[dylug] Tiger v/s Lognhorn

Hi all,
   Please go thru this, a real good one...

Tiger vs. Longhorn 
Relations between the users of Apple and Microsoft
computers have never been particularly cordial.
Windows users claim they've won the war for the
desktop: all you have to do is look at the numbers and
you find the most of the world using a Microsoft OS.
Mac users point out a near total lack of security
problems, along with a bombproof operating system that
never seems to crash. (Then they sneer at the Windows
masses.) 


The truth is that both operating systems are powerful,
especially compared to what either company offered a
decade ago. 


But while Microsoft's Windows XP (news - web sites) is
under a nearly constant assault from new security
threats, Apple keeps pushing OS X forward with major
updates on an annual basis. Apple's next update to OS
X, Tiger, should ship in the first half of this year,
while Microsoft's next major Windows upgrade has been
pushed out to 2006. 


 

Many pundits maintain that OS X's security has less to
do with superior code than the simple fact that there
are so few Apple machines out in the market, the idea
being that the bad guys concentrate their efforts
where the numbers are, on the Windows boxes. Still, it
remains that OS X users almost never get hit with
security problems, at least compared to Windows XP
users. (When's the last time you heard of major virus,
worm, Trojan or spyware activity on an Apple machine?)



A big part of that is the kernel, or core of OS X,
which is built on an extremely secure open source
code. Meanwhile Microsoft is struggling to rewrite its
premiere OS into something more secure. That, of
course, is still compatible with years of older
applications. 


In the meantime Apple is dropping prices on entry
level machines such as the new Mac mini, which sounds
like a more effective way of attracting beleaguered
Windows users to make "the switch" than a series of
commercials. 


Wondering if you should stay Windows or make a switch?
Read on to learn about what's coming up for
Microsoft's Longhorn and Apple's Tiger. 


Apple's Tiger Gets Tweaked 


One of the reasons Apple's Mac OS X (news - web sites)
is a fairly bombproof operating system is its
combination of an Open Source UNIX kernel (the kernel
is the heart of an operating system, and OS X's is
based on mach and FreeBSD, if you're curious). 


On top of that is Apple's tradition of excellent
interface design, along with major updates delivered
annually. Earlier this year at the Macworld Expo (news
- web sites), Steve Jobs (news - web sites) (Apple's
CEO and a cofounder of the company) told attendees
that there would be more than 200 new features in Mac
OS X 10.4, aka Tiger, but there wasn't time to
describe them all. You can read more about Jobs at
Expo in Jobs Teases Expo with glimpses of 'Tiger'. 


Apple isn't talking yet about most of the new features
in Tiger, but it's safe to say that quite a few will
be 'under the hood,' and deep in the kernel where most
users won't notice them, though they could still make
for a boost in performance. 


According to one Apple manager, "dual-processor Macs
will see a significant improvement." What Apple is
open about discussing is the major new features that
will be introduced in Tiger. 


Chief among them, at least in the order Apple lists
them in its online Tiger preview is Spotlight, a
search engine that will start listing your files as
soon as you type in your search word. You won't have
to type in a phrase and hit 'Enter' and wait. 


Spotlight is based on a system that indexes all the
files on your system in the background, and can
instantly start bringing you results. That also means
you'll be able to search anything from your Mail
messages, to applications, or your collection of MP3s,
or anything else. 


Spotlight will also allow you to create 'smart
folders' that will automatically search for files
(say, all JPG photos created since a certain date),
and display them. Save a search as a smart folder and
it will automatically update itself as the contents of
your machine changes. 


Automator Workflows are the next big addition. Rather
than using scripts and a scripting language to
automate tasks, you'll create 'Workflows' by dragging
items, pointing and clicking. What kinds of tasks can
Automator take over? According to Apple "renaming a
large group of files, resizing dozens of images to fit
an iPhoto slideshow or creating iCal birthday events
using Address Book contacts" will all be a breeze. 


