Saturday August 19, 2006

- Vista Before the End of the Year? - Yoc - 01:04:15

Source : Infos-du-net

Because of all the delays, we forgot that it was finally going to be released one day! Yet, Windows Vista is likely to actually be released before Leopard.

Microsoft, more sure of itself than ever, has announced, sooner than expected, the release of the RC1 version on September 7th (the quasi-final version, the download will be open to the public), while skipping the beta 3 version, and so the RTM version (Ready to Manufacture) will be on October 25th. The time to press the DVD and prepare the software for sale should have it ready sometime in November or December.

In regards to Leopard, things are fuzzier, as Steve Jobs announced an arrival in the first half of 2007, without a precise date. But without doubt this "anticipated" release will motivate Steve's teams to redouble their efforts so its competitor will not have too much of a head start. Especially if BootCamp supports Vista, users would not have to get accustomed to it!

[translation by jwa]

- Leopard on the G3, will it run or not? - Yoc - 00:39:48

It seems that the answer is: no!

Indeed, Apple posted the following sentence on its site shortly after Steve Job's keynote:

"From G3 to Xeon, from MacBook to Xserve, there is just one Leopard."

It has since been changed to:

"And in just one great package: Leopard."

In addition, the README of the version which was distributed to developers at WWDC states that the minimal system required is a G4.

Lastly, although some developers could get it to start on the G3, if Leopard was installed on a disk using a G4 or G5, the results are not impressive.

Of course, all that is subject to change. It will depend on the remaining G3 installed base, the effort required by Apple to maintain compatibility with the G3... and on the goodwill of Apple's executives who would prefer that people purchase new Macs, which is perfectly acceptable for machines that are greater than 4 years old... So don't hold your breath...

[translation by jwa] JCJ

- SMC Firmware Update for the MacBook - bad_duck - 00:21:21

A SMC (System Management Control) firmware update for the MacBook is available via Software Update (790 Kb). It seems to fix the "moo" problem with the fans.

The SMC Firmware Update adjusts fan behavior in the MacBook. After this update has completed successfully, your SMC Version will be: 1.4f10. The updater application will be installed in the /Applications/Utilities folder. Please follow the instructions in the updater application to complete the update process.

[translation by jwa]

- Next-Generation WiFi is Late - Yoc - 00:15:24

After 802.11g, the current standard used by AirPort devices and most other WiFi equipment, the industry has been preparing for the arrival of a new standard dubbed 802.11n. Highlights of the new standard are greater range and quadruple the bandwidth.

Although manufacturers are already offering products based on the draft version of the standard, the final version will not be ratified before 2008 because a number of modifications are necessary. You should be wary about buying the new WiFi standard now, as it is highly probable that current equipment will be incompatible and unable to be updated via a firmware update to the finalized standard.

[translation by jwa] JCJ