Apple's New Operating System Is Chock Full of Hot New Features. But Don't Plan on Making the Upgrade Just Yet
Henry Bortman
It's a shame that rewriting an operating system is such a major undertaking. Windows 95 slipped many times before Microsoft managed to get its first "modern" OS out the door. Likewise, Apple's efforts to get Mac OS 8, code-named Copland, into users' hands seem to be blocked at every turn. In fact, last year at this time, Apple was telling the world System 8 would be shipping by mid-1996. When it became apparent Apple wouldn't make that date, company representatives revised the estimate to the end of 1996. Now it appears that that date, too, will pass Apple by.
The new predicted ship date is mid-1997. And, after an extensive look at the current state of System 8, we're hoping three times will be a charm.
System 8 promises to be a hot ticket. When the next major Mac operating system ships, Power Mac owners will finally get the speed of a fully-native OS. The new system will run only on Power Macs and Power Mac clones; although the company is looking at ways to move some of System 8 onto older Macs, there are currently no plans to do a 680x0 version of the new Mac OS.
System 8 will introduce other performance enhancements as well: limited preemptive multitasking and protected memory and improved I/O and networking. In addition, Apple will introduce a host of interface improvements, giving the Mac the most flexible and customizable interface of any computer on the market.
Laying a New Foundation
Perhaps the most profound of the changes from System 7.x to System 8 will be the least obvious to users -- the under-the-hood stuff. On the surface, System 7.5.3 seems in pretty good shape. After all, millions of people use it every day with a minimum of fuss.
But anyone familiar with the technical underpinnings of today's "modern" computer operating systems can tell you that the Mac OS is on shaky ground. Frankly, it's an engineering marvel that users are able to do large-format, color-critical publishing work and produce broadcast-quality video on computers using an operating system that still has some hereditary links to the small black-and-white 128K Mac it was originally designed for.
The Mac pays a price for Apple's evolutionary approach to OS development: System 7.5.x is built from blocks piled up over the course of a decade, and that has compromised the OS' stability and performance. For the Mac to move forward, that OS needs to be rebuilt from scratch. OS 8 is the first example of that reconstruction.
Speed. Mac OS 8 will be faster. First and foremost, the operating system will be entirely PowerPC-native, except for those parts that deal directly with 680x0 compatibility. In System 7.5.x, because the OS contains significant chunks of 680x0 code, PowerPC-based Macs must switch back and forth between native and emulated portions of system software. When running native applications or performing system tasks, System 8 will not execute a single line of emulated code.
Perhaps the most basic change in the new OS will be in how the Mac schedules tasks. System 7 runs multiple applications simultaneously with a scheme called cooperative multitasking -- when an application is active, it controls the processor until it relinquishes it. As a result, cooperative multitasking depends entirely on applications being "good citizens." However, not all applications are good at sharing. If you've tried to do anything else while downloading a file in the background, you've experienced this noncooperation in action.
Today, a typical workday might find a user batch-sending and receiving e-mail messages online, copying graphics files across a network, and printing mail-merged letters -- all in the background -- while laying out a promotional brochure. Tomorrow's workday might add manipulating 3-D elements as part of that page-layout document, which is simultaneously being shared with a colleague across the country. That's a heavy load for any computer to bear, and today's Mac OS wouldn't be up to the task.
Preemptive multitasking will go a long way toward fixing this problem: It will assign a priority level to each program task contending for processor time; the system will "schedule" tasks in a round-robin fashion, but a high-priority task, such as typing, will preempt a low-priority task, such as printing. Preemptive multitasking will not only make more-efficient use of system resources but will also ensure that when clicking the mouse or typing, users won't have to wait.
Mac OS 8 will employ preemptive multitasking in a limited fashion. All system functions will be preemptively multitasked, but applications won't be. This limitation is in the first release of System 8 so that the new OS won't break today's applications. According to Apple, later versions of the OS will fully implement multitasking once the majority of Mac applications are updated to support System 8.
