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Snow Leopard specifics revealed

By | June 10, 2008, 11:10am PDT

Summary: Apple has released more information on “Mac OS X Snow Leopard” which was majorly glossed-over during yesterday’s Stevenote at WWDC. The new OS now has product pages for both server and client which claim that it will “dramatically reduces the footprint of Mac OS X, making it even more efficient for users, and giving them [...]

Snow Leopard specifics revealed

Apple has released more information on “Mac OS X Snow Leopard” which was majorly glossed-over during yesterday’s Stevenote at WWDC. The new OS now has product pages for both server and client which claim that it will “dramatically reduces the footprint of Mac OS X, making it even more efficient for users, and giving them back valuable hard drive space for their music and photos.”

According to MacRumors:

Some early screenshots from the Developer seed of Snow Leopard do indeed show significantly smaller application file sizes over current Leopard installations. Other features listed on Apple’s site were largely touched on in the press release. The New York Times, however, reveals that Snow Leopard’s big focus is taking advantage of the recent trend towards multi-core and parallel computer processes.

The new product pages offer more details about Snow Leopard:

  • Microsoft Exchange Support – Snow Leopard includes out-of-the-box support for Microsoft Exchange 2007 built into Mail, Address Book, and iCal.
  • Multicore – “Grand Central,” a new set of technologies built into Snow Leopard, brings unrivaled support for multicore systems to Mac OS X.
  • 64-bit – To accommodate the enormous amounts of memory being added to advanced hardware, Snow Leopard extends the 64-bit technology in Mac OS X to support breakthrough amounts of RAM — up to a theoretical 16TB, or 500 times more than what is possible today.
  • Media and Internet – Using media technology pioneered in OS X iPhone, Snow Leopard introduces QuickTime X, a streamlined, next-generation platform that advances modern media and Internet standards.

Apple has announced that Snow Leopard will be delivered in “about a year.”

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Topics

Apple Macintosh, Apple Inc., Multi-core, Apple Mac OS X, Apple Mac OS, Operating Systems, Software, Jason D. O\'Grady

Jason O'Grady is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.

Disclosure

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady is the creator and editor of O'Grady's PowerPage, which has been publishing mobile technology news since 1995. He maintains an advertising relationship with the following legacy advertisers on the PowerPage:

  • Amazon Associates
  • Google Adsense
  • Tekserve

    • Advertising on the PowerPage is brokered by a third-party agency (BackBeat Media) and he recuses himself from these negotiations.

Biography

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984.

He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.

After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.

O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).

When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey.

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RE: Snow Leopard specifics revealed
tomlin21-24319035676893835085146735905770 11th Oct
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0 Votes
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Will it finally be a real 64 bit OS?
NonZealot 10th Jun 2008
or, like Leopard, is it just a 32 bit kernel with a 64 bit compatibility layer?

Snow Leopard introduces QuickTime X, a streamlined, next-generation platform that advances modern media and Internet standards.

Is this a complete rewrite or is it just the same old QuickTime with its daily zero day exploits?
0 Votes
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The kernel has been 64-bit since 10.4. [nt]
olePigeon 10th Jun 2008
[nt]
0 Votes
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Apple has lied to you
NonZealot 10th Jun 2008
Read it and weep.

Apple has gone 64-bit across the board, with two major exceptions. The first is the kernel itself, which remains 32-bit in order to maintain compatibility with existing drivers. The second is a bit of a sad story... or perhaps a hopeful one. You decide.

Sorry, I hope I didn't ruin your day. sad
0 Votes
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He didn't say anything about Apple. (nt)
People 10th Jun 2008
.
0 Votes
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You are correct, and no, it's not Apple...
olePigeon 10th Jun 2008
You are correct, and no, it's not Apple.

10.4 is a 32-bit kernel with 64-bit memory addressing.
10.5 is a hybrid 32-bit/64-bit mach kernel.

I suppose that's why Apple went with the mach kernel
instead of going with a monolith kernel. This allows them
to support both 32-bit and 64-bit.

In any event, it really doesn't matter if the kernel is 32-bit
or 64-bit.
0 Votes
+ -
It mattered enough for you to correct me
NonZealot 10th Jun 2008
If it really mattered so little, why did you bother to correct my statement?

See, I don't even disagree that it doesn't matter that much but I can just see the responses if it turned out that Vista 64 bit came with a 32 bit kernel. Interesting how the responses to this are very... um... apologetic. wink

Anyway, I find it interesting how OS X is the only modern OS that simply does not have a 64 bit variant. I also find it interesting how Apple tries to gloss over that fact by skirting the issue on their website. If you actually read it, nowhere do they state that the OS is 64 bit. The closest they come is here: Since the entire operating system is 64-bit ready However, it was enough to fool you, wasn't it? I would be annoyed about that if I was you. happy
0 Votes
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"See, I don't even disagree that it doesn't matter that much"
People 10th Jun 2008
Yet you asked the question first.

