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My Leopard is crashing the applications too much, I hope this new leopard performs a lot faster and fix those applications crash (they are apple applications).

Multi-Touch in Desktop OS X? Where was this announced?

New features that will help the hard core, not the general user.

Jun 23, 08 - 02:20 pm Comment from: Jubei

Oh, Apple is just saying no new features so that MS will stop spying on them.

Jun 23, 08 - 02:24 pm Comment from: Predrag

These new features seem to be geared to significantly improving the performance. That will probably show most prominently on lower-powered machines, as MacBooks, Airs and Minis. I'd say, these features will probably benefit the general user the most.

ZFS seems to be the most radical, with the biggest impact. Vast majority of hard drive problems are not caused by hardware failures, but by data or file system corruption problems. ZFS alone will elliminate majority of the causes for these problems and noticeably improve disk performance.

Resolution Independence, if it were ever to see the light of day, would probably be even more significant for an ordinary user. Too many people lower their monitor resolution, which was fine on a CRT, but looks simply dreadful on a LCD. With resolution indepencence properly handled (and if anyone could do that, it's Apple), these people could leave their monitor resolution and the proper supported setting and change the size of things (buttons, texts and other elements of the OS) to match their eyesight.

Let's hope Mr. Dilger is right. I'll gladly plop $130 for the new cat.

If you're having the problems you describe, you've probably got some sort of corruption somewhere. I suggest you post your problem on the forums at http://www.macosxhints.com

There are lots of people there that can help.

Jun 23, 08 - 02:26 pm Comment from: Ampar

"Multi-Touch in Desktop OS X?"

It's there now in the laptops with multi-touch trackpad gestures pioneered by Fingerworks. It will most likely gain enhancements.

Jun 23, 08 - 02:30 pm Comment from: toby

Resolution Independence, sweet.

Jun 23, 08 - 02:33 pm Comment from: Jay-Z

@ Richie:

While most general users may not understand these features (and therefore not see the value in them immediately), these features will improve system performance for everyone.

Victor, sounds like you need a tune up on your Mac.

Jun 23, 08 - 02:36 pm Comment from: MaLvado

Speed and stability aren't features! (sarcasm)

Yes Victor, try updating your apps. It's not 10.5 that is the problem, it's your out of date apps!

Jun 23, 08 - 02:37 pm Comment from: Ampar

"New features that will help the hard core, not the general user."

From apple.com:
"Snow Leopard dramatically reduces the footprint of Mac OS X, making it even more efficient for users, and giving them back valuable hard drive space for their music and photos."

That's generally pretty hard core stuff.

Remember QuickDraw GX? Good. Great geek stuff, minimal Joe Public stuff, not something to sell as itself. Anything that needs explanation (LLVM, CUPS, Grand Central) shouldn't be a mainstream selling point.

As for the "no new features" list, it sounds like MS's perpetual list of promises for the next Windows that's always a year or two away.

While I have no doubt in Apple's ability to deliver, this isn't material that makes a MacWorld keynote.

Thanks guys for the recommendations. One of the probles is that OSX (already on 10.5.3) does not allows me to intall iMovie and iDVD updates, it says "iMovie could not be found at /Applications" but the application is actually there. I will check the http://www.macosxhints.com you recomend.. Thanks!

I thought DER was on vacation......

Jun 23, 08 - 02:58 pm Comment from: DogGone

Anyone who has used OS X from day 1 should remember how each new OS release has generally increased system responsiveness whilst also providing new features.

Optimization of the code is a big deal and will further increase the lead that Apple have over M$ and windows.

The average user may not upgrade to Snow Leopard. However all new machines will have it installed and that's the major way upgrades are brought into the fold.

I'm not paying for improved system performance or stability! Smells like M$!! These are things that should have been done BEFORE 10.5 was released initially. What's next, $1.99 patches?! I LOVE APPLE but this is building up to a huge disappointment!

Jun 23, 08 - 03:03 pm Comment from: HMCIV

@Ampar

Does the Catholic Church know what you keep on iPhoto and iTunes???

@Skabeetle

Yes, you are.

This all sounds great, but how do we get Apple to change their mind and make Snow Leopard available for those of us with the Power PC chips. I got mine just before they announced the switch to Intel and I feel like I have been left out in the cold with out any jacket. These machines aren't that old to be left by the way side.

Jun 23, 08 - 03:12 pm Comment from: Ampar

"Does the Catholic Church know . . . "

They stopped sending requests so I'm not sure any more. They are welcome back any time.

Skabeetle:

You are quite short-sighted and obtuse. 10.6 is not a point release. It's not a bundle of patches. It's a complete overhaul to squeeze out every single ounce of power from your system.

Smells like Microsoft? Are you joking? They never promised anything like this before. Apple has the vision and foresight to refine their work.

