Leopard interface tweaks continue in latest builds
The most recent pre-release build of Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X Leopard operating system began making its way into developers' hands this past weekend, carrying with it a number of interface tweaks and a lengthy list of recommended testing suggestions.
Screenshots and video clips taken of the new build, labeled Mac OS X Leopard build 9A527, show Apple to have reduced the transparency of the Mac OS menubar from previous builds, making it more opaque. Some developers had argued that level of transparency in previous builds gave the software -- and Mac OS desktop in general -- a cheaper, more rugged look.
Meanwhile, Apple also used build 9A527 to introduce both a new startup movie (below) and desktop picture. Both pieces of media sport a galactic motif that coincides with the theme of the company's Time Machine backup software -- one of Leopard's trademark features.
Other interface changes apparent from leaked Leopard screenshots include a refined toolbar in Preview.app and new preference pane icons for Appearance, Desktop & Screen Saver, Sharing, and Parental Controls.
Developers who install the latest build are being asked by Apple to test the release rigorously. For instance, the company asked that new features -- such as .Mac syncing of Dashboard widgets, Dock items and preferences -- be evaluated alongside such common and long-established functions as printing and Spotlight Mail searches.
In addition to any quirks that may be discovered in build 9A527, Apple also informed developers of nearly a dozen known issues with Leopard that they hope to isolate in the coming weeks. Those weeks, however, are numbered; the Cupertino-based company has said it plans to release the software in the October timeframe.
In order to meet the self-imposed deadline, Apple in the next six weeks will need to completely rid Leopard of known issues, then seed several final candidate builds before declaring one Gold Master. Once declared Gold Master, Leopard will be released to manufacturing for duplication and retail packaging.
Alongside Friday's seeding of Mac OS X Leopard build 9A527, the company also seeded Mac OS X Leopard Server build 9A528a.
Screenshots and video clips taken of the new build, labeled Mac OS X Leopard build 9A527, show Apple to have reduced the transparency of the Mac OS menubar from previous builds, making it more opaque. Some developers had argued that level of transparency in previous builds gave the software -- and Mac OS desktop in general -- a cheaper, more rugged look.
Meanwhile, Apple also used build 9A527 to introduce both a new startup movie (below) and desktop picture. Both pieces of media sport a galactic motif that coincides with the theme of the company's Time Machine backup software -- one of Leopard's trademark features.
Other interface changes apparent from leaked Leopard screenshots include a refined toolbar in Preview.app and new preference pane icons for Appearance, Desktop & Screen Saver, Sharing, and Parental Controls.
Developers who install the latest build are being asked by Apple to test the release rigorously. For instance, the company asked that new features -- such as .Mac syncing of Dashboard widgets, Dock items and preferences -- be evaluated alongside such common and long-established functions as printing and Spotlight Mail searches.
In addition to any quirks that may be discovered in build 9A527, Apple also informed developers of nearly a dozen known issues with Leopard that they hope to isolate in the coming weeks. Those weeks, however, are numbered; the Cupertino-based company has said it plans to release the software in the October timeframe.
In order to meet the self-imposed deadline, Apple in the next six weeks will need to completely rid Leopard of known issues, then seed several final candidate builds before declaring one Gold Master. Once declared Gold Master, Leopard will be released to manufacturing for duplication and retail packaging.
Alongside Friday's seeding of Mac OS X Leopard build 9A527, the company also seeded Mac OS X Leopard Server build 9A528a.
Comments
Glad they reduced the transparency of the menu bar again. That was possibly one of Apple's strangest GUI desicions in recent history... Transparent menu bar... so that you can see the freaking background behind it better? Thanks for taking it back.
Judging from this screenshot, it looks like the arrows are too high now.
In order to meet the self-imposed deadline, Apple in the next six weeks will need to completely rid Leopard of known issues
Not really, that'll be 10.5.1. They just need to make it 95% workable and remove all kernel panic issues; the rest will get worked out over the next two or three months.
Not really, that'll be 10.5.1. They just need to make it 95% workable and remove all kernel panic issues; the rest will get worked out over the next two or three months.
They had better do much better than 95%. That would be unusable. 99.99% is closer to usable.
10.5.1 won't fix too many of the remaining issues.
Maybe by 10.5 5.
They had better do much better than 95%. That would be unusable. 99.99% is closer to usable.
10.5.1 won't fix too many of the remaining issues.
Maybe by 10.5 5.
And yet we'll all still buy 10.5.0 on release day
And yet we'll all still buy 10.5.0 on release day
Yup!
And complain, and complain.
Yup!
And complain, and complain.
I'm already writing a few complaint posts and keeping them saved in a Word document to paste in when Leopard is finally released. For example, "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY INPUTMANAGERS"
I guess no Tabs in finder..... ugh. Why was that so hard to bring in? So many people requested the feature. Guess they had too much on their plate. Anyways, as long as I can get my development environment up and running immediately on Leo (web dev with perl, php, c, gd, etc), I'll be on it that day. It is going to chage how i work with spaces!
/sigh...
I guess no Tabs in finder..... ugh. Why was that so hard to bring in? So many people requested the feature. Guess they had too much on their plate. Anyways, as long as I can get my development environment up and running immediately on Leo (web dev with perl, php, c, gd, etc), I'll be on it that day. It is going to chage how i work with spaces!
Or they decided it didn't work in real world use for their design principles.
... then seed several final candidate builds before declaring one Gold Master.
Oh, what I wouldn't give to be declared a "Gold Master"! Isn't that like two or three
steps above fifth-degree Black Belt? No wait . . . maybe that's something else.
Even if this thing has a dozen bugs in it, it'll still beat Vista hands-down.
BRING IT ON! WE'RE READY!
I'm already writing a few complaint posts and keeping them saved in a Word document to paste in when Leopard is finally released. For example, "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY INPUTMANAGERS"
Security happened to them.
When I have used Vista, the transparency has always bugged me.
For me, Vista's transparency bugs me so much that the first thing I do when I sit down at a Windows Vista terminal is to scale back the GUI to the Classic (Win95) theme just to get rid of the transparency effects. It also makes everything run faster.
I guess they're going to change it, doesn't really fit well with the flickering splattery things that they have now on the startup video.
For nostalgia's sake I might have liked blue instead of purple, but this contrasts nicely with all the blue in OS X. It will look pretty cool for the login screen too.
Oh, what I wouldn't give to be declared a "Gold Master"!
Isn't that like two or three steps above fifth-degree Black Belt?
only if you're Bruce Leroy...