OS X :: Apple Unleashes New Leopard Snow Leopard Betas?
Jul 13, 2009
Apple this weekend followed the release of its latest Snow Leopard beta with new pre-releases of both Mac OS X 10.5.8 Leopard and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server.
Mac OS X 10.5.8 build 9L25
Since opening the Mac OS X 10.5.8 beta test to developers approximately one month ago, Apple has shown signs that the release may cap off development of Mac OS X 10.5.
For example, each new build has arrived with a focus area noticeably distinct from the last, with lower-level technologies and frameworks seeing greater attention than usual. As such, it's been speculated that the Mac maker may be giving its Leopard OS a final once-over.
This trend appears to have culminated with this past weekend's release of build 9L25, which no longer asks that developers focus their attention on a small subset of Leopard's components. Instead, it groups together the more than three dozen components that had been isolated into smaller focus groups in earlier betas.
The latest build also lists no known issues and addresses just two new bugs, one related to saving mail messages as individual message documents and another to URL localization.
Mac OS X 10.6 Server build 10A403
Separately, developers this weekend were also treated to a new build of Mac OS X 10.6 Server, labeled build 10A403. With it, Apple asked that they test upgrade installs of the server software itself, in addition to upgrade installs of Calendar server.
Developers were also reportedly asked to spend some time with the system's new Podcast Producer, evaluating as many third-party video and web cams as they possibly can. Included with the software is a new Web Podcast Capture which leverages a new Dual Source Video Capture feature for allowing users to create picture-in-picture format podcasts.
Mac OS X 10.6 build 10A402a
Mac OS X 10.6 Server build 10A403 arrived on the heels of Mac OS X 10.6 Client build 10A402a earlier in the week. That build introduced some widely-reported interface tweaks to the Dock's pop-up menus and Expose.
One AppleInsider reader has published a few more screenshots of these interface changes to his blog, including the Dock's new menus, Expos�'s new grid view, and changes to the Dock's grid view scroll bars. [ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
... long time reader, first time poster!! So I'm doing it. I'm switching from PC to Mac. I've been waiting for a while now and the new MacBook Pro's have convinced me. I'm buying the 13 inch this week.
However I'm slightly worried about the upgrade to Snow Leopard in September.
My question is if I buy a new MacBook Pro this week and upgrade from the current version of Leopard to Snow Leopard will it be the EXACT same as the version of Snow Leopard that ships with new MacBooks after September?
Is the upgrade just the same as the full software version available post September? Does the upgrade it just detect if you have the previous software and installs as if it were the full? Or does it just "patch" things depending on what's different from previous versions?
I can wait till after Snow Leopard is released in September 09 if it is different to Leopard upgraded to Snow Leopard.
Is there anyway to log out of Apple mail? I have it set up to prompt for a password upon opening. However, my e-mail show up before the prompt and stays in the background after it appears. I share a computer and would like to keep my e-mail private without having to switch system accounts.
Apple at its annual developers conference Monday revealed that Snow Leopard Server, the next generation of Mac OS X Server, will deliver new core software technologies and services designed to better connect businesses, unleash the power of modern hardware, and lay the foundation for a new wave of innovations over the next several years.
Multicore, 64-Bit, and OpenCL
Like its Mac OS X Snow Leopard client cousin, the new version of Server will deliver support for multicore processors with “Grand Central,” a new set of built-in technologies that makes all of Mac OS X Server multicore aware and optimized for allocating tasks across Macs that ship with multiple cores and processors. Similarly, the software will also use 64-bit kernel technology to support up to a theoretical 16 terabytes of RAM -- or 500 times what is possible today -- and leverage OpenCL to allow any application to tap into the vast gigaflops of GPU computing power previously available only to graphics applications
iCal Server 2
Building on the initial release of iCal Server, Snow Leopard Server will include a new version of the open standards-based calendaring and scheduling service that will include group and shared calendars, push notifications, the ability to send email invitations to non-iCal Server users, and a browser-based application that lets users access their calendars on the web when they’re away from their Mac.
