Software Update, Macheads!
Everything seems snappier already and I haven’t even downloaded it!
Does this mean that the boot and login processes have been re-vamped again, without notification or documentation, and old methods stop working?
Because, yay.
When has this happened in the past? I feel like I’m missing out! I’ve only used OSX since Jaguar, though.
I couldn’t give specifics (what changes happened in what versions), but the boot process and how processes/services/plugins are handled has changed 2-4 times since OS X.
I had to build an image that would mount AFS, get the user’s kerberos tickets and map their AFS home directory for 10.4.8, and the researching of the boot process made me homicidal.
I got most of my info from Kevin Boyd (a co-worker) who has done some widely used OS X development. The move to launchd with 10.4 is a big part of it. Because only “most” of the processes have been moved to launchd, there’s no real documentation or support for doing things the “old” way, even though it’s still “allowed”.
Using defaults is still “allowed”, for example, but who knows when that might change.
I still have no idea:
a) When the home directory is created for a user that has no local account but is authenticated via Kerberos (and LDAP is configured), and how it’s determined what gets created. It’s before the login script called by com.apple.loginwindow.login (or whatever), I know that much.
b) What determines if the fixup.dock (again, might not be exactly that) is copied for a new account instead of the dock from the Default Profile.
c) What “UserAccountUpdater” does, or even what the 4 arguments it requires are.
I’ve grown to really like some things about OS X (mostly end user stuff), but the development pieces fill me with rage.
Eh. The coolest update was that little Ctrl mousewheel zoom thingy. I hadn’t noticed any problems needing to be fixed.
As other sites have noted, the release of the x.x.9 versions have typically been very close to the launch of the next major release, but it could all be coincidence, too.
We’re still somewhat overdue for other non-iPhone news, though. I would have expected iLife '07 to be out or at least announced by now, at least.
Well, Leopard’s due in what, March?
So it doesn’t surprise me.
I’m going to buy Leopard so I can get the official (non-beta) Boot Camp. And because it’s clear that the hardware support in Tiger for Intel isn’t quite 100% there yet.
And, so far, new versions of OSX have generally meant a faster, more stable, better-looking system.
But does anyone know what’s even in Leopard yet?
Edit: Nevermind, just found the official Apple news.
Doesn’t seem like much.
There have been some leaked details about smaller features too, like the ability of Automator to generate scripts based on ‘watching’ what you do, a new iTunes-ish interface to Spotlight, tabs in Terminal, new screensavers, and parental controls.
There has been a whole lot of hyperventillating about what might be in Leopard, some kinds of “secret” unannounced thing that they don’t want to let Microsoft in one - which reads more like they wanted to see what Vista had first and then come up with some little app that did a bit more. But hyperventillating is what Appleheads do best - and then they release the AppleTV, a very “iTunes spooge on the brain clouding judgement” product, which is the total opposite of what all the guessguys wanted.
The other more cogent debate is to whether Leopard will be released in March or June.
Ooh! Wow, with that and the virtual desktops, it’ll almost be as good as Linux.
The official Apple site mentions the parental controls and Spotlight.
The change with the most potential seems to be XCode 3 and Core Animation. It’ll take some time to see what effect that has, as developers start using 'em.
I hope it’s released in March, because I can’t get Boot Camp Beta to work any more. I need the real thing, and a new OS.
It’s doubtful Leopard is March. Reports from the beta folks is that it needs a lot of work still, and Apple hasn’t even revealed the final features to anyone, and those will need testing, too.
Rumor is iLife '07 requires Leopard which is why it wasn’t released at it normal time during Macworld in January.
I can’t imagine Leopard being released this month, but possibly. I just want it out before I buy a new laptop this summer.
Apple tends to release OS updates more frequently and therefore there’s less in them than you would get in, say, an MS release which is every 5 years-ish.
Tiger came out at the end of March, I think, and its release date was announced around this time of March.
My bets are on it showing up in May.
I imagine this has something to do with Core Animation.
Is this the update that makes you feel even more superioror than everyone else?
I don’t suppose there’s any new word on whether 10.5 will support G3’s, is there?
No, it’s the release that lets annoying Windows users drag out their out tired, old jokes again.
I’m not sure Leopard has an official release date. March is speculation (not to mention, March is halfway over). Last I heard was “April” but that’s just another rumor. I think “Spring” has been given in some official capacity.
I need a much bigger hard drive in my Macbook Pro, and I’m going to do the surgery to upgrade it after Leopard comes out. My drive imaging software (Acronis) doesn’t support the OSX filesystem, so I’m looking at wiping the drive anyway. Gonna wait for Leopard, put in a nice big huge hard drive, install the OS fresh, and then load Vista on with the hopefully included new and improved Boot Camp (I have XP on there now).
Rumor is iLife '07 requires Leopard which is why it wasn’t released at it normal time during Macworld in January.
If Apple wanted to make a hojillion dollars, they’d release iLife for Windows like the do iTunes. iPhoto is pretty decent, Garageband is fun and cool, iMovie and iDVD are better than most consumer-grade apps of that type, and iWeb is…well I hate it but some people like it. Apple charges $80 for the whole suite (and installs it free on new Macs). For that price, PC users would gobble it up by the millions. Not to mention that they’d probably sell a few .mac accounts. And who knows, maybe it would be successful in making some PC users switch. If they made some iMovies and an iWeb site and thought it was easy and looked good, then the ad pitch is “on the Mac, the whole computer is like that, all the time! It’s all happiness and smiles and orgasmic delight from the moment you push the power button! WHEE!”
No, it’s the release that lets annoying Windows users drag out their out tired, old jokes again.
1 button mouse, LOL!!1!