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Is Snow Leopard really Snore Leopard?

elgrecomac

elgrecomac

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 15, 2008
1,163
162
San Diego
I have to tell you, I have read the threads about Snow Leopard and I just can't get excited about it. I am now calling it Snore Leopard. Why?

Well..

It has all the trappings of a big dot release, not evolutionary or revolutionary, just some 'stuff' that may speed up my Mac...gee, sounds like Win 7 to me. You know, lots of marketing buzzwords, some hype thrown in but no 'Ohh!" or 'Ahh!' that Apple is famous for. Instead we are being asked to buy a "Futures":
-------------
“A Quantum Leap”. No solace required. Billed as changing it’s focus, “taking a break from adding new features” and building on Leopard

* Delivering “a new generation of core software technologies” to
- streamline Mac OS X
- enhance Mac OS X, including improving quality.
* Reduce the OS footprint
* Out-of-the-box support for Microsoft Exchange 2007 built into Mail, Address Book, and iCal (using the Exchange Web Serices protocol).
* “Grand Central”
– A set of technologies to improve performance
- Makes “all of OS X multi-core aware”
- Optimises Mac OS X it for “allocating tasks across multiple cores and processors”
- Helps developers, by making it easier for them to create programs that can effectively use the power from multiple cores and processors.
* Extension of 64-bit technology in Mac OS
- Allowing up to a theoretical 16TB maximum of RAM (No word on what type)
* Quicktime X
- Streamlined platform for modern media and internet.
- Optimised support for modern codecs
- More efficient media playback
* Through Safari, delivering fast Javascript (e.g. implementing this through MobileMe)
* OpenCL (Open Computing Language)
- A language to help developers use the power of GPUs (graphics processing units) and redirect it for general purpose computing.
- In other areas, OpenCL is akin to GPGPU.
* ZFS - Not mentioned on the normal SL page, but confirmed for the SL Server edition here
- Read & write support for the 128-bit ZFS file system
- Features such as storage pooling, data redundancy, automatic error correction, dynamic volume expansion, snapshots.
----------
I'm still Snoring, unfortunately. Out of the box support for MICROSOFT(?)(!) Exchange, wow. Welcome to 2005.

Now, if, on the other hand, Snore Leopard allowed my spring 2008 MBP to access and support 8GB of ram, well, now I could get excited about that.

Just one man's opinion...

:rolleyes:
 
I love your name for it but I have to disagree. I think Snore Leopard is really just a step toward the next generation of computing and "cloud" integration. It's not reinventing the operating system, just improving it and making it more usable with current technologies/computing techniques.

Who knows, maybe we'll see something new and unexpected. Maybe not. Likely not.
 
* Extension of 64-bit technology in Mac OS
- Allowing up to a theoretical 16TB maximum of RAM (No word on what type)
Click to expand...
Usually it's of the random access variety. Sequential access memory tends to be a bit slow.

Just because you don't actually see anything immediately doesn't mean it's not a huge release. They are adding a large amount of under-the-hood updates which, personally, I'm very excited for; especially (better) ZFS support. You'll just have to wait for everyone to start using them.
 
Apple never said it was going to be a big upgrade. This is a fix the foundation for the next 5 years sort of upgrade. Sorry if it does not excite you to no end.

I for one am happy apple is taking this version as a breather, fixing and improving the house before adding more floors to it in later years...

Snore Leopard?

No. Snore Thread.
:rolleyes:
 
The question is raised, what would you like to see. 1) A lot of flash and trash like Microsoft has done and will do with all of the new OS's they have come out with or 2) an OS that may not look appealing on the outside but does a great deal to stability and security on the inside.

Me, I want option #2. I can use third party apps to give me the flash and trash I want. I'm looking forward to 10.6 to be more stable and more security minded (not saying that Leopard is not, I have had almost zero issues with the current OS). Sorry to anyone who thinks Win 7 is turning out to be great but it's the same old Microsoft that will do the same old thing. Make it look great and appealing on the outside but does nothing to fix the inside. IMHO
 
Ah, see how jaded we get when we expect revolutions, not evolutions every time?

