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  • Colonel
    It seems that Apple has seeded two new builds of its next version of Mac OS X, Leopard, to developers: Build 9A343 for clients and build 9A344 for servers. The builds are available to Apple Developer Connection Select and Premier members. Apple gives us the following description on the build:


    Known Issues:
    - Installing and running localized languages is not recommended at this time
    - MacBuddy may not run after installation. Rebooting will launch MacBuddy
    - Using the 'Open' command may cause longer opening times
    - NFS mounted files cannot be accessed
    - iSync's plug-in maker requires CFBundleIdentifiers to be unique per plugin to avoid corruption when multiple plug-ins are installed
    - Heavy paging may result in zeros being written to the address space
    - User cannot copy text from applications launched via SSH
    - Disconnecting from your network while connected to servers may hang your machine
    - Syncing calendars through iSync does not work at this time
    - A system panic may occur with ATI cards while running QuickTime Player with iChat and Preview
    - 'Add Printer' dialog appears behind frontmost windows
    - QuickLook's full screen mode may not quit in certain situations
    - Unable to restore from Time Machine backups created in MacBuddy
    - Application Launch Restrictions in Parental Controls not being enforced at this time
    - User cannot install the Adobe Suite
    - Cannot enable accounts for Windows Sharing
    - Finder may quit in certain situations when using the Cmd-Tab keys
    - Terminal: Ctrl-Space does not send any data to the shell which may cause issues with the mark in Emacs
    - Terminal: Performance with millions of lines of text is currently limited
    - Upgrades from the WWDC Developer Seed are not supported
    - Upgrades from previous releases are not recommended
     
    Changes in Leopard Since 9A321
    - HIToolbox provides new HIRect/Point/Shape-based Window Manager API for resolution independence compatibility
     
    Terminal:
    Settings are now stored in Terminal "Profiles" rather than .term files. There are two ways old .term settings are migrated to the new Terminal:
    - Automatic import of default .term file and terminal settings at the first launch
    - Importing of arbitrary .term files other than your default one
    After migrating settings a new Terminal window will open and you should save the window settings as new profiles using Shell->Save Profile
     
    - Tab support
    - Terminal now lets you save a multi-window configurations through workspaces which are available through the "Terminal" menu.
     
    QuickLook
    - QuickLook APIs have been updated
    - quicklookd can be used to test your QuickLook generators. Use "quicklookd -h" to see the list of options.
     
    Thanks to Adrian Fogge for letting us know in this thread.
  • Colonel

    Apple Special Event in February

    By Colonel, in OSx86,

    It looks like when Steve Jobs said "See you soon" at the end of his annual MacWorld keynote, he meant it literally. Rumors have been floating around that an Apple Special Event will take place late next month or in early March. The Special Event is supposedly going to reveal the "Top Secret" features of Leopard and also introduce the new iLife 07. Apple is also expected to announce the official launch date of Mac OS X 10.5, Leopard. LoopRumors has the scoop.


    LoopRumors is hearing rumblings that Apple is preparing a Special Event that should take place in February or early March. The most likely purpose of the event is to showcase the remaining 'Top Secret' features of Mac OS X (Leopard), and announce an official launch date. Besides the introduction of Leopard, Apple may also introduce some new rumored devices such as displays, a true widescreen iPod, new Macs, and a replacement to the iSight camera.
     
    Looks like it's time to get out the Stevenote bingo cards.
  • Colonel

    MacFUSE 0.1 Released

    By Colonel, in OSx86,

    For months now, many of use have been happily running Mac OS X along side of Windows on our Intel Macs. But we've always face the problem with Mac OS X not being able to write over to our Windows drive. Well, just a few days ago Amit Singh of Mac OS X Internals and current Google employee have found a way to solve this problem. MacFUSE's Google Code site gives us more in depth details.


    "MacFUSE implements a mechanism that makes it possible to implement a fully functional file system in a user-space program on Mac OS X (10.4 and above). It aims to be API-compliant with the FUSE (Filesystem in USErspace) mechanism that originated on Linux. Therefore, many existing FUSE file systems become readily usable on Mac OS X. The core of MacFUSE is in a dynamically loadable kernel extension.
     