Specifically, the parts of applications that can't currently be multitasked are user-interface-toolbox routines. They will run in what Apple calls the "co-operative toolbox environment." As software developers rewrite their applications for System 8, they'll be able to code many portions of their programs -- any parts that don't directly invoke user-interface routines -- as tasks that can be scheduled preemptively. Using this technique, developers will be preparing their applications to support full preemptive multitasking when it arrives.
System 8 will also make more-extensive use of multithreading, in which programs are broken up into segments that can run independently. Apple's most visible use of multithreading will be in the Finder. It will at last be possible to initiate more than one file-copy operation at a time and to continue working in the Finder while copying proceeds in the background.
One final, but key, aspect of improving performance through System 8's new memory model will also be critical to reducing the OS' RAM footprint. Mac OS 8 will come with a new virtual-memory model -- one that works. System 7.5's virtual memory is so slow and inefficient that many users opt to leave it switched off. System 8's will be more robust, according to company claims, making it possible for users to work comfortably on a system with only 8 MB of RAM.
With the new memory model, you should rarely see "out of memory" messages. But, since virtual memory extends RAM by using the hard disk to store application routines, the more applications you run at once, the slower your Mac will be. Conversely, installing additional RAM will boost speed, a correlation that is not true in System 7.5. One more thing you should know about OS 8's VM: You can't turn it off. As a result, you'll be hitting your hard disk more frequently under System 8. PowerBook users may want to carry a spare battery.
Stability. Another way in which the Macintosh's current memory-management scheme shows its age is in its lack of process protection. Macs crash -- often. When they do, they usually have to be restarted from scratch. That means rebooting the entire system, including all extensions and applications, which can take several minutes.
With System 8's new protected-memory scheme, Macs should crash far less often. And when they do, they won't bring down the entire Mac. If it's part of the OS that crashes, you'll have to restart only the specific system process (the routines for a particular activity) that crashed, instead of having to restart the entire system.
Unfortunately, as with preemptive multitasking, applications won't be able to take advantage of memory protection under OS 8, except in rare circumstances. So when an application crashes, it may bring down other applications. However, you should have to restart only the co-operative toolbox environment and your apps; most of the operating system -- including such tasks as maintaining network and online connections and background printing -- will continue to run. As with multitasking, developers can rewrite portions of their applications to run in the protected memory space. These portions cannot directly access interface routines, and only time-consuming processes such as applying complex Adobe Photoshop filters will probably be worth the effort to rewrite.
Apple also plans to improve the Mac's stability by eliminating extensions and control panels in their current form. Although these bits of code often perform invaluable services, they modify the OS in nefarious ways that often cause conflicts with applications and with each other. INIT conflicts, as they're affectionately known, are arguably the leading cause of crashes on the Mac.
In System 8, extensions and control panels will become obsolete (see the "What Breaks in System 8" table). Don't worry -- it will still be possible for developers to enhance the OS through various mechanisms. In fact, it will get easier. For example, System 8 will provide developers with a Patch Manager, which will offer a documented interface for installing modifications to system software.
Human Interface
System 8 won't just be radically different under the hood. The look and feel of the Mac will also undergo a dramatic overhaul. The ability of users to customize and access data in their work environments will be greatly expanded. You'll even be able to set up a single Mac for multiple users, each with their own personalized look and feel.
Customization. Users love to customize their Macs. Several commercial and shareware products let users modify the appearance and color scheme of their menus and buttons. Indeed, one of the most popular, Aaron, can imbue a Mac running System 7 with a bit of OS 8's desktop demeanor.
System 8 will offer expanded opportunities for personal expression. Apple has already unveiled three "themes," or desktop appearances: a basic theme that is a gently extruded version of today's Mac interface; a quirky, colorful theme that will appeal to kids; and a brushed-metal high-tech look for the Bang & Olufsen crowd (see figure 1j). Expect to see additional themes from Apple when OS 8 ships, along with appearance collections from third parties. Screen-saver options will also be a built-in feature of System 8; again, third-party developers will provide alternatives.
