computing. Most every consumer electronic product they produce requires a Mac running a desktop OS. The more they make Apple TVs and iPhones, the more relevant the Mac OS becomes. We will always need other devices in our life; but Apple will always try to tie those other devices to the Desktop OS. The moment They stop doing that is the moment they start losing their focus. The iPod would be nothing without iTunes. The iPhone will be tied to Safari. It all brings you back to your full featured computer. No matter how many Windows versions they produce, the experience is nothing like it is on a full featured Mac.



    All of Apple's consumer electronics are tied directly to iTunes. Not Macs. Macs aren't needed to use any of Apple's toys. When users don't have to buy Apple desktops/notebooks to run Apple's latest and greatest gadgets, it isn't a good thing for Mac desktops.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    After all, they will already be familiar with the software. Once they see how it runs on a "real" computer, they will be hooked. Every appliance that Apple produces is a gateway drug to the Mac OS.



    Nobody cares about the OS (except Mac and Linux users). If people can run Apple apps and use their gadgets on their cheap beige boxes, they will continue and do so.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    outsideroutsider Posts: 6,008member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aquatic View Post


    Can we un-install updates in Leopard?



    You mean install downdates? Beats me, I will find out.
  • Reply 11 of 16
    dave k.dave k. Posts: 1,306member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gwoodpecker View Post


    Use CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to clone your system drive before every upgrade! Easy solution, backup included.



    I do this every time and never had problems returning to the previous system... (and because my e-mail is stored on a IMAP server, not even e-mail is lost)



    That is more of hack, not a solution. Uninstalling updates have been around since 95 in Windows. Its about time Apple copied it.
  • Reply 12 of 16
    dave k.dave k. Posts: 1,306member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JupiterOne View Post


    Hmmm, sounds like something Time Machine should take care of, no?



    No. I don't want Time Machine to track every single change to my system. Especially, not the OS itself. I would run out of hard drive space within a couple of months.
  • Reply 13 of 16
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    Apple did not have to produce anything to be light years ahead of what's out there. Vista does not even compete with Tiger.



    It does in terms of system responsiveness so Leopard definitely needed under the hood improvements.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    Tiger will still be running circles around Vista five years from now. If all Apple had done was to put a new coat of paint on it, it would have been enough.



    I don't know about other folk but I wish they had left the paint the same.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    Spotlight changed the way we find things on our computer.



    In that we don't any more because of the non-functional menu or the fact it doesn't search everywhere you mean? It certainly changed how I search because I used to search all the time and now I use Spotlight about once every day or two at a stretch.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    Because of the registration information, It already has your first and last name, as well as your email address. It only asks for your password. That's it. Click! Boom! Your email account is automatically created and populated with your email. No Setup from the user is necessary.



    You mean it can magically guess what your incoming/outgoing mail servers are? Normal mail takes about 5 minutes to set up.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    You just don't get how nifty Stacks is until you use it.



    Can you drag files onto apps in a stack? No.

    Can you customize the items in a stack without moving them? No.

    Can you make out stack items if there are more than 100 items in there? No.



    Stacks is not very 'nifty' to me.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    Frankly, compared to the Windows task bar, the Dock needed no improvement.



    Apart from the fact it's unnecessarily 3D you mean.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    Not with Quick Look. I can cruise through photos as if I were in iPhoto.



    I agree, Quick Look is good and I like coverflow in the Finder too but I wish opening folders wouldn't jump out of coverflow mode.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    Spaces is not my bag. I have never understood the point of Virtual Desktops.



    You didn't think before starting this thread that other people might feel like that about some of Leopard's features?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    If the only thing that came in the retail box was Time Machine, it would still be worth it at twice the price and half the value. You may think you have seen some great back-up utilities out there, but you ain't seen nothing yet. You have all seen the demos. I am telling you, it actually works.



    If you can confirm it allows you to boot from backups then I'll agree, otherwise no.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    I really can't speak to iChat as I do not know anyone with Leopard to try it with. However, I can say that the screen sharing feature is definitely in there as of now.



    I would have preferred them to just ditch ichat in favour of Skype and add that feature to it. Either that or make ichat for Windows.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    Perhaps the most amazing thing about my Leopard experience is that as a beta, it works like a retail version 1.0 Vista wishes it was this ready when it shipped. It is stable and fast.



    Fast yes, stable no. A Finder crash logged me out and wouldn't let me reboot. It sorted itself eventually. I agree that Vista final feels about the same though. I don't care about Leopard being mind-blowing but I did expect things like NTFS write support.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    October can't come fast enough for me.



    My excitement left as soon as it was delayed in favour of the iphone. After previewing it, it looks to be an improvement on Tiger in important areas like speed so I'm still looking forward to it but I don't expect I'll use many of the features at all.



    Stacks no

    ichat no, I use Skype

    Quick Look yes

    the transparent menu will be gone one way or another on my machine

    Time Machine, probably not if it doesn't do bootable backups or allow me to manually add files

    spaces no

    mail yeah but I use it anyway, don't care about the new features

    photo booth no

    bootcamp I use already, same with dvd player

    front row no

    parental controls no

    ical no

    dashboard + webclips no



    So for me, it will be for Quick Look, coverflow in Finder, performance improvement and Python and Ruby scripting. I think I can wait for that for a few months.
  • Reply 14 of 16
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    It does in terms of system responsiveness so Leopard definitely needed under the hood imp



    So for me, it will be for Quick Look, coverflow in Finder, performance improvement and Python and Ruby scripting. I think I can wait for that for a few months.





    The article wasn't about who can or can't wait for Leopard. It's about the incessant whining about Leopard. The features are indeed significant and will benefit many regardless of whether an individual uses them or not.



    People are allowed to have their opinions about the relative value of Leopard as we are allowed to have opinions about the relative value of their given opinion.



    Please let the whiners for once in their lives shift their center and think about the consensus and what is likely be benefit for the massess.



    "I wouldn't use that feature" is a "get out of jail" card. The fact that we as individual do not value a feature doesn't not invalidate the relative worth of that feature to the computing collective.



    Too many people want to editorialize and be mini Dvoraks. We have enough pundits around spewing hot air (as entertaining as that may be).



    Leopard is BETA...some features will change...some features will not.



    Mac Voyer I think this is an excellent post from your point of view and quite honestly I think the consensus are closer to your views. I'd venture that most consumers won't spend a minute complaining about a transparent Menu or 3D Dock shelf. Not that those complaints are invalid.



    Count me in for the "I can't wait until October Clan"
  • Reply 15 of 16
    mac voyermac voyer Posts: 1,294member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    You mean it can magically guess what your incoming/outgoing mail servers are? Normal mail takes about 5 minutes to set up.



    Yes, that is exactly what I mean. If you want to call it magic, fine. That was also my impression when I saw it. And for the record, It takes a matter of seconds, not minutes.
  • Reply 16 of 16
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    Yes, that is exactly what I mean. If you want to call it magic, fine. That was also my impression when I saw it. And for the record, It takes a matter of seconds, not minutes.



    Yeah, I meant seconds.



    If you mean that it's just that dialog that pops up at the start, then that is pretty fast. Maybe there's a way to retrieve the smtp server from the current ISP but I don't know how it would guess the incoming server. It could parse the email address and then check the existence of a variety of of common URLs like pop.something.com or mail.something.com I suppose.



    Still, if you use multiple accounts, I imagine you'll have to setup things as usual. Like I say it's only saving putting two URLs in but sure if it shaves off a few seconds, it's all good.
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