[hmurchison]

Leopard could bring Collaboration tools to iWork, iCal and others.

Since Apple announced Leopard last year during WWDC, MacOSXRumors obtained reports on two major features in the next release of Mac OS X. The first is a redesigned Finder making extensive use of Spotlight and the second is the inclusion virtualization software. Recently sources have been indicating that Leopard will feature easy collaborative work throughout the OS. The main idea is that it will be possible to declare a document as available for collaborative use over a network or Internet. Users who want to work on this document will be able to connect and work simultaneously on it. Modifications made by each user will be updated in real time for all connected users. Actually, the concept of collaborative document may be integrated into a new dedicated framework. Much like Apple has made image effects easy with CoreImage and powerful data indexing available throughout the OS with Spotlight. If Apple indeed makes of it a software API, it will allow third party developers to implement collaborative documents on their own applications very easily. Sources also claim that Apple is already integrating support of collaborative documents into iWork and iCal; in fact, MacOSXRumors has learned that the company decided to restart the development of its calendar application. The new version, due to ship with Leopard, will bring collaborative features and a new widget along with many other enhancements. MacOSXRumors has also obtained what could be precise information about release timeframe of Mac OS X Leopard and iWork ‘07. Both of them will probably be released in January 2007, during the annual Macworld SF opening. We’re quite surprised that Apple choses similar release timeframe to Microsoft’s Windows Vista though.

Sounds very interesting. I'd love to see some collaboration tools integrated into OS X frameworks. It's about time we started using computers in a communal setting to get projects done on a more granular level.

There is also Linkback which sounds like it could be integrated should Apple bless their product. When you look at what Microoft has done with Office 2007 and Groove integration I see a market for a scaled back but still powerful tool.

I'd also welcome finally getting a full featured iWork.

[blakbyrd]

Nice.

[Brad]

It's a nice idea, but the source (macosxrumors.com) is not one of great reliability. I don't think it's ever had an original rumor scoop turn out to be true.

[Kickaha]

I've heard rumblings about collaboration on other fronts... maybe there is just confusion over what the collaboration will *involve*.

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by Brad It's a nice idea, but the source (macosxrumors.com) is not one of great reliability. I don't think it's ever had an original rumor scoop turn out to be true.

Sad but true I can't remember anything they got right or wrong for that matter.

[chucker]

Funny that they publish this rumor a day after I opined that a third-party framework (think Growl, Sparkle, etc.) for collaborative editing would be nifty. SubEthaEdit's implementation is nice, but limiting, and not open for third party developers (not even commercially; they don't let you license the API).

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by blakbyrd Nice.

Just nice? What happened to "neat"

[Robo]

If they redesign iCal, they had better rename it "Calendar."

[See: Any of my rants about iCal and iSync naming.]

[World Leader Pretend]

When I saw this thread title I thought it read "calibration" but the title was misspelled.

How would Apple work in this type of tech into non-professional and non-educational environments?

[blakbyrd]

Originally Posted by hmurchison Just nice? What happened to "neat"

Well, it's nice and neat.

[funduk]

IMHO it would be awesome for Apple to release 10.5 the DAY vista comes out. I don't know how many of you follow the PC world but, unfortunately for me, I work in a local pc shop. Every month we get the latest issues of Maximum PC and various other magazines and over the past maybe 6-8 months the articles and such that have to do with Apple have been skyrocketing!

My point is this: Leopard and Vista both are released on, say, January 6th. Maximum PC gets a copy of both on January 7th (or whatever). Their February review includes a side by side comparison, clearly showing that OSX flattens Vista. This can only be a good thing.

It would definitely make Apple look confident (and rightly so) in their new OS.

[spikeh]

Originally Posted by funduk IMHO it would be awesome for Apple to release 10.5 the DAY vista comes out. I don't know how many of you follow the PC world but, unfortunately for me, I work in a local pc shop. Every month we get the latest issues of Maximum PC and various other magazines and over the past maybe 6-8 months the articles and such that have to do with Apple have been skyrocketing! My point is this: Leopard and Vista both are released on, say, January 6th. Maximum PC gets a copy of both on January 7th (or whatever). Their February review includes a side by side comparison, clearly showing that OSX flattens Vista. This can only be a good thing. It would definitely make Apple look confident (and rightly so) in their new OS.

The most recent PC Format in the UK claims Vista flattens Tiger. It's a bullshit article, I keep meaning to take excerpts and post them here for your reading pleasure, but I forget

[chucker]

Originally Posted by spikeh The most recent PC Format in the UK claims Vista flattens Tiger. It's a bullshit article, I keep meaning to take excerpts and post them here for your reading pleasure, but I forget

I'd love to read that.