Podcast Producer 2
Likewise, the first major overhaul to the system's Podcast Producer will feature an new workflow editor that leads users through all the key steps involved in creating a successful podcast. This includes everything from selecting videos, transitions, titles, and effects to adding watermarks and overlays to specifying encoding formats and target destinations — wiki, blog, iTunes U, Podcast Library — for the finished podcast.
Additionally, support for dual-video source capture will let users record both a presenter and a presentation screen, allowing a picture-in-picture style ideal for podcasting lectures. The 2.0 release will also include a new Podcast Library, which lets users host locally stored podcasts and make them available for subscription by category via automatically generated Atom web feeds.
Collaboration & Remote Access
For business, Snow Leopard Server will offer the power of online group collaboration through the use of wikis, blogs, mailing lists, and RSS feeds. More specifically, Apple said it will further the collaboration with wiki and blog templates optimized for viewing on iPhone; content searching across multiple wikis; and attachment viewing in Quick Look. It will also introduce My Page, which gives users one convenient place to access their web applications, receive notifications, and view activity streams.
Also targeted at business will be improvements to Remote Access, such as push notifications to mobile users outside a firewall, and a proxy service that offers them secure remote access to email, address book contacts, calendars, and select internal websites.
New Address Book Server
Meanwhile, one completely new feature to the sever OS will be Apple's first open standards-based Address Book Server aimed at making it easier to share contacts across multiple computers. Based on the emerging CardDAV specification, which uses WebDAV to exchange vCards, Address Book Server will let users share personal and group contacts across multiple computers and remotely access contact information without the schema limitations and security issues associated with LDAP.
Improved Mail Server and ZFS support
Among the other features planned for Snow Leopard Server are an overhauled Mail Server engine designed to handle thousands of simultaneous connections, and read and write support for the high-performance, 128-bit ZFS file system.
With Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard entering the final stretch of development, overzealous Apple advocates are turning to discussion boards and file sharing websites to show off image and video captures taken from the next generation OS, most recently highlighting features such as simplified security preferences, enhanced searching, QuickTime X's screen recording function and a new version of Image Capture.
On Monday, attention was drawn to a YouTube user's webpage brandishing over a half dozen Snow Leopard demonstration videos, five of which were subsequently removed by the user while another was yanked from the video sharing website after Apple waged a copyright claim. Since then, readers have pointed to a long-running thread over at the French-language MacGeneration website that's serving as yet another forum offering Snow Leopard-related discussion illustrated by numerous screenshots and videos.
QuickTime X Screen Recording
Readers are free to navigate the thread on their own, though AppleInsider has extracted a handful images showing off some features that have received limited coverage in the past or haven't been represented fully in imagery, such as the recently-reported screen recording options due to arrive as part of QuickTime X Player 1.0. Portions of the native recording interface can be seen in the alert below, which initiates a screen capture session and directs the user to a menu bar option to end a session.
Once a user has concluded a Screen Recording session, the following interface and options provide a means of saving and exporting movies files in different sizes and formats.
QuickTime X also offers options for publishing supported movie files to iTunes in one of three pre-set sizes. From iTunes, they can be synced with an iPhone, iPod, or Apple TV:
New Image Capture App
Also worth noting is that Image Capture has grown as an application to adopt a user interface that is more like iTunes and the Finder, with a sidebar for devices, main window for file info and a thin row of controls lining the bottom of the application.
Universal Keyboard Shortcuts
Preference panes are also showing a convergence of UI as shown in this screenshot of the new Keyboard & Mouse preference pane:
Advanced Security Options
As always, Apple takes Security seriously. At the same time, it doesn't want to intimidate less savvy users from taking advantage of all the Mac has to offer. The below example demonstrates a simplified and easy to manage option that helps keep users safe while on the net.
Chinese Handwriting Recognition
With the private release of the most recent Snow Leopard beta, Apple also informed developers about the addition of Chinese handwriting recognition support for Macs that include a multi-touch trackpad. Similar software was added to iPhone Software 2.0 a year ago, allowing users to draw Chinese symbols on their handset's touchscreen and then select matching symbols suggested by the iPhone Software. This feature can be seen in action for the first time in the below YouTube video:
Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard is expected to hit the market sometime this summer with a near finalized version now confirmed to make an appearance at Apple's annual developers conference during the second week of June.[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
I have a problem with Apple Mail and I need someone to help me. I use Snow Leopard and want to use Apple Mail instead of Entourage. But, everyone uses windows around me and when I send email to them, they get my email as plain text. Here is my question... Even I made changing form plain text to rich text in preferences, my mails go still as plain text. Should I do something with Terminal? How can I fix it? Preferences richt text/plain text switch doesnt work.
