Apple Officially Releases Beta Dual Boot Loader 909
Slippy Douglas writes "Apparently, Apple has made good on one of the 30th anniversary product rumours. Apple today announced the Boot Camp Public Beta, which allows Intel Macs to easily and legally multi-boot. Boot Camp will be a standard feature in Mac OS X 10.5."
Honestly, why bother? (Score:5, Funny)
April Fools? (Score:5, Funny)
Doh! (Score:5, Funny)
Well, There Goes My Business Model (Score:5, Funny)
Too late for the prize... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Linux? (Score:4, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
weird (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Amazing (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, it's the virtual ugly stick!
They even made the windows logo better. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Legally Multiboot? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Honestly, why bother? (Score:2, Funny)
Too good not to share (from the website) (Score:5, Funny)
Excuse me while I burn a little karma. I loved this bit from the web page:
Macs use an ultra-modern industry standard technology called EFI to handle booting. Sadly, Windows XP, and even the upcoming Vista, are stuck in the 1980s with old-fashioned BIOS. But with Boot Camp, the Mac can operate smoothly in both centuries.
Re:Wow, this is incredible (Score:4, Funny)
Inside source: this happened on the morning Microsoft announced delays to Vista.
The board meeting
So it's Tuesday morning at Apple. The boardroom is having another meeting about the future of the Macintosh. They're perusing the feedback over the unofficial port of Windows to the Mac, and considering the consequences. There's a whole bunch of things on the agenda. OS development is hard, and it's expensive. Their competitors, Sony and Lenevo, doesn't need to do it, and they're doing pretty well all in all. Plus, there's the whole break up plan. When Apple separates into Apple Macintosh Inc and iTunes Corp, how attractive will Apple Macintosh be as a take-over target? The whole move to Intel will be for naught if it hasn't made Dell and friends just a little more excited and comfortable they could fit the Macintosh into their lines.
Apple has some little development projects on the boil and has for some time. To begin with, it's pretty much completely reimplemented the Carbon APIs under Windows. Indeed, that's how iTunes and Quicktime are implemented. But, interestingly, so are the Cocoa APIs. They're all there, Apple never stopped developing them, even after it nixed WebObjects for that platform. It's also in need of certain features that would help it with the future. Apple has no "managed code" environment - it supported Java to a certain extent, but Cocoa never was a perfect fit for that. Apple's progress with .NET, unofficially, under Windows and OS X, is coming along surprisingly well.
As time has gone on, the notion of switching to Windows as the base platform really has gotten more and more plausable. There are still roadblocks, Apple needs Microsoft to provide them with a little more customizability of the UI. A switch to Windows without providing the essential Macintosh experience just wouldn't do. But, well, .NET, and Aero, are Microsoft's attempts to break with the past. Perhaps an OS built upon these APIs could, with Microsoft's help, look entirely like a Mac environment - with the right code, obviously. You don't want a Dell user flipping a registry switch and getting a Mac.
It's clear that whatever happens, OS X is doomed. Postings by MacRumors alumni arguing that the porting of Windows to the Mac spells disaster are read out, and largely agreed with. But the question then is - does Apple continue to pour money into OS X, or could Gates and Ballmer be ameanable to making the modifications needed to make Windows Vista the next Macintosh OS?
The phone call
Jobs picks up the phone and calls Gates. There's a brief discussion, and then the phone's put down. A few minutes later, the phone rings. It's Ballmer, Gates, and Allchin.
"We think we can do it, Steve" says Bill Gates. "I mean, this is a major thing for us. It's a coup, and I know you know we're thinking it. So we're going to help in any way we can."
Allchin interjects: "Funnily enough, from our end, the code's largely there. We need a bit more time. WinFS needs some work - we'd put it on hold, but if you're going to want Spotlight on this OS, we'll need to finish it. Sticking menus at the top of the screen and reordering them... that's easy stuff. We'd appreciate it if you ported your own Dock and Finder, you can keep that proprietary if you want."
Jobs smiles. "That's perfect for us. Means we keep control over the so-called Macintosh experience. That's really the only reason we've stuck with our own operating systems for so long."
Ballmer speaks next. "Well, I'm looking at the timings, we can probably get things to you in a service pack for Vista, perhaps in April or May of 2007?"
"January", says Jobs. "It's got to be January. I want to go to MacWorld, and announce a new operating system, Mac OS W, that brings the best of the Mac, and the best of Microsoft. And I want to tell people "It's shipping today.", it's important, for our credibility and everything."
There's silence on the other
Re:Wow, this is incredible (Score:5, Funny)
--jeffk++
How dare they ... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:weird (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wow, this is incredible (Score:1, Funny)
In other news, bird flu is definitely going to mutate and kill all humans, the 2004 tsunami has been proven to be a punishment by God, aliens are planning to invade earth, and trolls are going to quit posting on slashdot. The first of course implies the last, although there is doubt whether trolls are human.
Great choice of name (Score:2, Funny)
You damn southerners (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Too good not to share (from the website) (Score:5, Funny)
Word to the Wise
Windows running on a Mac is like Windows running on a PC. That means it'll be subject to the same attacks that plague the Windows world. So be sure to keep it updated with the latest Microsoft Windows security fixes.
Re:Apple keeps XP at arms' length (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, it's a black diamond.
Leave it to Apple to re-stylize the Windows logo to look better and be more informative.
Re:Uh, someone explain this please? (Score:5, Funny)
When I try to boot it on my G4, it just says "illegal instruction". Maybe that's what they're talking about.
Re:Apple keeps XP at arms' length (Score:1, Funny)
First switch to Intel.
Then get an installed Windows base on Apple hardware.
Next year you'll have an option of ordering Windows pre-installed. Within 3 years that will be the only option.
It's all part of the deal. MS bailed Apple out, and has helped keep a barrier to entry on the mp3 player market by continiuously threatening to release their 'ipod killer,' that doesn't exist.
Write it down.
The end of OS X (Score:5, Funny)
Mac OS XI -- Spinal Tap
This one goes to 11!
A new lawsuit with Apple Records will start in anticipation of version 11.4 being nick named the "Fab Four".
Re:weird (Score:2, Funny)
Narf and Blanka (Score:5, Funny)
Re:They even made the windows logo better. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Honestly, why bother? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Wow, this is incredible (Score:3, Funny)
Suddenly, Steve Ballmer got that twinkle in his eye. For no reason whatsoever, hHe leapt out of his seat and hurled the chair at Jobs. The surprise only shook Jobs for a fraction of a moment as he grabbed a small blue box out of his pocket and clicked a button. In a remarkly strange, but yet visually appealing fashion, he defied the laws of physics and became depthless as he moved to the left—out of thrown chair's path—as if he were positioned on the face of a rotating cube. A moment later, a two-dimensional Jobs repeared and moved back in from the right. Rising slowly, looking rather proud in his bluejeans and black turtleneck, Jobs took a bottle of water from the desk and had a sip before sitting back down again to continue the meeting.
On the other hand... (Score:3, Funny)
Or they could have Mac OS IX. "No, we're not going back to OS 9, we're just getting more letters off UNIX." :)
Re:Apple keeps XP at arms' length (Score:3, Funny)
Also known as a lump of coal.