In addition, OS X Tiger will include Dashboard, a set
of widget style applications that live on the desktop.
It looks similar to Konfabulator, a popular OS X
upgrade; VoiceOver, a built in screen reader and set
of keyboard controls for the visually impaired; a new
version of Safari that will include RSS along with
Parental Controls that will manage what your child can
access on the system, from applications; or, even the
e-mail addresses from which they can receive mail. 


But What About Windows? 

When PC Magazine first started covering the successor
to Windows XP, code named "Longhorn," back in 2003 it
was expected to ship in 2005. And, as Longhorn Basics
guessed, things were bound to change. They did,
starting with the ship date. 

While a 64-bit version of Windows XP is due in April
of this year, an exact date for Longhorn is no closer
than sometime in 2006. Still, many of the guesses from
2003 were dead on as to what Longhorn would include. 

On the security front, Longhorn will integrate all the
features added to XP in Service Pack 2, such as the
firewall and automatic updates. More important,
Microsoft plans a a host of additional changes under
the hood, in an effort to make the code at the core of
the operating system more secure. 

One of the most notable is "managed code," which is
designed to "automatically handle tasks such as memory
allocation and boundary checking, so it isn't
susceptible to classes of bugs like the infamous
buffer overrun." Buffer overruns are one of the
nastier problems that have cropped up in XP, leading
to security holes like the ones exploited by the
Blaster worm and Sasser. 

Longhorn should also include the NGSCB, or
Next-Generation Secure Computing Base. According to
Code Name: Longhorn, the NGSCB will "better protect
sensitive information from other programs, such as
spyware," at least if you have the right hardware
built into your system. 

A more secure Windows is certainly more welcome, but
when you first boot up the OS, security won't be
nearly as noticeable as Longhorn's new interface, code
named Aero. The biggest visual changes will be seen if
you have a reasonably speedy 3D graphics card.
According to PC Magazine's Code Name: Longhorn A New
Look, if you've got the power, then Aero Glass will
employ 3D effects, transparency and animation. If not,
then a basic version of the new interface that doesn't
require 3D power will be deployed. 

If you prefer, you'll be able to select a traditional
Windows 2000 (news - web sites) style display. (For an
in-depth discussion on how Longhorn will impact other
forms of 3D graphics, such as gaming, check out
ExtremeTech's Microsoft Longhorn Reinvents Desktop
Graphics .) 

Along with the new look, the new interface will
include support for music files and digital photos,
such as the ability to create slide shows or run a
simple image editor that's built right in. And, like
Tiger, Longhorn promises new search features, too. A
new file system for Longhorn, called WinFS promises
many file handling and search features similar to
Tiger, but it will not ship sometime after the new OS
as a separate upgrade. 

There are also major changes coming for the developers
that write software for Longhorn. Collectively known
as WinFX, the new environment features a graphics and
presentation system known as Avalon along with a
communications system known as Indigo. Indigo, to
oversimplify, promises to make it easier to integrate
desktop applications with web functionality. 

What's particularly interesting is that Microsoft has
decided to make WinFX available for Windows XP, which
should reduce the waiting time for new applications.
Traditionally, the folks that write applications wait
until there's a large user base to develop on a new
platform, by making WinFX a part of XP, there will be
hundreds of millions of PCs already in place. 

Of course, while Microsoft is looking to push Windows
to a new level of security and functionality, it also
plans to remain compatible with as much of the
existing pool of applications as possible. In fact,
Microsoft has even demonstrated Longhorn running a
spreadsheet program from 1981. 

Wanna Switch? 

If you want to switch, chances are it's due to the
host of security issues that Microsoft hopes to solve
in Longhorn. But thinking about Micrsoft's dedication
to keeping older 'legacy' apps compatible with the
latest version of the OS, it sounds like the more
things change in Redmond, the more they stay the same.
The big question is whether or not Longhorn will be
more secure (and, since we're asking, having it be
less prone to crashing would be nice, too)… and if
you're not willing to wait for its arrival, you can
try your own hand at it, the details of which are in
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1633539,00.asp?kc=PC%20YH103129TX1BTT00586




		
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