Mac OS X "Snow Leopard" Review

Despite the fact that quite a lot of time has passed since the release of the next version of Mac OS X, I decided to write about it. I am a user of this operating system relatively recently and in fact this is my first big update. In this article I will highlight the main, in my opinion, pros and cons in relation to the previous version of the system. The advantages turned out to be substantially more than disadvantages, which, in fact, is not surprising. So, the points.



Attention! Caution traffic.

1. I liked spell checker (the software is responsible for spell checking). Now he knows how to work immediately with Russian and English simultaneously. True, there are significant clumsiness in the work. When the text consists of mixed Cyrillic and Latin characters with a predominance of the first, then English words are for some reason not checked. But in general, the dictionary itself was lousy, so it remained to them, and from time to time I got to put Aspell on it . While suffering.
2. QuickTime X has been replaced by multimedia player QuickTime X. Along with the change of the first digit of the version, the entire graphical interface of the program has changed. In my opinion, it has changed for the better and is now even more in harmony with the overall design of the system. It should be noted and the increased speed of work. Including, manifested in the playback of high-definition video (HD). Of the minuses is to answer the complete lack of settings. Initially, I was very saddened by the fact that by default he did not start playing the file being opened and constantly forced himself to press the “Play” button. Fortunately, this can be fixed with the help of hidden settings . I will only add that to this day QuickTime X, along with the Perian codec set , is the main means of playing video files on my desktop.
3. For the new operating system, the staff file manager was rewritten from scratch. I liked two things about it. First, the indexing of multimedia file icons no longer happens every time you enter the directory, as it was before. This saved me from listening to the annoying cracking of the hard drive while navigating through the file system. Well, the most important thing is that Finder has learned to search not only throughout the computer, but also within the current directory. True, not the default. To do this, go to the settings and set the appropriate mode. Before, I used only Spotlight and Terminal + Find for searching. Now, almost always, I work around graphic means. Growing up or degrading? Joke. The choice is always welcome.
4. Keyboard management has also changed for the better. Things that many have been waiting for have appeared. For example, you can now memorize the layout within the same window using the “Allow a different one for each document” option. Previously, those who wanted this functionality put Punto Switcher . Of course, I was not one of them. And now I do not use this feature. Now you can also use the point as a decimal separator. And if you hold down the Cmd + Space keys for about a second, you can observe the graphical indicator in the center of the desktop. I do not know why and who needs it, but the fact remains. The most important problem, in my opinion, is still not fixed. This is a second delay at the time of switching the layout. Personally, it doesn’t bother me much, but for those who write quickly and to the blind, this is a significant threshold. And I would not be in the least prevented from the possibility of assigning the switch of the layout through alternative key combinations. At the time of using GNU / Linux, I always set the Xorg parameter to switch to only the Caps Lock key. It was very convenient.
5. The new version of Image Capture has become significantly different from the one that was in "Leopard". The interface is completely rewritten. Now it has become closer to the design of the rest of the programs in the system. The functionality is also greatly complemented by various yarns. But I use Aperture for importing photos, so I still couldn’t feel all the joys of novices.
6. Few added sets of wallpaper for your desktop. The standard picture has not changed much. The concept is the same, only the re-design. That, too, is not bad in principle. Some pictures that I liked, you can see below.
7. Significant changes have affected the mechanisms of Exposé . If in Mac OS X 10.5 the windows were reduced in such a way that they would fit on the screen with respect for proportions, then in 10.6 they did not care about proportionality. Safari now can theoretically be smaller than the iChat roster. This leads to some confusion and takes more time to concentrate on the desired window. The location on the grid is also, in my opinion, less logical. Previously, the windows in Exposé were located as close as possible to the positions on the screen that they occupied on the desktop. And in “Snow Leoprad” they are located on a certain fixed grid, which is often confusing and makes you spend even more time searching for the desired window. As for the functionality of this tool, they have expanded somewhat. What exactly, you can read here . Well, instead of the usual dimming when you hover the cursor is now a light blue frame. Someone likes, some do not. To me, actually, this is not particularly important.
8. The release of "Snow Leopard" marked the transition from 32-bit components of the system to 64-bit. I can not say that I felt some big difference in speed, but the memory of the application began to eat more. After installing the system, all processes were labeled with the status "Intel 64 bit". All but two are “kernel_task” and “iTunes.” The reasons explaining why the kernel still works by default in 32-bit mode are described here . As for iTunes, everything is much simpler. It is written in the Carbon application development environment. And as you know, Apple does not provide 64-bit compatibility for applications of this framework. Instead, suggest using Cocoa . Well, we'll wait for iTunes to be rewritten.
9. iTunes version 9 was not included on the disc with the release of Mac OS X 10.6, but I decided to write about it. Firstly, this is one of the main applications on my desktop. And secondly, he changed the 8-ku almost immediately after the release of “Snow Leopard” and adopted the design features inherent in the new system. It seems that iTunes just did not have time to finish the release. And it was visible in the first version of the 9th branch. What was worth only a glitch with the sorting of multi-disc albums. Fortunately, the update came out fairly quickly and now it is quite a working product. Of the innovations compared to the 8th, some of the design nuances have become the most remarkable for me. For example, changing the gray background of the grid to white and the "bulge" of the navigation buttons. As well as pleased with the possibly more detailed organization of the library on the file system. Now there is no previous garbage podcast, music and movies, and everything is automatically grouped.
10. It is also worth talking about compatibility with old applications. As expected, not everything in this regard is as smooth as we would like. And then the fault is not Apple, of course, but the developers of third-party programs that simply did not have time to update their applications. To be honest, I do not use so much additional software on my home computer, but I also did not avoid compatibility problems. This primarily affected the Xmarks application, which synchronizes Safari bookmarks with an online server. And secondly, the standard drivers for my Huawei E220 3G modem did not work. True, everything was easier and I quickly figured out. To date, almost all of my installed applications can boast full compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard".

Perhaps this will stop. I note that I did not try to collect absolutely all innovations in this article at once, but tried to point out only what I personally liked or disappointed. Inaccuracies and errors, please report in the comments or me on the contacts listed in the profile .



Source: http://snupt.com