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Happy Birthday to Mac OS X!
This weekend marked a very special date as Mac OS X turned 7 years old. Mac OS X was launched on March 21, 2001. Throughout the years, Mac OS X has definitely seen its share of changes. In these 7 years, OS X has been through 6 versions (7 if you include the first public beta version). Below is a list of the version names, numbers and launch dates of each Mac OS X release: Mac OS X Public Beta (September 13, 2000) Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah (March 21, 2001) Mac OS X 10.1 Puma (September 25, 2001) Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar (August 23, 2002) Mac OS X 10.3 Panther (October 24, 2003) Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger (April 29, 2005) Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (October 26, 2007) You can read the initial launch press release on the Apple PR website. Be sure to check out our collection of Mac OS X screenshots. What was your first version of Mac OS X?%Gallery-19087%[images courtesy of Wikipedia]
Security Update 2008-002 is available
Fire up Software Update, Mac users. Security Update 2008-002 has been released. According to Apple, this update "...is recommended for all users and improves the security of Mac OS X. Previous security updates have been incorporated into this security update."So, it improves security. How exciting. As usual, we ask you to report any problems you encounter after installing this update. Good luck, true believers! Note that this update, like the earlier Safari 3.1, requires a reboot.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Mac OS X password recoverable from RAM?
In a recent post over at Ars Technica, they say that Mac OS X users could have their login passwords recovered through physically accessing the RAM. This comes after FileVault was proven to be cracked. The article notes that Mac OS X and certain applications store the user's password in memory, leaving it there after you've logged in. While locally-running apps cannot readily retrieve the password, someone could get access to the contents of RAM after the computer has been rebooted or shut down. This could be accomplished by physical means and might require the hacker to remove the RAM cover on your Mac and chill the RAM, as suggested by Edward Felten's research team at Princeton. This freezing allows the information to stay on the RAM for longer than the normal 2.5 to 35 seconds -- allowing someone to place it in another computer and read the contents.In a separate approach to the password-in-RAM vulnerability, CNET witnessed an EFF demo of an attack using a custom NetBoot "EFI memory scraper" to record the RAM contents on reboot and save the data as a file on another machine over the network -- the attackers were able to clearly find the login password in the file. Again, this attack requires physical access to the machine (in order to force the NetBoot via holding down the N key on restart) within a minute or two of shutdown. However, an attacker could conceivably target a machine that was locked or sleeping (with RAM contents 'live'), power it off and back on, and use the NetBoot attack immediately.While Apple has been made aware of the attack (notified on February 5), no fixes for these issues were reported in the 2/11 security update. According to CNET, an Apple spokesperson said they were aware of the issues and were "working to fix it in an upcoming software update." Until this update comes out, you may want to set a firmware password for your Mac, or wait longer to leave your unattended Mac after a shut down. Alternatively, we have lovely TUAW-branded tin foil hats available for purchase. [via Ars Technica]
Mac OS X slips, iPhone rises in Net Applications survey
This post is for Apple fans who enjoy obsessing over minutia. The latest Net Applications survey has been conducted and shows differing results for Mac OS X users and iPhone users. Net Applications measures the percentage of users who visit some 40,000 web sites from a given operating system. In February, the number of Mac users dipped slightly to 7.45% from 7.57% in January, while the number of iPhone users rose to 0.14% from 0.13% in January (beating out the Playstation and Wii).Windows still accounts for 91.58% of web users, according to the survey. What this means is A.) Most people have windows (we knew that), B.) Some people have Macs (we knew that), C.) iPhone users like to surf the web (we knew that) and D.) People love talking about very small percentages. Awesome.[Via Macsimum News]
Mac OS X 10.5.2 offers Automator fixes
Apple has been on a tear for the first two months of 2008, releasing over 20 software updates. What's been lacking, lately, is a descriptive explanation of the changes. While OS 10.5.2's description was pretty well documented, it wasn't exhaustive.This silent treatment isn't universal -- thanks are due to Automator World for sharing a description of the undocumented changes in Automator, including Show When Run issues Tiger-based actions not working because of File-or-Folder typing Tiger-based droplets not responding Incorrect Find and Filter action results If you're an Automator junkie, you should find these changes more than welcome.
