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Early Mac OS X Leopard Notes and Observations

Installation went fine, about an hour start to finish. My 2c:

-- I hated the dock, but killed the 3D business using the terminal trick and now quite like the look.
-- I don't care for the transparent menu bar -- sky blue is not what I want all the time. Still need to figure out how to fix that, or just photoshop my desktop picture.
-- Time Machine, the big draw for me, turns out not to work with my SMB NAS drive.
-- Lost all my external monitor settings in the update-install, had to dig up SwitchResX to fix that.
-- The top bar of any selected window seems too dark for my taste -- I much prefer the color when the window isn't selected, it's more like how I had it with Uno back in Tiger. Also, the engraved-effect around the text (ie, the 1-pixel white highlighting) against the darker background makes the text look blurry.
-- Saft is gone; I'd forgotten how annoying ads were, and putting new tabs at the end of all my other tabs seems incomprehensible.
-- This I blame perhaps more on me than the OS, but when I was using spaces with an external monitor -- boy, what a muddle resulted after an hour or so. Command-tabbing seems by comparison so much easier, though I'm sure I'll get used to it.

On the plus side though, all of my applications seem to work, I like the web-clip widget function, and I love that I can shrink the grid spacing on the desktop -- now room for even more junk! And I'm looking forward to trying iChat, to see if they've finally gotten rid of that awful lisp-inducing audio compression.

Definitely the least exciting of three OSX updates I've experienced, I must admit.
 
maknik said:
Installation went fine, about an hour start to finish. My 2c:

-- I hated the dock, but killed the 3D business using the terminal trick and now quite like the look.
-- I don't care for the transparent menu bar -- sky blue is not what I want all the time. Still need to figure out how to fix that, or just photoshop my desktop picture.
-- Time Machine, the big draw for me, turns out not to work with my SMB NAS drive.
-- Lost all my external monitor settings in the update-install, had to dig up SwitchResX to fix that.
-- The top bar of any selected window seems too dark for my taste -- I much prefer the color when the window isn't selected, it's more like how I had it with Uno back in Tiger. Also, the engraved-effect around the text (ie, the 1-pixel white highlighting) against the darker background makes the text look blurry.
-- Saft is gone; I'd forgotten how annoying ads were, and putting new tabs at the end of all my other tabs seems incomprehensible.
-- This I blame perhaps more on me than the OS, but when I was using spaces with an external monitor -- boy, what a muddle resulted after an hour or so. Command-tabbing seems by comparison so much easier, though I'm sure I'll get used to it.

On the plus side though, all of my applications seem to work, I like the web-clip widget function, and I love that I can shrink the grid spacing on the desktop -- now room for even more junk! And I'm looking forward to trying iChat, to see if they've finally gotten rid of that awful lisp-inducing audio compression.

Definitely the least exciting of three OSX updates I've experienced, I must admit.
Click to expand...

I think you need to go back to Tiger. There's nothing about Leopard you like. You keep searching for haxies to change the new stuff Leopard offers. This upgrade is not for you, based on your post.
 
Draddy said:
hmmmm...I don't think that is the case with mine... I have the backups.backupdb on my external and I can still spotlight to stuff on that drive....
Click to expand...

Weird. Do you have backups.backupdb on the same partition as your other stuff? HFS+ formated? The privacy tab in the spotlight preferences is empty, so it can't be the problem. Please help.

EDIT: I had a folder called "Backup" on that external drive. Renaming it to something else solved the problem. I guess Spotlight knows to ignore the Backups.backupsdb folder and just ignores folders in the same direcotry that start with "Backup". Just a guess, but now it all works.
 
Anyone know how to activate this?

Hot Spots
Monitor up to ten different areas onscreen and be alerted when there’s a change. Then jump directly to any hot spot to investigate or take action.

Its supposed to be a Universal Access feature.

I think its been Yanked
 
Leopard Install First Impressions

I was psyched to get Leopard, but was a bit frustrated when I installed it. I was upgrading from 10.4 (latest)

- The install hung at the screen to choose install location. I had to hit the back button a couple of times and finally my HD appeared as a location.

- Once I got it installed, my user ID had lost all admin priveleges. I had to reboot in command line mode to fix it: see the following link (thanks Aussie_geek!) https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/375901/

- The install deleted all of my X11 settings. Maybe some Mac users don't care about X11 apps, but it was a bit annoying.

- The biggest issue in my opinion is that there is no longer Netinfo Manager! That tool was soooo useful and they took it away!? Hopefully a replacement will appear soon in an update.

