Apple Seeds OS X Snow Leopard Build 10A394 to Developers

[InkMaster]

Some of my findings...

• Whenever you activate expose, it brings all windows to your primary display only.
  
• Even if an app was on the secondary screen, it still moves it to the primary one when you switch to the 'all app windows' mode for that app
  
• When you click and hold on any icon in the dock for which app isn't running, you get the standard white menu.
  
• If you click and hold on an app which has windows open, it brings up the black menu.

 

[beg_ne]

Thanks for link to the vid supamario!

I'm really liking how the dock and expose updates are looking. A nice improvement over Leopard.

Only a few months more to wait...

 

[beg_ne]

That's not quite correct about windows. In addition to the small thumbnails which appear when you hover your mouse over an icon in the taskbar, when you then hover your mouse over one of those thumbnails you get a full screen preview of that particular window (aka aero peek).

See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFrlVTuekjE

I have to say I really really hate how fidgety that is. Having the thumbnails and the full screen preview activate just from a mouse over is horrible user experience design.

Also the Maximize, and Left/Right docking of windows has been nothing but a pain for me, it always engages when I just want to move a damn window out of my way.

 

[AdeFowler]

I installed the update and I agree, dock expose looks and works great. Expose is changed completely. When you go into expose mode you can click on the different apps to see the windows of that app. I particularly like that feature.

Do tabs in Safari 'expose', like in Windows 7 (Taskbar and IE)

 

[bryanzak]

I assume Rosetta is still part of Snow Leopard. So while SL won't run on PPC machines it'll still run older PPC apps and games as long as you're running on an Intel machine?

 

[InkMaster]

I assume Rosetta is still part of Snow Leopard. So while SL won't run on PPC machines it'll still run older PPC apps and games as long as you're running on an Intel machine?

Yeah, its an option install when you do a clean install (and upgrade if not mistaken) Also if you don't have it installed, from what I heard from other devs, though I haven't personally verified this, but they say that if its missing, SL automatically downloads and installs it if its needed for some app.

Do tabs in Safari 'expose', like in Windows 7 (Taskbar and IE)

No.

 

[Greenbook]

I have to say I really really hate how fidgety that is. Having the thumbnails and the full screen preview activate just from a mouse over is horrible user experience design.

Also the Maximize, and Left/Right docking of windows has been nothing but a pain for me, it always engages when I just want to move a damn window out of my way.

Yeah I think you are probably right. It looked quite amazing when I saw it previewed. I thought Windows 7 generally looked quite good, and thought that Microsoft had a good product on their hands. However I was underwhelmed/disappointed when I tried Windows 7 RC on my laptop. The whole thing seemed rather clunky to me (this was with full aero), and not as I had imagined it would be. My biggest gripe was the control panel, though that my have been due to my inexperience with it. I seemed to lead me around in circles a bit.

 

[cg0def]

I Want A Public Beta!!!

Apple is not in the habit of releasing unfinished products to the general public. And trust me when I tell you that SL is still not finished at all. There are some applications that do not work under 10.6 yet and Apple is giving the developers time to fix the issues so that you the end user are not going to suffer. Plus applications used to crash a lot in the previous release and that doesn't really look good for anyone. So no you do not want a public beta and unlike MS Apple actually has a very nice OS with 10.5 that you can use and love until 10.6 comes out.

 

[Oh-es-Ten]

Tap to Click?

Can anyone comment who is using 'tap to click' on a multi-touch trackpad?

I have a unibody Macbook (the model before it went Pro) and use tap to click for everything as the physical button is a bit hard to press and a little noisy.

At the moment, in 10.5 a tap and hold is just a tap! A two finder click brings up the contextual menu for the dock icon itself.

How can one initiate Dock Expose using tap to click? Someone mentioned that a two finger click would do it - can someone confirm that - would be great if it was as easy as that (without having to click 'physically' and hold).

 

[Greenbook]

Can anyone comment who is using 'tap to click' on a multi-touch trackpad?

I have a unibody Macbook (the model before it went Pro) and use tap to click for everything as the physical button is a bit hard to press and a little noisy.

