Panther 10.3
September 19th, 2003 byThis review has been updated. updated review
Don’t ask how, but I got ahold of a beta copy of Mac OS X Panther 10.3. Here are my initial thoughts. It’s fast. When I say that I mean it. I’m a stickler when it comes to my computers getting in the way of my work for any reason. Be it speed, stability, or software availability, I don’t tolerate an inferior machine. Like most of us, the last thing I want to do is spend time repairing, toying with, or waiting for a computer. I really don’t like computers. They are a tool for me, nothing more. I just want to work. I want my operating system to be transparent. I want it to work flawlessly and I don’t want it to get in my way. These and other reasons are why I’m a Mac user. There’s just a lot less hassle with a Mac than a PC. And 10.3 lends itself to this fact. It’s fast. I’m writing this on a Blue and White G3 350MHZ and it doesn’t feel all that much slower than my DP 1.25GHZ G4 running Jaguar 10.2. So the speed is better. This is a good thing. 10.2 was horribly slow on my old G3.
The copy of Panther that I have is a beta, so I won’t testify to it’s stability. I’ll just say it hasn’t given me any significant problems yet. Some of the features advertised are not implemented yet. File Vault for instance. And fast user switching lacks the cool animation that I’m sure I’ll get bored of in about two minutes anyway. Mail is much better. MUCH BETTER. They’ve included a pile of features that a lot of people are going to like. For instance, when I click on a message, all other messages from the same source are highlighted. Cool. I frequently search for messages from the same person. There are a lot of little enhancements like that which testify to the dedication of the Mail development team to creating programs as easy to use as they are stable. I have never personally had problems with Mail. It does all of what I “need” a mail program to do. Most people I know who use 10.2 complain about Mail as 10.2’s weakest link. I would have to agree that Mail along with iCal are both underdeveloped programs in 10.2. Panther is jam packed with excellent and well designed software improvements like these.
10.3 has a number of other new features worth noting. Expose is going to be very helpful for those of us using laptops or who don’t have fat cinema displays. When I saw Steve Jobs demo it in his keynote address I thought it was a bit gimmicky. Sort of like the ridiculous dock magnify function. In action, even on my 21 inch CRT it’s been useful. The fast user switching is NICE. I don’t have to log out and quit all of my applications in order to let my friend Dori log in and check her email from her own account. Besides the fact that it’s very convenient, it’s also a move in favor of security. I don’t have to make a choice between letting someone else on the machine on my account or quitting running applications (compilers, databases, etc) so that they can log in on their own account.
It took me a few minutes to warm up to the new finder. I’m still not sure that I’m totally excited about it. It actually seems like a less efficient way to do things. You will see what I mean when you get your upgrade. The jury is still out on the new finder.
I’m still toying with the system, and wouldn’t be so bold as to offer up a full review of a piece of beta software. But if the three months of development since my copy of the beta was releases has done anything, this upgrade is going to kick some serious ass.