A side effect from the loss of admin privs after the install resulted in the root account being disabled (or maybe they disabled it on purpose). With no NetInfo Manager you have to do it with CLI...

Enable root account in Leopard: open terminal (Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app) and type:

sudo passwd root

Then enter the password you want root to have and hit enter. It will ask you to re-enter the root password, so re-enter the password and hit enter. The root account is now enabled! :)

The absence of NetInfo Manager was a big surprise to me... I hope they come up with a replacement. For example, you can manually modify the hosts file via CLI, but you have to run several commands and edit particular files. With Netinfo Mgr it was easy...

Overall I think Leopard (compared to Tiger) is a little prettier, a little slower, a little more locked down, and I hope new updates come soon.

I just hope that Apple has not fallen into the MS model of releasing software before it is ready (aka 'service pack' model). These bugs are widely reported on the Web and should have been found by Apple's testers. As far as the absence of NetInfo Manager? Yeah, not sure what was going on in Stevo's mind there...

I'm going to stick with it though. I like the overall look. The bumps I mentioned above can be fixed. I'm hoping for updates and Apple seems to be pretty good about updating their stuff based on use feedback.


Keslux
 
keslux said:
I just hope that Apple has not fallen into the MS model of releasing software before it is ready (aka 'service pack' model). These bugs are widely reported on the Web and should have been found by Apple's testers. As far as the absence of NetInfo Manager? Yeah, not sure what was going on in Stevo's mind there...

I'm going to stick with it though. I like the overall look. The bumps I mentioned above can be fixed. I'm hoping for updates and Apple seems to be pretty good about updating their stuff based on use feedback.


Keslux
Click to expand...

Well when you consider that this is quite a major upgrade from Tiger it's sort of acceptable for things to not be perfect from the start. Yes I personally feel it was rushed since development stopped in favor of that stupid iPhone and our computing needs are suffering a bit from this but you can't say Apple is becoming MS. Overall Leopard runs very well when you think about all the new features it has. It's not just a pretty OS with gadgets like Vista. 10.5.1 will most likely be available by the end of November, unlike MS where they wait a whole year before a Service Pack update.
 
HLdan said:
Well when you consider that this is quite a major upgrade from Tiger it's sort of acceptable for things to not be perfect from the start. Yes I personally feel it was rushed since development stopped in favor of that stupid iPhone and our computing needs are suffering a bit from this but you can't say Apple is becoming MS. Overall Leopard runs very well when you think about all the new features it has. It's not just a pretty OS with gadgets like Vista. 10.5.1 will most likely be available by the end of November, unlike MS where they wait a whole year before a Service Pack update.
Click to expand...

Yes, I've had a few problems, but I think Leopard as a whole is very polished, and much more so than Tiger was at the beginning! :eek:<shudders>.
 
HLdan said:
I think you need to go back to Tiger. There's nothing about Leopard you like. You keep searching for haxies to change the new stuff Leopard offers. This upgrade is not for you, based on your post.
Click to expand...

Am I supposed to stay with Tiger until Cougar (or whatever) comes out? As the months go by, more and more software will require the current OS, as always. Better to figure out how to live in Leopard, I think, than put off the inevitable (and in any case, it would be a major pain in the ass to downgrade now). Lastly, please read the whole post before commenting on it: I clearly stated three things I liked about Leopard, and there are plenty more. But my main point was that, pros and cons alike, all these changes are pretty small potatoes.
 
maknik said:
Am I supposed to stay with Tiger until Cougar (or whatever) comes out?
Click to expand...

I agree with what you say - software requires the newer OS further down the line; so keep with the newer OS.

As for minor upgrades.

1) Spaces feels like I am running 4 different macs from one machine. This is awesome. My MacBook feels huge. And powerful. I was recording from eyetV in one space, surfing and chatting in another and doing work in my 3rd space.

2) Stacks - downloads are straight to an accessible place. More convenient is just dropping a folder in there and watching it either fan out or pop up in grid view. Time saved not trawling through the finder.

3) Safari seems snappier. It really does.

4) Mail is awesome.

5) Quicklook has already saved me minutes waiting for MS Word to load.

6) Excited about the future 10 updates :D
 
After using it for 24hrs I have to say that it feels like a solid OS.

Everyone has heard the good stuff here are my complaints....

Stacks - are cool but why cant I keep a regular folder in the dock? I dont want every folder in the dock to be a stack. The trash doesnt stack - and when there is nothing in a folder it just opens up a finder window?? Also from a usability stand point I dont think new users will make the connection that a documents stack and a the documents finder folder are the same thing. The limit of icons in grid view is a drag.

