A glimpse at Snow Leopard's more subtle refinements

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  • Reply 101 of 179
    hillstoneshillstones Posts: 1,490member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by johnmcboston View Post


    Seeing change in date & time - I wonder if they've improved the timekeeping? A while ago the 'set time now' went away, and the current logic is the hidden mystery logic that has your computer "Check with the timeserver as often as you need to in order to keep decent time". In 10.4.11 this doesn't really work, as my computer was way off in timekeeping (almost a full minute off). Not sure if 10.5 keeps better time, but with the other date & time changes in 10.6, I'm curious if they've made the mac a better clock...



    Have no idea what you are talking about. My Macs' clock has always been dead-on accurate with the time servers, even back to the Classic OS.
  • Reply 102 of 179
    snookiesnookie Posts: 143member
    You have assumed Apple is doing this and are using your built up straw man to reach way too far in your conclusions. It's kind of odd really. The type of apps you speak of have been around for some time and RIAA only went after them at first before realizing how futile it is.

    But not nearly as odd as your Time Machine comments. You don't have to use Time Machine. it does not preclude use of cloning apps. What's more you can use cloning apps and Time Machine on the same disk at the same time as I do.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTripper View Post


    Although I applaud the screen/audio record function of Snow Leopard, it won't most likely be available for copyrighted material.

    I'm a believer in fair use, if you buy a movie you should be allowed to alter it and show others, long as your not denying the copyright holder of returns on their investment.

    People have done some funny things, like this video

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5blbv4WFriM

    So with that, if Apple denies copyright screen recording, then that delegates software like SnapzProX to being only needed for illegal purposes, instead of dual use (legal and illegal)

    Sort of like a baseball bat, take away the game of baseball and the only thing a baseball bat is good for is no good. (why would you need such a heavy club for anyway? right?)

    So I'm wondering now that Apple will be essentially controlling the screen/audio recording on OS X with their own product, will this open the door for the MIAA/RIAA to go after third party OS X companies that offer a total recording package?

    Its like Apple is stepping into these grey areas in order to police things, deny cool third party companies a income source. First Time Machine to thwart people from cloning their boot drives (the best boot drive backup method), now screen/audio recording to thwart people from making funny alterations to popular videos.

    Where will this slow creep of control end?



  • Reply 103 of 179
    snookiesnookie Posts: 143member
    There will be a whole lot more before Snow Leopard is reased including most on this list.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mario View Post


    Can you give us a listing of (Apple) apps that have been converted to 64 bit. Also, it looks like the default Terminal font is now Deja Vu or Bitstream Vera Sans Mono?



    Did you experience any apps not working with SL? Does it break backward compatibility?



  • Reply 104 of 179
    hillstoneshillstones Posts: 1,490member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Londor View Post


    You can already do that in any version of OSX.







    Since you have European flag in your menu bar, that may be the difference. The US setting does not allow you to display the date next to the time. I can click to see a drop-down with the date, but only the day can be displayed next to the time.



  • Reply 105 of 179
    cstrommecstromme Posts: 4member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by inewton1974 View Post


    So... any more questions I can help answer before I get nailed by Apple?



    I'm curious about Front Row. Are there any updates to it, or does it look like it does in Leopard? Also, does it list seasons separately under TV Shows, or does it list each show as one like on the Apple TV?
  • Reply 106 of 179
    mariomario Posts: 348member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by macFanDave View Post


    See my post #38, my response to Zandros.



    That is what I DO do, except without the Expose trickery. I do it often enough that I would like to see a good solution built in to Finder.



    One of OS X's fundamental aims was to never require a normal user to use the Terminal.



    Well it's certainly possible to use computer for certain things without ever using terminal. But some of us would never consider switching to OS X if it weren't a UNIX and didn't have terminal .



    As a software developer I can't imagine doing anything without Terminal and the 1000 or so standard UNIX command line utilities.
  • Reply 107 of 179
    hillstoneshillstones Posts: 1,490member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by minderbinder View Post


    But that is still just speculation. I assume there's still no new info saying for sure that it's intel only?



