InfoWorld’s Tom Yager dedicates this week’s Ahead of the Curve column to Apple’s decision to make Leopard fully UNIX compliant.
Praising Mac OS X using an orchestra analogy, Yager writes, “Commercial Linux is a gigantic stage filled with competing, gifted soloists. UNIX is an orchestra of high reputation playing in a hall that is a gracious historic landmark. OS X is that orchestra, but one that has been moved to a lavish hall. Apple, Darwin, and BSD will take computing to the next level by showing equal regard for tradition, performance, and users.”
Full article here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Hands on with Apple’s Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard – August 24, 2006
Leaked Apple Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard screenshots – August 22, 2006
Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard is 64-bit done right, unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista kludge – August 14, 2006
First boot with Mac OS X Leopard visual tour – August 13, 2006
Mac OS X Leopard developer features leaked – August 09, 2006
Mac OS X Leopard sneak peek highlights – August 09, 2006
Analyst: Apple’s new Mac OS X Leopard sets new bar, leaves Microsoft’s Vista in the dust – August 08, 2006
Inside Apple Mac OS X Leopard’s ‘Spaces’ – August 07, 2006
Take a ride in Apple Mac OS X Leopard’s ‘Time Machine’ – August 07, 2006
Apple previews Mac OS X Leopard featuring Time Machine, Spaces, enhanced Mail & iChat, and more – August 07, 2006
Apple previews Mac OS X Server Leopard; to ship in spring 2007 – August 07, 2006
Fred Mertz At least the chimp has a clue, it seeks the simplest soloution, hungry . . food, in heat . . . shag. MS thinks the most complicated soloution will work, it will not, they will fail, heaping crap upon crap. OSX is the pure and simple soloution . . . it works, just like a chimp.
I am offended by the picture. It is not at all appropriate. Just the idea that Windows is like a chimpanzee playing–whatever musical instrument that is–is an insult to the intelligence, dignity, and professionalism of chimpanzees everywhere.
I think that 10.5 will stand on its own, without any comparison to Vista needed.
Great article! The orchestra metaphor works. Apple is the only commercial company to take the output of the extremely talented Open Source community and add its fabulous understanding of human interface issues to come up with by far the best operating environment on the planet.
Yager gets it.
It is beyond comprehension to see humans subject unfortunate animals to Microsoft Windows. I’d soon kill the beasts and eat them than watch the poor things suffer so.
Zeke,
Thanks for at least starting to tackle my question.
So lets take this to the next level: What doesn’t Apple consider site licensing Leopard to HP and Dell for their servers? You know the corporate ones.
I’m not refering to the the consumer boxes, but at Enterprise level. The already have the same latest and greatest processors?
Then Joe office worker will say: ” well I already use Leopard at work, Hmm.. it only runs on a Mac? So I gotta go buy a Mac for home?
Well I can still run my old Windows programs in the New mac right (thanks to Boot Camp or what ever the next thing will be). My kids think its cool so why not?
What say you folks?
@Trusted Computing
So.. how HAVE you been macdude?
Dear Jim:
I’m not Mac dude.
I’ve been an Apple computer user since 1985 when I bough an
Apple IIc – Long before Mac dude was born, by the way he writes.
I mean lets face it : the computer world changes, and technology knows no paradigms. Who would have ever thought of Macs with Intel chips? I really think that if enterprise computers, and the corresponding hardware firms for which the enterprise computers are a significant revenue stream for them, Why would they not sell a superior OS?
The only thing here is that Apple has traditionally been a hardware company and they do make lots of money off of the hardware they sell. This G5 1.8 Imac is my 6th Apple computer since 1985 (no, power user I am not).
I use a Dell with Windows 2000 at work and it sucks. While the Dell hardware has been reliable (except for the fan) its’ the clunky hobbled together software from mail, to databases, to netware etc. etc. create conflicts and slow downs.
