Beyond OS X

[Eric S.]

None of that crap should be integrated into the OS; that's what applications are for.

I'm sure Apple is investigating next generation OS technologies, but I expect that will be several years away at minimum. And Apple isn't likely to talk about it until it's much closer to being real.

 

[GimmeSlack12]

We are like a bunch of ADD drama queens.

Haha, no man. That is called a teenager, no social networking required for this type of attitude.

 

[NT1440]

Haha, no man. That is called a teenager, no social networking required for this type of attitude.

It only makes it worse. Much much worse.

 

[GimmeSlack12]

Let's expand on this topic:

Mac OS Y
Cloud computing may or may not move things forward, but increased abilities in computers to be "touched" may eventually make the leap to the Home PC and the computer will evolve into a Pop-Up book of sorts. Where there is immediate tactile interaction with the computer as well as using our familiar inputs (i.e. keyboard and mouse).

These functions will not be based simply on a new OS, but a combination of OS and hardware. Big graphical interface changes are possible with faster computer processors and just as OS X introduced the Aqua interface (which is much more demanding than the old Classic Mac OS). Mac OS Y will be able to have outrageous graphical interfaces (outrageous to us now) that are to be installed on hardware that easily handles it.

 

[illegallydead]

Let's expand on this topic:

Mac OS Y
Cloud computing may or may not move things forward, but increased abilities in computers to be "touched" may eventually make the leap to the Home PC and the computer will evolve into a Pop-Up book of sorts. Where there is immediate tactile interaction with the computer as well as using our familiar inputs (i.e. keyboard and mouse).

These functions will not be based simply on a new OS, but a combination of OS and hardware. Big graphical interface changes are possible with faster computer processors and just as OS X introduced the Aqua interface (which is much more demanding than the old Classic Mac OS). Mac OS Y will be able to have outrageous graphical interfaces (outrageous to us now) that are to be installed on hardware that easily handles it.

This is much more likely to be the case than Facebook being part of the OS.
Finally, we may be returning to the original topic!

What do we think the next version will be called though? My vote is for OS XI, I think, although OS Y has an interesting ring to it as well...

 

[michael.lauden]

it might be cool to have a social network program running in dashboard or something - that can keep you updated on what programs you are using, what songs you are listening to, and what you're pretty much up to.

maybe it's because i wish boxee was OS X's main player and had more features packed into it

 

[NT1440]

Where is Tallest Skil? His posts of the future of OSX are great.

 

[175170]

None of that crap should be integrated into the OS; that's what applications are for.

I'm sure Apple is investigating next generation OS technologies, but I expect that will be several years away at minimum. And Apple isn't likely to talk about it until it's much closer to being real.

Agreed.
There isn't really a point of intergrating applications into the Operating System. That's what applications are for. Doing so would make it like one of those PCs. With all that trial software. Bloated.
The main problem here is that some people might not need all the media intergrated. For example, anybody using a Mac for work would have no use for all that stuff.

 

[175170]

This is much more likely to be the case than Facebook being part of the OS.
Finally, we may be returning to the original topic!

What do we think the next version will be called though? My vote is for OS XI, I think, although OS Y has an interesting ring to it as well...

Cloud computing sounds interesting.
But then again, the question is if the majority of people will want it.
OS Y sounds like some kind of cheesy Windows 7ish name. I personally think it should just stay with XI, as that's how it's always been.

 

[GimmeSlack12]

What do we think the next version will be called though? My vote is for OS XI, I think, although OS Y has an interesting ring to it as well...

Eh, the name isn't a big deal to me. And could you have predicted OS X versions would be referred to as Cat names? Yeah, good luck on guessing what Apple will use next.

Apple has a surplus of money right now. Maybe they're in house experimenting with some crazy ****?

 

[NT1440]

Eh, the name isn't a big deal to me. And could you have predicted OS X versions would be referred to as Cat names? Yeah, good luck on guessing what Apple will use next.

Apple has a surplus of money right now. Maybe they're in house experimenting with some crazy ****?

I'd predict, with nothing to back it up, that they move on to snake names in OSXI, but like they said at their keynote, OSX is going to be around for a long time.

 

[illegallydead]

Apple has a surplus of money right now. Maybe they're in house experimenting with some crazy ****?

Oh, I have no doubt they are doing some crazy sh*t. Too bad we will have to wait so long to see even a small small slice of what they may be playing with

 

[Eric S.]

What do we think the next version will be called though? My vote is for OS XI, I think, although OS Y has an interesting ring to it as well...

I thought the X in OS X (and I know it's pronounced "oh ess ten") was also an allusion to Unix and NeXT. In which case "OS Y" seems like the wrong path, and even "OS XI" isn't very inspired by comparison.

In any case, whatever "OS next" is called, we have to think of it as just as much of a transition as OS 9 -> OS X. In other words it will be a major change with a lot of associated dislocation. But I really don't see Apple moving beyond the Mach/Unix base for a long time.

 

[DR_K13]

Please no social networking crap. Not everyone is into that stuff. I cant stand it , that and reality tv. Talk about dumbing down the world.

 

[synth3tik]

How in the hell would pushing social networking into the OS be functional to anyone other then people socially networking.



I think you may need to delete you myspace and facebook and go outside. Chances are it is a really nice day outside. Go and experience what it is like to talk with people on the real.


Also come up with a good reason for social networking to be part of the OSes functions.

 

[Razeus]

Consumer based OS's are becoming less irrevlent each year. All you need is a stable OS (Leopard, XP, Vista) and the ability to connect to the interent. The web browser IS THE FUTURE OF THE OS. All the latest technologies are being developed for the browser and will continue to be the dominant software of the internet.