"I'm not paying for improved system performance or stability!" That comment alone shows up many brain cells you rub together... and what a raving lunatic you are... Go buy a Windows PC!

Jun 23, 08 - 03:39 pm Comment from: Reality Check

>>It's a complete overhaul to squeeze out every single ounce of power from your system.

Do you work in marketing by any chance?

Jun 23, 08 - 03:50 pm Comment from: HotinPlaya

Since this is being optimized to run on Intel machines,and as PreDrag said

"These new features seem to be geared to significantly improving the performance. That will probably show most prominently on lower-powered machines, as MacBooks, Airs and Minis. I'd say, these features will probably benefit the general user the most."

Does anyone think this may be the 1st Mac OS X licensed to PC OEM's?

Jun 23, 08 - 03:50 pm Comment from: TheConfuzed1

Above all, I'd like to see Airport start functioning properly again.

I get more Airport-related issues than anything, and before Leopard, I never had any.

I work at a Honda dealership that provides free wi-fi to customers. Several of us here have Mac laptops, and many of our customers that come in do too, and not one of them that has Leapord can connect to our wi-fi router! The system asks for a password, even when there isn't one set!

I've posted this on Apple's own message boards, as well as various others, and I've seen similar complaints are a common trend, but I have yet to find a fix. We called Apple on the issue, but they insist that it isn't on their end. Funny though, isn't it, that the very same laptop will connect using Windows, but not Mac OS X?

Jun 23, 08 - 04:10 pm Comment from: Mac-nugget

It is funny because my wife's MacBook connects to all wi-fi networks that I have tested in hotels and airports with out a hitch. Guess what OS it's running?

Good catch, my man! You wrote to say:

"New features that will help the hard core, not the general user."

"From apple.com:
"Snow Leopard dramatically reduces the footprint of Mac OS X, making it even more efficient for users, and giving them back valuable hard drive space for their music and photos."

"That's generally pretty hard core stuff."

There's another way to speculate about this: reducing the footprint of OS X doesn't just help Mac users. It could also mean that a smaller system might help extend its capabilities for products other than the Mac. Hmm...I wonder if that could extend to certain handheld devices?

While Apple is not talking up bold new features, it could be these "boring" developments that allow for third parties to develop hardware and software products that could amaze us. The big news is that OS X Snow Leopard would be an enabling system for some interesting new advances we can't currently imagine. Or so we can hope. Based on what Ampar said in his/her quote above, it's worth speculating about this.

It's just like Apple to underpromise and overdeliver. Perhaps this is a coy move on Apple's part. And it stands in stark contrast to all the over-hyped, broken promises that a certain competitor based in the Pacific Northwest once shouted out about a highly criticized operating system of their own.

The future could be more interesting than we can imagine.

Jun 23, 08 - 04:26 pm Comment from: MCCFR

I write this as someone who hasn't done any hardcore development, but it strikes me that there is a large general population who are getting all bent out of shape without really knowing why.

And - with the best will in the world - that's why WWDC protects a lot of this stuff with NDAs and keeps it out of general circulation.

My take on Snow Leopard is that it is almost the OS XI rather than OS X 10.6 and I have some rationale which can back that up.

Many years ago, I did some research on an outfit called Kendall Square Research who were working at the cutting edge of coherent cache: non-uniform memory access (cc:Numa) technology: their raison d'être was that, as symmetric multi-processing went beyond 8 processors or so, it became exponentially more difficult for programmers to manage cache memory.

Well, in the world of Apple, Nehalem represents the boundary between 8 cores or processors (the present) and the world of 16 cores or more (the future). Nehalem will be superseded by a process shrink (Westmere) prior to being replaced by Sandy Bridge which will have 32 cores organised, so I've read, in 8 groups of 4 cores.

In this brave new world, Apple has to find an elegant method for developers to make their applications work on anything from a dual-core CoreDuo iMac through a dual Sandy Bridge Xserve.

They also have to find a way which abstracts the management of processors, cores and cache memory so that modern, highly-threaded applications (and indeed the operating system and its components) utilise the available resources in the most efficient way possible.

It strikes me that much of Snow Leopard, particularly Grand Central and OpenCL, is effectively aimed at the new truly multicore future. Given that PowerPC only ever achieved multicore or multiway capability on a handful of G5 systems, it makes absolutely no commercial or technical sense to divert developer resources to address what could be best described as a niche audience, not to mention the resources that would be necessary to maintain the damn thing going forward as each software update has to be developed.

In one word: no, no, no! OK, that's one word repeated three times, but the basic principle is sound.

BTW, I write this as someone who will have to finally dispose of both his G5 Power Mac and 1.67 PowerBook and enter the Intel future.