Back to my point: Apple licenses a Server version of Leopard to HP, Dell, and sun which legitimizes the OS, and pretty much kills off red had Linux. Joe Office get used to it, at work, and when it come time to buy a replacement for hist Dell, he takes a look at the Mac and learns that hecan still communicate with his office and even use proprietary software originally written for windows, and his teen age son can play half life or Madden Football or Doom 8 or whatever on his box at home, and he can still pay his bills on line and surfe the internet. so Joe office make the right choice and buys a Mac next time.
Is this out to Lunch? If you think it is, offer some compelling counter arguments. I will probably change my mind and agree with you if they are any better. And frankly – This is a pretty low bar.
Grognard
“Apple should talk to some high profile sound gurus like J.Zawinul or Richard James to get a fresh startup noise.”
How about a D major chord sampled from a Casavant Frerez Pipe organ with all stops open? A grand way to power up your mac. BTW: You’ll need at least an 18 inch subwoofer to realy feel the vibration from the 32 Foot pipes. Low C on the pedal board is about 16 hertz!
Will someone please photoshop some lip stick on the monkey so it’s “Vista Ready”. The one pictured is the XP version.
Apple’s decision to make Leopard fully UNIX compliant.
Probably means they’re paying the Open Group for the privilege of calling it UNIX.
grognard, maybe someday Apple will license but not now.
The world (and the web) is moving from textual/numeric information content to a world where that information is embedded in multimedia. You can see it happening with blogs (pictures/video inserted) and the growing popularity of YouTube.
So one, Apple is gearing up all their pieces to dominate this world. From the Mac with dual cores, iLife and pro apps, to the iPod/iTunes for consumption, and to the Mac Server, being optimized for serving up this kind of content. But the Mac Server is not really there yet; maybe 10.6 or 10.7. (The link with Google is a hint as Google is also trying to shift from one world to the other, especially in advertising.)
And two, Apple doesn’t have enough leverage yet to get good licensing terms. I think Apple will keep trying to increase its base of home/education/small business Mac users and increasing iPod functionality, while it waits for companies to realize they need better servers for multimedia.
Apple does not and will not rush; it has learned that it can survive moving at its own intelligently informed pace. Look at Windows Media Center and look at how long it has taken for Apple to respond – begun with Front Row, maybe added to next week, maybe not… And so far, no harm done.
The Web/IT/digital entertainment trends are moving towards Apple’s strengths. And Apple has a strategy in place to capitalize but it will take a few years to unfold. Be patient.
Vista is like a monkey playing an accordian while wearing boxing gloves.
What is wrong with the Mac’s start-up sound? It’s the opening cord to The Beatles “A Hard Day’s Night.” What do you want to put it there, some garbage,”Star Wars,” electronic sound? Besides, who shuts their Mac down?
“Vista is like a monkey playing an accordian while wearing boxing gloves.”
It may be sad and a little frightening, but you can’t blame Ballmer for having a hobby. He’s been working on startup chimes for Vista. Number three on the SBIL.
Mark –
I agree. I think your interpretation of the Apple strategy is more sound than the one I postulated. Your absolutely right: Apple stays and grow it core consumer base in tandem with constantly refreshing IPods Its been an incredibly successful business plan.
Maybe this is why OS X isn’t mucked up like Vista: Vista tries to be all things to all individual users with their ‘home’ edition and an enterprise version (or professional or whatever) which make the OS clunky.
I for one will continue to purchase Apple products and pay the percieved ‘premium’ price because much of what you buy isn’t the hardware, but the software and the hard work that has gone into making the Apple product so easy to use. When all is totaled maybe your ‘initial’ purchase price is higher, but if your somebody like me, you only buy a new one every 5 years or so. a $200 or $400 ‘higher price’ doesn’t seem that much when spread over 5 years. Besides Apple has been able to maintain a high level of quality control so I don’t HAVE to buy a new box every 2 to 3 years like my Dell/ HP using friends (poor saps that they are).
It’s clear that there are some really smart people working at Apple because the hardware and the software is easy to use and is designed well. This cost money. I for one gladly pay for quality over quantity…. Life is better that way.