No Java on Mac OS X Lion – Do we care?

Chances are, if you work in a commercial business some of the apps you use or systems accessed via a Java Application or applet if however you are a home user, chances are you may not need it. Up until Lion was released, you got the Java runtime if you needed it or not. With the latest release this is no longer true.

Last year, in October, Apple caused a fair amount of unrest among Java developers when, in the release notes of a Java update, it said that Java on Mac had been “deprecated” and that it “may be removed from future versions of Mac OS.” The future of Java on OS X is unclear, but for now it appears when Apple drops development of Java that Oracle will assume the reins and maintain future releases of the runtime for OS X in partnership with Apple who would contribute the likes of a Java virtual machine, class libraries, a networking stack, and base code for a new graphical client in a future release.

So, what if you do need it then? Well currently apple is providing Java 1.6.0_26 (the same version that is available for Snow Leopard) for Lion users but is not developing it any further than this. So, if an application requires it on your Mac a window will pop up and give you the option to download it. Giving permission will open up Software Update to download and install the required Java runtime. A stand-alone installed is also available from the Lion web site or from this Apple Support Article .

Rosetta was also previously deprecated by Apple, and the company barred applications using both Rosetta and Java from the new Mac App Store. With Snow Leopard, the previous version of Mac OS X, Rosetta was not installed by default, but users could install it if they chose to. Now it has been completely removed.

ITerm2, an alternative terminal app for Mac OSX

Image courtesy of iTerm2 website

I stumbled across this very nice Mac OSX terminal replacement while browsing through the Lifehacker site.
At first glance it might look unimpressive but under the hood, this app has a lot of really nice features that finally gives me that Putty like terminal app that I have been looking for since I switched over from Windows. If you spend a lot of time at the command line and you don’t want to spend out for one, this terminal app is worth looking at.

WWDC 2011 highlights – Apple OSX 10.7 – LION

There was a lot in Lion that a lot of people knew about , there are a lot of machines out there with the developer edition already sitting there as their secondary boot partition or (hush now) Hackintosh setup. Just to recap, this means greater integration with the Mac App Store, full screen support for applications (works like it would on an iPad) and a heavy use of multi-touch gestures. Lion also introduces the Launchpad, an iPad-like home screen with rows of icons or groups for launching apps and Mission Control which enhances what is currently Spaces and Expose

Alfred for Mac OSX -The shortcut/launcher application

I have recently been reacquainted with a productivity app on my Mac called Alfred. Alfred likes to serve you with what you need, much like a butler – hence the name. It is much like other shortcut apps like Quicksilver but I always found the interface more complex than I wanted… This one pretty much works in one display bar and allows you to work more with the keyboard and have less switching between keyboard and mouse; great for those with RSI.