(Mac) OS X Lion Mini Review

I don't have the time to write-up a more complete review, but below is a "mini" review of (Mac) OS X 10.7 "Lion", based on my experiences with the upgrade since its release. Check out John Siracusa's review for a really in-depth, hardcore review of Lion, inside and out.


Lion's Pride

- OS-level supported Auto-Save

- OS-level supported Document Versions

- OS-level supported Full Screen (finally)

- Window resizing via any window-edge (welcome to twenty years ago, Apple)

- Better, faster full disk encryption

- Resume feature for Apps and login (can be turned off)

- Improved Mail.app layout

- AirDrop: Really simple local file-exchange. This is the same as using Bonjour via iChat to transfer files, but even simpler-to-use in this implementation. Wish it was cross-platform.

- Smarter under-the-hood workings with regard to security and memory.

- Dictionary is improved, now with a British Dictionary and Thesaurus. Access to the Dictionary is more convenient now too, with a definition just popping up on the screen when selecting the "Look Up" command via a right-click.

- Feels like iOS in a good way. It's still a Mac.


Lion's Folly

- "Traffic Light" window widgets are graphically smaller. What made Apple even think to do this?

- Watch out for any old PowerPC apps you have- none will work in Lion.

- Scroll bar arrows are gone. Some may miss these, though there are better ways to scroll.

- Can't reorder sidebar categories in the Finder (Devices stays at the bottom now), though you can still rearrange items within the favorites category.

- The "realistic" Address Book and iCal windows are ridiculous and one of the mysterious detours Apple takes now and then from its minimalist UI practices. iCal has very distracting animations when changing months. Because it's important to see a page suddenly appear and turn on every click.

Though not as much can be done about the animations, there are already several pages devoted to instructions and/or apps which will, in one way or another, diminish or remove the offending faux-skins from these two apps.

Don't expect it in the Mac App Store any time soon, but LionBleacher will "discolor" the apps. MacNix and Simple and Usable boast alchemic procedures for converting leather into aluminum. Apple's Discussion forums are full of complaints about the "ugly" new iCal and Address Book. I expect them to be clicked out of existence soon, in usual Apple-style. Nevertheless, something tells me that Apple will have to rethink its new experimental art.

- "Save As…" command is gone in Apple apps. Versions and Auto-Save are great, but they serve different functions and are in no way suitable replacements for the old, humble "Save As…" command. Leave it to Apple to add useful features to the OS that should have been there ages ago (any-edge resize, full screen, etc.- iOS users don't realize how relatively quickly they got cut-and-paste) but remove an equally useful age-old feature. I know Apple is minimalistic, but this time they've removed *too much*. "Save As…" needs to come back (soon). Until then, I am using the duplicate command in the Finder as a workaround.

- The awkwardly-named "Hide / Show Finder window toolbar & sidebar" control at the top right of the toolbar, which I will simply refer to as "the pill" (no, not that one), is gone. This makes is harder (or impossible) to collapse the toolbar. It is replaced by the full-screen widget, which I find increasingly aesthetically displeasing, in other apps, though not in the Finder where it is merely absent without replacement.

Though hiding the toolbar is still possible via a menu item in many apps, it is not uniform. For example, to hide the toolbar in Preview you hit Command-B, but it's Command-| in Safari. Obviously this feature has taken a back-seat to the full screen feature, which frankly could have just been mapped to the green traffic light "zoom" button, with option-click yielding the old size-toggle behavior. Maybe Apple will hire me next time for these sorts of insights.


Control Different

Mission Control is a mixed bag. If Spaces (or Exposé) is essential to your workflow, you might want to give Mission Control a try before upgrading. I am still getting used to it. It was easier to see and manipulate content using Spaces because the previews were bigger. In Mission Control they appear as smaller, fixed-sized previews atop an "Exposéd" version of the current workspace. Workspaces can be added, but not rearranged. So there is in a  way more functionality there, but less control. On the other hand, it is possible to have a different desktop background for each workspace (though not a different dock), which may make them easier to differentiate. App-specific Exposé is still available.

