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  • Swad

    Hardware Galore!

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    Let's skip right to it - a list of all the things you want for Christmas this year.
     
    - The all new Mac Pro. Quite impressive indeed. Get up to two 3 GHz Xeons along with 2 TB in storage.
     
    - Cheaper (along with slightly improved specs) Cinema Displays
     
    - An Intel Xserve. Two 2.66GHz or 3GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon 5100 processors, up to 2 TB (!) of storage.
     
    Anyone bought/buying one? Or 10?
  • Swad
    Today brought our first taste of Leopard and, based on the reaction here and elsewhere in MacLand, it was bittersweet.
     
    What we saw:
    - Updated Mail, iCal, Spotlight, Dashboard, iChat. A few very cool things in the works.
    - Time Machine. Easily the best backup system around, if only slightly ripped from (gasp!) Vista.
    - Core Animation. A technology that rocks. Period.
    - Universal Access. Much improved synthetic speech. Not that useful for most of us, but helpful for a few.
    - Spaces. Desktop switching comes to the Mac! (...if only slightly stolen from Linux)
    - 64 Bit Support. Cool implementation, should be handy.
     
    What we didn’t see:
    - New Finder. Probably the thing most of us want the most. Mostly.
    - Built in virtualization support. Looks like it’ll be Parallels or VMware for now.
    - A silent death to “Brushed Metal.” See the Safari window in the Spaces video?
     
    Leopard is clearly a strong addition to an already strong OS. And, in spite of Apple’s barrage of “copying” jokes, it will undoubtedly be better than Vista.
     
    Keep in mind that, at this point, we don’t even have a beta to play with, so Apple still has time to throw in a lot of fun features (not to mention Steve’s “Top Secret” items... I suppose we’ll have to wait for his next podcast...).
     
    The question is: Is this what you were hoping for? Is this process of slow, consistent OS improvement what you’d been expecting from Leopard, or had you been hoping for something completely new? Now that the “cat” is out of the bag (sorry for the bad pun, but hey - it’s better than a few at the Moscone Center), what’s your take?
     
    P.S. Catch all the Keynote goodness here.
  • suleiman
    Here I'll be posting news from the WWDC Keynote Address minutes (maybe seconds) after it rolls out of Stevie's mouth. And then (like BOOM!) you can all post your reactions. The format will be as close to one-liners as we can get them, so subscribe to this thread and you'll be sure to stay abreast of the latest and greatest.
     
    We are also collecting feeds from many different sources for WWDC and displaying the results in #WWDC on irc.macspeak.net with your IRC client or use our forum's java client.
  • Swad
    Since one of Mr. Jobs’ most impressive features tomorrow is bound to be something related to Windows/virtualization integration, I thought it’d be wise to take a few moments and look at where we stand in the pre-WWDC world.
     
    As most of you are aware, Parallels Desktop remains essentially unchallenged in the realm of Macintel virtualization. It’s fast, efficient, and has become a favorite of InsanelyMac Nation. VMblog had a good interview with the Parallels folks last week. It’s well worth your time to read, but in case you don’t, here's the CliffsNotes version:
    VMBlog
    : No matter which virtualization platform is used, people always ask about virtualized graphics support. Do you get a lot of questions centered around gaming or high-end graphic support?
     
    BR: Our ultimate goal is to make Parallels virtual machines identical to “real” machines, and that involves including 3D graphics so people can play games and use high-end rendering software without any performance hit. It’s something that we’re actively working on and hope to include it soon so users can run high-end 3D games just as easily as they can run critical productivity apps like Outlook and Project.
     
    VMBlog: With the desktop virtualization products that you currently support, what are some of the top feature requests that end users are asking for?
     
    BR: We’ve had a lot of requests for virtual SMP support and USB 2.0, and both of those will be in the next version of Parallels. We’re also working on a number of booting options that we’re hoping to include as well, and continue to work on the 3D graphics support that I discussed earlier. VMware, as mentioned in the above interview, has been relatively late to the new Intel Mac scene. As in, hasn’t shown up yet. As in, "still waiting in the car 'cause I'm under 21." According to a few reports, VMware is planning on announcing software for Intel Macs tomorrow… the day (which will live in infamy) of the Keynote.


    A company spokesperson would not comment on what VMware would announce, but it is likely that the Palo Alto, Calif., company will demonstrate a Mac version of its virtualization product for running Windows on Intel-powered Macs.
     
    There is also speculation that VMware will demonstrate Windows Vista running in Mac OS X under VMware. Parallels Desktop currently will not run the Windows Vista Beta, which does not support ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface), which Vista uses.
    And as if news of the battle of the “install the whole OS (including spyware)” titans wasn’t enough, this week also brought information of two other Windows-integration technologies, Crossover and Northstar.


