Archive for WWDC tag
Safari for Windows surprises: return of YellowBox?
Whilst Apple’s Safari appearing on Windows isn’t all that surprising given the number of Windows-related patches to WebKit/KHTML they committed back the actual release has a few surprises.
Apple say the reason for Safari on Windows is to give users another slice of Apple pie. I think the real motive is likely to be that they want developers and designers on Windows to test with Safari and therefore improve compatibility for Mac users. Being that before this there wasn’t a single KHTML-based browser for Windows outside the Cygwin environment it’ll achieve just that.
Download
The download weighs in at 7.9MB compared to Firefox’s 5.7MB and Internet Explorer’s 14.8MB (all English-only versions). That 7.9MB isn’t bad considering it also bundles in Apple’s Software Update and Bonjour plug-and-play networking (share bookmarks with other people on your LAN).
Interface
The interface takes a similar route to iTunes on Windows – namely render a Mac-like interface but with the Application menu removed and it’s contents scattered elsewhere (Preferences to Edit, About to Help etc.)
The first noticeable difference is the text is rendered different, it’s font smoothing Mac style. The second is the way modal dialogues slide out of the parent like a sheet.
The real “oh” is in preferences where some of what lies beneath starts to show through.
Where iTunes went with Windows controls against a Mac layout Safari has gone a step further and used Mac OS buttons, check-boxes, radios and the graphical style preferences tabs. The only time you realise you are on Windows is when you go to choose a font or colour and are presented with the standard inferior Windows dialogues.
Beneath the surface
Heading into the C:\Program Files\Safari directory shows us the program files and a few surprises namely DLL’s that appear to wrap up some of Cocoa’s programming libraries – namely CoreFoundation, CoreGraphics and CFNetwork which all at first glance expose quite possibly API’s for a YellowBox revival.
For those not in the know OpenStep applications (the basis for Apple’s Cocoa programming system) used to run on Windows. In fact Apple’s WebObjects system comprised of a ProjectBuilder programming system that was Cocoa-on-Windows known as YellowBox.
YellowBox died a death because some of it included expensive-to-licence components such as the Display PostScript rendering system therefore preventing a free runtime. Now that Apple have wiped that out with their own free Quartz engine…
Language support
Language support is English only at the moment but the standard resource plumbing system used in Mac OS X is there. I wonder if you can just copy the Mac folders to Windows to make other languages available? If not, I’m sure they’ll be in soon.
Free fonts
Apple have included TrueType fonts of the Mac OS X system fonts known as Lucida Grande and Lucida Grande Bold in the C:\Program Files\Safari\Safari.resources folder.
Drag them into your Windows fonts folder and enjoy them everywhere :)
[)amien
Disappointing Apple WWDC announcements
The rumour mills were overflowing with ideas of what Apple might show at this year’s WWDC and so I like many other interested parties sat down through the hour long presentation albeit via a delayed stream.
Hardware
The highlight of the shows was the new Mac Pro which is a dual-processor Intel Core 2 Duo Xeon machine which replaces the PowerMac G5. Whilst it retains the enclosure everything inside is new including the Intel chips, much better performance, 4 SATA snap-in drive enclosures, dual optical bays, 16TB of RAM and space for more slots whilst also being 64-bit like it’s predecessor – and unlike the previous Intel Mac’s.
Xserve also got the Core 2 Duo Xeon treatment but despite the claims of better cooling the fourth drive bay that was lost when it went G5 didn’t return.
Both systems saw price cuts and rather surprisingly the entire presentation on hardware was by the VP of hardware Phil Shiller and not Jobs himself. That completes the Intel transition in 210 days since it was announced.
Software
The software front was a little quiet – no mention of upgrades to iLife or any of the other tools just instead the presentation of Leopard. There were a few cool features including Time Machine, iChat and Core Animation but they spent a lot of time talking about mail, to-do lists, iCal undeletion, Spotlight, Dashboard and Accessibility.
Boot Camp, PhotoBoth and FrontRow will be part of the Core OS instead of bundled on applicable machines but that should have gone without saying.
If the “PC Guy” and “Mac Guy” from that adverts had been there “PC Guy” would have been impressed and “Mac Guy” would have wondered off somewhere else.
There was a line about “not showing secrets” that sounds like “not ready to demo” which points towards Leopard not being available this year.
Microsoft bashing
It’s always easier to put somebody else down than it is to improve your own lot and it seems Apple have gone with that this year perhaps to draw attention away from what little software they have to demo. Banners exclaim that Microsoft is copying Apple everywhere and yet Apple are perhaps even more guilty for not only stealing it but then accusing others of copying them rather than the original.
- Dashboard vs Widgets. Konfabulator got here first not Apple.
- Safari RSS vs IE7. Microsoft has been applying XML transforms to unstyled documents since before Safari was born.
And why stop there… here are Apple’s “innovations” at this years WWDC;
- TimeMachine – already available for Windows 2003 as Timewarp.
- Realistic speech synth – IBM and others.
- 64-bit – Microsoft released Windows 64-bit a long time ago.
- Spaces – Virtual desktops by another name. Available since at least the 80′s.
Wondering…
I can’t help but wonder having watched it if Steve’s heart wasn’t in it. Maybe the products and features he wanted to show weren’t ready or maybe he needs a break to recharge his batteries.
I guess the iPod video, 64-bit laptops and iChat Mobile phone will just have to wait.
Update
LifeHacker has a similar summary with pictures whilst Paul Thurrott has pretty much come to the same conclusion in slightly more words. Added the Xeon moniker to the CPU’s.
[)amien