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Monday, May 6, 2002 |
O'Reilly Mac OS X Conference. O'Reilly: "One thing that's been overwhelmingly clear this year is that the alpha geeks are choosing Mac OS X. Why? Mac OS X is one of the most exciting things happening in the industry today. It's the confluence of three great traditions - Unix/open source, Java, and the Mac - and the best of all worlds."
[ranchero.com]
3:34:05 PM 
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Apple pulls a Microsoft by bundling iChat
Since the introduction of OS X, Apple has been pulling a Microsoft - bundling all kinds of programs with the operating system. iChat is the latest announced incursion into another software category, following closely on the heels of Mail, iTunes, and iPhoto. And while this move steps into a software category where none of the chat clients are commercial programs, it really is no different than Microsoft pushing MSN or Internet Explorer as just another part of the operating system.
iChat will be part of Jaguar, the code name for OS X 10.2, the next major OS X release, planned for "late this summer," which likely translates into September. Other highlights of the upcoming OS X release include QuickTime 6, a new network-sensing system called Rendezvous, improvements to the Apple Address Book, an enhanced Finder with spring-loaded folders, Sherlock 3 and more Unix tools for use under OS X. It is also supposed to offer increased compatibility with Windows networks.
Possibly the funniest of the additions touted for the upcoming release is Quartz Extreme, which is essentially hardware-accelerated Quartz graphics through a 32 megabyte video RAM system. Why is that funny? Well, poor graphics performance has hampered OS X since its release, and the argument for most shortcomings of OS X has been to just buy more cheap RAM to throw at the system. This is just the latest incarnation of that advice.
It remains to be seen how iChat is integrated into OS X, but on the surface it seems that Apple is simply muscling into another arena where independent software developers already have made major improvements. Have the folks at Apple heard of Fire or Proteus - both multi-protocol chat clients that surpass any single protocol chat client under OS X? Or how about Adium? Yes, by using its proprietary hooks into the Apple Address Book and Mail, Apple can create a more seamless chat solution, but if Apple opened up the process then this kind of program would already have the chance to use the Address Book info to integrate with OS X.
Apple should work with independent developers to create these solutions, rather than taking everything in house. And as users and sometimes defenders of Apple, we all need to remember that this kind of move is the same kind of tactic that has landed the much bigger Microsoft in court. The difference here: Bundling is ok when you hold a 5-10 percent market share, but not when you hold a 90 percent market share...
1:33:57 PM
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Jobs says new OS X update will put OS 9 to rest
Jobs: Mac OS 9, rest in peace. At Apple's annual developer conference, CEO Steve Jobs delivers an eulogy for OS 9 and promises the next major upgrade to OS X by the end of the summer. [CNET News.com]
12:49:17 PM
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Mozilla 1.0rc1 remains the most stable browser
I have been updating my OS X Applications Ranked by Category document over the last couple of weeks, but for those who aren't checking in, I will offer a brief look at where things stand for me with OS X Web browsers.The way I have them ranked today: Mozilla 1.0rc1, OmniWeb 4.1b6, Internet Explorer 5.1.4, Chimera 0.2.7, iCab X, Opera X. I moved Mozilla above OmniWeb because in its most recent releases, the Omni Group has caused problems with the way it renders many pages, from Javascript errors to inconsistent table display. Add these shortcomings, which are sure to be fixed soon, to the speed of loading pages in OmniWeb compared to Mozilla and the choice is easy. Mozilla is a solid choice right now, and other than specific pages that will only work in IE, I have been using Mozilla as my only browser much of the time... It should be noted though that very few OS X browsers are being improved at all these days. Chimera and OmniWeb are seeing the most notable updates, while the daily builds of Mozilla continue to be available as well.
8:57:00 AM
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OS X AIM client updated
AIM 4.5.651 adds more Away options, a new contextual menu, scroll wheel support and direct IM support in addition to the first support for smileys on the OS X version of the popular chat software.
8:27:23 AM
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CopyPaste X 1.3: An essential Mac utility updated
The new update to CopyPaste X 1.3 adds the ability to open and save RTF files along with a number of other improvements and bug fixes in the program that adds multiple clipboard capabilities to OS X. At $20, this is still one of the most useful utilities on my Mac.
7:50:01 AM
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OmniWeb bumped up to 4.1b6
The Omni Group offers an update to OmniWeb 4.1b6 today - what may be the last update to the popular Cocoa-based Web browser until engineers return from their stay at the Apple WorldWide Developer Conference that starts today. The update includes a host of bug fixes including a fix for the most frequent Javascript crasher as well as enhancements for tables and frames display and slight interface tweaks. Check the release notes for full details.
7:19:43 AM
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Web site opens up astronomy to amateurs
Now Anyone Can Discover a Comet. Amateur stargazers are ditching their telescopes in favor of the Web, where dozens of previously unknown comets are being spotted every year. Discovering a comet is 'like winning the gold medal.' By Jeffrey Benner. [Wired News]
6:47:42 AM
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© Copyright 2002 Rob McNair-Huff.
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