Not sure if it is me or this is just the way Apple Mail works. Logic would assume that if you select a message in Apple Mail and that message is highlighted, not opened, and you click the From column so you can sort by that column Apple Mail would make sure that, when it is sorted, the highlighted message would still be in your view. I can get this to work sometimes and other times it does not, so it is starting to bother me. Is there something that I am missing...some step...or is this just the way it works.
my email server was recently hacked and the hosting company I use has sorted out a new server to use with the option of using SSL for incoming and outgoing mail.
Inputing the details of the standard incoming and outgoing mail servers is fine - I'm just trying to work out how I can input the SSL options?
Using Apple Mail 4.5 - how do I go about adding the Incoming Mail Server (SSL) (without a port number) and the Outgoing Mail Server (which does have a port number)?
All of a sudden the "shut down computer" stopped working in SuperDuper! My mirror backup Mac Pro app.The developer at Shirt Pocket, says he's never seen this before but advised it's an AppleScript. what could do this or where to look (like Console logs?), or what might block an AppleScript?
Info: Mac Pro 3.0 GHz Quad-Core, iPad WiFi/3G, iPhone4, Mac OS X (10.6.8), 30" HP Display, 22" Cinema Display
i want to delete everything off my apple mini mac 10.6.8? im doing this for a reason that some one hacked in my compurter... i want to go back to were i got it from .. im going to try to do with the time machine aND JUST KEEP MY APPLACTIONS CAN THIS BE DONE.
I'm trying to get Java onto my iPad, on looking at the following site, it suggests clicking the apple icon at the top of a mac? But I don't have a mac I have an iPad, so how do I do it?url...
Apple this week released new drivers for HP printers in its latest operating system, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. The file, labeled version 2.2., is a 383MB download available from Apple. A number of HP printers, including Photosmart, OfficeJet, DeskJet and LaserJet models, are affected by the driver update. A complete list with numerous HP printers is listed on Apple's Web site. The update requires Mac OS X 10.6.1 or later.
Since the release of Snow Leopard, Apple has advertised new printer-related features in the operating system upgrade. Apple's Software Update will automatically provide you with third-party printer software and updates, "Nearby Printers" is a list of available printers that will appear right inside your printer dialog box, and you can simply connect a USB printer and the print queue will be automatically created.
Apple on Tuesday released Snow Leopard Graphics Update, a patch for Mac OS X 10.6 that is said to improve performance and reliability of popular titles like StarCraft II and Portal. The 69.2MB update was released by Apple Tuesday afternoon. It is available from the company's support site, or via Software Update. It requires Mac OS X 10.6.4. According to Apple, the software update contains performance and stability fixes for graphics applications, including fixes that: address frame rate issues occurring in Portal and Team Fortress 2 on certain Macs resolve an issue that could cause aperture 3 or StarCraft II to unexpectedly quit or become unresponsive.
The update addresses framerate issues on the titles Portal and Team Fortress 2 for the late 2009 and mid 2010 iMac and Mac mini; early 2009 Mac Pro; early 2009 and mid 2010 MacBook; and mid-2010 MacBook Pro 15- and 17-inch models. The update also resolves an image corruption issue that may occur when disconnecting and reconnecting external displays while the system is running. Valve, the maker of Portal, Team Fortress 2 and the Steam gaming client for Mac, said in June that it was working with Apple to improve the performance of games running in Mac OS X. The company said that improved drivers from Apple would have the greatest impact on performance. "We are making a lot of progress identifying specific issues that need work inside the game and inside OpenGL and drivers," Rob Barris of Valve said at the time. "Apple, ATI and Nvidia are all involved."[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
I have two 4/600PS Laserwriters connected to my network via ASANTE print boxes (Appletalk to Ethernet), but I cannot print anymore after installing SL. At the print command they seem to be activated, but immediately afterwards the get into "pause mpde".