Jun 23, 08 - 04:32 pm Comment from: Cubert

@Viktor,
If software update isn't finding your apps (like iMovie), it means either you renamed them (even just adding a number after the name will do it), put them inside a folder that is in the Applications folder, or you got rid of the package receipts that reside in one of your libraries.

Another place to look at for troubleshooting is the console log. Console is an app in the utilities folder that lets you look at log files. When you get a crash, look at the most recent entries in the user log - this can give you a hint sometimes as to what is going wrong. Also, is English (American) the default language on your Mac? Sometimes these problems are localization specific.

Jun 23, 08 - 04:43 pm Comment from: Jim - TIV

Translated here for the newb's to Mac...
Dilger looks at many new fetaures and techinologies, including:
• LLVM (Low Level Virtual Machine) - a guy named yowsa who lives inside your mac working to keep it running.

• CUPS 1.4 (about a C I think.)

• ZFS support (german.... "ze frikking server!"

• QuickTime X - It finally catches up to OSX

• Grand Central - A new game that recreats the experience of going to a retail apple store.

• OpenCL - x rated, only for MDN readers

• Multi-Touch™ support - Again, x rated, only for long time MDN users.

• Resolution Independence - A way to resolve issues without having the same old mac vs pc, or lib vs neocon arguments.

• Code optimization - They finally take out all of the PPC crapware left in osx. Your computer doubles in speed instantaneously.

Jun 23, 08 - 04:43 pm Comment from: Cubert

@Tom,
I couldn't agree more! Join me in my march on Cupertino if they do actually drop PowerPC support!

Doesn't it seem to make sense that if Leopard can run on a Power PC, then a cleaned up version of it should, too, and faster at that?

Jun 23, 08 - 04:50 pm Comment from: Cubert

@Jim - TIV,
We have a budding Ampar in our midst! Too funny!

Except for that last one, of course.

Jun 23, 08 - 05:04 pm Comment from: Ampar

I think Jim has blossomed. He's quite the pistil.

Jun 23, 08 - 05:05 pm Comment from: Mr. Reeee

Viktor...

If you've lost some of your apps, the LAST thing you should do is start mucking around in Terminal!

Try booting from your OS X Install disk and run Disk Utilities to repair your hard drive.

If you've got a friend with a copy of Disk Warrior ask them to run it on your Mac for you.

perhaps they're also going to spend some time to write additional device drivers to start licensing macos again? Perhaps that is why they haven't gone after Psystar clone maker?

Jun 23, 08 - 05:10 pm Comment from: iPorn

I think some of the hardcore techies are getting a woody... Only Apple can make tech so sexy. Or maybe that's OS 10.7 - Sexy Beast?

how do we get Apple to change their mind and make Snow Leopard available for those of us with the Power PC chips. I got mine just before they announced the switch to Intel and I feel like I have been left out in the cold with out any jacket.

And here we go again.

Let's all say this together, slowly:
MY POWER PC WILL NOT BRICK WHEN SNOW LEOPARD COMES OUT.
I WILL NOT DIE WITHOUT THE VERY LATEST OS.

If the latest & greatest is mission critical for you, then what's up with the non-current hardware? Ante up if it's life-or-death.

Apple is NOT in the business of supporting older machines, and every new OS brings legacy breaks. Such is life.

The stink of desperation, trying to invent "New features" out of minor changes. it's like calling a new screen saver a new "Secret" feature. Apple wouldn't do that would they?

Next year you're getting No New Features. Get Over It.

"It is funny because my wife's MacBook connects to all wi-fi networks that I have tested in hotels and airports with out a hitch. Guess what OS it's running?"

At a guess, Windows XP under Boot Camp. That would be the only way to make a Mac so compatible.

"valuable hard drive space for their music and photos."

That's generally pretty hard core stuff."

Valuable disk space?

So the value of Leopard should be fourteen cents per gigabyte it saves?

Given that OS upgrade should be worth about a buck, maximum.

"In this brave new world, Apple has to find an elegant method for developers to make their applications work on anything from a dual-core CoreDuo iMac through a dual Sandy Bridge Xserve."

That would be following Microsoft who has already figured out how to make their software work well on 128 core systems.

I think I understand more about the changes from the posts rather than the article. Thanks guys!

Apple "promises" to deliver....blah, blah, blah. Apple vaporware, by any other name to whet the fanaticism of fanbois - you know who you are.

These "new" features ought to have been part of Leopard. Hmm, it seems that Apple is running out of original ideas. Since most, if not all of these features are "invisible" we will have to take Apple's word that they're really there, won't we?

Bright side, Apple shouldn't have to charge users for these missing "security and stability enhancements". To do so would be like car manufacturers charging extra for brakes and safety belts.

