What Apple should add in Mac OS 10.6

What Apple should add in Mac OS 10.6:
- touch-screen support (Macs shipped with 10.6 have touch-screen displays)
- a 3D GUI (something like Time Machine in Leopard)
- ability to have multiple Stacks open
- ability to auto-hide the menu bar
- Export to Youtube option (video only) in Photo Booth
- iTunes 7 scrollbars instead of Aqua scrollbars
- Secret feature: you can use any Windows app with Mac OS 10.6 and any Windows app would work on Mac OS 10.6 just like on Windows
- Can have different wallpapers in each Space (Spaces).
- ZFS
- Support for Blu-ray and HD-DVD

Possible minimum specifications for Mac OS 10.6:
You must have a PowerPC G5 or Intel Processor (64-bit PowerPC and Intel processors recommended), 1GB of RAM minimum (2GB recommended for development), FireWire, a DVD Drive, 12GB of Hard Drive space and some features only work on an Intel Mac (like Back drops in Photo Booth).
Possible name for Mac OS 10.6: "Cougar"

I'd use it!

Neptune said:

What Apple should add in Mac OS 10.6:
- touch-screen support (Macs shipped with 10.6 have touch-screen displays)

Click to expand...

Hardware, not an OS feature.

- a 3D GUI (something like Time Machine in Leopard)

Click to expand...

You mean like Cover Flow? Or...Flip3D!

- ability to have multiple Stacks open

Click to expand...

Wouldn't that just make them Finder windows?

- ability to auto-hide the menu bar

Click to expand...

Absolutely not. It would defeat the purpose of having a menu bar.

- Export to Youtube option (video only) in Photo Booth

Click to expand...

More of an iMovie/QuickTime feature, but okay

- iTunes 7 scrollbars instead of Aqua scrollbars

Click to expand...

Who cares...

- Secret feature: you can use any Windows app with Mac OS 10.6 and any Windows app would work on Mac OS 10.6 just like on Windows

Click to expand...

Yeah...why bother with native Mac apps at all

- Can have different wallpapers in each Space (Spaces).

Click to expand...

This is kind of a given

- ZFS

Click to expand...

Probably going to happen, but nobody really cares

- Support for Blu-ray and HD-DVD

Click to expand...

Hardware

I'd like to see a truly revamped Finder, not the eye candy and stability fixes that were added to 10.5. I could list a bunch of features, but I pretty much want the features available in Path Finder. I know, I could just use Path Finder, but it's lack of 100% integration turns me off.

Add some more features to Spaces, similar to what we had with VirtueDesktops. I know, it'll make it a bit more complicated, but I'm sure people won't mind being able to, at the very least, have individual backgrounds.

technologist said:

Absolutely not. It would defeat the purpose of having a menu bar.

Click to expand...

How so?? I auto hide my Dock, but it doesn't defeat the purpose of having a Dock. I still use the Dock all the time. Auto hide just makes things a little cleaner and gives you a little more screen real estate.

I also want Spaces to have different backgrounds. I thought that would be a part of it, but seeing at Spaces it pretty much just a GUI trick and not really multiple desktops at all, I'm not surprised.

I would also like them to bring back regular folders in the Dock. Hopefully that will come in a 10.5 update since many people want it back.

Because the menubar in the Mac OS is pivotal to a lot of commands.

The dock is basically decorative compared to what the menubar brings. Yes, you can launch apps from the dock but in a lot of apps some commands are only available through the menubar.

For instance in Photoshop, all the filters have to be chosen via the menubar I'd hate to have the menubar appear/disappear/appear each time I have to use a filter.

And I'm wondering what purpose would auto-hiding the menubar serve? Saving screen real estate? I dunno, I like the menubar just as it is.

Well, it would be nice to have the option. Some people, like me, don't use it often and auto hide would be more beneficial. Never hurts to offer a little more customization.

MacHeadCase said:

Because the menubar in the Mac OS is pivotal to a lot of commands.

The dock is basically decorative compared to what the menubar brings. Yes, you can launch apps from the dock but in a lot of apps some commands are only available through the menubar.

For instance in Photoshop, all the filters have to be chosen via the menubar I'd hate to have the menubar appear/disappear/appear each time I have to use a filter.

And I'm wondering what purpose would auto-hiding the menubar serve? Saving screen real estate? I dunno, I like the menubar just as it is.

Click to expand...

As long as it was an option, it wouldn't bother you a bit then

Option? The more eye candy, the more possibilities things jam.

Like this auto-hide the dock thing? Tried it and it drives me crazy 'cuz it's sometimes slow, sometimes it doesn't work or jams up.

Making this an option for the menubar adds code, and bam! more bloatware coming our way! Gah!

I'd like to see a more interactive experience with 10.6 As in now we tell the computer to do things and it does them. Simple. But I'd like the future to be where it actually as input into what happens. Like it can think for itself to a point. Like you can set up a certain script and just tell (yes with your voice) or maybe a few keystrokes to do the script and it does it. The same can be applied to other functions too. I think the future is less us being behind the machines all the time for them to work and the machines doing it's thing to a point.

I envisage it to go something like this.

1. We say say some specific spoken command to the computer and it turns itself on.

2. It asks us for a password. Yes the computer talks to us. And we type it in. I think speaking out passwords is a bad idea as people could hear them.

3. Once we're at the desktop which would look totally different to the current model, the computer would ask us something like "what would you like to do today sir". And we respond, I'd like to open up safari and go to the apple hope page please". And the computer does it on it's own. Then it asks "what next?" And you tell it what next. And so on. Like a real conversation with your computer.

And that's how the experience would be. More of a spoken/visual thing than typing/mousework as today. Sure the mouse and keyboard would still exist as there are somethings that need it, like photoshop for example. But for basic itunes/safari/text editing/etc you wouldn't need it.