I filled in the IP address of the printer, which is working on my old G4 in the same network, but that did not help. Can I do something with an Airport extreme base station connected to the ethernet hub???
Okay, so I installed Snow Leopard on my parent's Mac mini and it has a Hanns.g display connected to it. In 10.5 Leopard, the colors looked normal (still not as good as an Apple monitor, but colors were close enough). Anyway, like I said, I upgraded to Snow Leopard and now the monitor's color is all out of whack. I tried re-calibrating it and everything. The weird thing is, I got the Finder to look okay, but all of the blue icons in the Dock (iTunes, iChat, Safari, QuickTime etc) look PURPLE! Also, the menu bar selections are the same purple color instead of that light blue. The other weird thing is... looking at the Finder icon in the Dock looks half purple and half light blue, but when I hit cmd-tab, it looks half blue and half light blue. The cmd-tab icon of the Finder looks like I'd expect it to look, but all the colors are completely destroyed in the Dock. Another thing is... scroll bars seem to look like normal blue too. One more thing... when I tried doing the manual calibration, it shows you how bright to make the monitor with the little graphic. The graphic looked so washed out that I couldn't make the monitor dark enough (on the darkest setting) to get even close to the picture that the calibration tool wants me to see. Is Snow Leopard only compatible with Apple monitors? I installed Snow Leopard on my Mac Pro (Apple Cinema Display) and all the colors are consistent. The colors look the same regardless of 2.2 gamma or 1.8 gamma, so please don't bring that up. I want BLUE icons... not purple!
Snow-Leopard 10.6.1 on uMPB with 4 GB RAM, 500 GB HD, 2.8 GHz IC2D, Mail (64-bit) 4.1 (1076) Mail is eating my memory over time and I cannot fix this problem. In long: I have been having trouble with Apples Mail ever since my SL upgrade but now it is getting to become VERY annoying. First, after upgrading, Mail would often hang when quitting (for up for 5 minutes) which would not allow me to shut off my computer. Now, in 10.6.1, when I open Mail, I can sit and watch Mail eat away my RAM. From 20 MB initially, it quickly hits 100 MB RAM then after a couple of hours of leaving it be, I can see that Mail is requiring 2.5-2.6 GB of RAM (Gigabytes!) constantly. At first, I thought this was due to GrowlMail not being compatible with 10.6, but even after updating Growl to 64-bit and reinstalling GrowlMail this memory problem still persists. Actually, after uninstalling Growl and all its applications (including GrowlMail) Mail keeps eating a solid 2.6 GB of my RAM. Continuously. This slows down my 4GB 2.8GHz uMBP and causes long sessions of spinning balls and delayed keyboard/mouse actions. Mail never lets go of the RAM only gets bigger up until 2.73 GB (highest I have seen before I force quit it through Activity Monitor). Once I Force Quit, Mail releases the memory and I am back to my fast mac. I found the following this at [URL] and after removing my RSS feeds from Mail and restarting mail, I am now running perfectly again --- Virtual Memory and RAM both less than 45 MB.
After recently doing a fresh install of Snow Leopard, it was working great for about a week, and now it hangs at boot and flashes the Apple Logo, a NO sign, and a folder sign. I booted in verboose mode and it say that it could not load drivers.
I had this problem before and I used Leopard's (10.5) Archive and Install feature to fix it.
Where is this located on SL (10.6) ? I DO NOT want to loose my data
I have a Mac Air with Snow Leopard and a Winows 7 PC. I want to mirror my Itunes on both so that I can sync my Iphone with either. I backed up my Itunes Folder on a Free Agent (External Hard Drive). My Free Agent is detected on Mac Air but is not detected on Windows 7 PC.
I am not finding the appropriate discussions group for this but I want to change my password assocaited with my apple discussions account? I go to "Your Stuff->Profile->Edit Profile" and there is no change password option.
I want to stream music and photos from my Macpro running 10.6.8 to my AppleTV, however, it seemed like the only way I could get it to work was to turn off my Firewall. Is there a way to give my AppleTV access to my Mac without having to turn off the Firewall?