[spikeh]

Originally Posted by chucker I'd love to read that.

As I'm a bit drunk and you're such a nice, helpful young man, I will do so now.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by spikeh As I'm a bit drunk and you're such a nice, helpful young man, I will do so now.

Thanks, that's a very nice compliment.

[McSandwich]

Originally Posted by spikeh The most recent PC Format in the UK claims Vista flattens Tiger. It's a bullshit article, I keep meaning to take excerpts and post them here for your reading pleasure, but I forget

I read that, it's not comparing like with like... Comparisons cannot, or at least should not, be made until Leopard is available.

[Kickaha]

Originally Posted by McSandwich I read that, it's not comparing like with like... Comparisons cannot, or at least should not, be made until Leopard is available.

Or until, y'know, Vista is a shipping product and not a beta. :P

[MacGregor]

How do these collaborative files look? (in current solutions) Are there insignia's on the window bar or special extensions? Are there smart collaborative folders? I'd love to see a button on the window bar that shows permissions or collaboration status.

[Brad]

Collaborative files? They're just regular files, but the applications have collaborative features which allow you to connect to other users (or others to you) to share an open document and work on it at the same time.

Go look at SubEthaEdit for an example of how they can work. Without the collaborative features, it's just an ordinary text editor.

[MacGregor]

Originally Posted by Brad Collaborative files? They're just regular files, but the applications have collaborative features which allow you to connect to other users (or others to you) to share an open document and work on it at the same time. Go look at SubEthaEdit for an example of how they can work. Without the collaborative features, it's just an ordinary text editor.

Right, I see. I guess what I was asking about has to do with making this a system-wide feature. Sure individual apps can be collaborative, but except for making iCal collaborative wouldn't it be really thinking different to add the feature as a Core feature and that means adding that functionality to all apps and files?

[Kickaha]

'Collaborative files' = file sharing. Nothing new there.

Adding collaboration to all apps is as easy as it was to add .DOC import/export to all text-aware apps... it gets added to the Cocoa framework by Apple, and all apps pick it up automatically.

[jwdawso]

The collaboration is tied to the same technology used for iPhoto Photocast but integrated into Mac OS X for developers to easily use.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by jwdawso The collaboration is tied to the same technology used for iPhoto Photocast but integrated into Mac OS X for developers to easily use.

Bzzt! Photocasting isn't collaboration; it's file sharing in an RSS-like feed.

Collaboration is file sharing, but allowing two or more users edit the same file at the same time, seeing each other's changes in realtime.

[Doxxic]

Originally Posted by Brad Collaboration is file sharing, but allowing two or more users edit the same file at the same time, seeing each other's changes in realtime.

Sounds great, but I do hope Apple is also remembering the ones who can only work with someone else on the same file in real time if there are ways to deal a corrective punch every now and then.



Like being able to crash the other person's computer at command. Or wipe his harddrive.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

This almost sounds like Apple will be adding virtual whiteboarding to iChat AV. Now that their entire portable line of computers has iSights built in (as well as iMacs) this would be a great way to communicate with people in the office when working at home or at a hotel or while chairing an event or ...

Oh wait, according to the latest Apple ad, Apple computers aren't for work, just for home. My bad, forget I posted.

[Doxxic]

Originally Posted by bassplayinMacFiend This almost sounds like Apple will be adding virtual whiteboarding to iChat AV. Now that their entire portable line of computers has iSights built in (as well as iMacs) this would be a great way to communicate with people in the office when working at home or at a hotel or while chairing an event or ... Oh wait, according to the latest Apple ad, Apple computers aren't for work, just for home. My bad, forget I posted.

Whiteboards are great at home. Can't have enough of them.

[Henriok]

On collaborative files in the OS.. It would be neat to have the OS show which files are being workd on, and who is working on them at the moment. A small badge and a user-list in the contextual menu would suffice.

This would be a feature maybe for Mac OS X Server? I for one is pretty tired of screaming across the office trying to figure out who has the corporate presentation open (and locking it) when I'm trying to edit it.

I'm really seeing forward to some collaborative APIs to OSX, but if they only reach as far as a whiteboard in iChat, I'd be a bit disappointed. An open (and documented) API mimicing SubEthaEdit's capabilities would be a nice start but Apple really has the power to take it further than SEE ever can. Collaborative editing in Final Cut Pro..? My god.. there's no end to the possibilities!

[blakbyrd]

^ If it's a whiteboard, it'll probably be in Leopard Client and Server.