Snow Leopard is Coming July 27, 2009
Posted by cuyler in Apple, Software.add a comment
Apple’s next version of their OS X operating system, nick-named Snow Leopard, is due sometime in September. This weekend Apple released some of the new background art.
Snow Leopard does not include a great many new features, instead Apple bills it as a set of “enhancements and refinements“. Much of the code has been rewritten to be smaller and more efficient. New applications can take advantage of improved multitasking (Grand Central Station and OpenCL) and 64-bit memory access. It is a tune-up of Leopard, much like Windows 7 is a tune-up of Vista. (For a little fun, see The Onion’s comparison of Snow Leopard and Windows 7)
If you purchased a Mac after June 8th, you probably qualify to upgrade to Snow Leopard for $9.95 (US) plus sales tax. This is a limited time offer and you must apply within 90 days of purchase. Go to Apple’s website for details on their Snow Leopard up-to-date program.
Other Mac users can upgrade from Leopard to Snow Leopard for $29 (US). The family pack version, which lets you install on up to 5 computers, is $49 (US).
Snow Leopard only runs on computers with an Intel processor — so users with older PowerPC machines will need to stick with Leopard. Otherwise, I think most people will want to upgrade.
Update»
It’s official — Snow Leopard ships this Friday, August 28th.
We Choose the Moon July 20, 2009
Posted by cuyler in Space Exploration.add a comment
Buzz Aldrin leaves his mark
Today is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. I have been follow the progress “live” on WeChooseTheMoon.com.
The site looks great in Firefox 3.5 — I am also using the NASA Night Launch theme for Firefox. It is a favorite of mine because I think the white on black design is easier on the eyes.
What a thrill it was to watch the lunar landings. Imagine being stuffed into that little tin can and shot into the sky on top of a 25-story rocket. It’s been 40 years, but I am still in awe of the accomplishment.
Apollo 11 Liftoff July 16, 2009
Posted by cuyler in Space Exploration.add a comment
Apollo Command Module atop the Saturn V Rocket
Forty years ago today, Apollo 11 began its historic manned mission to the moon. I remember being glued to the TV waiting for the final countdown. That countdown would often be in “holding” mode while NASA fixed some sort of problem. During those long delays, Walter Cronkite’s comforting voice would present facts and stories about the mission. All the while, the TV would cycle through the same shots of mission control and Saturn V rocket spewing clouds of vapor.
When the countdown resumes, there is a flurry of “go”s and the excitement is almost unbearable. This has to be considered the most historic voyage of all time — when humanity breaks its bond with its home planet and ventures to another world. As the countdown approaches 8 seconds, they announce “ignition sequence started” — at that point nothing can halt the launch. My heart was running at maximum. A few seconds later, Neil Armstrong’s voice gives a casual status report as if going to the moon is something he does every day. I continue to be impressed with how professionally the crew performed their mission.
I got to relive a little of that day with a visit to Cape Canaveral. For me, the highlight of the tour was walking beneath an unused Saturn V rocket. Standing in its giant shadow gives a greater appreciation for the enormity of the project. If you’re ever in that area, I recommend spending a day a away from the normal tourist traps and taking a little side trip to history.
Google’s Chrome Operating System July 13, 2009
Posted by cuyler in Google, Web Development.add a comment
Last Tuesday, Google announced its Chrome operating system. It will support Intel and Arm processors and should be available on some netbooks in 2010.
Google only announced the project and did not disclose too many details. The stated goal is to create an efficient, secure, browser-centric environment for netbooks and desktop machines. The Chrome OS is based on Linux and will be open sourced later this year. Although the kernel is Linux, the user interface is being written from the ground up. It presumably boots directly into the Chrome browser and will mostly run cloud-based applications.
Many are saying the Chrome OS targets Windows and Mac OS X, but I have my doubts. People tend to stay with the environment that’s familiar to them. A case in point: Linux still only has a 1% market share of operating systems on desktops.
What is unclear is how this is going to effect the adoption of Google’s Android, which also targets netbooks and smartbooks in addition to mobile devices. Ars Technica suggests that Google’s real goal may be to change the public perception of on-line computing.
But if the Chrome OS is an attack on Microsoft, Microsoft answered today with the announcement of a free web-based version of Office 2010 that competes with Google Docs.
Update»
Paul Thurrott made an excellent point on Windows Weekly that even if Google never releases the Chrome OS, this is a historic announcement. It signals that the world of operating systems is changing directions and Microsoft must respond in one way or another.
Do We Really Need Flash? July 6, 2009
Posted by cuyler in Web Development.add a comment
I look forward to the day when we no longer need to add plug-ins to watch video over the web. I used to think that Adobe Flash was cool because it made the web more interactive. But the trouble is, it is a proprietary standard that depends on one company for its support. The Internet is built on free standards and should not rely on any single entity to function.
Firefox 3.5 now includes support for HTML 5 which lets surfers listen to audio or watch video without the aid of a third-party plug-in. If HTML 5 becomes widely adopted, it has the potential to eliminate the need for proprietary add-ons such as Flash or Microsoft’s Silverlight.
Unfortunately, Firefox only supports the open-source Ogg Theora codec for video. This has forced the W3C standards committee to drop requirements for specific codecs. This is a bit of a setback, but I still hope Apple, Microsoft and Oracle eventually make moves toward more open standards. Google has pledged its support, so the other may have to fall in line.
Firefox 3.5 July 1, 2009
Posted by cuyler in Software.add a comment
On Tuesday (June 30, 2009), Mozilla released version 3.5 of their Firefox web browser. Webmonkey has a nice summary of the new features which include:
- TraceMonkey JavaScript engine and improved rendering which promises a 2x performance improvement
- HTML 5 support which allows embedded video and audio without any plug-ins
- Location-Aware Browsing — after permission is granted, web sites can use current location information
- Private browsing mode where cookies and history are not saved
- support for more than 70 languages
It is easy to upgrade using “Check for Updates…” in the Firefox “Help” menu.