    Don't count on any PowerPC support. Snow Leopard was mainly to optimize the OS for Intel. The PowerPC G5 is now 6 years old. Why would Apple waste resources supporting it when they have no intention of using the PowerPC (and hasn't been used for 3 years)? Same transition occurred with the 68040 to PowerPC. Apple cut off the 68040 processor with Mac OS 8.5 to concentrate on optimizing the OS for PowerPC.
  • Reply 108 of 179
    slr2009slr2009 Posts: 14member
    This hasn't been brought up yet but any signs of resolution independence in the latest build?
  • Reply 109 of 179
    erikvdoerikvdo Posts: 11member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hillstones View Post


    Doubtful and unnecessary. Drag the App to the trash and it is uninstalled. If you want to go further, go to your Library folder and trash the pref files in Preferences and Application Support (if any present). You don't need an uninstaller like Windows does.



    This is true for most Mac OS X apps, and for some apps, uninstalling may only a little more complicated, involving removal of one or two .plist files. However, there are actually a fair number of apps that install a number of components into several different directories. Having a built-in function that could look at the receipt file for an installed app and remove all related component files, sounds like a great idea to me. If it went even further and triggered Disk Utility to repair any necessary permissions afterwards, that would be even better. For apps as unimaginably invasive as Norton Antivirus (and other similar apps that I have to install for work), this would be a God-send.



    I do QA for a widely-known app that installs a fair number of components into different directories, and it would be nice not to have to make and update my own Applescript-based uninstaller, to completely clean out old builds before installing new ones.
  • Reply 110 of 179
    nitronitro Posts: 91member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Londor View Post


    You can already do that in any version of OSX.









    yeah i need to know how to set it up again



    by the way i did exactly what you post but no luck.
  • Reply 111 of 179
    erikvdoerikvdo Posts: 11member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MartiNZ View Post


    3. In Finder, if you change the toolbar to 'text only' does it still only say 'Back' for the 'Back/Forward' command?



    Actually, the text label for Back/Forward button(s) only says 'Back' even when the toolbar is in 'Button and Text' mode. However, in any mode, alt-clicking on the back button will take you forward. Just an FYI.
  • Reply 112 of 179
    hillstoneshillstones Posts: 1,490member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by inewton1974 View Post


    I expect the so-called "Marble" UI to be shown off at WWDC. It will be black, glossy, glass-like in places.



    Oh wonderful. Another reason for Teckstud to complain! He hates everything glossy. LOL.
  • Reply 113 of 179
    hillstoneshillstones Posts: 1,490member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I disagree. Having to direct a user where to go to delete every part of an app is not very Mac-like.



    I guess you have never used the Mac prior to OS X? When an Application was installed in the Classic OS, you had control panels and system extensions that also required removal (not for every app, but for some). Those had to be manually removed. Those days are gone In OS X. You only need to drag the Application to the trash and it is gone...and every part of the App goes with it. You don't need an uninstaller for that. The reference to deleting items from the Library folder is only to clear out the Preference files. Those are not loaded into memory like Control Panels and Extensions were in the old days.
  • Reply 114 of 179
    hillstoneshillstones Posts: 1,490member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Stormchild View Post


    Not exactly correct. In Leopard, you can't set the interval, but there is a short delay between when the screen saver activates, and when the password is required to unlock it (if you have that enabled). Next time you see your screen saver start (or you can just start it immediately with a hot corner), immediately move your mouse and you will not be prompted for a password. Not sure exactly how long it is (probably 30-60 seconds at the most), but there's already some "grace period" between the two events.



    Are you unable to test that theory yourself? Yes, if you IMMEDIATELY move your mouse to wake the screen again after it fades to black, you will go right back to the Desktop. If you wait 1 second, you will be prompted for the password. It is not a 30-60 second grace period.
  • Reply 115 of 179
    martinzmartinz Posts: 92member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by inewton1974 View Post


    1. No changes to Dashboard that I can see. The iTunes widget is still broken as you describe. Bummer.



    2. There are no preferences for the QuickTime Player application. I doubt there will be in the final build.



    3. Yes, it still just says "Back." I actually never noticed this before... odd behavior.



    4. Actually, yes! Thank you for getting me to check that. What happens is that you can click in any time zone (zones are highlighted as you hover over them). Once you select one, you can pick your closest city from the dropdown. It looks like many more cities have been added. You can also just start typing a city name in that box and you get a really cool interface where the world map goes dark and the city you're typing lights up. It looks pretty neat, I'll have to upload a shot of that.