Scalable Finder. When the Mac first shipped, with its direct manipulation of icons in place of command-line gibberish, it was unquestionably a trendsetter. But as the Mac has been accepted by an ever broader range of users, some have found the one-Finder-fits-all approach too confining.
Through a series of Finder preferences (see figure 3), a user or system administrator will be able to control the behavior of specific desktop functions in System 8 -- for example, whether the Trash or the System Folder (which will be called the Mac OS folder in System 8) is visible, whether a user can erase a disk, whether long or short menus are displayed, and whether users have permission to modify their own Finder preferences.
System 8 will also allow multiple users to create various sets of personal preferences on the same computer. A parent with a home business will be able to set up a Macintosh with full access to all system functions for himself and create a restricted button-view interface for the kids. Apple refers to these setups as workspaces. Each user's workspace preferences will be stored in a separate folder (see figure 1h). A user will log in to access a workspace and log out when finished, to allow another user to access a different one. One user will not be able to access files that belong to another user's workspace.
Ease of Use. System 8 will also introduce several features designed to make the Finder easier to navigate. Dragging a folder's window to the bottom edge of the desktop, for example, will reduce the window to a tab that can be popped up again by a click on it (see figures 1a and 1l). Clicking on desktop icons and holding down the mouse button will pop up a contextual menu giving instant access to commands related to that object; applications will also be able to take advantage of contextual menus (see figures 1g and 2). The New command, on the File menu, will be hierarchical, enabling users to create a wide variety of new documents -- not just new folders -- directly from the Finder. Get Info will not only give you volumes of information about a file but it will also display a small preview of its contents.
Tips and Experts. One area Apple is constantly trying to improve is Help. In System 8, Apple Guide and Balloon Help will be augmented by two new forms of user assistance: Tips and Experts. If you've used Microsoft Excel, you've already had a taste of a similar tips system, which Microsoft calls Wizards. Tips (see figure 1f) will alert you when you repeatedly perform an action that could be accomplished more efficiently. For example, if you use a menu command repeatedly to italicize text, a tip will pop up about the keyboard command equivalent. Third parties will also be able to offer Tips under System 8.
Experts (see figure 1i) are more elaborate. They will help perform various system-setup functions -- configuring a monitor, for example. But unlike Apple Guide, which guides you through setup functions by telling you what to do, an Experts dialog box will "interview" you, presenting available choices and asking what your preferences are. They will then do the work -- a far more humane approach.
Find by Content. In System 7, the Finder finally learned to find things, albeit slowly and one at a time. System 7.5 accelerated the process a bit. The Find capability in System 8 makes Apple's previous efforts look sad. Driven by V-Twin, Apple's code name for a powerful "information-access-and-indexing engine" developed by its Advanced Technology Group, Mac OS 8's Find command will be able to search not only filenames and folder names but their contents as well. You won't have to describe your search criteria with convoluted Boolean phrases either; plain English will do fine. You'll even be able to search by example, using one or more documents as reference points for your search. V-Twin will return the results of your request in ranked order, listing documents that correspond most closely to your search criteria first (see figure 1a).
You'll also be able to save a Find request as a folder icon called a Viewer. Whenever a Viewer is opened, it will dynamically update itself to reflect any new, modified, or deleted documents that fit the search criteria. So, if you regularly download large amounts of information from the Internet and frequently search through it for the latest updates on particular topics, you'll have to set up your search only once. Definitely a contender for Best New Feature of System 8.
Integrated Technologies
Three years elapsed between the 1991 release of System 7.0 and the 1994 release of 7.5. If Apple meets its latest estimated release date for Mac OS 8, we're looking at another three years between 7.5 and 8.0.
Apple component-software development, however, moves at a faster clip. Since 7.5 shipped, Apple has completed development on several new technologies: OpenDoc, QuickDraw 3D, QuickTime VR, and QuickTime Conferencing. Some of these have begun shipping as system enhancements on selected Mac models or as part of a bundle with third-party software. In System 8, all these technologies, along with QuickDraw GX and Apple Remote Access client software, will be fully integrated into the OS.