Mac 101: Reclaim your function keys
There are a handful of things I miss from OS 9, like programmable function keys (and Extension conflicts. I kid.). Just like The Apple Menu and the Happy Mac, fully customizable function keys were killed by Apple's big cats. However, we're not at a loss. The folks at Bitbox have described the simple steps needed to get some of that old flexibility back. First, launch system preferences and click the "Keyboard" tab. Next, select the "Use all F1, F2 etc. keys as standard function keys" option.Now, you can use your function keys as nature intended. Their specialty functions are still available, too (like volume and brightness); just hold down the "fn" key while hitting the key of your choice.
Linus Torvalds calls Apple's file system "utter crap"
Linus Torvalds may have dabbled in Apple territory in the past, but he's definitely not mincing any words about competing operating systems now. In a recent interview, Linus says that OS X is a "much better system" than Windows Vista overall, but that "in some ways is actually worse than Windows to program for." Apparently these problems are rooted firmly in OS X's file system (HFS and HFS+), which he describes as "complete and utter crap," and even "scary." Of course, Torvalds also took the opportunity to tout the many virtues of Linux, which he says is an "obvious choice for anything from full-blown PCs to phones or video players." Damn straight it is.[Photo courtesy of AP, thanks Ash]
Mac OS X 10.5.2 update now said to be packing nearly 100 fixes
Last we heard, Apple had some 76 fixes in store for the now-imminent 10.5.2 update of Mac OS X, otherwise known as Leopard. Of course, that was more than a month ago, and Apple seems to have found plenty more room for improvement since then. According to AppleInsider, "people familiar with the software" are now saying that the update will pack "nearly 100 code corrections and enhancements," including twenty fixes that were turned up in the short time since Mac OS X 10.5.2 build 9C16 was released to developers during Macworld. All told, that should bring the latest update in just over the 450MB mark which, as AppleInsider points out, should make it the biggest "dot release" of Mac OS X yet.
Beware of the leopard! [Updated]
Massively readers with a love of the Leopard - specifically MacOSX, are cautioned that the latest Leopard build breaks all available Second Life viewers, according to Macenstein. That's build Leopard 10.5.2 -- 10.5.1 works just fine. The application fails just around the point that it's finalizing region connections and preparing to render. If you've already installed 10.5.2, your only hope would seem to be to either wait for another build or reinstall back to 10.5.1. Ouch. Apple and Second Life don't seem to be having a great time together just lately. If you're a regular Second Life users who uses MacOSX, absolutely stay away from the 10.5.2 Leopard build! [Updated] Please note that 10.5.2 is currently in beta. This may be fixed by the time it goes live. We'll be certain to keep our eye on this issue and let you know how things are shaping up as it gets closer to release.
Automation on the Mac
Welcome to the first of many AppleScript and Automator "how-tos." These tips are mostly geared toward Mac users who may know a little AppleScript, but want to learn more. If you've never opened Script Editor or Automator these tips will also help you get up to speed. First things first, what the heck is AppleScript? It is an easy-to-use and easy-to-learn programming language. AppleScript was created in the early 90s as a simple way for people to create their own custom automation programs. This is one of the reasons the Mac remains popular in the printing and creative industry, where users can take large work flows and automate them relatively quickly.
Leopard on Eee: A match made in heaven?
Inevitable? Yes. Super great? Absolutely. Do we potentially derive too much pleasure from answering our own questions? Quite possibly. Asus has really built itself a PC ripe for the tinkering -- as Dan at UNEASYsilence points out, there's a bootable DVD included to restore the thing to factory settings, so the worst that can happen is you blow a few hours on a bum install. Of course, Leopard wasn't really designed to speed along on this level of horsepower, but the Eee PC still managed to run the OS, and the pre-hacked disk images available on the internets make it fairly straightforward process. Instructions are at the read link.
So what other tricks can we expect from Leopard?
