Codewrangler

Apple

Mac OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard Rundown

August 22, 2009

notifyme_box20090608-150x150Apple’s latest Operating System upgrade will be hitting the shelves soon. So, here is a rundown of some of the more visible changes to the OS.

Finder

The main interface for interacting with the OS is the ‘Finder’. In Snow Leopard, it has been completely rewritten using OSX frameworks, giving it access to 64-bit support and improved responsiveness through ‘Grand Central Dispatch’.

Expose’

The feature that allows you to see all windows or items related to an object (like a folder) has been integrated into the Dock.

Time Machine

According to Apple, they have improved their revolutionary backup technology to improve backup time by 50% and improves on the time it takes to do the initial backup.

Installation

Upgrading and installing the OS has been made to complete 45% faster than OSX Leopard. This means that you will be up and running faster. Apparently, some of that speed is found by reducing the footprint, since Apple says that you will regain 6GB of disk space when upgrading from Leopard to Snow Leopard.

QuickTime

QuickTime has been rewritten. Apple has also rewritten the QuickTime Media Player as well. If you have used the Media Player on the iPhone, you will feel comfortable with the new interface on the QuickTime Media Player.

iChat

This program has been improved for reliability. Resolution for Video chat has been increased to 640×480, while at the same time reducing the bandwidth requirements by 1/3.

There are, of course, more changes for this OS update, but that gives you an idea of what you will see with Snow Leopard.

*(Last Rumor has Snow Leopard shipping early on August 28th, 2009)

Microsoft

Windows 7 Impressions

August 22, 2009

sidebar_box_homepremium_upgrdWindows 7 is the next revision of Microsoft’s flagship desktop Operating System (OS). It is scheduled to ship on October 22nd, 2009. Lately, I’ve been dipping my toes into the Windows 7 waters to see what it’s all about.

At first glance, it looks a lot like Windows Vista. However, there are some nice tweaks to the interface. The transparent dock that normally appears on the right side of the screen is no longer there. In Windows 7, they forgo the dock and allow you to put widgets wherever you want on the desktop.

The taskbar has some changes as well. When you place your mouse cursor over a running item, it will show you a preview of it’s windows. This feature is called ‘Aero Peek’ and is very handy. In fact, Apple had the same idea (who knows who thought it up first) and is adding a similar feature to ‘Snow Leopard’, the next version of their Operating System that hit’s the shelves very soon (last rumor has it coming out on August 28th, 2009).

Besides the obvious visual changes, Microsoft has made a lot of changes under the hood that make the new OS run faster on the same hardware. If you’re Vista computer feels a little sluggish, I would highly recommend this upgrade. If you got in quick enough to get in on the early pre-order program, you would have been able to get the upgrade for as little as $49.95 for Windows 7 Home Premium.

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