Apple Releases First Developer Preview of OS X Mountain Lion, Public Launch in Late Summer

[ThunderSkunk]

After all these threads every time an OS comes out, I now understand why Apple follows their own vision forward and doesn't rely on it's old customer base of curmudgeons for input.

What a load of whining. Complain, wring hands and moan. Mark down any post that's positive about the new release.

For @#$%& sake, just keep using 10.1 or switch to linux already.

 

[ASKendrew]

Didn't see this coming! Looks like a host of cool stuff coming out of Apple this year.

 

[tblrsa]

I upgraded from Snow Leopard to Lion mainly because of huge new features, such as FileVault 2 (finally an FDE!), Security Enhancements such as ASLR and iCloud.

Yes, I will purchase Mountain Lion. But still, I have to admit that I don´t have the same anticipation towards this latest update. Gatekeeper sounds like an interesting concept if done right, but Lion does already support it.

Well, what else is new? Oh yeah, ASLR is now operative on Kernel Level according to some reviews. The rest of the new Apps (Gamecenter, Notes etc.) is just the conclusion of a progress of unifying the experience.

This begs the question why to call this whole thing "Mountain Lion". Seems more like a Software Update to me, but lets wait until release to judge that.

 

[MikeM1988]

After all these threads every time an OS comes out, I now understand why Apple follows their own vision forward and doesn't rely on it's old customer base of curmudgeons for input.

What a load of whining. Complain, wring hands and moan. Mark down any post that's positive about the new release.

For @#$%& sake, just keep using 10.1 or switch to linux already.

Curmudgeon: Anyone who documents an OS change that adversely affects his/her workflow, but doesn't affect mine.

Whining: Pointing out an OS change that adversely affects someone's personal workflow, but doesn't affect mine.

Facile solution offered to "curmudgeons" and "whiners": Stick with previous OS — knowing full well that this "solution" will ultimately fail over time...but hey, that's not my problem.

 

[thenerdal]

Nice icon Apple:

 

[JazzyGB1]

Nonsense

After all these threads every time an OS comes out, I now understand why Apple follows their own vision forward and doesn't rely on it's old customer base of curmudgeons for input.

What a load of whining. Complain, wring hands and moan. Mark down any post that's positive about the new release.

For @#$%& sake, just keep using 10.1 or switch to linux already.

Nonsense.
As customers, many of whom (like me) have spent over £100k or more on Apple products in the last 5 years, we are quite entitled to 'moan' about any changes we don't like - especially when they are not 'improvements' but simply extra apps bolted onto the OS.
Your argument might carry some weight if I could still run 10.68 on the new Macs, but I can't, so consequently every time Apple kills a feature of a previous OS in an 'update' (like Rosetta or colour finder/customisable icons) it has a very real impact on it's usability.
Something like the grey Finder icons for example is just change for changes sake and (at present), is irreversible.
Why they couldn't just give you a check box with an option to have the colour back? That would be the obvious and sensible route to have taken (and simple too) and would have kept ALL users (old & new) happy.
Instead it instantly alienates many users for no reason at all and makes using the OS more difficult.
Colour finder icons have been part of OSX since it's inception, so to suddenly remove them is VERY frustrating for people (like me) with poorer eyesight who found colour cues invaluable when navigating the OS.
Even all the icons in IOS are different colours for crying out loud!
Apple's vision is fine, but adding a load of 'apps' to an OS isn't an update.
If they build Garage Band or iWeb into the next incarnation of OSX, would that be an update?
How about if the changed the name of iWeb to 'Sites' and Garage Band to 'Music'?
That's basically what they have done with iCal and Address Book - hardly an update is it?
So yes, I and many others have every right to 'moan', as I've invested many years and tens of thousands of pounds in using their products.
To alienate me isn't 'progress' or an 'update' - it's foolish and arrogant.
The really frustrating thing is....its unnecessary too.
I'm all for progress - this isn't it.
This is unimaginative plagiarism of another operating system designed for miniature touch screen devices.

 

[TheAppleDragon]

I think it's a most welcome addition. I don't get why so many people are complaining about the iOS features.

Frankly, with a job that requires different schedule changes to be shipped across the iCloud - along with the occasional "I forgot to clock in after lunch" Reminder - and the ability to stream my online courses from Safari/my desktop to my Apple TV, I really must say...

Well done, Apple.

But that's me. Everyone's entitled to their opinions. And in some cases I'm sure there are many people needing access to Rosetta apps and whatnot. I understand such frustration.

 

[jonnysods]

Wow this was fast!

 

[fat jez]

I think the iOS stuff is more what Apple realised when they first sold the iPod - that an iPod sale could lead to a Macintosh sale. If they make the apps look the same and be called the same, they are hoping iPhone and iPad users will make the switch to Macintosh. Now, I have no problem with them renaming apps. I can almost tolerate them making the Apps look like their paper based counterparts, but please, PLEASE don't make me change the way I've worked since about 1990 by making me duplicate any doc before opening it just to avoid overwriting the original with any accidental (or otherwise) changes.

