2009-09-08



Mac OS X 10.6 - Snow Leopard - Resources, Info, and Commentary


NEW YORK - JUNE 11: A female Snow Leopard pre...Image by Getty Images via Daylife
Having been waiting for the Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard release, I'm happy to say I'm running it now with no real problems. I have included some discussion about both the OS and the coverage below. Here, I am mainly focused on features, expectations/perception, and transitions in the new version.




Scope of Update vs. a Service Pack
A number of web pundits are making noise arguing somewhat derisively that Snow Leopard is more of a "service pack" than a full version upgrade. Personally, I'm a bit surprised by this. The underlying improvements are so significant (see below: 64-bit, OpenCL, and Grand Central), that I do not understand this point of view.

In fact, I believe two factors are at play here: 1) Apple is experiencing some backlash, and it has become fashionable to be down on Apple, and 2) Software manufacturers have been correct in including numerous UI changes and features, because that is what these pundits seem to focus on.



To some extent, the punditry is reacting to Apple's growing popularity and success much like a teenager whose favorite underground band has a hit single.  It is no longer quite as "hip" to be positive about Apple and incidentally, provides some cover for any previous "fanboy" behavior. This desire to not be seen in too large of a crowd is a bit immature and illogical.  Either the products are good and deservingly gaining popularity or not.  Is it really necessary to go from making the case that "the masses" were ignorant of Apple's strengths to now arguing the very same masses are ignorant of Apple's weaknesses?

It appears the only way an OS upgrade can qualify is to have a laundry list of features and flashy, new couldn't-live-without-it additions.

While Apple is only charging $29 for the upgrade and has not pitched it as a significant change in UI or features, they did make it clear at WWDC that the infrastructure in this upgrade was going to enable whole new classes of applications and empower developers to use otherwise difficult technologies in an easy Apple-like way.

If major improvements to the underlying infrastructure are not enough to count as a version upgrade, what is? Only UI candy and long bullet lists of "features"? For me, this is the most frustrating part.


Incompatibilities, Problems, and Other Issues
Some people commenting on their negative experiences, and this is a valid concern any time there is a significant upgrade.  Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but some of the grousing just does not make much sense.  There are two types of irony involved: 1) only a significant upgrade would be expected to expose such compatibility problems, and 2) most of the problems have been with haxies (e.g. SIMBL) or software doing things the developers have been told not to do (e.g using depreciated API's).

So, the fairy tale wish appears to be massive UI changes and numerous new features, all without any compatibility problems with old software (including software that does not follow the rules).  As with any upgrade, it seems it would be more advisable to have a good backup, wait before installing on production machines, and do not be surprised when haxies break.

On the bright side, for this update, Apple has taken steps to proactively disable some incompatible software to prevent more significant problems.  But if you rely on any of this software, you should wait until the developer fixes it for Snow Leopard compatibility.

Related Links:  Snow Leopard: Apple's most compatible release ever | Apple - CNET News


Apple's Skill at Major Platform Transitions
Apple Inc.Image via Wikipedia
More than any other major player, Apple has a proven track record of managing major platform transitions.  They have managed to change CPU platforms twice (!) and moved from the "Classic" Mac OS to Mac OS X.

In each case, Apple has developed or otherwise provided a seamless transition by providing a bridge between the two versions, while strongly encouraging developers to quickly move to the new platform.  Previous bridges included the 68k emulator during the PowerPC transition, the Classic Mac OS environment during the transition to Mac OS X, and Rosetta during the transition to Intel-based processors.  In every case, Apple walked a tightrope to avoid pain for the user while encouraging developers to move along quickly.


64-bit64-bit Transition
Some people have complained that Snow Leopard boots into a 32-bit kernel on all but Apple's Xserve's. But I think this is further sign of Apple handling a major transition properly.  In the case of Microsoft, Windows XP and Windows Vista required a clean break with 32-bit in order to move to a 64-bit kernel. In both Apple's and Microsoft's case, a 64-bit kernel required a full complement of 64-bit drivers.  Apple chose to avoid forcing users to make this transition before the drivers were ready by developing a hybrid kernel as a bridge allowing for many of the benefits of 64-bits (including larger memory space and 64-bit applications) while not forcing a complete break with 32-bit for drivers and compatibility with older software.  When the dust settles, I think most people will agree Apple handled another transition smoothly.


QuickTime X Transition
QuickTimeImage via Wikipedia
In the same vein as some previous transitions, Apple has decided to move forward with a new architecture for QuickTime.  Rather than forcing an all-or-nothing change, they have decided to start making the new features and functionality available, while still giving people the option of falling back on most of the prior version's functionality by including QuickTime 7 Player as an optional install and the underlying QuickTime 7 functionality as a standard install feature.  By including QuickTime 7, Apple has, again, provided a bridge to the past while moving quickly to the future.

Related Links:  Inside Mac OS X Snow Leopard: QuickTime X — RoughlyDrafted Magazine





Grand Central DispatchGrand Central Dispatch
With Grand Central Dispatch. Apple is providing tools that developers can use to more fully take advantage of the new generations of multi-core processors.  As more cores and processors become available, it becomes increasingly difficult for developers to efficiently utilize them.  By providing a set of tools to assist developers is dealing with these issues, Apple has guaranteed that future software for the Mac (and probably the iPhone) will make good use of the multiple cores.  And by including this support in the OS, they further make it possible for small developers to use this power where in the past, mainly large corporate developers were equipped to solve the complexity issues.


OpenCLOpenCL
In the same manner that Apple is trying to make multiple core usable by developers of any size, they are also trying to put the super-fast GPU's to work.  The Graphics Processing Units found on most graphics cards and many motherboards are incredibly fast at certain tasks, but using them for general purpose computing can be very difficult.  That combined with the fact that different companies have incompatible methods for using their GPU's makes this an incredibly difficult process.

OpenCL is an open standard working in parallel with OpenGL to provide this GPGPU infrastructure is a way that removes much of the complexity due to incompatible or changing architectures.  Apple has implemented OpenCL to make sure the GPU can be used and the CPU will be used if no appropriate GPU is available, thus ensure easy compatibility for the application developers.


Exchange Compatibility
The Exchange capability is something that has gotten a great deal of press as Microsoft Exchange servers are very often used for e-mail and other functions in the corporate world.  But this is one area that I feel is a little undercooked.  The Exchange compatibility only works with Exchange 2007 (not older versions), and it does not appear that the Exchange data is synchronized as a full citizen of the Mac Mail, Address Book, and iCal world.


Tablet Features
I'm not really sure what to make of it, but with the rumors flying about a Mac tablet, I guess it makes sense to speculate that Snow Leopard is paving the way for a better tablet experience.  Maybe, maybe not.  I do hope so.


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Posted by John B. Osborne
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