Other Articles you should read on this subject:
OS
X a First Look
A sharply critical look at Aqua by a respected HI guru (and
Apple alum).
By
Bruce Tognazzini [01/16/00]
Analyzing
Aqua, Part 1
MacWeek's resident iGeek looks at Aqua and for the most part
likes what he sees. Make sure to also read parts two,
and three
of this article. Part three
brings up some critcal issues relating to the dock.
By
David K. Every [01/24/00]
Aqua,
The movie
Time magazine's impressionistic Aqua review.
By
Josh Quittner [01/24/00]
Apple's
OS X / Aqua Pages
Get the poo from the source.
[01/07/00]
OS
X Unveiled
A love letter to the new look .
By
Jason Snell [01/25/00]
Aqua
explained
Aqua step by step from Macweek .
By
anonymous
Taste-Testing
Aqua
Aqua thoughts from Salon's managing editor.
By
Scott Rosenberg [01/26/00]
Ars
Technica on Aqua
A solid rundown of the technology behind Aqua.
By
John Siracusa [01/31/00]
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Aqua: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
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By
Raul Gutierrez
Jan. 25, 2000 | The forthcoming arrival of OS X is something all Mac users should be excited about. Protected memory and preemptive multi-tasking are vital improvements we've needed for years. Add OpenGL, fast Java, and a Unix-like core, and we should finally have an OS equal to our hardware. The big question mark with OS X has always been the interface--the thing that keeps Mac users on Macs. Would it be like today's Mac OS, would it be more like Nextstep, or would it be something else altogether?
At Macworld we
got our first glimpse OS X during Steve Jobs' keynote
address. Turns out that the OS X interface works like a meld
between Nextstep and Mac OS with a heavy preference for the
former. The external skin of the new OS is almost totally
new--Aqua looks like nothing else on the market, the
resemblance to Mac OS as we know it both in form and
function is passing at best.
Like most everyone else in the room, I was blown away by demo of the new interface which Apple calls Aqua. But after my initial excitement I started carefully reviewing the video of the demonstration and I got a bit worried about Aqua and the direction Apple is heading. These comments relate to the demo which is a work in progress. I hope my concerns are horribly off base and that all the issues I bring up are solved when OS X is finally released.
THE GOOD
Aqua sports some major interface inprovements. If the demo was any measure of Aqua's speed, OS X, by virtue of it's Quartz engine and preemptive multitasking moves like a jungle cat. No longer will pulling down a menu stop your Mac dead in its tracks. Dragging outlines of windows will be bad memory (we'll be able to drag the entire window content and all). Real time resizing, and live scrolling will be pervasive. The speed that allows these subtle features will add up to a sophisticated smooth feel that today's Mac OS just can't match. Responsiveness is a major UI win.
Aqua windows are simple and uncluttered with clean edges as opposed to the current "fat borders" on OS 9 windows. The lack of visual garbage is like breathing pure oxygen.
At long last, dialog boxes are now tied to their parent windows. This seemingly minor change is a major improvement--especially for those of us who work with lots of files.
OS X's new menus are beautiful. They are carefully shadowed, translucent, and they quickly fade out when released. Aqua controls are equally good looking. They were designed to be licked (literally--it was a stated design philosophy). The controls look like ice candy. Everything is anti-aliased, rendered with shadows, and just plain pretty. Looks great to me. … all in all very impressive.
But along with the good, Aqua also introduces a few not so great things.
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