Mountain Lion = ....meh?

[-Dave-]

Notification center is worth the $20 alone.

I've been using it the past week and keep noticing little bits and bobs of fit and finish everywhere, just nice little touches that add to the experience.

Launchpad is also useful now, along with it's integrated search.

Notes + Calendars are also a welcome addition to anyone with an iPhone.

Not to mention the improvement in graphics performance and the nice new API we all now have access to :)

[.Neo]

It's funny how a real pattern begins to appear:

2001: Aqua v1

Major: Mac OS X Cheetah/Puma

Minor: Mac OS X Jaguar

2003: Aqua v2

Major: Mac OS X Panther

Minor: Mac OS X Tiger

2007: Aqua v3

Major: Mac OS X Leopard

Minor: Mac OS X Snow Leopard

2011: Aqua v4

Major: OS X Lion

Minor: OS X Mountain Lion

So if this trend continues the next OS X release will probably be a major one and feature a fifth Aqua revision.

Note: With major/minor I mean from the end-user's perspective. Major tends to come with big new features, minor tends to come with big optimizations.

[killer2239]

LoL at people saying they are charging for a service pack. Get it right, its a Feature Pack... :laugh:

But seriously, I have always been one to joke about the service pack / feature pack thing with OS X. It honestly is since the core version does not change, but that is also why its so cheap to upgrade. Plus, don't fix whats not broken.

[OOOOOOOO]

I love Mountain Lion. Been using the Dev Previews and I have enjoyed every moment. So I will buy it on day of release :)

[.Neo]

But seriously, I have always been one to joke about the service pack / feature pack thing with OS X. It honestly is since the core version does not change, but that is also why its so cheap to upgrade. Plus, don't fix whats not broken.

Like how Windows Vista's core is v6.0, Windows 7 v6.1 and Windows 8 v6.2.

[REM2000]

The one thing i wish they would improve in Mac OSX is the file system, i have had corrupted data and a full file system failure (The HDD was fine it was just the file system that cascaded into a unusable mess).

NTFS has been improved steadily over a number of years, as has ZFS and EXT, however HFS+ seems a throwback from the past. Apple really need to work hard on improving the filesystem, include better resiliency, data integrity checking, better management of hard disk / storage a la Storage Pools in Win8 / ZFS

As others have said though, Mac OSX has reached a matured point so like iOS we are going to see revisions and refinements to the OS, which is why apple have shifted to a yearly upgrade, similar to iOS. We aren't going to see anything massively mind blowing like in the days of Tiger / Leopard as those OS's took 2 years, however if you look back on Lion + Mountain Lion as a complete OS upgrade you'll see it was quite a big upgrade similar to Tiger / Leopard. As it's yearly it'll just be harder to notice the changes as they will be more gradual.

I don't know if this is the right way or wrong way to go, but it'll be interesting to see how it pans out.

[killer2239]

Like how Windows Vista's core is v6.0, Windows 7 v6.1 and Windows 8 v6.2.

Yup, just Microsoft is not really advertised that way. Its all about marketing to the consumer. Look at Mac, always has called it OS X - Name. Where as Windows has always called it Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Seven, Eight. Not one of them even sounds like the previous version itself. Just saying its all about the name and marketing.

Either way we are just talking about the technical side that honestly really does not matter. I was just making a joke with my original post. I am just waiting for ML to show up in the App store to upgrade my mine, mostly I just want expose back.

[.Neo]

I don't know if this is the right way or wrong way to go, but it'll be interesting to see how it pans out.

It has two huge advantages:

#1 Apple can adapt OS X relatively fast.

#2 People bore quickly, this way you constantly have the feeling you're on the latest of the latest.

Disadvantages:

#1 New OS X versions become less spectacular, although traditionally this has been the case. People are just quick to forget.

#2 Apple already had a yearly OS X refresh cycle, but in 2004-05 they said it became undoable. Will history repeat itself?

[.Neo]

Yup, just Microsoft is not really advertised that way. Its all about marketing to the consumer. Look at Mac, always has called it OS X - Name. Where as Windows has always called it Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Seven, Eight. Not one of them even sounds like the previous version itself. Just saying its all about the name and marketing.

Above anything else "OS X" has become a brand. The interesting thing is nobody on the street here calls OS X actually "(Mac) OS Ten" or in Dutch "(Mac) OS Tien". They call it "(Mac) OS Ex" or in Dutch "(Mac) OS Ix". So in the end it becomes "OS Ex Mountain Lion". The version number disappears altogether. ;)

[killer2239]

Above anything else "OS X" has become a brand. The funny thing is nobody on the street here calls OS X actually "(Mac) OS Ten", it's called "(Mac) OS Ex". So in the end it becomes "OS Ex Mountain Lion". The version number disappears altogether.

Yup, and I am very guilty of being on that calls it OS Ex, as I notice all but one of my friends that have macs do as well. The only reason the one friend calls it OS 10, is because he does phone support for apple's call center on iOS. So its been drilled into him to call it 10.

The only way I think Apple will really move away from people calling it OS Ex instead of OS 10, is to release OS 11, since people will not say "Ex I" lol.

Back to the topic of Mountain Lion release, I personally have not used it and only seen the pictures and videos. That being said, I am happy to hear it uses less memory, and runs faster. Glad to see its bringing back Expose. The notification center, I am not so sure its needed or useful, but until I get to use it and see, I don't know. I have always been one to like the # or Icon to change or flash in the Dock/Taskbar (Mac/Win), and don't really use the system tray area but for the time, volume and battery icon. To each their own preferences though. Either way I luckily get it for free due to my only mac is one of the new Air's, not that I wouldn't pay $20 for the upgrade anyways.

