Snow Leopard to Get Cocoa Finder and ImageBoot

[MacRumors]

AppleInsider reports that Apple's next version of Mac OS X Leopard will introduce a "massive rewrite". According to the rumor site, Apple will rewrite Finder, as well as other Apple applications, from Carbon to Cocoa.

Apple has reportedly tapped select members of its developer community to begin testing the updated graphical file system manager as part of a new pre-release copy of Snow Leopard belonging to the build train 10Axxx. In addition, many of the Apple-authored applications accompany the new build are also said to have been wrapped completely in Cocoa.

Other changes expected include broader support for Microsoft Exchange 2007 within Snow Leopard's apps such as iCal, Address Book and Mail.

Meanwhile, a new ImageBoot feature should allow Macs to boot from a disk image and store multiple different configurations on the hard drive.

This latest version of Snow Leopard is expected to be broadly seeded to Apple's developers as early as this weekend. Aside from these new improvements, Snow Leopard is expected to bring more multi-processing and GPU support.

Article Link

 

[Tomaz]

I hope it's not just arewrite of the same thing, but also includes some improvements, like tabs...

 

[bigandy]

ImageBoot does indeed sound like WIN.

 

[Omni Geno]

This sounds fantastic. Sure to continue keeping OSX waaaaaay ahead of Windoze Vista/Windoze 7 for the foreseeable future.

 

[bit_bucket]

Just having exchange support built in is a huge win. This means I no longer have to suffer through the poor Entourage experience. So this will be real cool. I am interested to see the integration with mobileme and this.

 

[happydude]

anyone else get nervous nowadays when apple decides to do major overhauls such as re-writing finder. they're quality control is about as good as M$ as of late. get ready for 10.6.1 to be released a week later with "minor bug and security fixes"

 

[Littleodie914]

Hmm... What would the use of the ImageBoot feature be? Does this mean I could download a Ubuntu ISO or some other DMG, and then mark that as my Startup Disk?

 

[zedsdead]

I love this Snow Leopard idea. The stability and performance has not been around since Panther. These improvements should be nice.

 

[maxp1]

Cocoa Finder?

It's about time. How many years now? 8?

 

[Sky Blue]

In before the "this should be a free upgrade" fools.

 

[neven]

I hope it's not just arewrite of the same thing, but also includes some improvements, like tabs...

It may include some new features (we've already seen some) but it won't be a massive rethinking of the Finder as a metaphor.

And no tabs, guaranteed.

 

[socamx]

Snow Leopard sounds like it'll be greatly appealing to businesses and schools with the exchange support and image booting. Neither are really something home users can take advantage of but still good additions.

More Cocoa is always good as well.

 

[Peace]

Sounds like we now know why the old Target Disk Mode is on the way out.

 

[Le Big Mac]

This should be a free upgrade

In before the "this should be a free upgrade" fools.

D'oh!

 

[valdore]

A minor quibble here with the article...

AppleInsider reports that Apple's next version of Mac OS X Leopard will introduce a "massive rewrite"

The next version of Leopard is 10.5.6, not Snow Leopard 10.6 ...

[/pedant]

 

[pgifford]

I'm more looking forward to Snow Leopard than any other update! It sound pretty cool.

 

[Peace]

A minor quibble here with the article...



The next version of Leopard is 10.5.6, not Snow Leopard 10.6 ...

[/pedant]

Didn't Jaguar or Panther go from a .6 to 10. ?

[edit] For the curious it's 10A775
[/edit]

 

[Macsterguy]

Hopefully Apple has learned from the recent past with the Leopard and MobileMe black eyes they so deserved. That they will take their time and thoroughly test (then test some more) Snow Leopard before release...

 

[The Tall One]

Sounds great! I would love to be able to boot from disk images, that would be tremendous, especially when it comes to troubleshooting your system. AMMMMEERRIIICCCAAAA

 

[iMacmatician]

AppleInsider reports that Apple's next version of Mac OS X Leopard will introduce a "massive rewrite". According to the rumor site, Apple will rewrite Finder, as well as other Apple applications, from Carbon to Cocoa.

Yay! Finally! I'd like to see a Cocoa Finder. But I'd also like to see improvements in the Finder, like:

• More info shown in the main window (so I don't have to Get Info as much)
• Thumbnail files (like Windows XP's Thumbs.db) for immediate thumbnail creation
• Quick Look by holding down Option and hovering over a file/folder
• Tabs
• Groups like in Windows Explorer

Or maybe the Finder will make an iMovie HD 6 -> iMovie '08 type transition. I think the most likely possibility, however, is that the Finder will look and feel similar in Cocoa as it was in Carbon (but snappier and more stable).

This sounds fantastic. Sure to continue keeping OSX waaaaaay ahead of Windoze Vista/Windoze 7 for the foreseeable future.

I hope so, since there are rumors that Windows 7 will be released on June 3, 2009.

(yeah right)

 

[madrag]

lovely news!

the bootImage seems awsome! I know I'll use it, I already make so many images of my systems, and that will come handy.

 

[nick9191]

The Finder was carbon?

That means that they took the finder from Mac OS Classic, then souped it up for OS X.

ROFL.

 

[CWallace]

The more I read about Snow Leopard, the more I like it.

 

[AtHomeBoy_2000]

ImageBoot would be really sweet feature.
I can think of a BUNCH of ways this would work great in the educational environment.

 

[shawnce]

The Finder was carbon?

That means that they took the finder from Mac OS Classic, then souped it up for OS X.

In reality only a some aspects (mostly low level) of the Mac OS X Finder had anything to do with Finder from Mac OS days (at least at this time). One of the reason Mac OS X Finder is Carbon based was as an "eat your own dog food" product to help validate Carbon on Mac OS X.