    5. Nothing new except that Quick Look now works in them... which is a huge improvement, in my opinion.



    Thanks for the responses. I look forward to seeing the timezone map in action!



    The iTunes dashboard widget is a bit of a joke by now ... if not dashboard as a whole. Thanks for confirming what I was suspecting.



    I really hope open/save dialogs see some improvement. They have tended to with most of the paid upgrades, but there's still so much room for more. QuickLook is an interesting addition, and I guess it serves more purpose there than the little to none it serves in Finder.



    @ erikvdo: true I didn't realise that with icon & text - sloppy imo. The alt-click to go forward isn't working for me in text only mode. The Prev/Next toolbar buttons in Preview work well in text only mode, giving a select menu when clicked - why can't they do that in Finder ?
  • Reply 116 of 179
    hillstoneshillstones Posts: 1,490member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by elroth View Post


    I don't understand this statement - In Tiger's Energy Saver Preference I can set the screen to dim in 10 minutes, and the computer to sleep in 45 minutes. Since I have it set to require a password to wake from sleep, it does exactly what the article says you can't do. Is this different in Leopard?



    Look at the screenshot. The difference is simple. Currently when you choose the option for a password to wake from sleep or screensaver, the Mac will immediately lock and require a password as soon as the screen saver (or sleep) is activated (either manually or period of inactivity). In Snow Leopard, you can now set a duration for when the Mac will lock down and require a password to wake from the screensaver. So if you set the feature for 10 minutes, you can invoke the screensaver and wake it up without the password within a 10 minute period. If the Mac is in a screensaver for more than 10 minutes, then it will lock down and require a password to turn off the screensaver. That is the new feature.
  • Reply 117 of 179
    hillstoneshillstones Posts: 1,490member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by snookie View Post


    I use Clean App for deleting apps. When you drop something in the trash Clean App opens and shows all the associated files and folders and gives you the option to delete everything. You would be surprised how many apps have alot more than just .plists. This really should be built into the OS. It's not anywhere near as bad as Windows with a zillion registry entires but it's not as clean and simple as Apple says it is either.



    I agree, there are some programs (GarbageBand) that spreads large files everywhere (on the other hand, those same files can also be used by other programs). But the main difference is that preference files don't mess up your system the way Windows Registry Entries do. So Windows needs an uninstaller to undo the registry entries that programs do. You can delete a Mac app simply by dragging it from the Applications folder to your trash. However, you can't do that on Windows. Adding an uninstaller may make things more complicated because that feature would require an excessive number of updates to be compatible with programs outside of Apple's control. If such a feature is for Apple apps only, then people will complain that it is useless because it doesn't support the thousands of programs available. Most likely, there isn't such a feature in Snow Leopard.
  • Reply 118 of 179
    wobegonwobegon Posts: 764member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hillstones View Post


    Don't count on any PowerPC support. Snow Leopard was mainly to optimize the OS for Intel. The PowerPC G5 is now 6 years old. Why would Apple waste resources supporting it when they have no intention of using the PowerPC (and hasn't been used for 3 years)? Same transition occurred with the 68040 to PowerPC. Apple cut off the 68040 processor with Mac OS 8.5 to concentrate on optimizing the OS for PowerPC.



    And not only that but much of Snow Leopard's under-the-hood changes only benefit multi-core systems. That would narrow it down to PowerMacs. Can you imagine the outcry if Apple only released Snow Leopard for those?



    It makes much more sense to cut off PPC support at Snow Leopard and I say this as I type from my PowerBook G4 running Leopard.
  • Reply 119 of 179
    hillstoneshillstones Posts: 1,490member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by erikvdo View Post


    I do QA for a widely-known app that installs a fair number of components into different directories, and it would be nice not to have to make and update my own Applescript-based uninstaller, to completely clean out old builds before installing new ones.



    Perhaps the programmers could do a better job so their product doesn't install multiple components all over the place. The components should remain in the Applications package file.
  • Reply 120 of 179
    hillstoneshillstones Posts: 1,490member
    So much whining about a folder icon. If you really hate the icons that much, download CandyBar and change the icons to whatever you want, including the 9 year old Aqua icons.
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