 

[Eric S.]

Consumer based OS's are becoming less irrevlent each year. All you need is a stable OS (Leopard, XP, Vista) and the ability to connect to the interent. The web browser IS THE FUTURE OF THE OS. All the latest technologies are being developed for the browser and will continue to be the dominant software of the internet.

That's not true at all; browser development is only one part of the picture. There are lots of applications that don't even involve the browser. The OS is about managing compute, storage, graphics, networking resources, etc., and providing APIs for developers of all applications, not just browsers, to take advantage of.

 

[Malfoy]

If social networking becomes part of the OS itself, I will personally stick with SL until I can no longer go on.

I HATE what facebook, myspace, twitter, etc has done to my generation. We are like a bunch of ADD drama queens.

such strong emotion towards the drama queens.

 

[iMacmatician]

Let's expand on this topic:

Mac OS Y
Cloud computing may or may not move things forward, but increased abilities in computers to be "touched" may eventually make the leap to the Home PC and the computer will evolve into a Pop-Up book of sorts. Where there is immediate tactile interaction with the computer as well as using our familiar inputs (i.e. keyboard and mouse).

These functions will not be based simply on a new OS, but a combination of OS and hardware. Big graphical interface changes are possible with faster computer processors and just as OS X introduced the Aqua interface (which is much more demanding than the old Classic Mac OS). Mac OS Y will be able to have outrageous graphical interfaces (outrageous to us now) that are to be installed on hardware that easily handles it.

Bingo. I'm pretty sure something like this will happen.

 

[MasterNile]

How is it ridiculous? Everything that is posted on Facebook belongs to Facebook to do with as Facebook wants--in perpetuity.

But they do not force you to post anything to Facebook, that's why it's ridiculous. As illegally said, it would not be mandatory that everything you do be posted to Facebook, you would still have a choice on what you want posted.

 

[NT1440]

such strong emotion towards the drama queens.

I'm just sick of people at school bitching about how the layout of facebook changed and seeing every news hour having a twitter segment.

 

[Boneoh]

Consumer based OS's are becoming less irrevlent each year. All you need is a stable OS (Leopard, XP, Vista) and the ability to connect to the interent. The web browser IS THE FUTURE OF THE OS. All the latest technologies are being developed for the browser and will continue to be the dominant software of the internet.

I disagree. The browser is an application. The OS controls the computer and it's resources, h/w + s/w. Parts of the OS interact with the internet as needed, but generally only as needed and at a low level. Network services, etc. need to understand the protocols.

MS pushed real hard to convince folks that the browser "had" to be part of the OS. It pushed Netscape out of the browser arena and limited competition in the browsers for years. MS lost that battle in the EU. Despite the efforts of MS to entangle the browser into the OS, future versions of Windows will be required to allow IE to be uninstalled, at least in the EU. Here is a link to a related article:

http://mashable.com/2009/01/19/eu-internet-explorer/

 

[MasterNile]

That's not true at all; browser development is only one part of the picture. There are lots of applications that don't even involve the browser. The OS is about managing compute, storage, graphics, networking resources, etc., and providing APIs for developers of all applications, not just browsers, to take advantage of.

I think Razeus is speaking of the future state of computers and you're talking about the current state of computers. Like right now there are lots of applications that don't involve the browser, in the future that may not necessarily be true. If something like 'the Grid' was to become the new broadband it would easily be possible to edit even HD video in the cloud.

 

[armoguy94]

With SL just around the corner, what I'm surprised about is the total lack of knowledge about the direction of the Mac operating system beyond the next release.

My view is that its time for Apple to take it to the next level. What do I mean by this - I mean that Apple should seriously consider being the first operating system to embrace social networking - by fulling building out and integrating social networking into their operating system and apps.

The own a mobile platform for mobile distribution. They own some of the best content addition/modification tools in the world with iLife. They provide email. They have great deals with music and entertainment providers. And they are collecting great data on users of iLife, iWork, and iPhones. Why not use all this to their advantage and create an operating system that truly integrates the social graph right into all their apps and OS?

Apple has never been afraid of not being the first to a industry. In fact, I think the lesson Apple has learned is that it doesn't always pay to be the first mover into an industry. What Apple has figured out that Facebook, Myspace and the rest have not - how to monotize things.

Apple could seriously take on Facebook if they truly wanted to. With their experience in UI, UX - they could become the winner in this field very quickly.

Thoughts?

Wtf. I would leave Facebook immediately upon Apple purchasing it. They would probably put a yearly charge to use it, would start making their own marketplace for it and have paid apps to install to your profile, would make it less usable to people who don't own macs, etc.

 

[Eric S.]

I think Razeus is speaking of the future state of computers and you're talking about the current state of computers. Like right now there are lots of applications that don't involve the browser, in the future that may not necessarily be true. If something like 'the Grid' was to become the new broadband it would easily be possible to edit even HD video in the cloud.

I see what you're saying. In fact I've seen this debate in many forms for 30 years or more: is it better to do processing locally or in a central location? This has gone in cycles and taken many forms, from timeshared minicomputers vs. microcomputers on your desk, to X terminals vs. a networked topology of individual computing nodes, to thin clients with compute servers vs. a network of laptops and desktops. The "cloud" is only the latest incarnation of the central computing resource. But there will always be utility to local processing, and traditional OS technologies are not going to disappear in the foreseeable future. Just wait till the first time you try to edit that video in the cloud in time to meet a deadline and find that the broadband connection is down.