In other words, please reverse autosave (or let me turn it off). You can keep versions, i can see when it can be useful, providing you rewrite Versions to be file system agnostic.

 

[SomeSwede]

Yet another step in the wrong direction; to turn the Macintosh in to some sort of locked down iPod computer. I would not be surprised if we will have to jail break our Macs in five years time to actually do something useful on them.

I will stick to Snow Leopard (which to be honest was just a big service pack to Leopard) for as long as i can. Lion did not have any features i needed, and neither does SnowMountain Lion.

 

[h00ligan]

It's not locked down yet, even in ml.

My question is, are the signing certs free or paid for devs

 

[h00ligan]

Nonsense.
As customers, many of whom (like me) have spent over £100k or more on Apple products in the last 5 years, we are quite entitled to 'moan' about any changes we don't like - especially when they are not 'improvements' but simply extra apps bolted onto the OS.
Your argument might carry some weight if I could still run 10.68 on the new Macs, but I can't, so consequently every time Apple kills a feature of a previous OS in an 'update' (like Rosetta or colour finder/customisable icons) it has a very real impact on it's usability.
Something like the grey Finder icons for example is just change for changes sake and (at present), is irreversible.
Why they couldn't just give you a check box with an option to have the colour back? That would be the obvious and sensible route to have taken (and simple too) and would have kept ALL users (old & new) happy.
Instead it instantly alienates many users for no reason at all and makes using the OS more difficult.
Colour finder icons have been part of OSX since it's inception, so to suddenly remove them is VERY frustrating for people (like me) with poorer eyesight who found colour cues invaluable when navigating the OS.
Even all the icons in IOS are different colours for crying out loud!
Apple's vision is fine, but adding a load of 'apps' to an OS isn't an update.
If they build Garage Band or iWeb into the next incarnation of OSX, would that be an update?
How about if the changed the name of iWeb to 'Sites' and Garage Band to 'Music'?
That's basically what they have done with iCal and Address Book - hardly an update is it?
So yes, I and many others have every right to 'moan', as I've invested many years and tens of thousands of pounds in using their products.
To alienate me isn't 'progress' or an 'update' - it's foolish and arrogant.
The really frustrating thing is....its unnecessary too.
I'm all for progress - this isn't it.
This is unimaginative plagiarism of another operating system designed for miniature touch screen devices.

Very few customers have spent anywhere near that. A few corporations maybe. Not apples primary userbase, so that's ridiculous.

 

[DudeDad]

Nice icon Apple: Image

At least it doesn't have the BWD (blue wall of death)

 

[blow45]

After all these threads every time an OS comes out, I now understand why Apple follows their own vision forward and doesn't rely on it's old customer base of curmudgeons for input.

What a load of whining. Complain, wring hands and moan. Mark down any post that's positive about the new release.

For @#$%& sake, just keep using 10.1 or switch to linux already.

You are wrong, the criticism against the lions is without precedent in os x history, that's why they are getting pogue and grubber to propagandise by pre-releasing it to them, something they ve never done before.

 

[milo]

Nice icon Apple:

Which is completely irrelevant since that icon isn't used anywhere in the OS (looks like the name "gatekeeper" doesn't show up anywhere either). It's nowhere to be seen actually using the OS, looks like just something the marketing department cooked up.

 

[nuckinfutz]

Yet another step in the wrong direction; to turn the Macintosh in to some sort of locked down iPod computer. I would not be surprised if we will have to jail break our Macs in five years time to actually do something useful on them.

I will stick to Snow Leopard (which to be honest was just a big service pack to Leopard) for as long as i can. Lion did not have any features i needed, and neither does SnowMountain Lion.

What exactly do you need?

 

[JazzyGB1]

Very few customers have spent anywhere near that. A few corporations maybe. Not apples primary userbase, so that's ridiculous.

What???
Loads of customers have spent that and much more besides.
I'n not a corporation just a (small) family business.
However even for my modest needs I have 4 iMacs in my office (2 x 27", 2 x 21") running a Filemaker database, invoicing, printing etc and doing general admin tasks, 4 Macbook Pro's & 2 MacBooks for staff.
At home my wife has a 27" iMac for stationery design and a 17" MacBook Pro to show them to clients on the move and I have an 8 core Mac Pro for music and video editing and a 17" MacBook Pro for doing it on the move.
Just updating these every 2-3 years rakes up ten of thousands in sales for Apple,
so I am PRECISELY who Apple is targeting with their computers products (and iPhones for that matter) and have been for the last 20 years.
When laptops cost £1700 - £2200 each it's very easy to quickly spend tens of thousands on Apple computers without being some big corporation.
That you should allege I'm not Apple's 'primary user base' makes you sound like an idiot.
I might not be the rule, but I'm hardly the exception either.