OpenDoc. OpenDoc, Apple's software-component technology, could have the most far-reaching impact since the original Mac on the way people use their computers.
We've all watched applications grow bigger with each new release. Unfortunately, what makes an application bigger often duplicates the same function in other applications on the same disk. Take spelling checkers. You get one with your word processor, another one with your spreadsheet program, a third with your page-layout program, and a fourth with your drawing application.
With OpenDoc, developers won't have to cram every feature imaginable into their applications. Instead, specific functions can be delivered as discrete components, known as parts, which can be shared by many OpenDoc-savvy applications, also called containers.
Apple has major plans for OpenDoc. The company is already demonstrating Cyberdog, a suite of parts it has developed for performing various Internet-related functions: sending and receiving e-mail and accessing newsgroups as well as FTP and Web sites (see "Walking the Cyberdog," July '96, page 69). Both Cyberdog and OpenDoc will become part of the Mac OS later this year.
Apple will also use the OpenDoc/Cyberdog combination to deliver System 8's replacement for PowerTalk. If all goes according to plan, the Finder itself will be an OpenDoc container in the Mac OS release (code-named Gershwin) that will come after OS 8.
QuickDraw GX. Despite its advantages, Apple's advanced graphics technology has languished, chiefly because of its RAM requirements. In Mac OS 8, QuickDraw GX will be the default imaging, typographic, and printing architecture. Integrating GX should encourage developers to adopt its superior typographic capabilities; its extensible printing architecture; and its graphics model, which offers benefits such as graphic-object transparency.
Apple will address the GX memory problem by rewriting GX to load into memory in small single-function segments, rather than in an all-or-nothing multimegabyte mass as it does now. Company officials still have not relented in their refusal to port GX to Windows, however. This failure may continue to stymie its adoption.
Multimedia. Although Internet may be the gold-medal buzzword of 1996, multimedia takes the silver. Apple has been hard at work developing technologies that make the Mac the multimedia-authoring platform of choice. With System 8, these technologies -- including QuickDraw 3D, QuickTime VR, and QuickTime Conferencing -- will be fully integrated into the operating system.
QuickDraw 3D is a set of algorithms that will help make 3-D images standard in documents, games, CD-ROMs -- and Web pages. QuickTime VR lets developers create virtual worlds through which users can navigate. These can be either real environments, based on photographs of actual places and objects, or artificial ones, created with modeling and rendering tools. QuickTime Conferencing enables users to send video images across a local- or wide-area network.
Taking the Leap
It may be a bit early to be thinking about making the transition to System 8. Its commercial release is, after all, more than a year off. However, there are some things you ought to know when making long-range plans.
The first thing is that Mac OS 8 will run only on PowerPC-based systems. The new OS won't be compatible with Centris, Quadra, and PowerBook 500-series models upgraded with PowerPC processor-upgrade cards. Computers originally designed with 68040 chips and later upgraded with a full PowerPC logic-board replacement, however, will be able to run System 8.
The second thing you should know is that the transition from 7.x to 8.0 will be a bit rocky. As with past system-software upgrades, it's Apple's intention to ensure that today's Mac applications continue to work under System 8. But that may be tougher this time around than with previous OS releases.
To improve performance and stability, Apple had to break several things System 7 relies on (see the "What Breaks in System 8" table). Extensions and control panels, for example, don't work under System 8. All hard-disk drivers and CD-ROM drivers also break. Apple is committed to providing replacement software for the parts of the system that will be made obsolete. The company is also investigating including third-party replacement software on the Mac OS 8 installation CD-ROM. And, for the first time with a new system release, Apple will allow users to keep their old 7.x System Folder around on the same hard disk as their new System 8 folder, providing a safety net for those who have problems when upgrading.
Hit or Missive?
Will Mac OS 8 be a hit -- or offer too little and arrive too late? Even the Great Karnak would have a difficult time making that prediction accurately. And not only because he's dead.