You're as transparent as crystal.
0 Votes
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I got the responses I suspected I would get
NonZealot 10th Jun 2008
Denial at first and then, once shown to be incorrect, apologies on behalf of the multi-billion $$$/year corporation that fooled you. You guys are transparent as crystal too. happy
0 Votes
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You have denial down to an art.
People 10th Jun 2008
What's your last word?
0 Votes
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the only modern OS
buddhistMonkey 11th Jun 2008
((( "Anyway, I find it interesting how
OS X is the only modern OS that
simply does not have a 64 bit
variant." )))

You're right. Unlike Windows, for
example, which has a 32-bit variant
(several, actually) and a 64-bit
variant, OS X only comes in a single
flavor that is both 32- and 64-bit.
It's the clearly superior solution.
How astute of you to notice.
0 Votes
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But it isn't 64 bit
NonZealot 11th Jun 2008
OS X only comes in a single flavor that is both 32- and 64-bit.

As Apple's site clearly states (I linked to it in another reply here), OS X is only 64 bit ready and not actually 64 bit so no, it is not both 32 and 64 bit, it is only 32 bit. Hopefully one day you will be able to join the big boys (Linux, Windows) and be a real 64 bit OS. Until then, have fun with your 32 bit pretender!! happy
0 Votes
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This reply goes to the biggest zealot(Non_Zealot) here on zdnet
Intellihence 11th Jun 2008
& how many Windows users out there are willing to spend
thousands upon thousands for these supposedly cheap
upgrades to Vista ? Last I recalled the OS & Office application
are sold separately & are Xpensive as heck . Make this
defining point for me , because with all the Xpensive new
hardware you need just to run a catch me up X Os to satisfy
the jealous/hatred , why ?
0 Votes
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Yes, why did you correct him?
msalzberg 11th Jun 2008
Let the Zealot's misstatements stand.

Repeat a lie often enough....
0 Votes
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Misstatement?
NonZealot 11th Jun 2008
Care to point it out for us since I've been 100% correct in everything I've stated. Unless ARS is now an anti-Apple zealot too?

I do find it quite funny how upset this has all of you. For something you say doesn't matter at all, you sure have expended a lot of energy trying to apologize for the multi-billion $$$/year corporation that lied to you!! happy
0 Votes
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Red Letter Day!!!
msalzberg 11th Jun 2008
You finally admitted that you are an anti-Apple zealot.

That's the first step. Only 11 to go....
0 Votes
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Awww, couldn't point out the misstatement? Didn't think so!
NonZealot 11th Jun 2008
By not pointing it out, you admit that you can't do it. Thanks for admitting I'm right! happy

You finally admitted that you are an anti-Apple zealot.

Also, I admitted nothing of the sort. You seem to label everyone who has ever stated anything not 100% glowing positive about Apple as an anti-Apple zealot. I was only asking you if you were going to apply the "anti-Apple zealot" label to the ARS author, just like you've done to me. Nowhere do I state that your label is correct though. In fact, I emphatically deny that I'm an anti-Apple zealot. I'm a rational thinker which seems to annoy people like you to no end. happy
0 Votes
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I'd suggest you ask an English teacher...
msalzberg 11th Jun 2008
to parse the sentence "Unless ARS is now an anti-Apple
zealot too." [Leaving aside the bad grammar.]

Let's just help you out a bit and translate: "Unless ARS is
now an anti-Apple zealot just like me." Your first
sentence was about you, and the 'too' refers to you as well.

Despite your attempt at denial, now that you've admitted
what we've known for some time, when added to the fact
that you've admitted to never having used any Apple
product since 2001, can you see why you have no
credibility?
0 Votes
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I corrected him because 95% of the time he's wrong. [nt]
olePigeon 11th Jun 2008
[nt]
0 Votes
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Does it really matter? (nt)
People 10th Jun 2008
.
0 Votes
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Not in the past, but will in the future
Richard Flude 10th Jun 2008
Applications that could benefit from 64-bit have been able
to do so since 10.5 (64-bit frameworks).

For the kernel 32-bit/64-bit was a non-issue for PPC, but
as the Ars article highlights it is an issue on Intel (because
of the x86 historical baggage): registers.

Don't expect significant speed improvements from a 64-
bit kernel unless you're application is spending most of it's
time there. Unlikely for a Mac desktop application.
0 Votes
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I wonder how logical you would be if we were talking Windows
NonZealot 11th Jun 2008
Vista 64 bit turns out to have a 32 bit kernel. Discuss and try to keep the frothing of the mouth and the throbbing of the veins down to a minimum. happy
0 Votes
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Interesting that you mentioned that...:P
James Quinn 11th Jun 2008
Seems I remember all not that long ago when OSX was
going 64 bit I think back in the G5 days. Now it was cool
as far as I was concerned but to be honest I did not see it
as being all that useful. However folk like well NonZ being
I guess a bit off put by this bench mark reached by OSX
were all over the boards explaining that it had no practical
use nor was it needed. Again I did not care for I did agree
with said comments well at least the logcal part of the
argument not the bitter emotional part..:)

Pagan jim
0 Votes
+ -
No, the guy is just a troll
Fred Fredrickson 12th Jun 2008
The primary reason for 64 bit is the ability to address more
RAM. You can configure OS X with 32 GB of RAM today,
which is way more than most people can afford.

