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XPensive?

Originally posted by Aditya
Not to mention the XP stands also for XPensive... :D

I hate MS as musch as the next Mac nut, but let's be real here: XP Professional is $199. OS X is $129. I've had XP for about a year now and MS isn't expecting me to buy an upgrade this year. I bought Jaguar at launch last August and Apple is expecting me to shell out another $129 for Panther. The initial cost of XP is greater, but spread over the 2-3 years between upgrades, it's not as expensive as keeping an up-to-date Mac.

Now I do use and love my mac more. Thus spending more on my mac is worth it. But am I not going to buy Panther. Until I see somehing that is worth the $129 to me. I saw it with Jag. I don't see it with Panther

-p
 
Meow.

Did the cat theme start as an internal build codename that got picked up by marketing, or was it marketing's thing all along? Either way, I actually wish they hadn't made the naming system public.

Excitable marketing executives never think these things through. If they're trying to set up a "wild cat" metaphor - well, the panther is the only large cat that can't roar. Is that what they want? To take OS X's roar away? And, if OS X versions are getting (one hopes) faster, the culminating version would have to be "Cheetah", and I don't think Apple is quite gutsy enough to use *that* name.

(Although it would be cool to have an advert showing a panther ripping its teeth into a Longhorn.)

Also, am I the only one who's shuddering at the horrible possibility that Apple may use, for the Panther launch, Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat"?

For the next round of codenames, I'm proposing that Apple use the names of H. P. Lovecraft's mythos - I for one would definitely buy an OS called "Cthulhu".

Matt
 
Hope they have enough. I'd hate to see them resort to naming their newest OS after house cats:rolleyes:
SJ: "I'd like to introduce our newest version of OSX. We're very proud of it. It takes the OS to a whole new level of user comfort. We're calling it Persian. We'll show you some if it today, but it won't be available for 8 months."
 
On Panther

Yeah the X logo looks goofy but I will disagree about the GUI I think it is sleeker.... Using Panther DP on my 12" PB and I like it.....

Oh and would I give 129$ for the upgrade .... After using it for a couple of weeks I would have to say yes. Great speed improvement (opening apps, drawing wins, responsiveness - WC3 runs quite a bit faster too), much better finder not even close to the previous one, Expose neat very very neat, iChatAV used it to talk with my family AWESOME if you have broadband, mail much better. These will do for me... a more refined product than jag....
 
Upgrade costs...

but let's be real here: XP Professional is $199. OS X is $129. I've had XP for about a year now and MS isn't expecting me to buy an upgrade this year. I bought Jaguar at launch last August and Apple is expecting me to shell out another $129 for Panther. The initial cost of XP is greater, but spread over the 2-3 years between upgrades, it's not as expensive as keeping an up-to-date Mac.

But try this with XP... Say if your mothboard goes on your homemade PC, and you have to replace. Well, you'll have to reinstall the OS, and give MS a call and plead with them to give you another Activation key.

I've had to reinstall XP a couple of times, and each time had to ask for a key from some MS dweeb on the phone. "Mr. Lee, why are you reinstalling Windows...", the tech asks..."Because it's a piece of crap that became unstable and couldn't be fixed without a reinstall. Now give me the damn key NOW!". Yes, that was the extent of my last call to these morons.

From what I understand, switching mobos will negate your OEM license and require you to buy a new copy.

Not so with Mac OS X...
 
Hmm...Yeah I wonder what hey are going to do after X. I would hope something like XI; but they might just go for 11.

I hope for the 11 or XI, whatever....I hope they don't start using dog names, I can imagine 11.5 Dachshund :p
 
dont they use greek mythology names as code names for a lot of the hardware?

i like the cat idea. easier to remember than a number, IMHO.
 
I think Apple will simply update the version number. For example, the CD for 10.2 says "Mac OS X version 10.2 Panther." So, Mac OS X version 11?
 
Re: The mac with nine lives

Originally posted by Sol
AU means Audio Units which is the name of the sound engine in OS X.

As for the feline names, I think Apple is on to a good thing; better than naming the operating system after a cow or bull, or whatever a 'Longhorn' is supposed to be.

Maybe if Apple ever makes a cut-down OS X for portable devices they could name it after domestic cats, for example, Siamese, Persian, Minx, etc.

The cat theme can even be integrated in the system sounds. Perhaps the start-up chime of Macs can be replaced with a roaring panther, jaguar, cougar, etc.

MS means Texas Longhorn, Roy Williams! He's gonna win the heisman this year and be the 1st pick in the draft next year!!!!!!!
 
Re: Meow.

Originally posted by slightly
Excitable marketing executives never think these things through. If they're trying to set up a "wild cat" metaphor - well, the panther is the only large cat that can't roar. Is that what they want? To take OS X's roar away? And, if OS X versions are getting (one hopes) faster, the culminating version would have to be "Cheetah", and I don't think Apple is quite gutsy enough to use *that* name.
...actually, OS X 10.0 was code-named "Cheetah".
Ironic, isn't it?
 