 

[the8thark]

Uh... no.

#1. Complete deletion of Spaces/Expose. Unlike iOS devices, laptops are not really stressed for the storage capacity to hold both.

#2. Versions - there is no alternative.

For god's sake. These two things alone would cut the complaints by 75% IMO.

1. It's called creative destruction. You destroy the old to bring in the new and better. And the new mission control etc etc is way better.

2. Versions and autosave rock. It's pretty much the same as save and save as, just named differently. But with the addition of multiple back histories of your work.

If you hate Lion so much, go live with Snow Leopard. While the rest of us will move on and enjoy all the great benefits Lion and Mountain Lion will have.

 

[richard.mac]

I only just saw this, what a quick surprise! Love the notifications, like built in Growl, but for Apple apps!

Also not sure if this has been said, but I think Safari will get Google searching in the URL bar like Chrome, look at this image there's no Google search box.

 

[Luis Ortega]

Nice icon Apple: Image

You think Microsoft will sue them?

 

[wikus]

You said Apple added the following features that made OS X dumber:

(1) Launchpad: I told you that launchpad was entirely optional, so nothing about the overall experience had to be dumber.

Youre dead wrong on this one. Launchpad is *NOT* optional. Removing it from the dock menu does NOT disable it. You'll see why when you install an app from the app store; launchpad immediately opens up and does its own thing. Therefor: ITS STILL RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND.

Launchpad *is* useless to many of us, and those of us who are power users, we'd like to see a way to completely disable it and remove it for good, as it doesnt add any benefit from the numerous existing ways to organize shortcuts to our favourite applications.

 

[MacFan23]

Youre dead wrong on this one. Launchpad is *NOT* optional. Removing it from the dock menu does NOT disable it. You'll see why when you install an app from the app store; launchpad immediately opens up and does its own thing. Therefor: ITS STILL RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND.

Launchpad *is* useless to many of us, and those of us who are power users, we'd like to see a way to completely disable it and remove it for good, as it doesnt add any benefit from the numerous existing ways to organize shortcuts to our favourite applications.

Could you not simply ignore it?

 

[KnightWRX]

Youre dead wrong on this one. Launchpad is *NOT* optional. Removing it from the dock menu does NOT disable it. You'll see why when you install an app from the app store; launchpad immediately opens up and does its own thing. Therefor: ITS STILL RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND.

In 8 months of use of Lion, I have yet to even see Launchpad. It's quite optional, just like using the bash shell or Terminal or Activity Monitor is quite optional even if they are there.

Same as Versions. Versions is not forced on anybody, it's left to a developer to choose to implement Versions in there apps (some did), to implement it along Save/Save As or not to implement it at all. Give feedback to your software's vendor if you don't like how they've implemented it, but really, Save/Save As where you have to make save histories yourself using multiple document is inane compared to Versions' Autosave/Duplicate feature.

Could you not simply ignore it?

I don't even know why it's so hard for Wikus to ignore launchpad, seeing how he doesn't even use Lion.

It's just not there for me. I haven't seen it ever open on my Mac, nor do I wish to open it myself.

 

[JohnDoe98]

Youre dead wrong on this one. Launchpad is *NOT* optional. Removing it from the dock menu does NOT disable it. You'll see why when you install an app from the app store; launchpad immediately opens up and does its own thing. Therefor: ITS STILL RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND.

Launchpad *is* useless to many of us, and those of us who are power users, we'd like to see a way to completely disable it and remove it for good, as it doesnt add any benefit from the numerous existing ways to organize shortcuts to our favourite applications.

Define "power" user, for in my opinion, what is now dumb and useless in Lion is the Dock. I'd like to be able to remove the dock entirely without resorting to buggy tweaks. I find launchpad far more capable and powerful when used with mission control and hot corners or hot keys than the dock and various clunky "shortcuts". And if you really were a "power" user you wouldn't be resorting to the App store to get your software, in which case launchpad would be invisible to you.

 

[blow45]

I only just saw this, what a quick surprise! Love the notifications, like built in Growl, but for Apple apps!

Also not sure if this has been said, but I think Safari will get Google searching in the URL bar like Chrome, look at this image there's no Google search box.

Image

What's this they added colour cues after you click "the go to" a la ipad button in safari?

Much welcome, and of interest as well that they have started doing back flips according to what their user base has been saying...

As for the integrated search is a very, very welcome change as well.

----------

Same as Versions. Versions is not forced on anybody, it's left to a developer to choose to implement Versions in there apps (some did), to implement it along Save/Save As or not to implement it at all. Give feedback to your software's vendor if you don't like how they've implemented it, but really, Save/Save As where you have to make save histories yourself using multiple document is inane compared to Versions' Autosave/Duplicate feature.

No that is not the case, it's not optional on a per document basis in such os apps as text edit.