Address Book - where did the connect to bluetooth device go? Also, you cant right click on a number anymore and pull up the options 'dial' and 'send SMS' WTF - I thought they would ad this function to the iPhone connected to Leopard- not take it away from everyone. For those that don't know - you use to be able to connect to a cell phone from OSX via bluetooth from address book and any time you received a call it would display caller ID right in OSX, you could also dial a number on the cell right from address book and even send and receive SMS through your cell right from a pop up screen in OSX, it was awesome.

Folder Icons - I know this is minor - but really? blueish grey 2D folder icons? what is this 1987? EVERY icon is a folder - even the library icon - I cant tell them apart and they look so boring.
 
I am also wondering if I am doing something wrong or what here or apple forgot something? When I open finder window and I want to sort icons view, let's say by kind, I don't have an option "apply to all windows" anymore like it was in tiger. Now I have to set up every window I open. It is frustrating and time consuming. I totaly agree on icons limit in stacks - why, what os the point. At least we should have an opting tp scroll further.
 
ariza910 said:
Stacks - are cool but why cant I keep a regular folder in the dock? I dont want every folder in the dock to be a stack. The trash doesnt stack - and when there is nothing in a folder it just opens up a finder window??

Address Book - where did the connect to bluetooth device go? Also, you cant right click on a number anymore and pull up the options 'dial' and 'send SMS' WTF - I thought they would ad this function to the iPhone connected to Leopard- not take it away from everyone. For those that don't know - you use to be able to connect to a cell phone from OSX via bluetooth from address book and any time you received a call it would display caller ID right in OSX, you could also dial a number on the cell right from address book and even send and receive SMS through your cell right from a pop up screen in OSX, it was awesome.
Click to expand...

What's the difference of having a file folder in the dock and it becoming a stack? It should right? How else would you want to access the files in it?

I have had 3 bluetooth phones all of which had no functions disabled as some cell phone companies do and none of them have ever been able to connect to the bluetooth function in Address Book. All of my phones easily connected through iSync and I was able to sync my Address Book contacts and iCal events but I can see why Apple removed the Address Book bluetooth feature, it has hardly worked. Several of my friends had the same issue. We all wanted to use it for text messaging and no go. If it worked for you, you were one of the few.
 
HLdan said:
What's the difference of having a file folder in the dock and it becoming a stack? It should right? How else would you want to access the files in it?

I have had 3 bluetooth phones all of which had no functions disabled as some cell phone companies do and none of them have ever been able to connect to the bluetooth function in Address Book. All of my phones easily connected through iSync and I was able to sync my Address Book contacts and iCal events but I can see why Apple removed the Address Book bluetooth feature, it has hardly worked. Several of my friends had the same issue. We all wanted to use it for text messaging and no go. If it worked for you, you were one of the few.
Click to expand...

Worked perfectly with Sony Ericsson cell phones - my point was that we should have seen the Address Book bluetooth link feature extended to the iPhone - not removed all together. Why does apple feel like they need to remove features people have been using for years?

For those who want to see what it was like check out the following link.. dial from address book, send/receive SMS text, caller ID with option to send the incoming call to voice mail and/or respond with a text to say your busy etc. really awesome control over your cell.

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/wireless/2002/11/27/sms.html

My problem with stacks is the limit # of icons that can be displayed and lack of sorting within stacks - just want the option of having some folders in the dock act just like regular folders - no reason not to give people this option - again a feature that has been removed for no good reason.
 
Network In Finder

Just wondering if anyone has used Leopard in a large environment? I am interested to know how hundreds of networked systems are displayed in the Finder on the right hand side under SHARED? Do the devices get grouped by subnet like they did in the Clasic Chooser, or do you get a massive long list of shared systems?
 
RobMack said:
Just wondering if anyone has used Leopard in a large environment? I am interested to know how hundreds of networked systems are displayed in the Finder on the right hand side under SHARED? Do the devices get grouped by subnet like they did in the Clasic Chooser, or do you get a massive long list of shared systems?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about by subnet, but at my school, where there's a mixed Mac/PC environment, the Sidebar just lists the first 10 or so and then has a "More..." option. Connected servers/volumes appear at the top of the list.
 
ingenious said:
I'm not sure about by subnet, but at my school, where there's a mixed Mac/PC environment, the Sidebar just lists the first 10 or so and then has a "More..." option. Connected servers/volumes appear at the top of the list.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. I assumed that Apple would have some way of controlling the list but I was not sure how they would do it.
 
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