At press time, Apple had yet to ship its first solid developer release. And although the company has announced that the final version will be ready a year from now, it proclaimed with equal confidence last year that System 8 would be shipping by now. Until there's a version of the OS third-party developers can work with, it's anyone's guess when System 8 will really ship to customers.
In the meantime, Apple has some work to do to shore up the current Mac OS. With Windows 95 nipping at its heels, mid-1997 is a long wait for a major OS upgrade. Apple will integrate OpenDoc, QuickDraw 3D, and QuickTime Conferencing into its retail release of System 7.5.3 this summer. But the OS won't take advantage of any of these technologies itself -- most users probably won't even know they're there.
Fortunately, Apple executives have realized the need to deliver some of Mac OS 8's functionality without waiting for System 8. As we went to press, Apple announced that it was "investigating" the possibility of an interim System 7-based release, code-named Harmony, that does just that. Smart move. If Apple wants the Mac to hold onto customer mind share, the company needs to deliver new OS features that provide immediate benefit.The sooner, the better.
Henry Bortman is MacUser's technical director.
FUNCTION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
FIGURE 2
IF YOU'VE USED NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR, you've seen contextual menus. Apple will get on the bandwagon in OS 8. Contextual menus will make common functions -- changing the style of a text selection, for example -- as easy as clicking on the text itself. No more trips to the menu bar or memorizing keyboard shortcuts for dozens of programs.
Apple will provide contextual menus for objects in the Finder, such as hard disks. Third-party-software vendors will also be able to implement them in their applications.
The examples shown here demonstrate how contextual menus might look for (a) a hard-disk icon in the Finder; (b) selected text in a prototype of an OS 8-savvy SimpleText; and (c) a selected portion of a bitmapped graphic, also in SimpleText.
SYSTEM 8 AT A GLANCE / new features and interface elements
CATEGORY FEATURE BENEFIT
Improved performance PowerPC-native software When running PowerPC-native applications, Mac OS 8 will not call any 680x0 emulated code.
Preemptive multitasking The Mac will feel more responsive, because Mac OS 8 will be able to "schedule" the use of its resources more efficiently.
Virtual memory The new virtual-memory manager will be much faster than the one in System 7.5.x, but you won't be able to turn virtual memory off.
Improved stability Patch Manager Your Mac will crash less often, because developers will have a "cleaner" way to enhance the OS.
Protected memory When an application on your Mac crashes, you won't have to restart everything.
Scalable interface Button view Inexperienced users will have the option of using a simplified At Ease-like interface.
Customizable desktop Mac OS 8 will let you choose from various desktop "themes" that will make one Mac's interface look completely different from another's.
Finder preferences The system will be able to hide things such as the Trash and the Mac OS folder from users who might use them inappropriately.
Multiple users More than one user will be able to set up personal "workspaces" on the same Mac, with different appearances and different levels of access to advanced functions.
Increased ease of use Viewers OS 8's Find function will retrieve files based on their contents as well as their names.
Tips System 8 will suggest alternative ways to accomplish tasks when you repeatedly use an inefficient approach.
Experts Experts will perform complex setup tasks for you automatically, based on responses to a series o "interview" questions.
Contextual menus You'll be able to access common commands for manipulating icons or objects within documents by clicking and holding the mouse down over the icons or objects.
What Breaks in System 8
What Breaks How It's Gonna Get Fixed
All extensions Apple will provide replacements for extensions that are part of the system and What qualifies as an extension? Any software that contains an INIT resource (which for many third-party extensions that are required by applications, such as Microsoft's includes many control panels as well). Most of these display an icon on the OLE Extension. It will be up to third-party developers to provide new versions of utility screen while your Mac is booting up. software that are delivered as extensions, such as Now Toolbox (Now Utilities), Conflict Extension (Conflict Catcher), and Suitcase Extension (Suitcase).
All control panels Again, Apple will provide replacement apps for the Mac OS setup- and configuration- Many control panels contain INIT resources, which are no longer supported. But related functions now handled by control panels. Third parties will have to rewrite even those that don't will have to be recast as miniapplications. Control panels their own. This will include control panels for configuring utility software as well as per se are history. products such as graphics cards and modems.
