Anybody else worried about Leopard?

[speakerwizard]

True the 64 bit implementation, and being fully unix complient are enough alone to make it worthy for a lot of people, plus that makes it better than vista from the off, that will be a whole mess with pcs moving from 32 - 64 bit, anyway, it should also make all our new dual cores work a lot faster i would hope, same for the new ilife, i personally cant wait

 

[0010101]

I personally find Spotlight to be next to useless. Maybe i'm doing something wrong, but if I search for '.fla' i'd expect.. I don't know.. maybe '.fla' files to dominate the list?

Nope. The 'top hit' is a .fla file, followed buy a crap load of files with names like:

translation.htm

There isn't even an 'F' in that!

Only seems to be worth a hoot if you know the exact file name you're looking for.

I really enjoy Dashboard in 10.4.. The weather widget and Yellow Pages widget are quite handy.. but the truth is, they really aren't that much different than the Yahoo Gadgets I used when I still ran 10.3.

The significant difference being I can bring my Widgets to the screen with a single click (or keystroke) and then with another tap of the keyboard or mouse have them slide out of the way.

I do notice 10.4 boots faster, but since i'm using 10.4 on a new, faster computer, I don't know how much of that is a result of way faster hardware, and how much is a result of OS speed improvements.

So all I really feel i've gained by upgrading from 10.3 to 10.4 is Dashboard.. and the only reason I bought 10.4 was because I got it cheap from a guy who bought it thinking he could put it on his iMac and then discovered he needed a DVD drive.. and couldn't take it back to the store because he'd already opened the shrink wrap.

Sucks for him, good news for me.. AND my cat. She likes playing in the empty box.

In short, 10.5 is going to have to have something really super cool for me to bother with it, especially considering there is likely to be a slew of updates and fixes after it's launch.

Making my own widgets out of web pages and updates to applications like iCal or iSight that I don't use doesn't put any lead in my pencil.

 

[Benjamindaines]

There isn't even an 'F' in that!

It doesn't just look for filenames, it looks inside the files so if you just type F it will bring up every file with an F in it.

 

[EricNau]

I'm worried that one of Leopard's secret features may not include the ability to record TV shows. This is a feature Windows has had for years and OS X desperately needs. Plus, it would be good incentive to buy "iTV."

 

[SMM]

I'm worried that one of Leopard's secret features may not include the ability to record TV shows. This is a feature Windows has had for years and OS X desperately needs. Plus, it would be good incentive to buy "iTV."

It does? Why? There are 3rd party TV tuners and software that does this already. Do you really think there is enough demand for Apple to integrate this into an OS? Maybe there is, I am just asking. I do not know anyone who does this personally.

 

[MacsRgr8]

I too hope the Finder will be updated.... but should it look different?

Microsoft implies a new "theme" to a new OS (2000 to XP, XP to Vista), and make people think that alot must have been changed. Most folk have no clue what has changed to an OS, but the fact that it looks very different (preferably with more colours for the kids) and the fact that the user can't find anything anymore, which makes it "feel" different too, makes the user know he is using a new OS.

Mac OS X on the other hand hasn't really had that many "theme" changes. Ofcourse, we know the details and can recognize the different versions of OS X, but for a novice user Mac OS X looks the same for a long time now.

Is it time that Apple will make Mac OS X look different too?

Back to the "super secret features". It really depends on which features must be made known to developers. I bet Apple will try to keep these secrets a real secret until the GM of Leopard.
Well, that's what I hope anyway. What's in the developers preview builds is never a secret for long.

 

[elppa]

I think what we know about Dashboard is that it is getting some enhancements to help people make widgets easily out of any web content that they access through Safari.

With respect to Spotlight, there have been some leaks concerning Leopard Spotlight's ability to do "operations" using some applications, sort of like Google. Like you can type a math formula in, such as ( 2 + 4.5 ) / 6.7 and you will get an answer from Spotlight, or you can type a word in and get a definitiion.