Along with today's announcement of Leopard's release date, Apple has also now updated the Mac OS X site to reflect all the enhancements you can find in the latest release of OS X. So, what's new? Apple, clearly keen to show what they've been working on in the last few months (what with the delay n'all), have listed all 316 features, categorised them and allowed you to peruse them at your leisure. Here's just a few that caught my eye: AppleScript can now read and write plist files (whilst a little thing, and a niche feature at best, this is promising if you're wanting to backup items such as serial numbers for applications from the application plist files, and do it in AppleScript) .Mac syncing of more system items (Dock items, Dahsboard widgets, Mail notes and, it appears, even the entire System Preferences) TextEdit now support Open Document and Word 2007 files. Open panels now have a Media Browser tab, allowing you to open items directly from the relevant location. Library Randomization - identical to Windows Vista's Address Space Layout Randomization, meaning that people looking to exploit Mac OS X can't rely on system code being at a specific memory address (i.e. it's harder to persuade an OS X system process to execute malicious code). Whilst Apple has always touted the more robust security of Mac vs Windows, it's good to see they're not sitting on their laurels and becoming complacent with OS X. Also of note is the digital signature technology in all the Leopard applications (and third-party developers can sign applications too). I've always believed this to be a technology that would be used in any iPhone SDK, so seeing it within XCode is a promising move - even if the possible use of Digital Signing in an iPhone SDK is pure conjecture on my part. Front Row now sports the Apple TV interface, and the integration with the Apple Movie Trailer site. iChat has seen a smorgasbord of new features added - Photo Booth effects, new media codecs, video and audio chat recording, tabbed chats, the ability to hide your own local video from a chat window, and screen sharing. The list goes on. After a somewhat disappointing WWDC Keynote this year, the '300+ feature' proclamation has reassured me that Apple hasn't necessarily lost its way as a desktop OS and computer company. 26th October just cannot come quick enough.
Leopard now available for pre-order
Well, that didn't take long -- following the announcement of Leopard's October 26th ship date, Apple's got the new OS available for preorder. Convenient, but it doesn't really stoke the fires of a fanboy's heart like waiting outside a store all night with $129 in sweaty bills, now does it?
Half-Life 2 on the Mac? Give Valve one million dollars!
So, Orange Box drops this Tuesday on PC and Xbox 360 (the PS3 release isn't until November). Despite being published by EA, who are suddenly excited by the Mac platform, there's no Mac OS release planned. Sure, no one plays games on a Mac, we get it ... but this is Half-Life 2 we're talking about. It's sorta a big deal. In a recent Kikizo interview, Valve's Gabe Newell plants the blame for the absence of a Mac release of Half-Life 2 – and, indeed, most games – squarely on Apple's shoulders. On the other hand, Inside Mac Games' Tuncer wants you to know that it's never that simple; he explains that while it's true Apple met with Newell and nothing ever came it, it isn't because Apple couldn't stay focused (although we don't doubt that for a minute) but rather because of "Valve's insistence that anyone who wanted to port Half-Life 2 to the Mac had to advance $1 million to Valve." In the scrappy world of Mac OS X porting, a meeeeelyun bucks is understandably hard to come by ... up front.That said, Apple's lack of focus on gaming remains a fundamental weak spot in their consumer strategy (let's not even talk Apple gaming consoles), but we're hopeful that as companies continue to adopt new technologies like Cider, Mac users will at least be able to enjoy smash hits like Half-Life 2 (if nothing else). Ah well, thank Freeman for Boot Camp. Read – One Million Reasons Why Half-Life 2 Isn't on the Mac (IMG)Read – Gabe Newell on the Mac platform and Apple (Kikizo)
Rumor: Apple event Sept. 5
Infinite Loop (IL) is reporting that their sources "inside" Apple have leaked September 5th as the date of a future press event. Supposedly on the bill: New iPods! Some will run Mac OS X and some will be full-screen. When pressed, IL's source said that AppleInsider's latest report "...seems about right."Of course, this is all speculation, so keep that in mind.
