New OS X headlines Jobs keynote
Jobs used his keynote here at Macworld to give the full run-down on what's ahead for Apple's (Nasdaq:AAPL) next operating system.
Besides touting such now-familiar Mac OS X components as Darwin, Cocoa and Quartz, Jobs unveiled Aqua, the new system's user interface. Aqua will make extensive use of color and transparency; for example, red, green and yellow buttons at the top left of each window will close, minimize or open the window.
Janitors no more
Jobs hailed Aqua's enhanced navigation features, which he said represents a better implementation of the current Mac Finder. While the current Mac OS "generates a ton of windows, and you get to be the janitor," Jobs said, Mac OS X will offer more-convenient management of open windows. For example, he demonstrated how Save dialog panels will remain associated with specific windows, no matter how those windows are moved or resized. While users can choose to interact with the OS "just like your old Finder," Jobs said, Aqua will enable users to employ a single window that includes browser-style pop-up lists and a Back button.
In addition to the traditional Icon and List views, a new Browser view will let users save the history of their navigation and return to any point in the sequence. A Preview mode will let them inspect the content of any document, including QuickTime movies. A Shortcuts feature will include buttons that let users select all their documents, applications or favorite places, for example.
Mac OS X's built-in e-mail utility will open and display enclosures automatically. A new font panel will let users preview all their fonts, assemble favorite collections of typefaces, or connect to the Internet to purchase fonts on demand.
Jobs showed off the capabilities of Quartz, Mac OS X's next-generation, PDF-based graphics layer, which features system-wide transparency capabilities. Apple Vice President Phil Schiller put in a brief appearance onstage, demonstrating Quake III running on Mac OS X to highlight the system's built-in support for OpenGL 3D graphics.
Mac OS X will include the Dock, an interface feature centered at the bottom of the screen that serves as a repository for current files and applications. The Dock can accommodate up to 128 items; windows resize automatically to fit the bottom of the viewing area, and a Magnification feature will let users check the contents. Similarly, users will be able to dramatically resize icons.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Steve Jobs may have stolen the show with his pronouncement that he's now Apple Computer Inc.'s permanent CEO, but the headliner of his two-hour speech was Mac OS X.
Jobs used his keynote here at Macworld to give the full run-down on what's ahead for Apple's (Nasdaq:AAPL) next operating system.
Besides touting such now-familiar Mac OS X components as Darwin, Cocoa and Quartz, Jobs unveiled Aqua, the new system's user interface. Aqua will make extensive use of color and transparency; for example, red, green and yellow buttons at the top left of each window will close, minimize or open the window.
Janitors no more
Jobs hailed Aqua's enhanced navigation features, which he said represents a better implementation of the current Mac Finder. While the current Mac OS "generates a ton of windows, and you get to be the janitor," Jobs said, Mac OS X will offer more-convenient management of open windows. For example, he demonstrated how Save dialog panels will remain associated with specific windows, no matter how those windows are moved or resized. While users can choose to interact with the OS "just like your old Finder," Jobs said, Aqua will enable users to employ a single window that includes browser-style pop-up lists and a Back button.
In addition to the traditional Icon and List views, a new Browser view will let users save the history of their navigation and return to any point in the sequence. A Preview mode will let them inspect the content of any document, including QuickTime movies. A Shortcuts feature will include buttons that let users select all their documents, applications or favorite places, for example.
Mac OS X's built-in e-mail utility will open and display enclosures automatically. A new font panel will let users preview all their fonts, assemble favorite collections of typefaces, or connect to the Internet to purchase fonts on demand.
Jobs showed off the capabilities of Quartz, Mac OS X's next-generation, PDF-based graphics layer, which features system-wide transparency capabilities. Apple Vice President Phil Schiller put in a brief appearance onstage, demonstrating Quake III running on Mac OS X to highlight the system's built-in support for OpenGL 3D graphics.
Mac OS X will include the Dock, an interface feature centered at the bottom of the screen that serves as a repository for current files and applications. The Dock can accommodate up to 128 items; windows resize automatically to fit the bottom of the viewing area, and a Magnification feature will let users check the contents. Similarly, users will be able to dramatically resize icons.