Sure this would involve a lot of hardware technology too but think this idea could be implemented in the next OS to a lesser but noticeable degree.

The problem with 3D animations is that they take time. And I'm not talking about machine speed. For instance, Flip3D works just as fast as it's supposed to, but actually using it compared to alt tabbing is a different story. 3D is okay in certain application environments and that too in limited amounts.

I'd ask for even better speech recognition, so you can actually issue human commands to the system. Also, dictation should be added.

Alex is a great improvement over other synthetic voices that I've heard, but I guess that could be perfected as well...

EDIT: Whoops! I didn't see 8thshark's post. I'm thinking pretty much the same thing!

despite it being hardware, i would really like to see support for HD-DVD and/or Blueray.
And i would also really like seeing spaces become more like virtual desktops with different backgrounds, desktop items, and maybe even different docks.
Something else I would like to see in 10.6, as purely an eye candy thing. something like shapeshifter, that is built in, with downloadable skins on the apple website, that people could also upload their own skins too.

Neptune said:

What Apple should add in Mac OS 10.6:
- touch-screen support (Macs shipped with 10.6 have touch-screen displays)

Click to expand...

Touch screens are overrated and unneeded on a desktop.

- a 3D GUI (something like Time Machine in Leopard)

Click to expand...

This is just a gimmick, as it is with Time Machine.

- ability to auto-hide the menu bar

Click to expand...

I agree with MHC, the menu bar is too important to hide away in a GUI. It needs to be there constantly.

- Secret feature: you can use any Windows app with Mac OS 10.6 and any Windows app would work on Mac OS 10.6 just like on Windows

Click to expand...

This would require Apple porting Windows' over 35,000,000 lines of source code, which they will not legally be able to do anyway - do you want Apple to be busy working on that instead of the other new features you've listed?

the8thark said:

I envisage it to go something like this.

1. We say say some specific spoken command to the computer and it turns itself on.

2. It asks us for a password. Yes the computer talks to us. And we type it in. I think speaking out passwords is a bad idea as people could hear them.

3. Once we're at the desktop which would look totally different to the current model, the computer would ask us something like "what would you like to do today sir". And we respond, I'd like to open up safari and go to the apple hope page please". And the computer does it on it's own. Then it asks "what next?" And you tell it what next. And so on. Like a real conversation with your computer.

Click to expand...

No offence, dude, but this may be the worst idea I've ever heard.

knightlie said:

No offence, dude, but this may be the worst idea I've ever heard.

Click to expand...

None taken. Better have a dud idea killed now then let it grow into part of the actual OS.

MacHeadCase said:

Option? The more eye candy, the more possibilities things jam.

Like this auto-hide the dock thing? Tried it and it drives me crazy 'cuz it's sometimes slow, sometimes it doesn't work or jams up.

Making this an option for the menubar adds code, and bam! more bloatware coming our way! Gah!

Click to expand...

I agree that bloat is bad, but I have never seen someone be so against such a small option. I probably wouldn't use it, but if it would be helpful to others I would have no problem with it being in the OS.

If Apple prefers to not put it in then so be it.

kirby14 said:

I agree that bloat is bad, but I have never seen someone be so against such a small option. I probably wouldn't use it, but if it would be helpful to others I would have no problem with it being in the OS.

If Apple prefers to not put it in then so be it.

Click to expand...

The operative word here is bloatware. ;D

If you have the most recent machine, bloatware doesn't mean much to you, If you don't, it gets to be a drag to use the computer.

well I am even against bloatware in all cases. just because you have the fastest computer does not mean you should be using all the extra horsepower of your computer just to run the code.

My ideal version of 10.6 would be simply 10.5 with some simple fixes with things like being able to have folders in the dock and the ability to turn some of the GUI features off (transparent menu bar). Then all of Apple's extra resources that are not working on folders or no more transparent menu bar should be cutting code trying to keep all the same features in the OS but making it much more efficient in doing so. So wrapping up the paragraph, I want 10.6 to be almost the same as 10.5 with much less code.

MacHeadCase said:

The operative word here is bloatware. ;D

If you have the most recent machine, bloatware doesn't mean much to you, If you don't, it gets to be a drag to use the computer.

Click to expand...

Are you suggesting that Apple should stop adding features to OS X and only work on performance enhancement and cleaning up the code, then?

While I can see them doing this once, pretty soon they are going to HAVE to add features or functionality.

PowerBookG4 said:

well I am even against bloatware in all cases. just because you have the fastest computer does not mean you should be using all the extra horsepower of your computer just to run the code.

My ideal version of 10.6 would be simply 10.5 with some simple fixes with things like being able to have folders in the dock and the ability to turn some of the GUI features off (transparent menu bar). Then all of Apple's extra resources that are not working on folders or no more transparent menu bar should be cutting code trying to keep all the same features in the OS but making it much more efficient in doing so. So wrapping up the paragraph, I want 10.6 to be almost the same as 10.5 with much less code.

Click to expand...

So what would be your ideal version of 10.7 then?

kirby14 said:

Are you suggesting that Apple should stop adding features to OS X and only work on performance enhancement and cleaning up the code, then?

While I can see them doing this once, pretty soon they are going to HAVE to add features or functionality.

Click to expand...

Better to clean the code now then to be on OS 11 and realize that they have so much unnecessary code that is slowing down the computers it running on.

(btw, I do not have some old system for the reason of wanting apple to clean up the code for the next release, I am running a Quad G5 and a 17 inch MBP, I am just very much a supporter for very efficient code before you start getting carried away with things like GUI)


EDIT: My Ideal 10.7 would be to add new features but by that point nobody knows what those would be, that is so far away technology will be much different by then.