All hard-disk and CD-ROM drivers Fortunately, Apple plans to provide drivers on the Mac OS 8 installation CD-ROM that Without new drivers, you won't even be able to access your disk drives. will work not only with its own hard-disk and CD-ROM drives but also with a wide range of third-party storage devices. However, if you have a third-party RAID array or driver- level compression or encryption, you'll have to look to third parties for upgrades.
Most graphics-card drivers Apple will provide replacement drivers on the OS 8 installation CD-ROM for all Apple Some third-party PCI-based graphics card drivers may continue to work. In all graphics hardware supported on PowerPC-based systems, whether it be built-in video other cases, new driver software will be required. or a plug-in graphics card. Apple also plans to ship -- on the CD-ROM -- replacement drivers for third-party graphics cards, providing, of course, that vendors get them done in time. For PCI graphics cards, current drivers written according to Apple's specs should work under OS 8 without modification.
All non-GX printer drivers Don't panic. Even in 7.5, GX contains APIs that enable applications that don't support
All printing in Mac OS 8 will be GX-based. The writing is on the wall for printer GX printing to print without problems. And Apple will provide an extension to its vendors who have avoided GX -- which includes most imagesetter vendors. LaserWriter GX driver that will give users continued access to LaserWriter 8.x functionality (most notably, PPDs).
Text-input methods for Asian languages Apple's got it covered. Localized versions of Mac OS 8 for 2-byte languages will include
This will have a minimal effect in the U.S, but some versions of the OS localized for replacement input-method software, as will Apple's language kits for these countries. 2-byte languages (such as Japanese, Chinese, and Korean) will need new software to It will be up to third parties, such as JustSystem, which markets the popular Atok input use the appropriate keyboards. method for Japanese, to rev their software for compatibility.
PowerTalk In place of PowerTalk, Apple will extend its current Cyberdog capability to provide e-mail,
Once touted as one of the crown jewels in Apple's system-software arsenal, PowerTalk catalog, Web-browsing, and newsreader services based on Internet-standard protocols. will be decommissioned in Mac OS 8. Users who have set up PowerTalk-based workflow systems will have to retool if they want to upgrade to Mac OS 8.
FIGURE 3
THE FLEXIBLE FINDER
SYSTEM 7'S VIEWS CONTROL PANEL gives users several choices for determining how icons and text will appear on the Mac's desktop. System 8 will expand the range of customization options by an order of magnitude. In addition to setting view configurations (a), users (or system administrators) will be able to set a host of other Finder behaviors. Mac OS 8's Finder Preferences dialog box will contain five different dialog boxes -- Views, Folders, Menus, Desktop, and Labels -- accessible via a pop-up menu, for adjusting the Finder's operation. The Folders dialog box (b), for example, will contain settings for how long the Mac should delay before opening a spring-loaded folder and for whether or not the Mac OS folder (formerly known as the System Folder) is visible. Whether a user sees long or short menus, whether a user can throw files into the Trash or empty the Trash, whether desktop icons appear as large or small icons or as buttons, and whether a user has permission to alter the system configuration profile are other examples of options in the System 8 Finder.
FIGURE 1
THE MAC DESKTOP OF TOMORROW
POP-UP FOLDER TABS. Although Now Software stole this little bit of Apple's thunder by including a similar Now Tabs function in version 6.0 of its Now Utilities package, Apple will still make pop-up folder tabs an integral part of the OS 8 Finder. When a user drags a Finder window to the bottom of the screen, it will change into a tab. Clicking on the tab will open the folder's window; clicking on it again will reduce it back down to a tab. Dragging a file onto a folder's tab will copy or move the file into the folder.
SYSTEM 8 WILL OFFER a wealth of new human-interface elements and options to Mac users. Although today one Mac desktop looks pretty much like another, users will be able to customize the look and behavior of their workspaces in OS 8 to suit their personal preferences and level of nerdishness. A word of caution: Many of the elements on this simulated desktop of the future are works in progress. Don't be surprised if, when Mac OS 8 ships over a year from now, it looks or behaves somewhat differently that what we describe here.
b ENHANCED LIST VIEWS.
