Roger Kemp's Net » OS X

Thoughts on OS X Lion

Roger — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 18:26:17 +0000

I really like what I’ve seen from OS X Lion so far. The full screen apps are hopefully going to make apps simpler and more straight forward to use. Have all the tools for an app right there in one screen. No more endless menus to wade through, just different panes with toolsets. Resolutions of most monitors, either laptop or desktop, are high enough to make everything you need fit in one fullscreen area. I think it will make app developers look at how to use their available space more efficiently. Another thing I notice is how it looks way more relaxed and less cluttered. No more window frame, no more menu bar at the top. And if you need more space, just flip to the next screen, when done, flip back. I use Google Chrome fullscreen on my MacBook Pro, and it looks so much more stylish, almost independent of which website I’m viewing. In this case, less is truly more.

Same goes for the Mac App Store. I think this is a nice intermediate to streaming apps (still a while away). It greatly lowers the threshold for purchasing applications and installing them. True innovation of the application installation process is finally here. It seems so straight forward now, after having used the App Store on my iPhone for a couple of years. Wonder what will happen to the pricing point of desktop/laptop apps. Will prices go down significantly, because that’s what people are used to from the App Store so far? Or will it be easily accepted that these are a different breed of apps and therefor more expensive?

The new desktop app startup process, Launchpad, is a nice iPhone/iPad app startup and management copy to the desktop. Again, less is more, no more cluttered windowed lists of apps, just an efficient use of available desktop space to present the installed apps. Can’t wait to upgrade to this new version of OS X. And what about that MacBook Air?

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DigitalColor Meter

Roger — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:39:50 +0000

Daniel Brusilovsky found a great little tool with which you can analyze the RGB value of every pixel on your screen. Like him, I didn’t even know it existed. Should come in handy for anyone who works with colors on a Mac.

Hidden Mac Gem: DigitalColor Meter (TechCrunch)

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Google Chrome Extensions Gallery is now live

Roger — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:42:53 +0000

Right after releasing the Google Chrome browser for the OS X platform, Google opened the doors to the Browser’s Extension Gallery. Too bad us Mac users can’t use these extensions yet. For you windows users, have a look and see if there’s something useful you can add to your browsing experience. It’s another step in the direction of the Browser as OS.

Google Chrome Extensions

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Google Chrome for Mac is out (Beta)

Roger — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:37:25 +0000

Google finally released its (beta) Mac version of the Chrome browser. It’s still lacking some features that can be found in the Windows version, like the extensions. But you should be able to use it without too many problems. But remember, it’s Beta.

Download Google Chrome for Mac (Beta)

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