OPERATING SYSTEMS
Six years and several corporate reboots after Apple first promised to replace its 15-year-old Mac OS, the new operating system is finally scheduled for release early next year. Merging an open source Unix kernel with Apple's NeXT-influenced Aqua GUI, OS X (pronounced "ten") aims to make the company's software as sexy as the iMac. While beta testers have praised OS X's improved stability and impressive graphics engine, Unix gurus and interface experts have opened fire on some of its flaws.
Chief among the complaints: The flashy Aqua interface, which features pulsating buttons and translucent menus, seems like a gimmick better suited to attracting new buyers than pleasing everyday users. "They want to maintain the buyer's interest just until the check clears," opines Bruce "Tog" Tognazzini, former Human Interface Evangelist at Apple and company employee number 66. "It looks good in demos, but in practice, it's a disaster." Tog cites Aqua's bouncing icons as a glaring example of ignoring years of research in computer-human interaction. "Animation outside of the user's immediate task is a distraction," says Tog. "That's why people hate Microsoft's little paper-clip man."
Unix experts have offered some grudging praise and plenty of gripes about OS X in online forums. Flames fly on everything from open source licensing issues to Apple's use of uppercase letters in system file names - disliked by Unix administrators accustomed to two-fingered typing. So far, Apple has taken some of the criticism to heart, streamlining the desktop and adding an option for graphics pros to mute Aqua's noisy color scheme.
"They hate sacrificing any of their little toys," Tognazzini says of his former employer, "but they are listening." Tog hopes that customer feedback will drive Aqua from being "a flashy demo assembled for one man" (read: Steve Jobs) to a more user-oriented product.
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