Re: The mac with nine lives

Originally posted by Sol
AU means Audio Units which is the name of the sound engine in OS X.

Close Sol, but alas, no cigar for you mein freund. CoreAudio is the OS X audio engine.

AU, on the other hand, is a 'plug-in' format. A plugin basically is an extension of the capabilities of the host program, in this case Logic 6, Soundtrack, or Digital Performer 4.1. It allows you, for example, to turn up the bass on your vocal and turn down the treble on your flute, or apply room ambience to your drums, or monitor your guitar's frequency response. The Video and Graphics guys have their equivalents. It also allows one to play a software synthesizer or sampler.

The beauty of plugins is that third party vendors can spend much more time perfecting their algorithms than Emagic or MOTU can. So quality (but along with it, total cost) rises. Some good examples of AU plugins are Elemental Audio's Equium and Firium (eq's), and Native Instruments B4 (a B3 emulation)

The most prevalent plugin format is Steinberg's VST (virtual studio technology, i think); does the same thing, its own way. The B4 comes also in this format. Those of us who are still stuck on Mac OS9 are there because the plugins we use daily are not yet available in AU format. And the ones that are available are not transferring the settings from songs created in Logic OS9 using VST's. So until this little hiccup has been cleared up, I'll be chiming in to my happy mac icon!

Mitzelplik
 
Greek names and conservation

Originally posted by Six
dont they use greek mythology names as code names for a lot of the hardware?

The only Greek name I can recall that was used in the computer world recently was Microsoft's 'Athens' prototype PC. The computer itself was little more than a G4 iMac rip-off and in my opinion was not worthy of the name.

The big-cat theme is good for Apple's image but I hope some of their profits will get donated to conservation causes. Today the threat of extinction hangs over all wild animals and since Apple is using these names it would only be fair to give something back to nature.
 
11...

Originally posted by gopy
I think Apple will simply update the version number. For example, the CD for 10.2 says "Mac OS X version 10.2 Panther." So, Mac OS X version 11?

That would be pretty dumb, considering "X" stands for 10, pronounced "ten" (Jobs said it himself)
 
Cite Jobs' pronunciation! LOL

Originally posted by fabsgwu
That would be pretty dumb, considering "X" stands for 10, pronounced "ten" (Jobs said it himself)

Don't you cringe when you hear "jag-wire" ???
 
Re: 11...

Originally posted by fabsgwu
That would be pretty dumb, considering "X" stands for 10, pronounced "ten" (Jobs said it himself)

Obviously it stands for ten. My point is that the "X" is more of a brand than an actual version number of the OS, differentiating it from the classic OS. If you read again my post, which you quoted without apparantly reading, I'm taking the version numbers from the CD. And, I remember a Wired article covering WWDC, and the Apple photo of the Panther CD actually *did* say "Version 11."
 
Re: 11...

Originally posted by fabsgwu
That would be pretty dumb, considering "X" stands for 10, pronounced "ten" (Jobs said it himself)

Heh, even the company I work for had an internal memo explaining that OS X should be pronounced OS TEN, Not OS Ex.

It's been an ongoing battle with people here at work and me. Whenever I hear people say OS Ex, I just blurt out "10!". Some people like to get snippy with me and argue about it, so I decided to put up a poster of Rocky IV at my cube with the following caption:

"This movie is Rocky Four, not Rocky EYE VEE"

;)
 
The Wired Pic

The pic was, by the way, courtesy of Apple.
 

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Re-using the same cat

Originally posted by MacBandit
Kind of funny they're going to reuse one cat twice. They've already used Puma and now they have Cougar registered. They're the same cat just a different regional name used here in the US.

So what? Panther and leopard is also the very same species.
 
Name of next Windows system

The unofficial feline nick-name for every Windows system since 3.1

*************
COPY-CAT
*************
 
Re: Re: 11...

Originally posted by gopy
Obviously it stands for ten. My point is that the "X" is more of a brand than an actual version number of the OS, differentiating it from the classic OS. If you read again my post, which you quoted without apparantly reading, I'm taking the version numbers from the CD. And, I remember a Wired article covering WWDC, and the Apple photo of the Panther CD actually *did* say "Version 11."

From the company press release for 10.0-->

"Jobs got more applause when he introduced Apple’s next-generation operating system, Mac OS X (“X” is pronounced “Ten”). "

point taken, however about it being a branding device. However, so is XP for Microsoft. And sometimes you have to move on; if we make it to 10.9, I'm sure we'll all be ready for a change. Z perhaps? Works for Nissan.
 
10 v. 11

I actually think Apple would move to 11, 12 etc. were it not for the great job they've done branding 'X'...

Somehow XI and XII don't look so great, not as instantly identifiable as X. Besides 10's a nice round number :rolleyes:
 
I think OS XI would work because OS X if Apple started saying OS eX, that way it would take the emphasis of the X being the number 10. It would take a long time to get people to say OS eX regularly, but then again, we have a lot of time-OS XI can't be a possibility for a long time. :)
 
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