Dont worry, there will be a few goodies for those of you who dont get excited without handed new toys. Perhaps a new look (marble).
 
Geez, it's a computer operating system. You're not meant to be 'excited' by it. Besides, Apple has long been claiming this one will be for stability and performance enhances.

I think you just posted this because you wanted to say 'Snore Leopard'.
 
Well, lets set the record straight...

First, Snore Leopard was an after thought. Originally I titled the thread Snow Leopard = Win 7.

Second, as for 'being uninformed', the section in the middle of my original post was directly from this forum's overview thread on Snore Leopard.

Third, this forum SLAMS Microsoft for its hype of Vista to Win 7, you know stability, security and performance.....and now Apple is doing the same as Microsoft: chatting up a performance service pack touting stability, security and performance, dare I call it...OS X SP 6...just like Microsoft?

Fourth, what I would like Apple to do is to talk about how this service pack, SP 10.6, will, improve our overall experience in the future...you know, open up the curtains so we can get a peek at what this will mean to us in the near future in practical terms .

:eek:
 
elgrecomac said:
Second, as for 'being uninformed', the section in the middle of my original post was directly from this forum's overview thread on Snore Leopard.
Click to expand...

So you opened up a new thread to post your comments about another thread?
I can't decide whether you're a troll or a drama queen.

Seriously, read the rules, post in existing threads, don't start a new one just to show everyone how clever you think you are.
 
elgrecomac said:
First, Snore Leopard was an after thought. Originally I titled the thread Snow Leopard = Win 7.

Second, as for 'being uninformed', the section in the middle of my original post was directly from this forum's overview thread on Snore Leopard.

Third, this forum SLAMS Microsoft for its hype of Vista to Win 7, you know stability, security and performance.....and now Apple is doing the same as Microsoft: chatting up a performance service pack touting stability, security and performance, dare I call it...OS X SP 6...just like Microsoft?

Fourth, what I would like Apple to do is to talk about how this service pack, SP 10.6, will, improve our overall experience in the future...you know, open up the curtains so we can get a peek at what this will mean to us in the near future in practical terms .

:eek:
Click to expand...

Now I do apologize for this kind of reply, but are you really that stupid?

Apart from the fact that several people hear have explained briefly why Snow Leopard is important as an update, you clearly refuse to investigate the points put forward yourself any further.

You've completely bypassed, ZFS, OpenCL, Grandcentral et, al., information that is already readily available and spoken of at lengths as to why these technologies are being implemented and are clearly targetting exactly what this release isn't.

Though not said, but completely implied and evidently heavily in your mind, you are looking for some kind of Magical update with all this wonderful new toys to play with. It's just not going to happen. No one has ever made that claim not even Apple. Snow Leopard is a Service Release, but unlike your continued comparison to Microsoft and their service packs for an individual operating system, Snow leopard is a service release for Apple computing as a whole!

If you want some kind of insight into what Snow leopard is and what it'll mean to lazy people like you. Then you'll never find out, because we can explain at length with evidence and articles, and you simply won't read them.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...ard_twice_the_ram_half_the_price_64_bits.html

If you want some kind of starting point. The rest is up to you. I'm not, nor should anyone else be here to do your legwork for you.

Once again, to the rest of the community, apologies for the general ill-nature of this post, but I'm speaking on exactly what I think is happening here.
 
hmmm...I've seem to have hit a nerve here.

From the top...
1. I have read the posts... in detail including this one. In fact this forum and Appleinsider both are peppered with 10.6 vs Win 7 threads.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/511801/

and I read everything here:
http://www.appleinsider.com/topics/Mac_OS_X_10.6.html


2. I have not done any name calling('stupid', drama queen', "troll")...in reference to 'rules' we are to adhere to.... I am asking a very basic question: what is the big deal here? It seems like it is Vista to Win 7 just in a different skirt.

3. What I would like is a list of real-world, end-user facing, features that it will provide, both now and a glimpse at how it will impact the end-user experience in the future. It will help everyone when we are asked to spend money to do an OS upgrade later this year.

Instead of name calling, how about please answering item 3 for me...point me to a thread that has that info in it.....
:confused:
 
Snow Leopard is neither boring nor insignificant

I think the OP doesn't realize that all of the stuff he listed is both major and interesting in several ways. To address just a couple of items...