    CrossOver from CodeWeavers is a commercial product based on the open-source Wine program. The company has a Linux version and plans to release a Mac version in August. True North Technology's Northstar is a Web-based service that also employs X11 and Java. CrossOver runs only on Intel-powered Macs; Northstar works with PowerPC-based as well as Intel-based Macs. What is this newcomer Northstar all about?


    Like DarWine, Northstar puts Windows applications in an X11 window on the Mac. Users log on to the Northstar service with a Web browser. Northstar then sends down a Java tuner applet that feeds X11 packets that represent the display.
     
    But Northstar strays even further from the virtual machine model and may be an approach that will be more difficult for users to grasp. For starters, Northstar users don't need to own their own Windows applications. True North will license applications on an annual basis, or on a monthly basis if the user only needs to use the application for a short time. The company offers different pricing packages for sets of software, and offers business and enterprise subscriptions. True North will keep Windows application up-to-date and apply the latest service packs.
     
    For a fee, True North will let customers upload their own Windows software to Northstar or mail the company the disc media. The service makes installed software available to the user through an interface element called the Northstar Desktop. 4 different approaches to Mac-Windows integration. 4 different chances for success and failure. Parallels has the benefit of substantial momentum but they’ll certainly meet their match with the much older and venerable VMware throwing its hat into the proverbial ring.
     
    I have the feeling that tomorrow will open a host of new virtualization possibilities. How about you?
  • kevin_4e
    Along with moving the Forum from The OSx86 Project to InsanelyMac, the IRC Network has also made its own small transition.
     
    As a result of the creation of the two dedicated sites, the IRC Team has decided to establish #OSx86 as a channel just for OSx86 discussion and help. #InsanelyMac will be open for more general discussion of all Mac related topics. Both channels strive for the same friendly atmosphere as you'll find on this Forum. If you are unfamiliar with the IRC Network, feel free to check out the Chat Home Page or visit the forum's Java client. We hope to see you around.
  • kevin_4e
    Introducing "Links for the Weekend," a weekly feature to help pass those lazy, hazy, crazy weekend days of summer (or winter).
     
    Looking for a brand new, ultra fast browser that now supports spell checking as you type? Search no further than Mozilla’s new Firefox 2 Beta 1... Another newly released app is Twisted Melon’s Mira 1.1.6 (Free Demo) which gives you “personal control for your Apple Remote” with all your favorite applications... New hybrid hard drive tech will allow for faster, safer, and less power-hungry storage for notebooks... If you're jealous of the iMac’s capability to magnetically hold the Apple Remote in place, don't miss this tip for all MacBook owners... And for the ultra-paranoid who use nothing less than a random 64 digit password, here’s your spot.
     
    If you missed some interesting Forum posts this week, we'll help you catch up: The guys over at Tom’s Hardware were able to create a silent, liquid cooled PC filled with 8 gallons of cooking oil, for which they created a guide... If you haven’t found it yet, the Photography forum has a new sticky, “Your Greatest Photos,” a place for everyone to upload their Pulizter-ready shots... In the new Blog area, Colonel’s Corner revealed Colonel’s Paint 1.0, to easily create shapes, text, and then print off your work of art... And finally, when compared to this Dell, has your MacBook really gotten all that hot?
  • Swad
    Since the beginning of the Intel transition, it has been the hope of gamers everywhere that, one day, a Cedega-like solution would allow Windows games to be played on an Intel Mac. TransGaming, the company that makes Cedega, announced today that they’ve developed Cider (get it? Apple? Cider?) to allow Windows game developers port their games to Macs without changing a single line of code. (See the FAQ here)


    Cider is a sophisticated portability engine that allows Windows games to be run on Intel Macs without any modifications to the original game source code. Cider works by directly loading a Windows program into memory on an Intel-Mac and linking it to an optimized version of the Win32 APIs. Games are simply wrapped up in the Cider engine and they work on the Mac. This means developers only have one code base to maintain while keeping the ability to target multiple platforms. Cider powered games use the same copy protection, lobbies, game matching and connectivity as the original. All this means less work and lower costs. Cider is targeted at game developers and publishers and, unlike Cedega, is not an end user product. This really seems to be a multiplatform solution, allowing Cider games to even be used in Linux via Cedega.


