The Cat Convention

Apple reveals new info about OS X Lion; launches Developer Preview | Macgasm: “”

(Via MacGasm)

Looks like OS X Lion will include the server components baked into the client. Interesting and probably a very, very good move. Could this be a preparation for licensing the OS on more hardware that is not developed by Apple?

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Now that we know Apple is refocusing its efforts on OS X, perhaps it’s time to reflect on OS X 10.5 and 10.6 and build up anticipation by way of wishful thinking.

These are the kinds of things I consider while spending idle time in a Thinking Chamber. I thought I would start the discussion by passing along the flotsam that arrived on my mind’s shore this fine afternoon.

Remember, this is a wishlist, not a list of predictions. I’ll also throw out a simple rule of engagement. Let’s make wishes that are plausible, not ridiculous or emotional.

Well, okie. You can still be somewhat emotional and fall into the plausible category.

OS X 10.7 client wishlist:

• Video chat with Facetime integration (with iPhone 4)
• More connectivity options in iChat (Windows Live, Yahoo, etc.)
• Better kerberos management
• Quicksilver or some type of Quicksilver-style OS integration
• Free MobileMe for all Mac owners (maybe that’s what the NC Data Center is for, yes? Not just iTunes…?)
• iDisk syncing replaced with DropBox, which is now part of the free MobileMe service
• Better CalDAV integration with iCal
• Better Exchange 2007/2010 Support (this list is long, so I’m generalizing)
• Push notifications actually work in Apple Mail with OS X Server
• iWeb improvements (i.e. multiple sites, better publishing with other hosters, etc.)
• Some type of improvement or re-engineering of hard drive encryption (FileVault is nice, but the Time Machine trade off is huge)
• ZFS!

OS X 10.7 server wishlist:

• High availability clustering for iChat Server, Address Book Server, iCal Server, Web Services (wiki, blogs)
• Improved wiki and blog management tools
• ZFS!
• Push Notification actually works and meets expectations
• Some type of server backup mechanism that isn’t hacky and doesn’t hose Open Directory
• Improved client management capabilities
• Open Directory improvements and stability enhancements
• iCal Server delegation
• Address Book Server sharing

I’m sure we’ll think of more, so let’s get to talkin’… again, don’t be emotional, think what’s actually possible. Think about what plagues you on a regular basis. What would you like Apple to do about it? What do you think they could do to extend OS X’s reach to the general populace?

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AFP548.com has posted part 2 of their interesting guide on implementing z-push on Snow Leopard Server to fool your ActiveSync devices into thinking they’re communicating with an Exchange Server.  I want to try this very badly, but limited resources prevent that at the current time.

If you’ve gotten this working and can speak about the experience, we’d love to hear from you!

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