I think Leopard will be interesting next year, but I am in a dilemma because I *really* am wanting a notebook when Leopard and Vista are out, and yet I really want something smaller than the MacBook... Mmm, so my primary worry about Leopard is my geek lust. 😱

Apple may produced a new product to replace the 12" powerbook.

I think I saw a rumour about this a couple of weeks ago, although I'd treat it as just that - a rumour.

 

[mkrishnan]

I personally find Spotlight to be next to useless. Maybe i'm doing something wrong, but if I search for '.fla' i'd expect.. I don't know.. maybe '.fla' files to dominate the list?

Not to derail your point, but ... if you would like, please give this a try: In finder, open a search window (Apple-F or from the file menu) and then use Name as the criteria in the first row of stuff underneath the search bar and then put your criteria in. This will limit your search to filenames.... I'm not sure if there's a way to do this from the Spotlight tool in the menu bar (I don't think you can do name:.fla like you do kind:music).

 

[wmmk]

Is anybody else getting a little concerned about the lack of further info regarding 'top secret features' in Leopard?

I would of expected a few more beeps and farts from Apple to keep Leopard in the publics mind while whetting our appetites. Im worried that these 'secret features' maybe dont really exist and they are scrambling for ideas.

The lack of a new GUI is a bit of a concern. I know its been discussed quite alot since the preview but just providing a GUI would of done alot to build up anticipation.

I can understand not wanting to release stuff to keep MS' copiers quiet but the Vista code has gone gold (or is it green; its that old) so there is no chance they can put anything from Leopard into Vista.

Come on Apple, show us your bits!

I think everything is fine. Apple simply doesn't want M$ to start their copiers too early for Vista SP1🙂

 

[elppa]

64 bit support interests me.. but to be honest, i'm a little disappointed that wasn't included in 10.4.

64 bit support is included in 10.4:

http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/64bit/

But it is at the UNIX level. Leopard takes that support all the way up through the UI frameworks (carbon and cocoa).

 

[MacsRgr8]

But it is at the UNIX level. Leopard takes that support all the way up through the UI frameworks (carbon and cocoa).

Exactly... paving the way for 64-bits versions of some very important apps like Final Cut Studio, Aperture etc.
BTW.. that could breathe some new life in G5's aswell.

 

[gauchogolfer]

A boolean search arranges the content alphabetically or numerically and then starts in the middle and figures out which side it should go, then goes to the middle of that side, etc. until it gets to the item. This is opposed to a linear search (which I assume Apple uses now) that just checks all the items one at a time. Boolean searches find content (with the exception of a few results in the beginning of the alphabet) much faster than linear searches.

I think that in this case Boolean searching refers to adding in IF, OR, NOT, AND, etc., statements when doing a search, along with other specifiers. So, you could search for a "Keynote file which contains Profits AND Projections but NOT Competitors" for example. This is something that I've wanted for a while in Spotlight.

 

[elppa]

I think that in this case Boolean searching refers to adding in IF, OR, NOT, AND, etc., statements when doing a search, along with other specifiers. So, you could search for a "Keynote file which contains Profits AND Projections but NOT Competitors" for example. This is something that I've wanted for a while in Spotlight.

We have a winner. This is exactly what spotlight will do.

 

[mkrishnan]

We have a winner. This is exactly what spotlight will do.

Spotlight does this now but the syntax is ... awkward.

 

[chapinmesa]

Is anybody else getting a little concerned about the lack of further info regarding 'top secret features' in Leopard?

I would of expected a few more beeps and farts from Apple to keep Leopard in the publics mind while whetting our appetites. Im worried that these 'secret features' maybe dont really exist and they are scrambling for ideas.

I'm actually wondering a bit about that as well..."top secret" could = "we don't really know yet......"

 

[Westside guy]

Is anybody else getting a little concerned about the lack of further info regarding 'top secret features' in Leopard?

New to the Apple world, are you? 😀

Apple is, in many ways, the polar opposite of Microsoft. MS likes to pre-announce years in advance as a way of preventing people from looking elsewhere for better solutions (and then, as we've seen with Longhorn/Vista, the dates keep getting pushed back and the features keep disappearing over time). Apple likes to pull surprises out of their hat for the "WOW" factor.

