This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Java Buzz by John Martin. Original Post: I need a Mac Feed Title: The Lone Programmer Feed URL: http://www.lonepixel.com/loneprog/javablogs-index.rdf Feed Description: Just another lazy programmer. (Java and UI Design channels only.) Latest Java Buzz Posts Latest Java Buzz Posts by John Martin Latest Posts From The Lone Programmer

I just watched the WWDC keynote, hot off the press, and man, so much great new stuff. I've been so wrapped up in the Windows world lately; Longhorn sounds like it has a ton of neat new stuff in it, and I have become a big fan of .NET. But Steve has once again shown me the way. My highlights:

• There is a new Finder, with much better UI, and native samba support. So you can serve and browse samba shares without configuring a thing.


• iDisk now has background auto-sync, so anything you put into your iDisk is on the net and available on any machine instantly.


• The OS now has a thing called Exposé, which is basically a new way to move between running applications. You have to see it to understand it. Totally fricken excellent.


• Fast user switching with a kick-ass animation.


• An excellent new video camera called iSight to go with a new AV version of iChat.


• The new 64-bit 2Ghz (soon to be 3Ghz) G5, with a 1Ghz FSB!


• A very very tasty new machine with an all aluminium case and 9 variable speed computer controlled fans.

There is just nothing better than a Steve Jobs' keynote. Two hours long though, it's a marathon.

It's taken a while for OS X to really mature, but it's now paying big dividends. The Quartz engine allows such freedom in the interface, and while things like the Genie effect are not much more than eye candy, features like Exposé use that power for HUGE usability increases. It's good to see Apple paying attention to the usability engineers.