    How FUSE-compliant is MacFUSE? Well, enough so that many popular FUSE file systems can be easily compiled and work on Mac OS X--often out of the box. Examples of file systems that work have been tested (to varying degrees) include sshfs, ntfs-3g (read/write NTFS), ftpfs (read/write FTP), wdfs (WebDAV), cryptofs, encfs, bindfs, unionfs, beaglefs (yes, including the entire Beagle paraphernalia), and so on." A dream come true for dual booters everywhere, has finally become a reality.
  • kevin_4e
    Now that Apple has confirmed their new Mac systems are shipping with 802.11n capabilities, when do we get to take advantage of it? Currently, all of Apple’s Core 2 Duo products (except 17-inch 1.83GHz iMac and Mac Mini) plus the Mac Pro include the 802.11n wireless technology, but why does it appear hidden?
     
    Apple has now come forth explaining their plans to offer an "AirPort Extreme 802.11n Enabler 1.0.” It is expected to come next month alongside with the release of their upgraded version of the AirPort Extreme wireless base station which will automatically enable it the 802.11n technologies.
     
    For those who do not plan on upgrading to the new AirPort Extreme base station, and would prefer to continue to use their own third party wireless device, a US$5 fee comes along with the download of the 802.11n enabler patch.
     
    Any reasoning behind the small fee is still unclear but legal matters is what is most likely the case.


    "Because of the Act, the company believes that if it sells a product, then later adds a feature to that product, it can be held liable for improper accounting if it recognizes revenue from the product at the time of sale, given that it hasn’t finished delivering the product at that point.”
    More information can be found at AppleInsider’s 802.11n Enabler Patch story.
     
    Please make sure and share any comments or thoughts of Apple’s 802.11n enabler patch or fee.
  • kevin_4e
    If you're a frequent user of the free online storage site, Box.net, another free alternative is out there too. DropBoks uses a similar concept and allows files as large as 50mb, as compared to Box's 10mb. It may be a little less eye catching than Box.net but it's still worth a try... Acclaimed as the best Mac OS X application ever, Quicksilver is something every Mac owner should have. Fully capable of "launching applications, manipulating files and data, running scripts or sending e-mail" in a few clicks keypresses, this is something to make everyone's computing life easier... As Apple TV (and iPhone most likely) becomes one more of the Apple products avoiding the Apple educational discounts, are they in fact fading away? Although carbon fiber seems to appear most commonly on cars, never doubt that you'll see it on a computer... Uh-oh, looks like the iPod has undergone some extreme mutations. At least it's a
    ... 
    Hurry, hurry! Get your own iPhone today before it's gone... If you're familiar with the very popular Flickr, you know that there's an endless amount of photos waiting to be viewed. It's more or less the YouTube of photos. Change the way you view Flickr with Airtight's "Tag Browser..." And finally, take Craig Ferguson's word for why Apple's iPod/iPhone dominates the Zune. I guess the iPhone doesn't "zuck".
  • REVENGE
    Apple's Steve Jobs has made it clear in an interview with the New York Times that Apple and its partners will be the sole architects of every aspect of the device's applications, "from ringtones to word processors" as the Times put it.
     
    Jobs declared:


    “We define everything that is on the phone. You don’t want your phone to be like a PC. The last thing you want is to have loaded three apps on your phone and then you go to make a call and it doesn’t work anymore. These are more like iPods than they are like computers.”
    So what is the mentality behind this puzzling decision? Well supposedly, it is for "quality assurance" purposes designed to ensure your iPhone works properly without interference from all those untrustworthy third party developers out there. Of course, as Jobs reiterated: “That doesn’t mean there’s not going to be software to buy that you can load on them coming from us. It doesn’t mean we have to write it all, but it means it has to be more of a controlled environment.” Control, that is the key, and the question is, to what extent does Jobs think he can control our digital lifestyle before consumers reject his close-minded vision of what people's digital experience should be? Not that I'm suggesting anyone jump to immediate conclusions before the product has even been released on the market, but as the Times observed, this carries a certain resemblance to the Jobs vision of the Mac back in 1984, which turned out to be unsuccessful to say the least...
     