[xWhiplash]

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the $20 upgrade cost cover all the macs you own? I upgraded both of my macs to Lion and only bought it once. So that is another advantage over the cheap Windows 8 upgrade price.

[.Neo]

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the $20 upgrade cost cover all the macs you own? I upgraded both of my macs to Lion and only bought it once. So that is another advantage over the cheap Windows 8 upgrade price.

You can put five Macs on the same Apple ID. So yeah, for most that translates into all your Macs being covered. Not that anything prevents you from temperately authorizing another Mac to your Apple ID and removing it afterwards.

[neufuse Veteran]

Microsoft is moving to the RT and away from NT.

how many times do people need to be explained what RT and NT are? NT is the kernel RT is a runtime.... we aren't moving from NT to RT we are moving from Win32 to RT, but then RT is just yet another wrapper for Win32 API's like .NET was when you dig really low down

[Glassed Silver]

[...]

But seriously, I have always been one to joke about the service pack / feature pack thing with OS X. It honestly is since the core version does not change, but that is also why its so cheap to upgrade. Plus, don't fix whats not broken.

Oh really? The core version is a brand. Let me get it right:

Mac OS X 10.7.4 (e.g.)

Mac OS X is the name for the OS, or OS X as from 10.8 on

Nobody looks at the 10. ... anymore. It's all NAME.Major.Update

how many times do people need to be explained what RT and NT are? NT is the kernel RT is a runtime.... we aren't moving from NT to RT we are moving from Win32 to RT, but then RT is just yet another wrapper for Win32 API's like .NET was when you dig really low down

This starts to get annoying for me, too.

Windows is NT as ever and that won't change in the foreseeable future, also because it's not needed.

The kernel is excellent.

Glassed Silver:mac

[patseguin Global Moderator]

I have the GM seed too and I feel about the same way, meh. Apple really needs to overhaul the UI and get themselves back in the game. Right now it's just a jumbled mess of OS X and iOS and basically the same UI for the past 10 or whatever years.

[.Neo]

how many times do people need to be explained what RT and NT are? NT is the kernel RT is a runtime.... we aren't moving from NT to RT we are moving from Win32 to RT, but then RT is just yet another wrapper for Win32 API's like .NET was when you dig really low down

I'm still waiting for the move from NTFS to WinFS!

[Vice]

I think it's funny that people are disappointed. I mean OS X is already so great. I love using my Mac I don't love using Windows. One feels like an extension of my body the other just feels like a tool, even when I'm gaming on my Windows machine it still just feels like a tool and I feel like I'm having to do unnatural things to get work done it doesn't quite fit me as good as a Mac does.

I'm a big big user of Expose. But more than that I'm a visual person. I like to see rather than read. In Windows Vista/7/8 I kind of feel like I'm working against the user interface to get things done. When I want to view my open windows I can use that 3DNow feature but that thing is next to useless you can only see a small part of all the windows and the way it is stacked makes it difficult to quickly get to the window you want. And the task bar can also be a eyes-wild list of icons or text depending on how you've set it.

But on OS X I can just use Expose and view all my open windows on the screen and in less than a second select the window I want. Why hasn't windows got this after 6 years since they introduced 3DNow? I don't know a single person that uses 3DNow but I bet almost every OS X user uses Expose within Mission Control.

Sometimes I think we have it so good on OS X that we forget just what the alternative really is. And in a year from now we'll have another Major release.

[Rudy]

how many times do people need to be explained what RT and NT are? NT is the kernel RT is a runtime.... we aren't moving from NT to RT we are moving from Win32 to RT, but then RT is just yet another wrapper for Win32 API's like .NET was when you dig really low down

This and people thinking OSX releases are service packs :angry:

[.Neo]

I have the GM seed too and I feel about the same way, meh. Apple really needs to overhaul the UI and get themselves back in the game. Right now it's just a jumbled mess of OS X and iOS and basically the same UI for the past 10 or whatever years.

Get in back in the game with who exactly? Microsoft? Gimme a break? If OS X Mountain Lion is a jumbled mess the Windows 8 experience becomes comparable to your area taking a direct hit by a nuclear blast in the 50 megaton range.

[mattmatik]

Never did understand why regular users get developer access accounts.

[.Neo]

When I want to view my open windows I can use that 3DNow feature but that thing is next to useless you can only see a small part of all the windows and the way it is stacked makes it difficult to quickly get to the window you want.

Flip3D was just a sad attempt at copying Expos?. Because Microsoft still wanted to pretend they did something original and show off Windows could finally do more elaborate animations too they made it a 3D stack. Destroying pretty much all practicality in the process.

[BajiRav]

But on OS X I can just use Expose and view all my open windows on the screen and in less than a second select the window I want. Why hasn't windows got this after 6 years since they introduced 3DNow? I don't know a single person that uses 3DNow but I bet almost every OS X user uses Expose within Mission Control.

I am sure you know about ALT+TAB?

[ILikeTobacco]

Do you walk into the pub and think sheesh ?3.20 for that when i can get it cheaper in the supermarket? I didn't think so....

I do! $6 for a bottle of beer at the bar when I can get a 6 pack at Walmart.... Of course, that is why you pregame it and get drunk, then go to the bar. :)

[+virtorio MVC]

I am sure you know about ALT+TAB?

ALT + TAB in Windows is equivalent to CMD + TAB in OSX.

Windows has nothing comparable to Expose / Mission Control.

[.Neo]

I am sure you know about ALT+TAB?

Mission Control / App Expos? works much more point and click and is overall just quicker because of the multi-touch gestures, optional grouping and large thumbnails. Alt + tab is much more press + scroll because of the small thumbnails and the large list that tends to form. And yes, I know you can click said thumbnails while you keep pressing down alt + tab (tedious).