23 new of 37 responses total.
Apple released an OS X update yesterday, bringing it to version 10.6.6. The most noticeable change was the addition of the Mac App Store, which is now open for business. It's modeled after the app stores for the iPhone and iPad, and Apple is really pushing it as the place to get 3rd party Mac software. After the OS upgrade, you're got a new "App Store" application with a dock icon and apple menu entry. I tried it out. Once you get past the hassle of logging in and authenticating yourself the first time (so that they can charge you for any for-pay apps you install), the process of installing apps is really seamless. Just click on the "install" button for the app and the app's icon floats from the store window to the dock (nice animation effect), a little progress bar appears in the icon while the app takes a few seconds to download, and then you've got it. No messing with dmg or zip files, no dragging of icons to your application folder. At this point, the store has around 1000 items. Some are free, some cost money. Lots of games, with $19.99 being a popular price. Seems steep to me. I suspect prices will fall over time as the competition heats up. The store has generated quite a bit of buzz in its first day. A number of "this changes everything" blog posts. On the flip side, various complaints about the user interface, suggestions for improvement. People are already finding and publishing ways that the store can be hacked. I've got mixed feelings about the "company store" phenomenon that Apple pioneered with the iPhone. The convenience and ease of use are impressive, but everything in the store has to meet criteria for approval that Apple decides. It's true that you can still install software the old way from other sites or from disk, but I worry that if the store becomes popular enough, developers will feel that to be successful they have to get their app into the store, and this means conforming to Apple's criteria for admissability. I wonder if it's technically feasible for a third party "store" app to be developed that has the same level of user-friendliness. Hm, the store doesn't have "Dropbox" yet, one of the most useful applications of all time. Hopefully that's a temporary omission.
Hey, there's already a web comic about the App Store: http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/1487.html
Bah, I have the Ubuntu Software Center. ;) One positive you didn't mention is that the app store could become a sort of quality benchmark for applications like the ipod/iphone app store is. I definitely see value in that. Also, a lot of the software titles are cheaper from the app store than they are at the app[le] store. :)
Hm. My quality benchmark for an app is reading what people have to say about it. The web's really good for that. What advantage does an app store offer over that for ascertaining quality? It's been noted that one needs to be cautious when navigating the store. One-click purchasing is the only option, so if you accidentally click on the "buy" button for an app, you've bought it, with no opportunity to confirm the decision or change your mind. (The Kindle Store at least provides an "oops, I clicked by accident" button that will reverse the charge.) As a precaution, it's recommended that you navigate the store in a signed-out state, and only sign in when you want to buy something.
eeK. Even the iPhone app store requires you to click twice and maybe put in a password for everything you buy.
It's such an obvious misfeature that my guess is it'll be fixed via an update at some point.
This is a specific rather than a general OS X question, for which I hope you will forgive me. A folder called Developer appeared on my Desktop. I did not put it there, so I think I accidentally dragged it from elsewhere on the HD. It contains a folder called Extras, which contains a folder called Palettes, which contains a folder called QTKit.palette....and so forth. Where does it belong?
/usr/local/bin no, j/k
In directory usr there are directories bin and local, but local does not contain a bin. /usr/bin does contain a gazillion files. But even given that, I don't see how I could have pulled Developer out of /usr.., since I don't play around at that depth. What do the files in Developer do, anyway?
http://hintsforums.macworld.com/showthread.php?t=93950
Hey, that's great! Thanks. I did try a Google search on those file names, but didn't find anything. Google does seem to dig into some forums, but I guess not all (or if they are very old?). I always install the new software offered. I don't know why this was put on the Desktop when I did - but it was put behind the window for Mac HD, which I keep open, so I didn't see it at the time. I'm not likely to get into "developing", so I guess I can trash it. But where should it reside? Like in the forum discussion, I'm running OS 10.4.11 (though Intel, not PPC).
You're still on Tiger? Oh my. Is your Mac Intel or Power PC? The Developer folder probably should reside in the root directory "/". That's where the Mac software development tools are stored, for those who choose to install them. Yes, you can probably trash it.
I'm still on OS 10.4.11 Intel (I haven't bothered to remember those goofy animal names for versions). The installer for 10.5 came with the computer but I haven't installed it because I think it might make a bunch of installed apps disfunctional. You have given me courage to trash it...
You could put in a different hard drive and try OS 10.5 on it.
What will that show?
That will let you experiment with OS 10.5 without losing 10.4.
It's not OS 10.4 I'm afraid of losing. It is the other applications running under it that might not under 10.5. I'm dependent on some and have no need to upgrade. Those applications won't be on another drive (which I don't have, anyway).
What is the minimum size drive you can install a minimum version of OS 0.5 to?
You are missing my point. I'd have to install all those apps to test them under 10.5, and I might have to buy upgrades to run under 10.5. It isn't worth it yet.
The websites associated with your apps would probably have information on compatibility with 10.5. Also, if you boot from a 10.5 external drive, it will be able to access the 10.4 internal drive, so you could test whether the existing versions of the apps will run under 10.5 without reinstalling them. All of which would be a fun exercise for me (I'm an inveterate futzer) but maybe not for you. It's just that 10.5 (and, even more, 10.6) has significant improvements over 10.4 that I use heavily (e.g. Spotlight), so for me, upgrading to the latest version of the OS was well worth it.
Hadn't thought of that. My 10.5 install disk should boot. (10.4 has Spotlight)
(Spotlight improved considerably with 10.5.)
Also re resp:35 - Right, you can boot from the 10.5 disk and then check whether relevant stuff on the 10.4 disk will run. Testing in this way is somewhat limited - most apps try to create various folders and files the first time they're run, and they won't be able to since the 10.5 disk isn't writeable. But you should at least be able to see if things will start up.
You have several choices: