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- All the AppleScript fixes. Unicode support, better Property List handling, Updated Language Guide, better Folder Actions, better way to target applications, all of it
- Automator: UI Recording and Playback and the CL Utility. The former, because even though it tends to create tortured syntax at the script level, it is useful to a lot of people, and the latter because it's nice for sysadmins....and that's what I am!
- Dashcode: Because JavaScript is a "real" language, and deserves a solid IDE.
- Desktop: Spring-Loaded folders in the Dock...there at last, there at last, great god almighty, there at last!
- Finder: Screen sharing built in and the Path bar. The former, because it was stupid to NOT have this, and the latter, because knowing where you are is really quite important.
- iCal: All of it. How silly was it for Apple to not have a solid, multiuser calendaring client up to now?
- iChat: Crap, there's so many of them. Screen Sharing, Recording, Multiple Logins, Animated Buddy icons, Watch for my Name, Tabbed Chat, better file xfers...mmmm....sweet, sweet feature set improvements.
- Networking: The new Airport menu items should rock. It's about time they stole something useful from WIndows, like ease of identifying secured networks.
- Preview: PDF repagination, better annotation...Adobe may be getting competition for once.
- Printing: Kerberized Printing! SQUEE! Location-Aware printing? SQUEE2!
- Quick Look: Oh.Hell.Yeah.
- Safari: Better Tabs, yay, better find, yay, better build - in PDF support, yay. Now, if its JavaScript is better much, that will be cool
- Security: Tagging Downloaded Applications - if the implementation is good, this will rock. Improved Smart Card features - Always good. Library Randomization - Vista had it first, but it's still a good idea. Windows SMB Packet Signing - Many, many sysadmins are happy as hell about this.
- TextEdit: ODF and Word 2007 support - sure, why not
- UNIX: Officially "UNIX", improved automounts, Dtrace, Wide Area Bonjour, Kerberized NFS? SWEET!
Posted by John C. Welch at 22:15 | Permalink
Comments
Warning for Notes users: The commenting system uses HTML.I know this will be scary for some of you, especially Notes fans. However, open standards, rah-rah.
If you want to use less-than or greater-than signs, or other similar charachters that HTML reserves,
you'll simply have to learn to do it the HTML way. Luckily, HTML is kind of popular, no matter what
your re-educators have told you, and you can easily find help on the intertubes.
Updated Language Guide is a big one. The fact that the current language guide's revision date starts with "19" - and the fact that it's poorly and stiffly written - elides no one and is a disgrace.
Posted by: Jesper | October 19, 2007 10:17 AM
Don't forget resolution independence and application sandboxing.
Posted by: Carl | October 22, 2007 2:36 PM
OpenBSD had library randomization before Vista did, it's not a Microsoft innovation, although they did indeed have it in Windows before Mac OS X.
Posted by: Bob Jones | October 22, 2007 2:44 PM
So, does the Finder work properly yet? Or is it still something to be avoided at all costs?
Posted by: Harvard Irving | October 22, 2007 7:32 PM
The Finder is massively improved under the hood, seriously. Path Finder doesn't really have much of a need to exist anymore (unless you need the feature bloat).
When I talked to Apple developer relations people in December 2006, they said they were still debating about how to expose the "resolution independence slider" to the user. It still isn't exposed in the last Developer Seed, I'm hoping it's in the final build. It may not appear for a while (maybe not until Office 2008 is released). You can always use Quartz Debug to fiddle with it…
I know of two regressions in the last Developer Seed:
• /etc/fstab is no longer consulted at all. This appeared just a few months ago.
• Network Locations are no longer exposed in the Apple menu. This appeared when the underlying network configuration system and prefpane were rewritten 6-8 months ago.
Posted by: Fred Blasdel | October 22, 2007 10:34 PM
