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Jobs: Leopard Will Anchor Product Schedule For A Decade
- Thread starter kjs862
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So if you stop making monthly payments, Apple will change its slogan to "It Just Doesn't Work"? Sorry, a subscription model just isn't going to happen for OS X.(7) This will be the last system Apple distributes openly. Users will be charged a monthly fee and will get monthly updates of the system without notice. It will just work and when there is a new feature it will tell you if necessary.
You wish ...
I hope so too but, unfortunately, iPods (and iPhones) will still be a major priority for Apple for years to come...
Yes, but the Ubuntu developers have the sense to make LTS editions of the OS, realizing that major updates at six months intervals (for free software at that!) can be burdensome for users, and a bit risky. I recall that people upgrading from 6.06 to 6.10 encountered quite a number of problems, and that's the sort of thing that happens with frequent release cycles.
The primary reason for new OS releases should be major feature additions, major bug fixes, and major new hardware support. Ubuntu has a large incentive to release frequent update, the Linux kernel has to support a very wide range of hardware, and it is updated frequently. These updates to the kernel coincide with the frequent and ever-expanding range of hardware devices for PCs.
Mac OS X is targeted solely at Apple hardware - the range of necessary hardware support is much more limited. Most Apple computers can't have their sound or video cards upgraded, so supplying drivers for obscure pieces of hardware isn't a problem the OS X developers have to worry about. Apple's going to obtain the drivers along with the hardware that they themselves put into the machine before it reaches the consumer. To re-emphasize my point, this is quite a different matter for Linux which does not develop its own hardware.
People can't always upgrade to a new OS X - Apple contrasts the behavior of Linux by dropping support for older hardware with its OS releases - this is not good for people who seek longevity from their machines. Most of the applications I use right now require Tiger for their latest versions - Panther users w/o firewire ports are stuck where they are, unless they want to spend $600+ on a new machine. I can imagine that within a year and a half most of my regular applications will require Leopard, which leaves-out G3 users and sub-800 something G4 users.
I'd imagine that 10.6 will drop G4 entirely, then 10.7 will drop G5 - I'd guess 10.8 will drop non-64 bit processors (so long Core 1 (Duo) users), but that's a ways in the future, though I imagine most people can see this happening. Some of this seems rather pointless, and simply malicious. Leopard is built on a foundation that ran perfectly fine on G3 hardware, and Apple seems to drop hardware support for the sake of it. I may be wrong, but I haven't seen any technical reason given to drop support on G3. It's just
's way of enticing people to upgrade their hardware.I love OS X, and I love the applications it runs, but two years from now, if I were a G3 user, I'd almost be forced to switch to Linux so I could have an OS capable of running the latest software.
Note: I am not a G3 user, my first Mac was an iBook G4 1.4ghz, and I currently have a MacBook C2D.
They were very clear about taking precautions when updating to 6.10 and I believe that was part of the moniker edgy eft. So unless you didn't pay attention to the warnings on the site you would stick with 6.04 until a more stable and supported version came out.
I think leopard qualifies as a major update. More so than ubuntu 6.04 to 6.10. The majority of 6.10 was under the hood.
I guess I'm supposed to make the assumption that you're saying there's no excuse for Apple not to support legacy hardware since Ubuntu supports such a plethora of hardware? Is that what you're saying?
Well the last G3 based computer which Apple released was based on the IBM 750FX and that was in 2002. That's 5 years ago. I understand what your saying, it would be nice to buy a computer and have it last forever, but things change. Just think if you could run leopard on your Mac Plus. Damn.. sweet. The improvements made to OS X have higher requirements, that's just the way it is. As I said, you don't have to upgrade the OS.
Well your conspiracy theory may be correct - I'm not mocking you. However, if you look at the requirements for iChat a/v then you might be able to answer your question. I think core graphics will play a huge role in that update as well.I may be wrong, but I haven't seen any technical reason given to drop support on G3. It's just
The latest linux software from who? Are you planning on running WINE on a PPC G3 or just some other software?
Not sure why you put up the stink about legacy software with regards to the G3. It's a dead platform for the PC. I have a PowerBook G4 1.5ghz and everything ran fine until I updated to Adobe CS3. So Apples software wasn't causing me grief, it was third party software.
I agree - but that's irrelevant to my point.
No, my main point here is to criticize your argument of: "Hey, Ubuntu makes releases every six months, why shouldn't Apple be able to do it every twelve to eighteen?!" Apple doesn't need to keep upgrading its OS to support a plethora of hardware - Linux does.
If I went from Ubuntu 6.06 to Ubuntu 7.10, for example, I'd get better WiFi support on a variety of machines, as well as better graphic's support, possibly audio, etc.
When I upgrade from OS X 10.4 to OS X 10.5 I'm not going to get improved support, it all works already just fine already because Apple had licensing deals for the drivers with hardware manufacturers. Thus, there's no need to upgrade OS X with the frequency of Ubuntu. Bug fixes should be free, and those are fairly frequent from Apple - the only updates an OS really needs on a regular basis.
If a G3 is capable of running Leopard and Apple simply removed G3 support to entice its customers to buy new hardware, I think that's reason for a 'stink.'
I have a G3, a 466 PowerBook w/ maxed memory; it runs Jaguar - just barely. I probably *could* have figured out how to shoehorn Panther onto it, but I wanted a functional computer, not a bench project - so I bought a G4. It runs Tiger just fine, and I'm sure it will run Leopard just fine, too.
IMO anyone who's happy with their G3 *and* wants Leopard to run well on it isn't so "happy" with their G3 after all. That's 3 processor generations ago: if you can get it to install & run at all, I I very much doubt you'll be pleased w/ its performance (which will, of course, be "Apple's fault").
I get ya. With Tiger they constantly had driver updates and things that improved networking etc. That's why I mentioned Apple releases much more than just under the hood improvements with an OS update. The speed in which Apple is developing useful features and applications to the OS is awesome. I personally believe Time Machine will be well worth the price of the upgrade.
That is simply not supported by historical evidence. Take a look at Apple's security support downloads page and you'll find that 14 hotfixes have been released within the past 12 months which are intended to be applied to computers running Mac OS X 10.3. Open up the latest version of XCode, and you'll find options which will allow you to produce Universal Binaries while simultaneously limiting the compiler to generate code and use APIs which existed with older versions of Mac OS X such as 10.2 or 10.3.
Why expect things will be any different for 10.4 after 10.5 comes around?
