09-23-2009, 05:41 PM
Do mid-sized and big software companies get the same opportunity to get developer releases of the Mac OS? My first thought would be no, as a number of vendors are still saying "early Fall" or "late 2009" when searching their support pages for Snow Leopard compatibility.
Case in point: Dymo. Big company, right? Must have a nice-sized code monkey department, but they're not working on updates. Snow Leopard compatibility is predicted as "early Fall".
BeLightSoft. I use a lot of their software. To be fair, updates were released in the first week after 10.6 was released. Still, didn't they have developer versions, or did they wait until it went retail like the rest of us had to? And beyond that, the updates are buggy as hell; Labels & Addresses is having some kind of bizarre hiccup where, when I open the program, duplicates start appearing in Address Book. Several entries were duplicated up to a dozen times. And it has a printing issue; imported graphics no longer print.
Even Microsoft. I noticed the simple keyboard functions I was using via my MS Natural Ergo Keyboard -- like play and volume up/down -- have stopped working; I do believe it has to do with the whole 64-bit crossover. I haven't used their keyboard software in a few OS versions, but I went looking at their support site. To be fair, they're the only ones who gave a firm date:
But on the flip side of the coin, I had a number of programs from independent developers that were ready for Snow Leopard *before* it was released (though a few needed a x.x.1 update afterwards for a tweak of this or that). These are often one or a couple of guys, and they've outpaced a multi-million company with seemingly endless resources.
Again, business is business; it's all about priorities. I know things take time. But, much like when Leopard made its appearance, many companies are lagging behind in compatibility, and I just don't see the reasons why.
Case in point: Dymo. Big company, right? Must have a nice-sized code monkey department, but they're not working on updates. Snow Leopard compatibility is predicted as "early Fall".
BeLightSoft. I use a lot of their software. To be fair, updates were released in the first week after 10.6 was released. Still, didn't they have developer versions, or did they wait until it went retail like the rest of us had to? And beyond that, the updates are buggy as hell; Labels & Addresses is having some kind of bizarre hiccup where, when I open the program, duplicates start appearing in Address Book. Several entries were duplicated up to a dozen times. And it has a printing issue; imported graphics no longer print.
Even Microsoft. I noticed the simple keyboard functions I was using via my MS Natural Ergo Keyboard -- like play and volume up/down -- have stopped working; I do believe it has to do with the whole 64-bit crossover. I haven't used their keyboard software in a few OS versions, but I went looking at their support site. To be fair, they're the only ones who gave a firm date:
IntelliType Pro and IntelliPoint for the Mac version 7.0 is compatible with the 32-bit version of Mac OS® X 10.6 (Snow Leopard™). While in 64-bit mode, only basic device functionality will be available. Microsoft Hardware is developing a 64-bit compatible version. This version will be availalbe on or before 10/2/2009.
But on the flip side of the coin, I had a number of programs from independent developers that were ready for Snow Leopard *before* it was released (though a few needed a x.x.1 update afterwards for a tweak of this or that). These are often one or a couple of guys, and they've outpaced a multi-million company with seemingly endless resources.
Again, business is business; it's all about priorities. I know things take time. But, much like when Leopard made its appearance, many companies are lagging behind in compatibility, and I just don't see the reasons why.
