Leopard Mac OS X (v. 10.5) Review

Okay - last night I stood in line to get a copy of Apple's latest major upgrade to their UNIX based operating system OS X - Leopard. If you're into the numbering game, this is version 10.5 and it's been around 2 years since a major upgrade.

Now, for all of you Windows folks out there who are stunned by Vista, imagine that Mac users have had many of those "wow" gizmos as a part of their computers for the last 24 months, and with the release of Leopard, the icing has been sweetened and any doubts have been put to rest. And before you say "Hey! But you're a Mac user anyway. What do YOU know about computers? You're just a Microsoft hater!" Well, I've been working with computers since 1991, I started on a PC with just DOS, then Windows 3.1, then IBM's OS/2 (which, by the way, is still pretty damn cool) and then, by 1996, I was in the computer biz and still make my major living as a desktop support agent for a hospital that uses primarily Windows XP. I also have experience with Linux, various flavors of UNIX and, believe it or not, just got my first Mac less than a year ago. So, I'm not prejudiced. I'm just amazed.

I'm not going to tell you that it's all good. It's not. My FTP program doesn't work and when I launched Yahoo! Messenger, it automatically shut down. I was able to find a suitable Open Source FTP client that works fine and an update of Yahoo! seems to fix that problem as well. I'm sure that I'll find other applications that have a hard time with the new OS, but for the most part, everything is working fine - and FAST! And because Apple is constantly working to improve they system and upgrades are delivered seamlessly and securely, I really can't complain.

It took about 2 hours for my MacBook Pro with 1.5 Gb of RAM to upgrade to the new software - it really was one stop shopping. What's great is that immediately I was able to be productive again, with printing in place, all of the drivers necessary for smooth work flow were functioning and I was able to take advantage of some of the new totally cool features.

On a Mac, there is an application Dock that usually resides along the bottom of the screen where you can set the icons for your most used programs. You actually do just set them there, like on a shelf. You can ask the Dock to stay put or hide itself when not in use to maximize workspace. You can even stack things up on this shelf - just like stacking magazines you can stack documents or even programs - just put the stuff in a folder and place it on the Dock. When you click on it, you can either see it fan out directly from the stack, or you can have it show up in a grid pattern.

You can also create separate work spaces on the computer so you can have all your web apps on one screen, and all of your office apps on another, and then move between them with a keyboard shortcut or the click of a mouse. Keep your games up and running and switch to your work screen quickly when someone comes into the room. Sweet.

There is also an automatic backup feature that allows the system to take a periodic snapshot of your system, keep a copy of it remotely (like on an external drive) and then you can browse through them like files and choose the right one if you need to get back to an older state on your computer.

And, if you own a freestanding copy of Windows XP or Vista, you can run it right on your Mac.

Now, all of these things have been written about before by folks who are far better at it than me, but here's the dirt - despite some stumbling here and there, this thing works and it works well. I have yet to actually explore some of the finer tweeks to the system and I'm sure I won't experience some of the "under the hood" changes until application developers start integrating them into new applications. But, for now, I'm a happy computing guy and I don't really have to spend a week or so learning how to use the new operating system or downloading replacement drivers or replacing old programs that don't work anymore. No. I got the best that technology has to offer right here on my laptop. And it's one virile cat!

New Project at Scented Shadows

Hey friends! There is a new project started at the brother site of Dangerous Enlightenment, Scented Shadows. Here's the url: http://meta4.blogspot.com/2007/10/new-project.html - clicking on the title will also take you there.

Doing Fine

Sorry that I've neglected to post regarding my health. I've been busy trying to catch up with the world and trying to renegotiate the way I deal with it. Not a particularly easy task.

As it turns out, there is no tumor in my lung - only fungus. The fix as it was presented to me was a bottle of very expensive pills. 60 of them for the price of about $2140. That's one month's worth. The side effects are not particularly fun, but I'm thinking that I may be near the end of the course of the treatment. The prescription allows for another 30 days of meds, but I am hoping that the docs will say I am free to get back to just 4 pills a day. Whatever they say, I go back on the 16th of October for another CT scan of my air sacs to see how things look.

Now, I mentioned above that I'm trying to renegotiate the way I deal with the world. What that really means is that I'm trying to find a new way to support myself. Some way that will pay the bills, give me appropriate health care and offer me a way to spend more than a fraction of the day with a smile on my face. I'm thinking that the answer may be freelancing. Freelance writer, artist, musician, teacher, hobo, bum.

I'd be good, wouldn't I?

So, I'm working that angle and I'll let y'all know how things are going. More regular posts will be coming soon.