    Overall this past week, admist all the initial wonder and excitement created by the sweet news of the iPhone announcement, the fine print and complications which have subsequently come to light leave a bitter aftertaste in the mouths of would-be consumers. Aside from the device's hefty price tag, the iron chain binding it to Cingular's clasp, and the exasperating name dispute between Apple and Cisco-Linksys, this unexpected new restriction could develop into the restraint that cripples what seems like a nearly limitless platform. Fortunately, there is still the comforting possibility of hacking the device and porting Linux to it, though I suspect that the user experience would certainly be a far cry from the elegantly designed OS X derivative the iPhone will officially run.
     
    Software designer and friend of Steve Jobs Michael Hawley says “Apple is in a unique position to build a winning personal device that really fulfills the missing promise here." The biggest question is not if Apple is capable of fullfilling that missing promise, but of whether or not they've realized what that missing promise should embody...
  • Colonel
    Parallels has released a new build of it's virtualization software for Mac OS X, Build 3120. The new build includes many long awaited features such as USB 2.0 support and improved graphics performance. The Parallels forum gives us a good idea of what the new update contains.

    USB 2.0 support - “Plug and play” popular USB devices like external hard drives, printers, scanners and USB 2.0 web cameras, and use them at full native speed.
    NOTE! Current Build 3120 doesn’t support iSight and some other web cameras
    Full-feature virtual CD/DVD drive - Burn CDs and DVDs directly in virtual machines, and play any copy-protected CD or DVD just like you would on a real PC
    Coherence - The groundbreaking feature that lets you run Windows applications without seeing Windows just got better! Learn more about Coherence >>
    Better Boot Camp support - Using your Boot Camp partition in Parallels Desktop is now easier than ever. RC’s Boot Camp support includes:
    Full support for FAT32 and NTFS partitions
    Easy offline configuration. Simply tell Parallels Desktop that you want to create a virtual machine from a Boot Camp Partition and click start. No complicated set up required!
    No need to re-activate Windows each time you switch between Boot Camp and Parallels. Activate Windows only once inside Parallels and work in both environments
     
    IMPORTANT! It is not possible to suspend a Virtual Machine that is connected to Boot Camp as it could result in an unstable system.
     
    VERY IMPORTANT! Beta1 (build 3036) users must boot natively into Boot Camp and uninstall Parallels Tools for Boot Camp prior to running it in RC (build 3120).
    Transporter RC bundled - migrate your real Windows PC, or existing VMware or Virtual PC VMs to Parallels virtual machines! Learn more about Transporter RC >>
     
    IMPORTANT! Beta1 users MUST upgrade their Transporter package on their Windows source machine before using Transporter in RC. Failing to do so may result in a system crash and loss of data
    NEW! Added keyboard remapping configuration
    New Look and Feel - completely redesigned windows and easier to follow dialogues to make Desktop for Mac more user-friendly than ever
    True “Drag and Drop” functionality - a long awaited feature that lets you seamlessly drag and drop files and folders from Windows to Mac OS X and vice versa. Parallels Desktop now shares the entire Mac file structure between OS X and Windows - no more worrying about which copy of the file is the most recently updated!
    Read/Write Boot Camp partition - use your Apple Boot Camp Partition as a virtual HDD for Parallels Desktop for Mac
    Virtual Machine Catalogue - now all of your virtual machines are available through a centralized VM catalogue which appears on each Parallels Desktop for Mac instance
    One-click Virtual Machine Aliases - automatically create a desktop shortcut for your virtual machine with the OS Installation Assistant, by dragging-and-dropping from title bar, or by pressing Command-Option keys combination. Clicking on Alias automatically starts the Virtual Machine
    Resizable Main Window - resize the Parallels Desktop for Mac main window as you do with any other Mac application
    Auto-Adjusting Screen Resolution - Windows auto-adjusts its screen resolution to the actual main window size
    Improved graphic performance - up to 50% faster!
    Connect/disconnect USB devices schema improved - no more annoying “wait 5-10 seconds” message on USB device connecting to Parallels Desktop for Mac!
    Up to 5 Virtual NICs - now each Virtual Machine can have up to five virtual network interfaces
    Enhanced Shared Networking Mode - run Cisco VPN and many other complex networking applications in conjunction with Connection Sharing Mode
    Lots of various fixes
    You can download the build from Parallel's download page. 
    Please make sure to tell us what you think.
  • Swad
    New to the revamped AirPort Extreme is a cool new disk sharing feature called, surprisingly enough, "AirPort Disk." The word on the street (or, more accurately, Apple's website) is that it makes sharing an external hard drive as easy as (Apple?) pie.