System 7 gave us list views. System 8 will make them shine. New list-view column options include Type, Creator, and Comments. Not only can you select which columns appear but you can also resize them and arrange them as you like. If text doesn't fit, it automatically compresses. If it still doesn't fit, it truncates from the middle of the file's name.
e IMPROVED FILE COPYING.
No more waiting while you copy files! Thanks to OS 8's rearchitected Finder, you'll be able to initiate multiple file copies and empty the Trash -- and simultaneously be able to open Finder windows and launch applications.
c EXPANDED FILE MENU. The File menu gets a face-lift in OS 8. You'll be able to use the File menu's hierarchical New item to create a new word-processing or spreadsheet document or a document of any other type for which you have installed "stationery." In addition, Move to Trash and Find Original have been added to the File menu and the Label function, formerly a separate menu on the Finder's menu bar, has been relocated to the File menu.
a INTELLIGENT FIND CAPABILITY.
Finding files in System 8 will boldly go where no system-level Find command has gone before. Using the speedy new V-Twin "information-access-and-indexing" engine, OS 8's Find function, which will be called Viewers, will be able to search not only filenames and folder names but document contents as well. Users will be able to employ natural language or even example documents instead of convoluted Boolean strings to specify search criteria. The V-Twin engine will rank the results of what it finds according to how closely a document's characteristics match a specified request. And Viewers will be live. If you save them -- they'll show up on the desktop with a special folder icon -- they'll continuously update in the background, adding and removing files as you create and delete documents.
f TIME-SAVING TIPS. System 7's Apple Guide provides help when you ask for it. In Mac OS 8, help will find you -- in the form of tips. If you perform the same operation repeatedly in what the system considers an inefficient way -- closing a window by clicking on its close box for example -- Mac OS 8 will let you know there's an easier way. If you prefer not to be bothered, you can turn off automatic tips and instead browse the Tips window. Third-party developers will be able to supply Tips for their applications as well.
h MULTIPLE-WORKSPACES OPTION. Mac OS 8 will enable various people to use the same Mac, each with an individual desktop setup. These personal configurations will be known as workspaces. The new OS will provide a log-in mechanism for switching among workspaces. Each individual user's workspace preferences, both for the system and for applications, will be stored in a separate folder. If you need to use someone else's Mac temporarily and want to give it your look and feel, just copy your workspace folder to that person's machine and log in -- assuming, of course, that that person has the necessary software on the Mac to support your chosen options.
g CONTEXTUAL MENUS. Contextual menus won't be new, at least not in concept, to anyone who uses Netscape Navigator. But OS 8 will make them available universally on the Mac. They'll provide instant access to the most common functions associated with various objects on the desktop (see figure 2).
i EXPERT ASSISTANCE. A derivative of Apple Guide, Experts will guide you through the series of steps required to perform complex tasks while shielding you from the tasks' complexity. The Mac OS Setup Expert, for example, will help you configure basic system settings without requiring you to hunt through a maze of control panels.
k DESKTOP-PRINTER ICONS. QuickDraw GX let users put printer icons onto the desktop. That capability is now built into System 7.5.3, even for those who don't run the GX extension. But users who have desktops cluttered with multiple printer icons are looking forward to the day when they can move them off the desktop, into a folder. That day will arrive when OS 8 ships.
j FLEXIBLE DESKTOP APPEARANCE. Mac OS 8 will let users set not only highlight colors and desktop patterns but also the entire look, or "theme," of the Mac's desktop. Apple, so far, has shown three of OS 8's themes, which are shown here. There will be others, from Apple as well as third parties, but they're still under wraps. Toy Story and Babylon 5 perhaps?
d RELOCATED HELP MENU.
Have you always hated that little question mark on the right side of System 7's menu bar? It's gone, replaced by a more traditional-style Help menu, from which users can access such functions as Mac OS Guide, Tips, and Experts.