The Aqua interface has been toned down more significantly than in probably any other version of Mac OS X. It has a much more subtle, flatter appearance. The Print dialog seems much cleaner and simpler than before.


Lion or (Snow) Leopard?

Lion is solid upgrade to Snow Leopard, but with some necessary getting used-to and mandatory caveats. You can certainly change many of the controversial settings (like inverse scrolling, though to be sure I've already gotten used to it after giving it a try) that Lion introduces. If Spaces is your thing, you might want to try it out at a store or at a friend's house before you buy. And if you have any old critical PowerPC apps you rely on, you'll need to find a replacement before you make the leap to Lion. But if these aren't big issues for you, it really is a worthy upgrade. And at $30, it's an easy choice to make.


Upgrading Multiple Macs: Clean or Dirty Style

Apple allows you to install Lion on pretty much any Mac you own. But Apple doesn't tell you that the Installer deletes itself once its done upgrading. So you will have to download the entire 3.5 GB again if you want to upgrade another Mac. As such, I suggest backing up the Installer App *before* you install for the first time if you are going to upgrade other Macs, which you can do so by merely copying over and running the Installer in the same manner. I copied the Installer on to an external hard drive and just copied it to my other Mac from the drive to upgrade. No need to wait for another download.

Also, you'll need to backup the installer, extract the disc image within it, and "burn it" to a flash drive or an (gasp!) optical disc if you want to do a "Clean Install". While this is absolutely not necessary, it is something I actually approve of doing on the rare occasion to clean out the digital crud that accumulates throughout the years, like folders left over from old Applications. It also helps as a reminder to reorganize your data if its gotten in a bit of disorder.

I did not do a clean install this time, opting instead for a "quick and dirty" in-place upgrade. This was a lot quicker than past OS upgrades, partially due to the lack of an actual DVD, which takes longer due to the slower access times of optical discs in comparison to hard drives and solid state (flash) drives. But I do have the installer backed up so that I can do a clean install when I have the time for all the extra backing up and data shifting. And in spite of Apple's recovery partition, I feel a lot better having a copy of Lion I can start up with even if my whole hard drive goes caput.


Life without DRM-a

Though Apple may be (rightfully) criticized for other restrictive decisions (iOS, iTunes, etc.), you can be sure that this DRM-free approach is a major point in favor of Mac OS, including Lion. Many who have dealt with Windoze activation realize this. Apple could have easily included DRM in this package. But there's no demeaning activation hassle or any other DRM nonsense in Lion. And that makes me want to buy it even more. At this price, flat out pirating Lion is pretty lame. You even get a free upgrade if you recently bought a Mac.

Sure, Apple's business model is mainly based on selling hardware. But it wasn't too long ago that OS upgrades went for $130 a copy, with a more restrictive license (though this was never enforced). And I believe in paying for things you appreciate and want to see live on (the same goes for Free and Open Source software). My recommendation: Buy this if you care about supporting a quality operating system at a great price.

July 31, 2011: I've edited, added links and more content to this article.

End of the Space Era

Credit: NASA Kennedy (via Twitter)

The final space shuttle mission launched into space this morning, and I wonder if we will be telling the younger generations about when humanity routinely launched human beings into space and even when we used to go to the moon in the old days. Space travel is expensive, but it is a lot less expensive than war and most other projects going on at the Pentagon and the White House.

NASA's budget is truly minuscule compared to most other major federal programs. Last I checked, it was a mere 1% or so of the budget. Eliminating the shuttle program, or indeed, NASA itself would do very little to resolve other problems we have here on Earth. In fact, NASA's projects have often resulted in spin-off technologies that have made it to both the general public and government consumers, including the Department of Defense.