    New to AirPort Extreme, AirPort Disk turns almost any external USB hard drive into a shared drive. Simply connect the drive to the USB port on the back of your AirPort Extreme and — voila — all the documents, videos, photos, and other files on the drive instantly become available to anyone on the secure network, Mac and PC alike. It’s perfect for backups, collaborative projects, and more.
     
    A simple-to-use AirPort Disk Utility gives you more setup options. You could set the disk to become available whenever you connect to the network. You could set up password-protected accounts for everybody on the network, or allow read-only access to certain files and folders. The choice is yours. What a handy concept. As more computer users move their computers onto home networks, user-friendly features such as this will be a welcomed blessing. As someone who has spent hours cursing Microsoft for a poorly implemented sharing system in XP, I can appreciate the plug-and-play simplicity of AirPort Disk. It even works with Apple TV.
     
    I'm not sure if Apple is the first company to implement such a feature, but I'm certainly glad they did.
  • REVENGE
    Aside from Microsoft's entertainment and devices division president Robbie Bach's comments on how the iPhone will face "significant hurdles" in the market, it seems that the iPhone has already run into legal trouble before its official release.
     
    As it turns out, the "iPhone" moniker had already been registered by a group named Infogear over a decade ago in 1996. Infogear was acquired in 2000 by the now merged Cisco-Linksys group, which had just recently released their i[nternet]Phone back in December. On Tuesday, Cisco representatives disclosed that they've had many discussions with Apple over the naming issue recently, and that "it is our belief that Apple intends to agree to the final document. We expect to receive a signed agreement today (Tuesday)."
     
    Well, Tuesday came and gone with no word from Apple, but things took a turn for the worst yesterday when the Associated Press reported that Cisco has in fact filed a lawsuit against Apple for trademark infringement. In the end, it seems that the negotiations between the two companies failed, and it looks like Cisco has the advantage as they've possessed ownership of the "iPhone" name for over 5 years now.
     
    In addition to the bitter legal battle over naming the device that's about to ensue, Apple has also yet to receive FCC approval of its new device. The device must receive approval before it can be sold to anyone. It seems that Apple really must get ready to jump a few hurdles before it can enter the market.
  • Swad

    CrossOver Mac 6.0 released

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    ~Neo dropped by in Reader News to remind us that, amidst all the iPhone/Apple TV hubbub at Macworld, CodeWeavers released the final version of CrossOver Mac 6.0. CodeWeavers states that the app...


    ...allows you to install many popular Windows applications and games on Mac OS X. CrossOver includes an easy to use, single click interface, which makes installing Windows software simple and fast. Once installed, your application integrates seamlessly in OS X. Just click and run your application directly from the OS X Finder. Clicking a Windows file or document — including email attachments — will launch the appropriate Windows program, allowing you to work on the files. Best of all, you do it all easily and affordably, without needing a Microsoft operating system license. The application is available from the CodeWeavers website for $55 or free for a 60 day trial period.
     
    It's great to see such competition in the Mac virtualization market, pitting Vmware vs. Parallels and Parallels' Converge vs. CrossOver, each one trying to outdo and improve upon their competitor's feature set. Capitalism is a beautiful thing, ain't it?
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