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Particle Debris

Particle Debris (week ending 8/28) Let it Snow

Columns and Opinions
3:54 PM, Aug. 28th ET, 2009
TMO Talk (18)
Articles by Author John Martellaro on Twitter Contact Author
Comments (18)

There was a lot of work this week behind the scenes at TMO. Several of us were working furiously with developer copies of Snow Leopard to prepare our articles for the end of the NDA and Friday release. In addition, as our publisher, Dave Hamilton explained, we made our own transition from iPodObserver.com to iObserver.com. So the debris cloud is small this week. I won't break it down by day this time.

iPhone ad parodies are fun, and this one is funner than most. How to use an iPhone to manage your love life. There's an app for that!

Jason O'Grady did some work with Rosetta in Snow Leopard and found that the penalty for installing it is, well, zero. It's only 2 MB and doesn't load unless needed. So if you do need Rosetta in Snow Leopard, feel free to install it.

Jason's partner at ZDNET is David Morgenstern, and he reports on information from Nisus that Snow Leopard changes the way .rtf file are handled. Basically, instead of tracking the app that created the .rtf file, Snow Leopard insists on opening all .rtf files with TextEdit by default. But there's an easy workaround, so check it out.

Of course, Snow Leopard doesn't fix everything to everyone's satisfaction. For example, I'll continue to use PathFinder in Snow Leopard, one of my favorite apps of all time. Rob Griffiths over at Macworld has listed some of his own annoyances, so if you're wondering if Snow Leopard has fixed your favorite gripe, see "Snow Leopard's old and new annoyances."

But these kinds of things happen whenever a new Mac OS X upgrade comes out. In time, we find apps or strategies to deal with our own peculiarities and peccadillos as Mac users.

At Apple Matters, Meiera Stern wondered a little bit about the origin of the big cat names for Mac OS X. What the author didn't include was the names left for Apple. Here's a funnier take on the whole thing. As far as I know, Apple has trademarks left only for Lynx and Cougar. After that, we get a succession of smaller, less impressive cats, like Serval, Caracal and Margay. I'm sure Apple will think of something. So long as it steers clear of "Mac OS X, version 11.0."

In recognition of the new ways Americans are using mobile services, the FCC is launching what looks to be a serious inquiry into the business practices of the wireless industry. In the long run, this will be good. The government, for a change, is exercising oversight. And Steve Jobs is back at work. What's all this mean?

No more fooling around. Daddy's home.

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18 Observer Comments

Maine Coon.

Bobcat? Lion?

   Actions cb50dc said on August 28th, 2009 at 7:29 PM (Edited: 05/08/2012 1:59 PM):

Hello Kitty. Oh, wait, that’s taken, too.

   Actions Lee Dronick said on August 28th, 2009 at 11:50 PM (Edited: 10/18/2011 6:20 PM):

“As far as I know, Apple has trademarks left only for Lynx and Cougar.”

Well cougar would appeal to a certain demographic.

I second “Maine Coon” (since I have one) and also suggest “Siberian” (since I have one of those too).

   Actions cb50dc said on August 29th, 2009 at 2:00 PM (Edited: 05/08/2012 1:59 PM):

...cougar would appeal to a certain demographic.

Hah! That one took me a moment. Only a moment, though. Ten points.

   Actions WetcoastBob said on August 30th, 2009 at 12:36 PM (Edited: 05/24/2011 12:33 AM):

Tabby… for netbooks.

   Actions Lee Dronick said on August 30th, 2009 at 10:31 PM (Edited: 10/18/2011 6:20 PM):

Sir Harry Flashman said: ...cougar would appeal to a certain demographic.
Hah! That one took me a moment. Only a moment, though. Ten points.

Here’s to you Mrs. Robinson smile

What’s wrong with Mac OS X version 11?

It’s one better than everyone else.

Yes but it’s one better.

My Mac goes to 11!

   Actions cb50dc said on August 31st, 2009 at 12:32 PM (Edited: 05/08/2012 1:59 PM):

Here’s to you Mrs. Robinson

Hey, don’t bring my mom into this, bucko…

   Actions John Martellaro said on August 31st, 2009 at 12:41 PM (Edited: 07/29/2011 1:39 PM):

ctopher:  because then it would have to be Mac OS XI (in Roman Numerals)

-JM

   Actions Lee Dronick said on August 31st, 2009 at 12:50 PM (Edited: 10/18/2011 6:20 PM):

Sir Harry Flashman said: Here’s to you Mrs. Robinson
Hey, don’t bring my mom into this, bucko…

She started it! smile

Back on topic. I am fixing to get ready to install Snow Leopard. Currently I am erasing a FAT hard drive, a new 1TB MyBook, then I will do a mirror backup of my internal hard drive before installing Snow Leopard. I didn’t want to do it this weekend when the wife was home and would be bugging me. Besides the heat wave has broke and the threat of power outage is greatly reduced, I do have a UPC, but it is only good for a few minutes.

   Actions cb50dc said on August 31st, 2009 at 4:18 PM (Edited: 05/08/2012 1:59 PM):

  cbsofla said:

  Sir Harry Flashman said: Here’s to you Mrs. Robinson
  Hey, don’t bring my mom into this, bucko…

She started it!

Ehhh, I’ve got to learn to stop setting myself up for this. LOL

Back on topic. I am fixing to get ready to install Snow Leopard…

I just got my Amazon e-mail telling me mine’s on the way. It should arrive within the week. I’m keeping the backups warm, ready to make this happen once it arrives.

   Actions cb50dc said on August 31st, 2009 at 4:27 PM (Edited: 05/08/2012 1:59 PM):

ctopher:  because then it would have to be Mac OS XI (in Roman Numerals)

Seriously, as talk of 10.6 has built over the last few months, I’ve assumed we’d see XI within a year or two.

Given all the attention to how 10.6 “sets things up,” “clears the path,” etc. for all the 64-bit fun, I suspect that after the 10.6.x series runs its course, we’ll hop over 10.7-8-9 right to OS XI. Presumably we’ll find it as qualitatively above OS X as OS X was over OS 9.

Ahh — that’ll bring a whole NEW round of speculation, rumors, and so forth ... ( s i g h )  wink

   Actions Lee Dronick said on August 31st, 2009 at 4:36 PM (Edited: 10/18/2011 6:20 PM):

I just got my Amazon e-mail telling me mine’s on the way. It should arrive within the week. I’m keeping the backups warm, ready to make this happen once it arrives.

I am still waiting for the external hard drive to be reformatted. I don’t remember it taking this long, but then this one is a terabyte. At this rate my wife will be home from work and bugging me before I get a chance to install Snow Leopard. smile

   Actions Lee Dronick said on August 31st, 2009 at 7:03 PM (Edited: 10/18/2011 6:20 PM):

Doh! With a Homer Simpson slap to my head. I forgot to chose a partition for the drive. After I did that it formatted quickly.

ctopher:  because then it would have to be Mac OS XI (in Roman Numerals)

oh, I was channeling “This is Spinal Tap”

Here is the Up to eleven video

And you know its true if its in the Wiki

   Actions cb50dc said on September 1st, 2009 at 12:17 PM (Edited: 05/08/2012 1:59 PM):

oh, I was channeling “This is Spinal Tap”

I was going to make some remark about using a scale drawing of Stonehenge for the new OS logo…

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