When Apple pre-announces anything, people are shocked. Frankly (and I don't mean this as a put-down in the least) I was pretty surprised to see your question. 😛

 

[TumbleDryer]

Back to the "super secret features". It really depends on which features must be made known to developers. I bet Apple will try to keep these secrets a real secret until the GM of Leopard.

You make a really good point here. They released Core Animation without much fanfair but this is obviously a big deal as it it capable of some amazing stuff. Im now wondering if they have got some really cool adaptations for this with regards to the finder and how we access stuff.

They released it to devs as it is a big part of Leopard but just sort of passed it off in the preview.

Ooh... I feel a 'Funky Finder' coming on. 😀

 

[elppa]

You make a really good point here. They released Core Animation without much fanfair but this is obviously a big deal as it it capable of some amazing stuff. Im now wondering if they have got some really cool adaptations for this with regards to the finder and how we access stuff.

They released it to devs as it is a big part of Leopard but just sort of passed it off in the preview.

Ooh... I feel a 'Funky Finder' coming on. 😀

One things for sure.

They didn't create Core Animation to make cities out of album covers.

 

[minus the ben]

A boolean search arranges the content alphabetically or numerically and then starts in the middle and figures out which side it should go, then goes to the middle of that side, etc. until it gets to the item. This is opposed to a linear search (which I assume Apple uses now) that just checks all the items one at a time. Boolean searches find content (with the exception of a few results in the beginning of the alphabet) much faster than linear searches.

even though that's completely wrong, you did just describe exactly what a binary search is. nice work even though it isn't the right answer to this particular question 🙂

 

[XnavxeMiyyep]

I think that in this case Boolean searching refers to adding in IF, OR, NOT, AND, etc., statements when doing a search, along with other specifiers. So, you could search for a "Keynote file which contains Profits AND Projections but NOT Competitors" for example. This is something that I've wanted for a while in Spotlight.

Oops😛 Sorry. That makes much more sense. I was thinking of a binary search, as mentioned above.

 

[TumbleDryer]

Oops😛 Sorry. That makes much more sense. I was thinking of a binary search, as mentioned above.

Thanks for the confusion 😀

 

[Zwhaler]

Guys, don't get your pants into a bundle. Just wait until Mac World and I guarantee you we will be back on track with Leopard.

 

[EricNau]

It does? Why? There are 3rd party TV tuners and software that does this already. Do you really think there is enough demand for Apple to integrate this into an OS? Maybe there is, I am just asking. I do not know anyone who does this personally.

Perhaps there isn't a huge market for media center computers, but Apple is obviously trying to create one with "iTV" and iTunes (which really should be renamed "iMedia" because iTunes isn't just for music anymore).

In a world called perfect we'd all be able to buy our TV shows from iTunes, but until then, iTV remains useless for most of the population. If we could record TV shows on our computer, the demand for "iTV" would increase substantially. ...I hope Apple isn't waiting until we all live in a world called perfect - it's not going to happen.

For an OS that is supposedly superior to Windows in every way, it's still missing a huge feature.


As for 3rd part options, they just aren't as simple or easy to setup, and certainly aren't "ready out of the box."

 

[Simon R.]

You know what I am missing? (coming from Windows). I miss being able to see the full path in finder windows AND in Spotlight searches. I want to know where I am on my harddrive(s). As it is now I could be in a folder called "movies" or "documents" 20 different places, without being able to tell which is which. Also, when spotlight finds files, I want to know the full path of the files location. This seems to be impossible in OS X or am I missing something?

 

[Benjamindaines]

You know what I am missing? (coming from Windows). I miss being able to see the full path in finder windows AND in Spotlight searches. I want to know where I am on my harddrive(s). As it is now I could be in a folder called "movies" or "documents" 20 different places, without being able to tell which is which. Also, when spotlight finds files, I want to know the full path of the files location. This seems to be impossible in OS X or am I missing something?

Try this: In a Finder window command (Apple) click the title of the window.