Gears of War, UT3 coming to Macs
At this rate, it's becoming difficult not to play Cliffy B's roadie-running extravaganza. During an interview with Game Head's Geoff Keighley, Epic VP Mark Rein revealed that Gears of War is in development for Mac OS X, along with Unreal Tournament 3. This news follows Epic's E3 announcement that Gears is in development for PC, with additional features not seen in the Xbox 360 version.No development details or release dates were mentioned. Given the casual nature of this announcement, however, one can assume that both Gears and UT3 will be ported from the PC to OS X using Cider, rather than being developed natively. No love for PowerPC users; though it might be time to consider that Intel-based Apple you've been eyeing ...[Update: It appears these are coming to the Mac natively, not through the magic of Cider, according to this comment from MacSoft's Ryan Gordon: "And no, neither game is using Cider." Impressive. Thanks for the link, David!][Via X3F]
GameTap Mac client delayed, possibly until next Thursday
Some of the Mac users out there may have noticed that yesterday came and went with little fanfare. What should we have been celebrating with screenshot tours and impressions? Why, the much anticipated release of the Mac OS X GameTap client of course. It turns out things are running a little behind schedule, according to GameTap's xamount who writes, "Re: the Mac Lite Player, unfortunately, it's not looking good for today right now. We've run into some minor last-minute showstoppers and are working like crazy people to fix it up right. Hold tight... as of right now, we're still shooting for tomorrow."Well, today wouldn't be so bad. We double checked with a GameTap spokesperson last night who said, "We've moved the official launch to next Thursday, 7/5 since we needed a bit more time to fine tune the integration with the website and triple check for bugs/emulation issues." So we're not sure if Mac users will be checking out GameTap's offerings later today or next Thursday so we'll just spend some time admiring the shiny screenshot they shared.
uTorrent for Mac
Lots of the youngsters out there are clogging up the Internet tubes with their torrents and their Rock and Roll music. Sadly, the choice of BitTorrent clients (BitTorrent, in case you aren't familiar, is a distributed peer to peer downloading protocol. The more people who download something, the faster it is for everyone... in theory) on OS X has been missing a biggie: uTorrent. uTorrent is the most popular Bit Torrent client on Windows, and it was recently purchased by BitTorrent, Inc which is a mighty fine stamp of approval if you ask me. Sadly, it isn't available on the Mac. So very, very sad.Weep no longer, torrent obsessed Mac fiends! uTorrent is coming to OS X and according to TorrentFreak it is pretty slick. It is faster, smaller, and simpler than the other offerings on OS X and it is free. What's not to like? Ah, right, the fact that it is in closed beta at the moment.Thanks, RM.
Read / write ZFS beta for Leopard reportedly sent to developers
It looks like the on again off again reports of support for the newfangled ZFS file system in Leopard are on again, at least according to the latest word from Mac Rumors, which is citing unspecified "published reports" on the matter. What's more, this apparently isn't the stripped-down, read only incarnation of ZFS we heard about earlier this month, but a full-fledged read/write version, the beta of which has reportedly already been sent to developers. ZFS, for those not up on their file systems, was developed by Sun and promises a range of advantages over lesser file systems, including storage pooling, block-journaling, and other things that a rare few get really excited about.Update: Reader skwasha notes that apparently the ZFS Leopard files have been pulled, but produced a document regarding the ZFS dev preview, which states: "ZFS is a new filesystem from Sun Microsystems which has been ported by Apple to Mac OS X. The initial (10.5.0) release of Leopard will restrict ZFS to read-only, so no ZFS pools or filesystems can be modified or created. This Developer Preview will enable full read/write capability, which includes the creation/destruction of ZFS pools and filesystems." So there ya go.
GameTap on Mac looking lickably good, coming soon
The Mac launch of GameTap Lite is less than a week away, and several members of GameTap's design team have decided to tease us with a gorgeous screenshot of the app in action. And running in Leopard, no less!Joystiq first learned about the OS X version of GameTap in a recent interview with GameTap's David Reid and Rick Sanchez. GameTap Lite is set to drop on June 28, but for Intel-based Mac users only -- old-school PowerPC people will have to continue to make due with emulators game cartridges and discs purchased legally from retail stores.
