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created 25 May 2000

The 2000 WWDC

Well, after spending a week at the Apple World-Wide Developer Conference 2000, I think there is a lot to be happy about for network administrators. WIthout going into specifics, (because I have this obligation not to break NDAs, and personal trusts), I think that administrators have much to be pleased about, not only for OSX, but for OS 9.X, and Apple in general.

First of all, the difference between Apple's view on I.S. between last year and this year is amazing. Last year, if you mentioned supporting the Mac as an I.S. professional, the shields went up, and you got the "Apple is not moving into the enterprise market" speech, and that was that, end of conversation.

This year, it seems that Apple understands that I.S. is taking over computer support in the educational market, and that artists using Macs work for enterprise companies. They seem to understand that helping I.S. support Macs does not equate to Apple having a direct enterprise presence.

So as I was talking to various Apple people, they seemed genuinely interested in helping I.S. support the Mac and the MacOS. Maybe it's because they understand that MacOS X is going to be a much bigger product, in terms of things like rendering farms, server farms, etc.

Maybe they finally see that I.S. types can be an ally instead of an enemy. It really doesn't matter.

Or as one Apple person said, "K-12 is as big as any Fortune 500 company."

What matters is that at the documentation sessions, when I.S. folks were asking for better non-developer/non-user support and administration information, we got the answers that we didn't get last year. What matters is that during the sessions that dealt with the server aspects of OS X, when administrators were asking questions and requesting features, the Apple folks were asking us questions back about our questions.

If you're going to blow someone off, you don't ask for clarification. You say "thank you", and quickly move on to the next session.

I was pleased to see Apple understanding that if we are going to deploy OS X in the same space as AppleShareIP, that we will take longer to do that. Servers take longer to deploy than desktops, server budget cycles take longer to go through than desktop budget cycles, server testing takes longer than desktop testing, and Apple appears to understand this.

The answers I heard, and the conversations I had gave me a good feeling about Apple's attitude towards the people who support the computers that developers, educators, and artists create on.

This is not to say that I am entranced by Apple, and blindly going where they point. Like any company, they can change their song if they feel the need to. So I, like any good admin, will be watching how the walk matches the talk. But this is the first time in a while that the talk has been both good to hear, and realistic in tone and content.

It's a start, and that's better than we got last year.

On the OS 9 front, while Apple has been very clear that OS X is the future, and that the classic MacOS has a limited life span, I got a good feel that they aren't going to just leave the users of the current MacOS hanging. They are going to deliver needed improvements to the current MacOS, which makes sense, because from a business point of view, until they start selling OS X, it doesn't exist.

Apple also understands that there will be, in addition to the time frame leading up to the commercial release of OS X, a time when people will buy what they are comfortable with as a fall back from the new OS. Again, if you are looking for the classic OS to have major new versions and features, I personallywould not make that bet. The MacOS is a grand thing, but its needed to be fixed for a long time. OS X is that fix, and I welcome it. On the other hand, Apple seems willing to do those things that need to be done in the current OS.

Another thing for classic MacOS diehards to remember is that Apple supports products for a very long time after they have ceased to be a product. They supported the Apple II for many years after it ceased production, and considering the size of the current Mac installed base, I can't see them not supporting that base for a similar period.

Again, the important thing that I got from Apple is that while they want all Mac users on OS X as soon as possible, they understand that ASAP does not equal three weeks after release, especially in the educational market. The realism in this attitude is again, a welcome change, (especially if you remember things like Rhapsody and Copland.)

On the OSX front, the feeling I got was that while there was things that folks don't like about Aqua, most of us see them as not critical to the success of the OS. Considering that at least one developer has already released an Apple Menu for OS X, I think that most issues with Aqua will be handled, either by Apple, or the third party population.

Remember, MacHack is coming, and that is a very fertile source for improvements to the MacOS. And from what I heard around the conference, there are some very neat hacks already being started, so stay tuned for those.
On the non-Aqua front, the reaction was more generally positive. Apple is using OS X as a chance to fix some long-standing annoyances with the current OS, and they were happily taking ideas on just how this should work.

Security is of major importance to Apple, both in the classic OS, and especially OS X. The last thing that Apple wants or needs is a Melissa/ILOVEYOU debacle, and they seem to be perfectly willing to trade convenience for security. Apple is absolutely aware that a Unix base can open up all kinds of holes that don't exist in the current OS, and they are diligently working on keeping the script kiddies as frustrated with OS X as they are with the current MacOS.

In general, I think the upcoming months to the public beta of OS X, and the final release are going to be some of the most interesting in the history of the Mac, and I am looking forward to it. I would also recommend keeping a close eye on what comes out of MacHack, as I think that this year is going to be one of the most interesting in a long time for that conference as well.

So start planning, start thinking about how you are going to test the public beta, and what it will do for you.

Interesting things are afoot, and we as admins are going to be the beneficiaries of many of them. Only time will tell if that's good or bad.

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