Mac OS X sports a “good-looking interface for an operating system that has great potential,” according to VUNet — a Web site devoted to UK technology news, reviews, and downloads.
The critique says that, like many Apple products, “Mac OS X is a bizarre combination of genius and insanity.” What’s insane about it? It lacks sufficient support for third-party devices such as printers and digital cameras, but, what’s worse, has failed to include drivers for its DVD drives.
Where’s the genius? Mac OS X’s Aqua interface is “gorgeous to look at — bright and colorful, with smoothly anti-aliased text and delightful animated icons” and elements such as the ability to “minimize” a window.
VUNet also generally likes the Finder and the Dock, although they admit that they’re controversial. The Finder bears more of a resemblance to Windows Explorer than to the Finder used in previous versions of the Mac OS, the review notes. And The Dock is like “a souped-up version” of the Taskbar that runs along the bottom of the screen in Windows. VUNet also questions the validity of charging £100 for an operating system “that still isn’t finished.”
“To be fair, this initial release is still very much a work in progress and is intended as a taster, so that Mac users and software developers can familiarize themselves with the new software — and, in particular, its new interface,” the review says. “Hundreds of software companies, including Microsoft, are working on new software, although most of these won’t appear until the end of the year.”
Their conclusion: Mac OS X looks “very promising indeed” and should be well worth the wait for some of the rough edges to be smoothed.