First, the amount of careful development that goes into integrating things like OpenCL and Grand Central are very great. They allow what used to be sequential processes in the OS and third party apps to be broken into independently executable parallel threads. That's major.

Parallel computing is far from easy, in the most straightforward context.
Producing an API or library that's efficient enough for the OS to use and solid enough for App developers to use - and which can take advantage of both conventional processors and GPUs - is a truly large effort.

The gains in performance on existing hardware - both multi-processor and multi-core - will be significant. You will likely notice improved responsiveness in any machine manufactured in the past couple years.

The other things may seem unimportant, or un-sexy, but they are as evolutionary as the other changes Apple has made: from Motorola to PowerPC processors, from System 7 through 8 and 9 to OS X, and from single PowerPC processors to multiple Intel multi-core processors.

Really, you should give Apple some credit. They're moving forward, and laying foundations for the future.
 
You know, I'm all for getting fancy new stuff for the end-user, but laying groundwork is very important too. I know that that is what they said about Leopard as well, but this is an extension of it. Hopefully all the little bugs are ironed out, we get better multitouch support and the like. Maybe something to clean up all the little things left over from older operating systems that don't need to be here any more.

I think one exciting thing is removing PPC support - this will 'officially' clear out some space from apps!

It may be dull, but not unimportant.
 
Just because you don't get any glittery stuff like QuickLook or the 3D glass Dock, etc doesn't make it boring. The next generation of OSes focuses on using multiple core processors, and tapping the GPU's power. Windows 7 is missing that crucial point.
 
elgrecomac said:
3. What I would like is a list of real-world, end-user facing, features that it will provide, both now and a glimpse at how it will impact the end-user experience in the future. It will help everyone when we are asked to spend money to do an OS upgrade later this year.

Instead of name calling, how about please answering item 3 for me...point me to a thread that has that info in it.....
:confused:
Click to expand...

Item 3 is explained in excruciating detail in the snow leopard thread you linked to. Grand Central APIs allowing developers to better us multiple CPUs, 64bit OS allowing more memory and larger data structures to be used by programs, the outdated quicktime API being rewritten from the ground up allowing faster easier multimedia, OpenCL, a language for accessing the GPU for heavy duty proccessing.

That's all covered on the first page of the thread, the one you cut and pasted your list from, if you'd read the rest of the 9 pages you would understand what 10.6 is about.

If you'd really wanted answers you would have posted in that thread, but then you wouldn't have been able to show your snarky little title.
 
Ok unless you've tried Snow Leopard (I have not just to throw that out there) I don't think you should be throwing praise out for it just yet because it seems like you're talking out of opinion rather than experience.

To the OP perhaps Snow Leopard won't be a revolution, at least as most end users see it. However in theory I see where this is going, Snow Leopard opens a lot of doors for other products, with the new smaller footprint and multi touch ability, a tablet or netbook are much more likely.

Just remember, don't drink the kool-aid, even these people that are praising SL will probably tell you to wait till at least 10.6.5 (or at least 10.6.2) till it's really stable, and perhaps soon there after 10.7 will come out with all the ability of 10.6 plus the 'revolution' you are looking for and you can save yourself an estimate $129 by making the jump from 10.5 to 10.7.
 
elgrecomac said:
I have to tell you, I have read the threads about Snow Leopard and I just can't get excited about it. I am now calling it Snore Leopard. Why?

Well..

It has all the trappings of a big dot release, not evolutionary or revolutionary, just some 'stuff' that may speed up my Mac...gee, sounds like Win 7 to me. You know, lots of marketing buzzwords, some hype thrown in but no 'Ohh!" or 'Ahh!' that Apple is famous for. Instead we are being asked to buy a "Futures":
-------------
“A Quantum Leap”. No solace required. Billed as changing it’s focus, “taking a break from adding new features” and building on Leopard

