Apple Launches Public Beta of macOS Big Sur, Its Biggest Desktop OS Update in Years (theverge.com) 54
The public beta of macOS Big Sur, the next major release of Apple's Mac operating system, is now available. From a report: The new update brings a big visual overhaul to macOS while also adding a number of brand-new enhancements. If you're thinking about installing the macOS Big Sur public beta, be warned that it's still, well, a beta. That means you could experience some unexpected bugs, and software you rely on may not work with the new OS just yet. Before you install Big Sur, make sure all of your important documents are backed up somewhere safe, and if at all possible, you should only install this on a secondary Mac. But if you do roll the dice and install the Big Sur beta, you'll immediately see that it looks much different than previous versions of macOS, as Apple has made significant design changes across the entire operating system. Windows have a whole lot more white, for example (unless you're using dark mode, in which case, there's still a lot of black). Apple's app icons have received a major facelift and are now rounded squares, like iOS's app icons. And the menu bar is now translucent, blending into your wallpaper.
Too much spyware (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
What spyware, exactly, are you talking about?
Re: (Score:1, Troll)
Mislead much? (Score:4, Informative)
By using these features, you agree and consent to Appleâ(TM)s and its subsidiariesâ(TM) and agentsâ(TM) transmission, collection...
Those are the terms for the Maps app specifically, embedded in the overall OS X license [apple.com] only for that app... not for OS X itself.
You don't have the use the Maps app you know.
Maybe you should read the actual license instead of misreading Google?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
That's not spyware. That's just a standard user license agreement.
Re:any useful features? (Score:4, Insightful)
Windows and macOS are mostly used for Facebook and Youtube. Linux too if we include smartphones here, otherwise I'd say it's mostly used for running Apache.
Re: (Score:2)
It's pretty clear that Verge article is focused mostly on the design changes. That doesn't mean they don't exist.
Re: any useful features? (Score:1)
Re: any useful features? (Score:1)
New APIs? New filesystems? Better kernel multithreading? Or is it just about icons being curved and a slightly more translucent menu bar?
New APIs? Those happen every new major release; sometimes even with minor releases.
New filesystems? Of you hadn't noticed, that just happened a couple of revisions ago (and is something you wouldn't want to happen very often!), and overall, quite smoothly.
Better kernel multithreading? Why? What's there now seems quite stable and capable. Again, that is stuff that has the possibility of destablizing the entire OS; so I, for one, would rather have an OS that takes an additional few hundred nanoseconds to cont
Re: (Score:2)
New APIs? New filesystems? Better kernel multithreading? Or is it just about icons being curved and a slightly more translucent menu bar?
Hey, changing nothing but the graphics has worked just fine for Windows for the last eight years, why shouldn't Apple jump on the bandwagon?
Re: any useful features? (Score:2)
Hey, changing nothing but the graphics has worked just fine for Windows for the last eight years, why shouldn't Apple jump on the bandwagon?
Youâ(TM)re kidding, right?
This version of macOS is the biggest version-to-version change since OS X 10.4 to 10.5 (Tiger to Leopard).
Start up chime is back (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
I hear it's one louder (Score:2)
Anyone else? (Score:5, Informative)
I am also getting really tired of all the annoyances that seem to be increasing with each new version.
System updates, with no indication of how long they will take.
Messed up app permissions. (Try running VirtualBox for an example.)
Forced iCloud account unless you want to see a warning you can't get rid of.
Forced Apple ID, if you want updates.
Licence agreements asking you twice to accept.
Just off the top of my head.
Re:Anyone else? (Score:5, Informative)
- Retarded multi-screen, no support for real dual-DP over USB-C, buggy support of Displaylink
- Unstable wifi and BT
- Each updates take almost an hour when encryption is enabled
- Keeps removing files on each updates
- System gets completely stuck when using too much memory
- Unstable samba support
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
I installed Ubuntu on my 2013 mac mini - it runs so fast compared to the latest OSX. OSX is slowing down with each release :/
2013 iMac runs like a top, but it came with an i7 and graphics upgrades, only 8g of memory I think.
OS X would use more RAM than Ubuntu, and that's the most likely release over release performance offender.
If your RAM is at a point where you can feel a difference between the two, probably 4g for example, upgrading that would benefit either OS.
Ubuntu might not be paging as much, but that doesn't mean it has a healthy amount of FS cache or headroom for a browser to be a browser and run free with your memory.
Re: Anyone else? (Score:2)
I can add a few more:
- Retarded multi-screen, no support for real dual-DP over USB-C, buggy support of Displaylink
- Unstable wifi and BT
- Each updates take almost an hour when encryption is enabled
- Keeps removing files on each updates
- System gets completely stuck when using too much memory
- Unstable samba support
Retarded multiscreen? Works for me.
No support for "real DP" (whatever that is!)? That is an Intel restriction, not Apple's. And is gone with USB 4.
Buggy support of DisplayLink? DisplayLink is a bug-infested POS on every platform for which it is available. What's your point?
Unstable WiFi and BT? Again, works for me.
Each update takes over an hour if you have encryption enabled? Have you ever done a Windows update? At least it is rare for an Apple Update to break things. The same certainly cannot be said for W
Re: (Score:2)
You don't even understand the problem and say that it's gone with USB4 that no computer has?