At the moment, in 10.5 a tap and hold is just a tap! A two finder click brings up the contextual menu for the dock icon itself.

How can one initiate Dock Expose using tap to click? Someone mentioned that a two finger click would do it - can someone confirm that - would be great if it was as easy as that (without having to click 'physically' and hold).

Have you tried double tapping and holding?

EDIT: Just tried this in leopard on a unibody macbook, and provided you have tap and tab-dragging enabled, you get the same functionality as a hard click and hold. I see no reason why this wouldn't enable expose from the dock in Snow Leopard.

 

[elppa]

Btw, I really don't like those black pop up menus...I really preferred the white ones...

Disagree, think they look great. I suspect this is the beginnings of illuminous.

Dissapointing to read the menus are white when the app is not active… that is in no way consistent.

Window management is one place where OS X seriously lacks comparing to Windows. (Another is Finder).

I still think Windows Explorer interface is better than SL's Finder... actually, the XP implementation is the best, Vista messed up by trying to copy OS X's eye candy and made file selection a royal mess on the way. I haven't looked at Windows 7 yet.

Windows task bar is way way way easier than windows management in pre-SL OS X. With Dock Expose, finally it is as easy on Mac.

Taskbar is only easier if your used to it. If not the grouping behaviour in XP and Vista is confusing. I haven't used enough of seven to comment, but people used to 1 button == 1 window will be thrown.

Windows Explorer is better than the Finder in some areas and Finder is better in others. There's no QuickLook in Windows Explorer, nor do you have the useful column view. It's not all one way traffic. The path bar in Windows in nice though, especially how you can click on any folder in the path to see its contents.

I'm guessing (not certain) you are coming at it from the perspective of a user used to Windows. The first machine I used was a Mac and so that being the case I have a very different perspective.

Windows Apps tend to gravitate to being full screen, which for me irritating, because often on a Mac you can jump to a window that is peeking behind the active one. Also on a Mac you can quickly get rid of all the clutter with hide all and bring it back with show all. Because Windows and Linux Desktops don't have these great features, unless you are used to them many users new to the Mac don't understand or appreciate their value.

 

[DELLsFan]

"The update's description simply states that the new build contains fixes for stability, compatibility, and security."

I always chuckle when I see vague descriptions like this. I wonder if they coded something to make it harder for the Hackintosh community.

Here kitty kitty kitty ... come to my Mini!

 

[Quillz]

Windows Explorer is better than the Finder in some areas and Finder is better in others. There's no QuickLook in Windows Explorer, nor do you have the useful column view. It's not all one way traffic. The path bar in Windows in nice though, especially how you can click on any folder in the path to see its contents.

Quick Look is hardly a "must-have" feature. It's a gimmick, quite honestly. It has some uses, but oftentimes it's barely any quicker than just opening an application and viewing/editing the file.

Windows Apps tend to gravitate to being full screen, which for me irritating, because often on a Mac you can jump to a window that is peeking behind the active one. Also on a Mac you can quickly get rid of all the clutter with hide all and bring it back with show all. Because Windows and Linux Desktops don't have these great features, unless you are used to them many users new to the Mac don't understand or appreciate their value.

I don't know why you say this, because it's actually quite easy to tile/cascade/arrange Windows... windows. I rarely maximize in Windows because there's no need to. The taskbar gives you very simple options for cascading, stacking, tiling and other methods of arranging your windows. And in Windows 7, there is also the new "Aero Snaps" feature, which lets you have two documents fill up the entire screen real estate, which is useful for comparing and dragging and dropping.

 

[Quillz]

Okay, is there a reason I was able to get the update fine on my MacBook, but not on my iMac. I've tried four times now, and I keep getting an installation error, telling me the file (seed) doesn't exist...

 

[Greenbook]

Windows Explorer is better than the Finder in some areas and Finder is better in others. There's no QuickLook in Windows Explorer, nor do you have the useful column view. It's not all one way traffic. The path bar in Windows in nice though, especially how you can click on any folder in the path to see its contents.

Column view is without doubt the best.

