Tiger Stripes

As fully expected, at 18:00 hours yesterday, I found myself at the neighborhood computer shop, greedily purchasing Apple's next-generation operating system, Tiger. My computer had been fully upgraded within an hour.

This recent post clearly indicates a few of the new technologies I was excited to obtain for my use, therefore I don't feel like being redundant; you may read about the technologies in my post, or navigate here. Spotlight and Dashboard are incredible new technologies; and the new version of Mail is very impressive. I was also impressed with Quicktime 7, soon to be available for Windows, which includes the new High-definition codec H.264. I watched a few special HD features available on Apple's Website, and I was blown away. The H.264 codec is better, I mean, way better then DVD video!

I also got a nice performance boost from Tiger, as the operating system is optimized for the 64-bit G5 processor. My computer is fully operational in under 20 seconds from a cold-start-up. I consider that pretty amazing given the immense size of this operating system.

The one technology that didn't end up meeting my expectations was Safari. It is very fast, but a few of the technologies could have been engineered better. The built-in RSS reader isn't as robust as Firefox's, and I don't particularity care how Safari manages bookmarks. The final straw occurred when I realized that many of the Blogger features were not present. If I were to add hyperlinks, or change the formatting of my text, I would have to code them manually. I like "push-button publishing". I already waste too much time writing and editing my posts. I can't be bothered to waste more time fretting over html tags. I did that six years ago with my first attempts at designing websites. It appears that Firefox will continue to be my default browser.

I have noted a few glitches with Tiger, but they all centered around third-party software. The glitches are very minor, and my computer has not yet frozen, nor have I experienced a kernel panic (I experienced about 4 kernel panics while using Panther). I fully expect that these glitches will be ironed out in the coming weeks as more Mac users upgrade their operating systems.

[Ed. note: My Windoze computer at work manages to freeze and suffer a kernel panic about 4 or 5 times per week. Friday was particularly bad, and I finally had enough and re-installed the operating system. Needless to say, I was rather perturbed by the time I left work.]

Overall, OSX Tiger is getting rave reviews from critics all over the world. I must concur that this upgrade is worthwhile for any Mac user. Spotlight and Dashboard are worth the price of admission alone.

Hobbes on April 29

Today Apple announced the release of OSX Tiger, which will be available to the public on April 29.

There are dozens of new exciting technologies that have been developed, and will be included in this major upgrade to the Mac operating system. This release of OSX has been coded for optimum performance on a 64-bit G5 processor, so my computer will fly. Some of the more exciting features is Dashboard, which is a handy way to use widgets -- small programs designed to make the gathering of desireble information very quick and easy. Some of the widgets developed for Tiger include a Calculator, Sticky Notes, a Dictionary, real-time stock quotes, among many others.

Also noteworthy of mention is the integration of Spotlight, a new searching technology that will make finding files on your computer incredibly fast. Spotlight is going to revolutionize the way we store and retrieve information on our computers. There will be no more waiting for the computer to scan the hard drive.

Major upgrades to standard Mac applications such as Mail, Safari and Quicktime are also bundled in Tiger. The inclusion of RSS technology in Safari will mean that I can dump Firefox and exclusively use one browser. Nothing against Firefox, I think it is currently the best browser out there... For PC's. Safari is a faster browser for Mac though.

Us Mac users can enjoy another major upgrade to our operating system, which includes many new technologies that may revolutionize the way we use our computers. Conversely, the PC world continues to wait for the release of Longhorn, which appears like it won't make its debut until 2006 at the very earliest.

It's The Eye of The _____

In my spare time today, I took a few moments to watch the Macworld 2005 keynote speech of a few weeks past. I am not going to go into the major details of what was all discussed, but if you like, you can view the keynote speech here.

After watching the two-hour presentation, I was blown away by the features of Apple's newest applications, including Apple's next-generation operating system, OSX Tiger. The new technologies integrated into this release of OSX will make file management incredibly fast and simple. The improvements and integration of all of Apple's software is so fast, slick, and seamless, it is downright scary.

It's all about synergy. People want their computer programs to interact seamlessly with one another. They all want a familiar interface, they want it simple, and they want to manually manipulate objects, instead of using commands, dialog boxes, and drop-down menus. Apple has done it again by releasing state-of-the-art software. But don't take my word for it; see for yourself.

It may seem like I have been plugging Apple a lot recently, but I would like to add that many software developers are pushing the envelope, developing new technologies to make our life easier, even Micro$oft.