Jun 23, 08 - 11:46 pm Comment from: MCCFR

Ho, ho…

1) It's not really vaporware if a developer release is already in the hands of developers.

2) These "new" features ought to have been part of Leopard…Why? Leopard started its development something like 3-4 years ago when Nehalem and its successors were little more than names on a piece of paper with some vague conceptual specs.

3) Hmm, it seems that Apple is running out of original ideas…Says who? Maybe - and try and concentrate to take this in – Snow Leopard is a necessary consolidation and staging post before the next era of innovation can be delivered in an elegant manner..

4) Since most, if not all of these features are "invisible" we will have to take Apple's word that they're really there, won't we? - Congratulations, you win this month's Rob Enderle award for the most stupid comment regarding Apple to be posted on a web board anywhere.

When I get on a modern airplane with fly-by-wire, nearly everything that actually controls the aircraft is invisible and yet I still make it into the sky. Using your logic, I should assume that all of that is a fraudulent illusion and that the aircraft is still controlled by old-fashioned mechanical linkages.

5) Apple shouldn't have to charge users for these missing "security and stability enhancements". To do so would be like car manufacturers charging extra for brakes and safety belts. - Wow! And the Paul Thurrott award as well.

Snow Leopard isn't about security and stability enhancements, although it may well deliver additional stability.

It's about prepping the Mac for a future where developers and users will have 64 cores (2 x Sandy Bridge) to play with plus giving them the ability to address a 44-bit address space in the standard version of the product.

You should be aware that - in order to use more than 16GB (34-bit) of memory on Windows Server - you have to purchase the Enterprise version of the product. The same is true of Vista: want tot be able to utilise more than 16GB of RAM, you have to upgrade (?) to Ultimate, Business or Enterprise. Actually if you want more than 8GB you have to make sure you're not running Home Basic.

Apple will only have two versions of Snow Leopard (Client and Server), both with all the functionality turned on; Microsoft will have five different versions of Vista and nine different versions of Windows Server 2008 each with different functionality turned on in a completely arbitrary manner.

Tell me, which is the real rip-off.

Also, wasn't Vista supposed to ship with at least a couple of features - like a new filesystem - that weren't there and won't be until Windows 7 (if ever).

Jun 24, 08 - 12:19 am Comment from: Ampar

Once again, well said, MCCFR. Thanks for that concise and educational post.

Vaporware, dimwit, is anything promised and not delivered for commercial sale. Remember, moron, Vista was in beta, too.

Obviously, Apple is so lame that Apple requires IBM to provide them will the basic building blocks for software development. Not too much innovation in Cupertino if outside help is needed. Why couldn't Apple release earlier versions of Leopard with these promised enhancements? Are you suggesting that Snow Leopard will only function on Macs with Nehalem chips? Gee, that makes sense....to morons. Since Apple promises Snow Leopard will function perfectly on existing machines with Core 2 Duos what has prevented Apple form providing these invisible features months or years ago?

So, you agree with me! Apple's newest software innovation is likely to be completely intangible and indescribable, just like the elusive snow leopard.

You're right, Snow Leopard is Apple's version of Vista...without the eye candy.

It's laughable how little boasting Apple has made regarding Mac sales. This obvious and protracted omission is raising suspicions that all is not well in Cupertino. Add to this the featureless version of OS X and it is clear why Apple has been harping about iTunes and iPhones, Mac sales are slumping and/or stagnant. Of course, if you have any hard evidence to the contrary from reliable and independent sources, please, share.

Don't get me wrong, fanbois. I really do hope Apple can remove the bloat from Leopard, increase Leopard's security, make Leopard more stable, and give it away for free.

After all, isn't that the right thing to do? I mean, without any eye candy to speak of and making G4s and G5s obsolescent by several degrees of magnitude, it only seems fair.

Ho, Ho. you don't get it. It's illegal to give away new features for free. A company CAN"T do that because it is unfair to the share holders.

"The same is true of Vista: want tot be able to utilise more than 16GB of RAM, you have to upgrade (?) to Ultimate, Business or Enterprise. Actually if you want more than 8GB you have to make sure you're not running Home Basic."

The point is with Microsoft you can do these things today, and Microsoft just has to flip a switch, recompile and publish a service pack to make them available to the masses when machines with a large number of cores or large amounts of memory become mainstream.

Apple has to to fix the problems it currently has with efficiency on a large number of cores. Grand Central doesn't pull them ahead, it may not even pull them even with Microsoft.

Hence a year with No New Features.

"Microsoft will have five different versions of Vista and nine different versions of Windows Server 2008"

I don't see what your point is unless it's to say that Microsoft have a base version of Vista which does everything Mac OS X does today, then more functional versions for which you pay extra. Microsoft operating systems currently run on enterprise grade hardware that Mac guys can only dream of.