 

[elppa]

Quick Look is hardly a "must-have" feature. It's a gimmick, quite honestly. It has some uses, but oftentimes it's barely any quicker than just opening an application and viewing/editing the file.

Not if you don't have the application. Quick Look does a good job with word and excel files. Documents which belong to Photoshop and other apps that take a long time to open are easier to QuickLook.

Files which you don't really open (like font files and vcards) are nice in quick look, before you add them to font book or address book. Previewing attachments which quick look saves time. Organising files is easier, because you can see the contents without switching context.

Just because you think it is gimmicky, doesn't mean that is the case for everyone. Gimmicky is transparent menu bar, Quick Look is a real boon.

Time Machine wouldn't work half as well without QuickLook either. If QuickLook is added to open/save dialogs, it would be even better.

Spring loaded folders is another feature which I find useful (not gimmicky) in Finder, which is just not there in Windows Explorer.

 

[Pooshka]

Wow, Apple seriously effed up Exposé with this one; I'm no longer able to view ALL open windows in ALL spaces simultaneously, nor am I able to move them around. WTF!!!!!!!!!!

 

[*LTD*]

Quick Look is hardly a "must-have" feature. It's a gimmick, quite honestly. It has some uses, but oftentimes it's barely any quicker than just opening an application and viewing/editing the file.

Quicklook is indispensable for previewing. In fact it's basically an image/dcoument viewer that is instant-on. It is FAR faster than opening an application. And this is doubly apparent when watching a movie using Quicklook.

I'm pretty surprised you think it's a gimmick. There are users that make extensive use of it.

 

[AidenShaw]

They are both very cool in their own way. I can definitely tell you that they are not the same. Dock Expose is all about taking the whole screen whereas W7 is more of tiny version of Expose contained in a very small window that shows up on top of the icon. Dock Expose also does not bring focus back if you try to drag stuff across Space or Dock Expose, HOWEVER, it does have quicklook working in both Dock Expose and Expose, so it does do what you said.

Everybody benefits from both OS.

In Windows 7 if you hover over the icon you see the thumbnail window, but if you then hover over one of the thumbnails you see that window fullsize onscreen in its actual position (all other windows fade to a shadow of the window frame).

I find this very handy if you need to look at a hidden window to check on something. For example, if you're replying to an email, you might need to check something on a web page that's hidden. Hover over IE, then hover over the appropriate web page and check the fact - then move the mouse away from the task bar and you're still in the email. Focus never changed.

One of the Dock Exposé descriptions sounded like it had a similar featue (the ability to see the full contents of another window without shifting focus and then having to shift focus back to the original window).

 

[jake921660]

I feel like an idiot.

I just tried to rub the dot in that first picture on the original post thinking it was something on my screen.

 

[wfarr]

I've noticed a really weird issue.

Typing in any text field in the operating system is making the "error" beep you usually get if say you try to type in a field that's too long or a window that's not focused.

Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[michele.longhi]

If QuickLook is added to open/save dialogs, it would be even better.

You'll be happy to know that in SL this feature is present. Edit: only for Open dialogs.

 

[Banyan Bruce]

new look dock...

hopefully they change the look of the dock. i know i'll feel incomplete without a new dock lol

A new dock would be the icing that would make this cake something really really special.

 

[applecultvictim]

Yeah I think you are probably right. It looked quite amazing when I saw it previewed. I thought Windows 7 generally looked quite good, and thought that Microsoft had a good product on their hands. However I was underwhelmed/disappointed when I tried Windows 7 RC on my laptop. The whole thing seemed rather clunky to me (this was with full aero), and not as I had imagined it would be. My biggest gripe was the control panel, though that my have been due to my inexperience with it. I seemed to lead me around in circles a bit.

Trust me it wasn't your inexperience, I ve been using windows for 15+ years and I still haven't figured it out, it's just a mess, a sordid mess and it gets farworse everyyear with menus and submenus and sidebars and all sorts of useless crap that can't make upgor a good interface.

 

[Detektiv-Pinky]

You'll be happy to know that in SL this feature is present.

Can you 'Quick Look' into Spotlight searches? That would be really helpful.

Or searching in documents openend in Quick Look...