Sherlock 3 looks A-W-E-S-O-M-E
Think Secret has another installment in their Jaguar preview series. Some stuff about Inkwell is in there, and a lot of screenshots of Sherlock 3. I was shocked and amazed. You should check 'em out.
I was never a fan of Sherlock under OS9, but the new version looks like it has hooks into all kinds of useful websites. It lets you:
Like I said, freakin' awesome.
-mithral
I was never a fan of Sherlock under OS9, but the new version looks like it has hooks into all kinds of useful websites. It lets you:
- Track packages through Fedex, UPS, etc.
- Translate with Babelfish
- Get movie showtimes, theater information, and link to previews. :eek:
- Search American Heritage Online dictionary, & thesaurus
- Get news stories, etc.
Like I said, freakin' awesome.
-mithral
Comments
Apple's new Sherlock 3 practically copies Watson verbatim in most areas. Many people are crying out that Apple has "stolen" the Watson concept and is giving it away for free, hurting Watson's developer. IIRC, Watson's deveoper has publicly stated that he has not been approached by Apple for Sherlock 3 and is upset by their outright copying of Watson, but he will continue watson's development as a competitor to Sherlock 3.
edit: added URL.
[ 06-05-2002: Message edited by: starfleetX ]</p>
<strong>Think Secret has another installment in their Jaguar preview series. Some stuff about Inkwell is in there, and a lot of screenshots of Sherlock 3. I was shocked and amazed. You should check 'em out.
I was never a fan of Sherlock under OS9, but the new version looks like it has hooks into all kinds of useful websites. It lets you:
- Track packages through Fedex, UPS, etc.
- Translate with Babelfish
- Get movie showtimes, theater information, and link to previews. :eek:
- Search American Heritage Online dictionary, & thesaurus
- Get news stories, etc.
It looks like Sherlock 3 will be a fully-realized productivity app, especially when you consider the ability of third parties to build custom pluggins.Like I said, freakin' awesome.
-mithral</strong><hr></blockquote>
My reaction was the same; however, some brushed metal interace inconsistancies and bloatedness remain.
1. Look at the bottom-right window pane. It is closer to the edge than the pane above it.
2. Look at the bottom of the entire Sherlock window. There is so much wasted space there.
<a href="http://www.thinksecret.com/features/jaguarsherlock3ink/images/sherlockyellowpages.html"; target="_blank">http://www.thinksecret.com/features/jaguarsherlock3ink/images/sherlockyellowpages.html</a>;
[ 06-05-2002: Message edited by: sjpsu ]</p>
<strong>I'd rather just use Apple's free Sherlock 3. If it does what Watson does...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well, yes, so will I, but that wasn't exactly the point...
The point? Apple is turning a little bit more Microsoftian every day and this is just another example. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
<strong>
Well, yes, so will I, but that wasn't exactly the point...
The point? Apple is turning a little bit more Microsoftian every day and this is just another example. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
Not true.
Microsoft destroys companies by
1. Announcing a Microsoft product that doesn't exist thereby stalling the particular SW catagory.
2. When said program does ship it's buggy until 2 Revisions later.
3. Microsoft takes credit for the innovation.
I may purchase Watson if they can continue to evolve their product above and beyond what Apple has done. Watson being Aqua helps.
Has Dan publicly said he's upset? I've sort of read it between the lines (who wouldn't be?), but haven't seen in a public statement.
Apple is definitely acting increasingly Microsoftian (bundling apps, losing the "not invented here" issue, releasing very unfinished software, shipping -- relatively -- on deadline) but I think there's a question of degree. Apple doesn't go nearly as far as MS at the game they play, i.e. Utterly Ruthless.
Personally I find the Sherlock/Watson issue awfully gray. Apple was clearly influenced by Watson, but have made no bones about it, and have given it a lot of (due!) accolades.
OTOH, they're practically pushing Dan into doing a Windows port, which does Apple no good at all. You'd think someone at Apple could have handled the situation with some more finesse.
p.s. StarfleetX, the TextEdit dialog screen shot on your site is *very* funny. I'm assuming it's your creation...
[ 06-05-2002: Message edited by: Hobbes ]</p>
But it is strange that Apple has been best buddies with the Watson people - inviting them to come on stage during that OS X presentation, for example - if they were ripping them off at the same time. I think there's something else going on here that we don't know. They really are just too similar.
Not really -- if you think of Apple as a large, realpolitik company (and, ahem, CEO) with multiple (and sometimes at cross-purposes) goals and aims.
Scenario 1.
Steve Jobs sees Watson. Steve Jobs loves Watson. Thus, Apple gives Dan and Watson lots of attention and awards. In fact Steve Jobs loves Watson so much he says, Make Sherlock like this! They do.
Scenario 2.
The UI/Sherlock team and Dan get the same idea at about the same time, Dan perhaps a little before. Apple notices Watson while Sherlock 3 is still in development and has to decide what to do. No matter what, it's going to look like they copied Watson. So (instead of ignoring it) they they praise it to high heaven, and award it. Then they announce Sherlock 3.
I think No. 1 is the more likely, but who knows.
[ 06-05-2002: Message edited by: Hobbes ]</p>
Still, though.. the brushed metal seems to make highlighting awkward if Sherlock is using Cocoa toolbars.
<strong>1. Look at the bottom-right window pane. It is closer to the edge than the pane above it.</strong><hr></blockquote>
That's an image well, so the well's outline (which highlights) has a thickness.
<strong> [quote]2. Look at the bottom of the entire Sherlock window. There is so much wasted space there.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I wonder how all the plug-ins use this space? That is, is this space wasted due to lack of content to fill it with only in this case, or is it chronic?
I wish non-brushed metal Aqua windows would adopt the alternate color list views!
<strong>I'll take it you've never seen/used <a href="http://www.karelia.com/watson/"; target="_blank">Watson</a> before. <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" />
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Holy crap. You're right. I've never used Watson, but Sh3 is eerily similar. That's too bad?I would have liked to see Apple at least buy the guy and bring him into the development.
As a budding developer, I'm not sure I like the precedent.
-mithral
Good artists copy, great artists steal <hr></blockquote>
Which is precisely what Apple did. They stole the original Mac UI (and enhanced the original greatly), and stole Watson (and IMHO enhanced greatly).
Watson's author got the idea from Sherlock, well that's what he saids. He saids it is Sherlock on overkill. So Apple is simply doing a feature set upgrade
To give this line some more leverage and context, Pablo Picasso first said this.
In general, I think this case is a lot like the Apple look-and-feel lawsuit of days old. It's impossible to protect your idea once the cat is let out of the bag. Apple found that the desktop metaphor was inevitably going to crop up on other platforms, and there was really nothing they could do about it.
<strong>I think Apple could argue that Sherlock formed the basis of a context-free front end to internet searching before Watson was a twinkle in Karelia's eye.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Belle hits the bullseye(again)
Watson IS Sherlock on Steroids and it's foolish to think that Apple wasn't thinking along the lines of Watson. This is not theft because had Karelia thought up something unique it would be patented.
<strong>
Belle hits the bullseye(again)
Watson IS Sherlock on Steroids and it's foolish to think that Apple wasn't thinking along the lines of Watson. This is not theft because had Karelia thought up something unique it would be patented.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Yeah, okay. Good point.
-mithral