    Stemming from the same technology foundation as TransGaming’s technical sensation, Cedega, Cider empowers game developers and publishers to release Mac editions of their titles. Cider is so effective that publishers will be able to simultaneously deploy the Mac and Windows versions of their titles, even for new games already in development. With Cider, whole catalogues of games can be easily brought to a brand new audience starving for games. Another great benefit is that games migrated to Intel Mac using Cider will also run on Linux under Cedega, forging a path to another game hungry market. What’s all the corporate jibba-jabba mean? Hopefully, it means that game developers will finally have the tools (and incentive) to bring most of their gaming library to the Mac platform. It will be interesting to see what kind of performance hit, if any, Cider games will show in relation to their Windows brethren. We hope this isn’t too good to be true.
     
    It’s no secret that Macs have not traditionally been the platform of choice for gamers. However, with what seems like a renewed commitment by Apple for ease of customization (see the pull tab hard drive in the MacBook) and the possibility for a flood of new Mac-able games, that might just be changing.
  • Swad
    It’s ok. Admit it. You’ve already got the kids scheduled for the baby-sitter Monday morning. The shades will be drawn, the car will be left running for an emergency run to the Apple Store, and you’ll lay out all your credit cards along your desk… just in case. It’s ok. We understand – ‘WWDC Fever’ is a legitimate condition. Look it up. It’s in the DSM IV.
     
    For those that just can’t wait, here’s a taste of what OS X running on Conroe will look like. t-break isn’t a review site we frequent (it was actually pointed out to us by a member) but they claim to have checked out OSx86 running on Conroe… and they were impressed.


    Our curiosity got the better of us and we decided to “setup a Mac” with the equipment available to us. Its really no secret that a “home installable” version of the Intel OS X has been floating on the “scene” for sometime now and we used one such version based on 10.4.6 version of the O/S. Hardware-wise, we used Intel’s 975X motherboard with a Core 2 Xtreme CPU running at 2.93GHz along with 2GB Corsair RAM running at DDR2-800MHz speed. We chose the ATI X1600XT graphics card which is what’s used on the current generation of Mac Book Pro and iMacs. If you google, you will find a way of getting this card working natively on the “home installable” version of OS X. Guys, it’s ok to say “ATI card working natively with the ‘Boris’ method.” Anyway…


    These last two tests were also conducted on that same PC with Windows installed and we see the Mac performing as well as Windows in Cinebench and a mere 3% slower in Photoshop which is especially impressive considering that Photoshop CS2 was running under Rosetta on the Mac.
     
    All in all, we'll say that things are looking pretty good for the Mac with its supposed move to the Conroe architecture. We might see better performance numbers than above if Apple decides to go with Woodcrest Xeons and their higher FSB speed. But even if they don't, the 2.93GHz Core 2 is looking mighty impressive. Pretty impressive indeed. We didn’t write anything about this when we first found it since, frankly, we’re a little skeptical about some of the results. Especially the non-native Photoshop numbers. Nevertheless, it’s probably a good indicator of some of the things we might hear at WWDC.
  • Swad
    Not to get you MacBook owners alarmed or anything, but there’s a small chance that at any moment – maybe within the next 5 minutes - your laptop may suddenly become unresponsive and uncontrollable. Don’t be surprised if it starts doing odd things… very “hacker-like” things.
     
    Well… ok… so you’re probably not at that much of a risk unless you’re camped out at the Black Hat security conference, chillin' 'til the break so you can grab some more free stuff. According to the Washington Post (now there's some underground cred), Jon "Johnny Cache" Ellch and David Maynor gave a presentation today showing how a MacBook could be compromised in a minute or less.


    One of the dangers of this type of attack is that a machine running a vulnerable wireless device driver could be subverted just by being turned on. The wireless devices in most laptops -- and indeed the Macbook targeted in this example -- are by default constantly broadcasting their presence to any network within range, and most are configured to automatically connect to any available wireless network.
     
    But according to Maynor and Ellch, this attack can be carried out whether or not a vulnerable targeted laptop connects with a local wireless network. It is, they said, enough for a vulnerable machine to have its wireless card active for such an attack to be successful. That's a trivial demand, given that most wireless devices embedded in laptops these days are switched on by default and are configured to continuously seek out available wireless networks. These guys are no Mac fans, and especially wanted to poke fun at “smug” Mac users who think they needn’t worry about security. But alas, there appears to be no honor even amongst hackers.


    Maynor said he and his colleague opted in favor of a videotaped demonstration versus a live one because of the possibility that someone in the audience could intercept the traffic sent to a potentially live target and deconstruct the attack -- possibly to use the exploit in the wild against other Macbook users.
    Update: It seems that the Washington Post article may have been making the situation seem a little worse than it was - in fact, they weren't exploiting the AirPort card at all, but another wireless adapter. See this article for more on the topic.
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