Apple choose not to support DP MST: https://medium.com/@sebvance/e... [medium.com]
Displaylink worked for years without issue plugin/unpluging on me Dell basestation.
I have to restart wifi at least once a week
It's not because W10 update are crap that it makes Apple's better, on my Linux (Debian or CentOS) I just have to reboot.
SMB on
Re: (Score:2)
I can add a few more:
- Retarded multi-screen, no support for real dual-DP over USB-C, buggy support of Displaylink
- Unstable wifi and BT
- Each updates take almost an hour when encryption is enabled
- Keeps removing files on each updates
- System gets completely stuck when using too much memory
- Unstable samba support
I had to read the whole thread to figure out which OS this was written for. It almost reads like generic PC complaints.
- Printing is horrible
- Generates too much heat when running 100%
- Network shares are slow and unreliable
- Web browser takes up too much ram
- Scheduler latency not reported clearly
- Security model is obsolete
- Security updates make it run slower
- Runs on antiquated processor architecture
- The apps suck
- The default terminal app is the worst
- The audio system has unnecessary latency
Re: (Score:3)
So a new theme then? (Score:2)
Apple makes some small changes to the default theme for it's desktop OS, and it's the 'Biggest Desktop OS Update in Years'. I think if I were a programmer at Apple I would die of boredom.
Significant (Score:5, Funny)
Apple has made significant design changes across the entire operating system. Windows have a whole lot more white, for example
Someone has a different definition of significant.
Re: (Score:2)
Is MS racist? Do they not care about black lives? [grin]
Not a bit of change at all where it matters. (Score:2, Informative)
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Not a bit of change at all where it matters. (Score:2)
Not a bit of change at all where it matters.
I don't know about you; but I think most people would classify introducing an entirely new architecture, especially one that promises not only the ability to run iOS and iPadOS Apps (and in a more Mac-like manner), as well as painless compatibility to most of the Applications of the "outgoing" architecture, is a pretty significant change.
You deeply insult the dozens or hundreds of Apple software and hardware engineers that have worked tirelessly, and secrecy, for years, to make what you disgustingly dismiss
Re: (Score:2)
it's going to marginalize the Mac once it happens.
Just as the Mac was marginalized when moving to PPC? Or OSX? Or Intel?
Considering how much they managed to f-u the MBP without practical backlash, I figure it will require much more and/or something completely different for it to become marginalized.
Re: (Score:2)
it's going to marginalize the Mac once it happens.
Just as the Mac was marginalized when moving to PPC? Or OSX? Or Intel?
Considering how much they managed to f-u the MBP without practical backlash, I figure it will require much more and/or something completely different for it to become marginalized.
Are you still "on" about USB-C and the TouchBar?
Jeezus, give it a rest!
Big Sur isnâ(TM)t exciting because... (Score:3)
Re: Big Sur isnâ(TM)t exciting because... (Score:1)
...nearly all of the interesting changes and features require an ARM-based Mac. When you consider how much will be different on "Apple Silicon" this is a major release, but on an Intel Mac it's pretty ho-hum.
Other than being able to run iOS Apps, what, per se, are the other "interesting changes and features" that are Arm-only?
And, more importantly, how many of those would have been practical or in most cases, even possible, without moving to Arm?
Also, would Apple users be better served by Apple staying being a slave to Intel, or even AMDâ(TM)s, "roadmap", when Apple has been making industry-leading strides, year-after-year, with their own Silicon designs?
Apple turning macs into ipads ..... (Score:2)
Apple getting much closer to forcing me to install Ubuntu on my macbook ................
Re: (Score:3)
Re: Apple turning macs into ipads ..... (Score:2)
Apple getting much closer to forcing me to install Ubuntu on my macbook ................
Haha, go right ahead. Youâ(TM)ll see...
priorities (Score:1)
Somehow adding a translucent menu bar is more important than keeping the command-line version-control tools in XCode ...
Is this the year of bluetooth on MaxOS? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
BOHICA (Score:3)
"software you rely on may not work with the new OS". Yeah, that sh*t happened with effing Catalina when they took away native 32-bit app support. Thanks for nothing, Apple.
Re: BOHICA (Score:3)
"software you rely on may not work with the new OS". Yeah, that sh*t happened with effing Catalina when they took away native 32-bit app support. Thanks for nothing, Apple.
They had to remove 32 bit support to make the Arm transition happen.
64 bit Arm is so more efficient than 32 bit Arm code, which is why iOS, and all its progeny, went 64 bit clean several years ago. The same performance gains would obviously be even more important in a desktop OS; so, to Apple, it really wasn't a choice; once the internal decision to switch Macs to Arm. 32 bit had to go.
We just didn't know back then what Apple's next plans for macOS were. Dropping 32 bit support all makes sense now that the
And don't forget.. (Score:2)
This thing finally goes to 11(.0)!!!
What? (Score:2)
Literally reading that list thinking "This is an OS update?"
I mean, you changed a couple of icons and jiggled things about, that's about it.
"Virtual confetti". I mean, come on, ffs.