Yes NASA's budget has been squeezed tighter and tighter with time. The only time politicians have really supported NASA is for political gain- to win some political competition, as in the days of the Soviets and the Space race or to gain favor from their districts because they reap some economical benefit from some NASA project.

These are not necessarily bad reasons. In fact, a lot of people are already losing their jobs as a result of the end of the shuttle program, and it is a very real concern. A lot of small businesses profited from NASA's needs, apart from larger corporations. NASA and the space shuttle program in particular was a large indirect employer for many people, apart from those directly employed by the government agency.

But to maintain a space program, visions must be larger and longer than these reasons alone. Space exploration is an endeavor that is best thought of in terms of decades on the low end and centuries in the larger scheme. A successful space program cannot survive if it is dictated by ever-shifting political pressures and four and five year election cycles.

I fear the public often lacks the patience and vision for such long-term goals, preferring the more immediate satisfaction of a baseball or football stadium instead. These are not bad things. They can be very good for a city or a state. But human progress requires an inclusive, holistic vision that allows for all of these things- sports, entertainment, art, education, help for the poor, space exploration and other worthy human endeavors. These are all things that express and define our humanity. Programs for helping the poor are just as important as the space program, but one cannot come at the cost of another, just as advances in medicine should not come at the cost of art programs. This "one or the other" is a false dichotomy.

Nature provides for individuals who are born basketball players, others who are meant to play the piano or the violin, others who are captivated by science or technology. You cannot turn one into the other. Nature provides for a variety of worthwhile interests in humanity and they must all be represented and advanced if we are truly explore and increase our humanity.

Politicians speak of future NASA projects and new directions, but I am very skeptical. One politician undos what a previous one did, as with the latest plan. Apart from the end of the space shuttle program, other programs continue to be shut down and NASA's budget is shrinking. Now that doesn't necessarily mean its the end of NASA or space exploration in general. In fact, I believe humanity is destined for the stars and that progress will continue regardless.

But the direction and support for that progress will affect what will be available for generations to come. I support private and commercial space projects. But humanity's space programs will lag considerably without government funding, which does not need to be directly tied to the immediate commercial pressures of the day. Together government and commercial funding can build a better space program, but we need both.

Nevertheless, it is the end of an era. This hits me in three different ways. As a human being, I decry the deterioration of humanity's already extremely limited ability to travel to space. As an American, I am ashamed that my country, once a leader in space exploration, needs to ask help from the Russians or Japanese or maybe the Europeans to launch a man into orbit or shuttle him to the International Space Station.

And as a self-described "space enthusiast" who grew up with the awe-inspiring adventures of two Enterprise crews, boldly going where no human had gone before, and a member of The Planetary Society, who would give up almost anything to visit the moon or even set foot on the ISS, or in what is still science fiction- take a tour of Mars- this sends me a clear message that space exploration is not one of society's priorities, in spite of all the sci-fi books, movies and series regularly consumed. Humanity's commitment to aim for the stars is not quite as strong.

My hope is that this is simply a "phase" for humanity. Unfortunately, my life may not be long enough to enjoy a time where humanity truly embraces space exploration. I often feel we could be much more advanced in space technologies if we would have truly pursued it. The long-term practical issues also concern me- This is the only planet we can live on. Our Pale Blue Dot. Without further funding for the space program, we lose out on potential technologies to reach habitable planets even just within the solar system, or to make them more habitable for human beings. The real-life mission to Mars is being pushed further and further into the future.  Perhaps at least it will force us to take care of our own planet first, before we trash another.

I reflect upon the final shuttle mission with a certain serious sadness. Nevertheless, I still have hope. I think the space program will go on and maybe a new generation will pick up the cause with greater passion and determination, like those now fully invested. We have seen great technological achievements in our time, and although space is a great and vast challenge for humanity I think we will see increased interest and advances not merely to "beat" a foreign power to space, but to head for the stars for adventure, space and yes... the all-powerful profit. But for now I remove my imaginary hat and take a moment of silence for the passing of an era.