Latest Leopard build from Apple suggests much work ahead
A new build of Apple's Leopard operating system released to developers this week introduces a handful of fresh features, but also carries with it a significant laundry list of impending issues that will need to be ironed out before any such public release is considered.
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With a significant list of known issues and a "top secret" bag of tricks under wraps and broadly untested, it would seem incredibly unlikely the Cupertino-based company will be ready to push its latest cat out the door any time soon.
With reports like this, we would be lucky to have Leopard shipping this WWDC.
Series issues also remain
Did you mean to say "Serious issues also remain"?
But it will be so compelling that you'll live with the bugginess and not care a whit.
My Theory - I'm sure there are a lot of issues and problems in the stripped down, feature barren releases that Apple is letting outside of its doors. Remember that this is the same company that is so guarded about its secrets that it created fake iPhone prototypes to throw off partners and people inside the company while developing that product. Leopard isn't any different. Steve Jobs has already said that there are these "top secret" features to the new OS and we've not seen any of those - indicating to me that they're stripping these from the beta software that they're giving to developers. I'm sure there is another set of code around the Cupertino campus which includes the full set of features and probably a lot less bugs. I could be wrong, but that's my theory. 8)
My money is on a WWDC intro.
With reports like this, we would be lucky to have Leopard shipping this WWDC.
And yet, that would still be meeting their Spring target. (Spring ends June 21.) I gotta say, I've been expecting that timeframe all along - assume they got it polished, ready, and perfect by March 31. They could either try and step up all other efforts (marketing, production, etc) to meet that, including stepping up any hardware projects that may be tied to 10.5... or they could spend the time to add in some features that had been slated for 10.5.1. ie, more bugs. Too many other things are going to be tied to 10.5's release, I just don't see them shipping it early.
With reports like this, we would be lucky to have Leopard shipping this WWDC.
Agreed... given this list as an engineering lead, my off-the-cuff estimate would be 6 months or so. It would be interesting to see the chart of new bugs vs. in-progress engineering, in-progress QA, fixed, and verified bugs, and see if they're over the hump yet. It doesn't really sound like it from this report.
Perhaps they should rename Leopard into Longhorn...
Longhorn aka Vista will be known as Platypus after Tiger is out, it'll make the Vista look like an extinct and funny looking animal.
My Theory - I'm sure there are a lot of issues and problems in the stripped down, feature barren releases that Apple is letting outside of its doors. Remember that this is the same company that is so guarded about its secrets that it created fake iPhone prototypes to throw off partners and people inside the company while developing that product. Leopard isn't any different. Steve Jobs has already said that there are these "top secret" features to the new OS and we've not seen any of those - indicating to me that they're stripping these from the beta software that they're giving to developers. I'm sure there is another set of code around the Cupertino campus which includes the full set of features and probably a lot less bugs. I could be wrong, but that's my theory. 8)
You could be wrong, and so could I cause I had the same theory. This is the oldest trick in the book - misdirection.
How exactly do they test the secret features while still keeping them secret?
In house. The tested all the iPhone software in house, with no testing outside Apple. If they can do that, I'm sure the build these developers are getting is the build Apple was working on over 6 months ago.
Having said that, though, I still consider a release this month as very unlikely... and as much as I'd be thrilled for it to happen, I'd rather Leopard be rock-solid upon release. With it's immediate and direct comparison to Vista, it needs to be as flawless as possible.
My Theory - I'm sure there are a lot of issues and problems in the stripped down, feature barren releases that Apple is letting outside of its doors. Remember that this is the same company that is so guarded about its secrets that it created fake iPhone prototypes to throw off partners and people inside the company while developing that product. Leopard isn't any different. Steve Jobs has already said that there are these "top secret" features to the new OS and we've not seen any of those - indicating to me that they're stripping these from the beta software that they're giving to developers. I'm sure there is another set of code around the Cupertino campus which includes the full set of features and probably a lot less bugs. I could be wrong, but that's my theory. 8)
1. Vista really isn't forcing you to release early.
2. Your new machines to run this thing haven't arrived.
3. Just make it right and release it when you are completely ready.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PiP
My Theory - I'm sure there are a lot of issues and problems in the stripped down, feature barren releases that Apple is letting outside of its doors. Remember that this is the same company that is so guarded about its secrets that it created fake iPhone prototypes to throw off partners and people inside the company while developing that product. Leopard isn't any different. Steve Jobs has already said that there are these "top secret" features to the new OS and we've not seen any of those - indicating to me that they're stripping these from the beta software that they're giving to developers. I'm sure there is another set of code around the Cupertino campus which includes the full set of features and probably a lot less bugs. I could be wrong, but that's my theory.
You could be wrong, and so could I - cause I had the same theory. This is the oldest trick in the book, misdirection.
Ditto
And yet, that would still be meeting their Spring target. (Spring ends June 21.)
Actually, this is the least I would care for at this point. Even if Apple fails to keep the Spring target (whatever the definition), it is not so serious. For me at least. It is software development after all and it will come out sooner or later.
Leopard will remind us all of the first OS X: "10.0 Cheetah" because of the issues it will have.
Now it would be nice if it will remind 10.0 for the radical change in the Mac OS landscape (OS 9 --> OS X) that this OS X version has marked.
That's been the magical date for a number of new products from Apple in the past. I just installed 9A377a and it seems to be working fine. It primarily deals with issues in Xcode. It includes DP6 of 3.0 which works out all sorts of problems that plagued DP5. I'd bet money that developers are working around the clock in Cupertino to address the "laundry list" of issues in the new seed. Actually, I don't have to bet. A buddy of mine works for Apple as a developer. I saw him for a few minutes the other day and apparently he hasn't slept for a few days. I laughed and told him to get back to work only after I asked him for the details of the new iMacs but no dice
I'm wondering if, just as Microsoft took Apple's play on the X and worked it into XP, Apple will release this as OS X.V to make the direct 'V'ista challenge
There's certainly been talk about changing the naming convention, and this would make some sense.
Now it would be nice if it will remind 10.0 for the radical change in the Mac OS landscape (OS 9 --> OS X) that this OS X version has marked.