Arguments about "real" 64bit are spurious - if the box
delivers sufficient bang for your buck, then whether it's 8m
16, 32 or whatever bit is irrelevant.
0 Votes
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Let's Take This Opportunity to Dis Apple
Jim Gleeson 10th Jun 2008
I really get an affinity for how comments about Apple break down into the whole "Apple Lied" headline. People who love Apple also know that no company is free from mistakes or even lies. We also know that we are not going to get 5 hours of talk time from our new iPhones or that the Cube was a great Apple Computer. We know that the G5 was not the fastest computer in the world, and we know that there are some stability problems with Leopard. Some of us think that some buttons and maybe a keyboard on an iPhone might be a good thing.

We also know that in the world of computers, saying something is or is not 64 bit is not as binary an answer as first thought. At what point is something 64 bit? Does it have to be 64 bit from the kernel and beyond, or does a lot of it simply have to be 64 bit?

The same question can be asked about the Mac experience itself? Is it just the software or is it the hardware? Is Apple lying to us becuase they use intel processors, have PCI slots, and use USB cables as opposed to some proprietary cabling that only Apple has? Are they really selling us a PC/Mac hybrid?

Before you pick on Apple, maybe you should think about first what is considered "64 Bit" and that...if a lot of us really care either way or at least give us an idea why we should.
0 Votes
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sounds more like a service pack i hope Steve will
SO.CAL Guy 11th Jun 2008
sounds more like a service pack i hope Steve will give it away as such.

but don't hold your breath.
0 Votes
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More than a service pack
rdawson@... 12th Jun 2008
This will be more than a service pack. They are not focusing on the UI much - most of it is "under the hood". They are rewriting the kernel with more security in mind and are amazingly reducing the footprint of the kernel. It will be smaller than the current 10.5.x version of Leopard. There's plenty of info on the Apple site regarding what is going in so I'll spare the details.
0 Votes
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It'll be a lot more than a SP
Ken_z 11th Jun 2008
If Apple is spending all of this time and talent
focusing on a major upgrade to optimize multi
core processors you can bet that it will be more
than a basic service pack. After developers get
through this week and start working with their
beta of 10.6 there will probably be a few clues
slipping out as to what Grand Central really is.

On the expanded memory - that made me smile
as our first computer came with 16KB,
upgradable to 64KB. To go from a "K" to a "T"
in my adult life is mind blowing. I suspect,
however, that the 16TB limit will be for
science/medical apps as well as some unique
apps requiring that much memory.
0 Votes
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16 Exabytes not Terabytes
The Alken Dude 11th Jun 2008
Dude, 2^64 is 16 Exabytes, not Terabytes. You're off by a factor of 10^6.
mega- M 10^6 ~2^20
giga- G 10^9 ~2^30
tera- T 10^12 ~2^40
peta- P 10^15 ~2^50
exa- E 10^18 ~2^60

When *true* 64 bit systems become standard, the possibilities are AWESOME. Right now, we still have hybrid systems where all the peripherals/PCI bus/etc. are still 32 bit and there are "tricks" to make RAM behave/store 64-bit words.

I'm guessing it will be another year or two to have true blue 64 bit systems through and through.

Many people don't realize that going from 32-bit to 64-bit addressing doesn't double address space, it SQUARES it. (4GB squared is 16 Exabytes is another way to see the calculation).
0 Votes
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How big is your thang?
AlienSexGod 12th Jun 2008
Yeah to gauge the difference between 32bit and a 64 bit number the size difference if like going from the size of a postcard to the size of Mahattan island!

Oh & too all the Winblowz fan boys Macs have been addressing 32Gb of ram for ages now most can't run 64bit winblows because of lack of drivers and are stuck at 3Gb. Plus have you ever multi tasked on Winblows? Even on a 3Ghz duo core with 3Gb ram if you do a moderate encode using 60% processor backgrounding the foreground app stutters and basically begs to be freed.

OS X even running ancient 10.3 can encoded 2 movies, burn 2 dvds run office , email accounting & browsing simultaneously and the foreground app feels like nothing is happening in the background! All on an ancient 1.42Ghz single processor G4. Best that fanbois!

Basically Unix rocks & Winblows blows.
0 Votes
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Apple prepares another quality OS
DarthRidiculous 11th Jun 2008
While Steve Ballmer and M$ prepares to drop another turd. (Vista 7 or whatever)
0 Votes
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hopefully
rdawson@... 12th Jun 2008
While I own a Mac and support Macs in our enterprise, 10.5.x has had more than its fair share of problems too. It's not perfect. Hopefully Snow Leopard won't be rushed out the door and has fewer bugs than 10.5.x has had.
0 Votes
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RE: Snow Leopard specifics revealed
xiaoming3 15th Dec 2009
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RE: Snow Leopard specifics revealed
tomlin21-24319035676893835085146735905770 11th Oct
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