* Delivering “a new generation of core software technologies” to
- streamline Mac OS X
- enhance Mac OS X, including improving quality.
* Reduce the OS footprint
* Out-of-the-box support for Microsoft Exchange 2007 built into Mail, Address Book, and iCal (using the Exchange Web Serices protocol).
* “Grand Central”
– A set of technologies to improve performance
- Makes “all of OS X multi-core aware”
- Optimises Mac OS X it for “allocating tasks across multiple cores and processors”
- Helps developers, by making it easier for them to create programs that can effectively use the power from multiple cores and processors.
* Extension of 64-bit technology in Mac OS
- Allowing up to a theoretical 16TB maximum of RAM (No word on what type)
* Quicktime X
- Streamlined platform for modern media and internet.
- Optimised support for modern codecs
- More efficient media playback
* Through Safari, delivering fast Javascript (e.g. implementing this through MobileMe)
* OpenCL (Open Computing Language)
- A language to help developers use the power of GPUs (graphics processing units) and redirect it for general purpose computing.
- In other areas, OpenCL is akin to GPGPU.
* ZFS - Not mentioned on the normal SL page, but confirmed for the SL Server edition here
- Read & write support for the 128-bit ZFS file system
- Features such as storage pooling, data redundancy, automatic error correction, dynamic volume expansion, snapshots.
----------
I'm still Snoring, unfortunately. Out of the box support for MICROSOFT(?)(!) Exchange, wow. Welcome to 2005.

Now, if, on the other hand, Snore Leopard allowed my spring 2008 MBP to access and support 8GB of ram, well, now I could get excited about that.

Just one man's opinion...

:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I completely agree. Sounds boring as hell.
Only thing that can save it is a new interface, like that 3D thing they pattented recently.

I really think an update that just improves performance should be free, and installed via the update function.
 
Ramius said:
I completely agree. Sounds boring as hell.
Only thing that can save it is a new interface, like that 3D thing they pattented recently.

I really think an update that just improves performance should be free, and installed via the update function.
Click to expand...

I hope you're being sarcastic... :confused:

OP, we can't give you a point-for-point list of Snow Leopard's improvements. Apple hasn't told us anything, and the people with the beta aren't allowed to say anything.

You'll just have to wait six months like the rest of us to see whether or not it is worth the $129 it will cost.
 
Look elgrecomac, you are posting in a forum where hundreds of people post frantically whenever Apple releases anything short of a two button mouse. You have to understand the mentality of people here.

Snore Leopard is definitely not a Quantum Leap of any kind. That's just pure Apple marketing bull. I'll put this in car terms.

OS X is the Lamborghini Countach

Robust, next gen, completely new things with swing up doors, but very angular and performance not so great

OS X 10.1 is the Countach with a much better engine

V12 engine optimized slightly but looks still angular yet revolutionary

OS X 10.2 is the Lamborghini Silhouette

Sexier and more curvaceous with a new V8 engine, more optimized

OS X 10.3 is the Lamborghini Diablo

Now much more refined, smoothed out design, more powerful V12 engine

OS X 10.4 is the Lamborghini Murciélago

This thing is just screaming... looks sexy as hell, completely new engine, yet same V12 design... this car screams of curves and attention

10.5 is the Reventon

Now this car feels like a workhorse. Feels like its meant for something. The interior is redesigned and the exterior is given a militaristic facet look. Very stunning and masculine.

10.6 is the Reventon with new internals

It's super light weight, super efficient, keeps all the great things of the original Reventon and adding a slew of new under the hood features. You won't see if if you look at it but at the helm, you feel the power. You feel the different an all carbon fiber design does to a car. Traction control is improved and you feel the car turning to your very touch. Everything feels faster, snappier, tighter. All in all, it's a completely different car.

On the outside, you're still driving a Reventon. On the inside, you're having so much fun. The new Reventon makes the old one look fat and bloated, slow and retarded. But it's still the same shell.

How can you not get excited at this?
 
wankey said:
Snore Leopard is definitely not a Quantum Leap of any kind. That's just pure Apple marketing bull.
Click to expand...

Actually, the literal meaning of "quantum leap" is the smallest possible leap. Not quite sure why it's been corrupted in everyday language as meaning "absolutely amazing staggering forward step". The literal meaning would seem to suit SL perfectly, though.
 
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