Apple has built Open Document support into the OS

I wonder if Nisus will now be able to import and export OASIS Open Document files -- at least on 10.5:

Matt Legend Gemmell » Blog Archive » Get rid of your code with Leopard

...The text systems deals with OASIS Open Document files and ECMA Office Open XML files, and a newer version of Word files too, so you can add a few more Import and Export options to your app for free....

Nice to see ODF support at the OS level.

It's silly to install 10.5.0: exhibit 10

Honest, I'm going to stop posting these soon.

Please read: Information on events deleted from Google Calendar - Spanning Sync | Google Groups

...upon upgrading to Leopard and syncing for the first time, Apple Sync Services sends a 'delete' command for every event in every calendar being sunc...

OS X 10.5.0 is a big update. Only hobbyists and professionals should install it. Nobody else should install anything prior to 10.5.1. The truly wise will wait for 10.5.3.

The bad habits of two of my favorite OS X applications: They use Unsanity's Application Enhancer framework

Two of my favorite OS X applications are iPhoto Library Manager and AudioHijack pro.

Alas, both, I've recently discovered, use Unsanity's Application Enhance framework (APE) hack.

I don't recall either app ever providing "informed consent" of use of this hack -- though I think AudioHijack might have.

I still shiver when I remember the history of DOS TSRs (terminate and stay resident), and APE is the same sort of thing -- a way to hack applications that are already running [1]. The inevitable result of such hackery is that the applications become less stable [2].

A less obvious result of this kind of bad habit is that a major OS update can break big time:

Unsanity urges customers to make sure APE is current before upgrading to Leopard - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

... has been the implication of Unsanity's Application Enhancer (APE) framework in some upgrade problems. APE has a long and sometimes controversial history, with some developers swearing BY it (Audio Hijack, for example, uses APE to enable the "Instant Hijack" functionality) and other developers swearing AT it (APE's ability to modify other applications at runtime, necessary to enable some tools, can also make app debugging more difficult)...

... Rosyna of Unsanity sent out an urgent email alert to mailing list subscribers (reproduced in whole below) recommending that APE be updated to the current version (2.03) prior to upgrading to Leopard, lest badness ensue...

The badness is that Leopard blue-screens on install. Archive and Install avoids the problem and that's what Apple is now advising blue-screen victims to do. It's what I prefer to do myself in any case.

One good thing about 10.5, even for those of us waiting for 10.5.1, is that it's going to kill APE. IPLM's author reported that he can do 99% of what he needs to do without hacking 10.5, and I think the same is true for AHP (Instant Hijack isn't essential).

I do wish they'd never used it to begin with.

[1] In the old days only one application could run at a time, so the TSR was simultaneously hacking the OS and the application. Excuse me while I try to forget.

[2] Incidentally, Microsoft's sanctioned Outlook plug-ins seems to have a rather similar effect on XP and Outlook stability!

Update 10/29/07: John Gruber has more details. Logitech's "control center" turns out to be a very bad APE offender. I still think it was a bad idea for IPLM to use an APE hack, but at least it was in a good cause -- getting around Apple's missing iPhoto functionality. Logitech had no excuse at all. Friends don't let friends buy Logitech.

Gmail won't let me email a zipped USB driver

I wanted to send someone a USB driver for an obsolete i500 phone. Gmail wouldn't let me! It said I couldn't send a zip containing an "executable file" for "security reasons".

Hmm. Maybe I really don't want to make Gmail my primary email environment!

I added an extension of .txt and Gmail let me send the email.

I don't like this.

OS X 10.5 Leopard: Cries of the Damned

Apple's Installation and Setup support forum for 10.5 (Leopard) now rings with the cries of the damned. The inevitable "wait for 10.5.1?" posts are appearing, but Apple is killing them within an hour of posting. (I tested this by commenting on one of them. It was gone an hour later).

This is not at all surprising. We see it even with only minor updates, much less a major OS transition. Apple is very secretive, and secrecy is the enemy of quality. Sure, the Vista update is much worse, but Apple controls the hardware and Microsoft doesn't. Given control of hardware Apple should have much smoother OS transitions, but the secrecy is lethal.

Most people will do fine. A number will lose all their data. They ought to scream, but I don't think Apple will change its ways.

Overall 10.5 looks to be a very promising update. Unless you're buying a new machine, an update like this is strictly for the foolish, the prepared geek (two backups, different methods, one a bootable image for quick restore), and those blessed by the Gods of Apple (Andrew).

I expect to be pretty happy with 10.5.1 and very happy with 10.5.4.

I wouldn't install 10.5.0 if you paid me.

Leopard spots: what's bad

Doing the Leopard Moan. Great stuff by Neuberg.

Personally I think Apple ditched Classic because it was an enormous security hole and a bother to QA, but I love Matt's comments on FrameMaker. Progress in software is not linear.

How to install a major OS X update

Daring Fireball: I Believe in Murphy's Law has the lowdown. I'm willing to do a non-bootable image myself, but otherwise I completely agree. Conservative yes, safe also.

Of course I don't install 10.5.0 and he will. So if you're like me and waiting for 10.5.1 you can ease up a bit.