TweetFollow Us on Twitter

Dec 95 Crabbs Apple
Volume Number:11
Issue Number:12
Column Tag:Crabb’s Apple

Copland, Where Are Thee?

By Don Crabb

Dateline: May, 1994. Apple promises developers at WWDC 94 that the next generation operating system, Copland, will be in their hands as DR1 by year’s end for testing and released to their customers by mid-1995.

Dateline: May, 1995. Apple promises developers at WWDC 95 that the next generation operating system, Copland, will be in their hands as DR1 for testing by the fall of 1995 and released to their customers by mid-1996.

Dateline: October, 1995. Apple figures it’s high time to tell us all the truth: they don’t know when Copland will ship, save to say it surely won’t ship in 1996 and might ship in early 1997.

With this kind of product development cycle and advance planning it would be safer for all of us if we simply read the entrails of slaughtered farm animals to predict the availability of Copland. Maybe we could bring the Oracle at Delphi out of retirement? Or blow a call in to Jean Dixon?

My point, of course, is that our friends in Cupertino have done it again! They have mismanaged a development project that only has the fate of the company and its loyal developers’ lives hanging in the balance. If it weren’t so serious, it would be hysterically funny.

I don’t imagine, however, that any of you are laughing. I know that I am not. In fact, I imagine that you’re probably even more pissed than I am. Not because Apple is behind in its Copland development efforts, per se, but because they have deliberately misled us and our customers.

The Truth Hurts

Apple knew months ago that they wouldn’t make any of the 1995 and 1996 Copland dates. They knew they were very late in Finder and microkernel development. They knew they were even later in the development of other core technologies, including OpenDoc, Open Transport, and PowerTalk 2.0. They knew all this and they didn’t bother to utter a peep. Nary a nod in our direction. And that, folks, is wrong.

It’s wrong (as well as stupid) for Apple to mislead its developers, much less its customers. It’s wrong for Apple to mislead its tool developers. And it’s wrong for Apple to mislead itself - a problem clearly evident when you start talking with any of the PowerMac engineering teams. Many of these folks were floored when they heard the news about Copland slipping yet again, since they were recently told things were right on schedule. It’s bad enough when Apple lies to us, but it’s bonehead city when it lies to itself.

What We Know

This means, of course, that you will not be getting your DR1 release this fall as you were told in May. If you work at Symantec, Metrowerks, or one of the other tool vendors, you will get something that Apple’s calling the Copland Tools Development Release, a DR0 CD with very early versions of the Finder and microkernel on it, as well as Copland APIs.

DR0 might be enough for Greg Dow, Greg Galanos, Jean Belanger, and the ultrasmart braintrust at Metrowerks (hell, it will have to be!) to produce the CodeWarrior for Copland release, but it’s nowhere near enough along for us to do anything with it seriously (besides, we’d still have to wait for CodeWarrior, anyway).

All this means we might get our DR1 in March of 1996, but that release will only interest those of us doing device drivers and some extensions. DR2, which will have more general utility for the bulk of Mac developers, won’t grace our CD-ROM drives until at least May of 1996 (and that’s probably another overly positive scenario - some engineers on the Copland team are saying DR2 won’t hit until October of 1996).

Speculating Onward

This puts a DR3 or more robust DR2 into our hands maybe by the end of 1996, but more likely early 1997. This release might also be made available to large Mac sites for testing. Finally, by mid-1997, we’d have the released Copland 1.0 - only two years later than were told we’d get it at WWDC 94, and a year off the schedule given us at WWDC 95. And all of this speculation assumes no further serious slippage, which we all know just isn’t the case when it comes to very complex operating system development.

What Might Have Been

All of which makes me wonder why the hell Apple didn’t collapse some of this development cycle by buying or borrowing some of its basic services for Copland. Certainly the experience of moving from System 6 to System 7 must have taught them something. And the move to Copland from System 7.5 is a couple of orders of magnitude more complex than that transition was, making it all the more important to get a boost on the process.

I keep wondering if we all wouldn’t be well on our way to System 9 or 10 by now if Apple had only used the Pink (Taligent) kernel from IBM as their point of MacOS departure, rather than building the Copland microkernel from the ground up.

Hoping for the Best

Of course, all of this is water under the bridge now. And we are still stuck in the same position we’ve always been: hoping that Apple is telling us the truth and being honest to itself about its own development cycle.

Given that Copland requires the integration of complex existing and developing Apple OS technologies (QuickDraw GX, PowerTalk, OpenDoc, just to name three) into a code base that’s still not an alpha, the betting money is on Copland’s release date to customers slipping even more than the latest Apple prognostications would allow.

That puts the release of Copland interestingly close to the release of the next version of Windows NT (Cairo), and likely several update releases into Windows 95 (and/or the Windows 95 release that migrates everyone to the new NT). And it pushes Gershwin out until perhaps the turn of the century.

I wonder if by then any Apple customers will care that Copland shipped sometime in 1997?

 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Xcode 15.0.1 - Integrated development en...
Xcode includes everything developers need to create great applications for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Xcode provides developers a unified workflow for user interface design, coding, testing... Read more
Google Chrome 120.0.6099.62 - Modern and...
Google Chrome is a Web browser by Google, created to be a modern platform for Web pages and applications. It utilizes very fast loading of Web pages and has a V8 engine, which is a custom built... Read more
Dropbox 188.4.6302 - Cloud backup and sy...
Dropbox is a file hosting service that provides cloud storage, file synchronization, personal cloud, and client software. It is a modern workspace that allows you to get to all of your files, manage... Read more
djay Pro 5.0 - Transform your Mac into a...
djay Pro provides a complete toolkit for performing DJs. Its unique modern interface is built around a sophisticated integration with iTunes and Spotify, giving you instant access to millions of... Read more
Things 3.19.4 - Elegant personal task ma...
Things is a task management solution that helps to organize your tasks in an elegant and intuitive way. Things combines powerful features with simplicity through the use of tags and its intelligent... Read more
Sublime Text 4169 - Sophisticated text e...
Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, markup, and prose. You'll love the slick user interface, extraordinary features, and amazing performance. Features Goto Anything. Use Goto... Read more
Typinator 9.1 - Speedy and reliable text...
Typinator turbo-charges your typing productivity. Type a little. Typinator does the rest. We've all faced projects that require repetitive typing tasks. With Typinator, you can store commonly used... Read more
ESET Cyber Security 6.11.414.0 - Basic i...
ESET Cyber Security provides powerful protection against phishing, viruses, worms, and spyware. Offering similar functionality to ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Windows, ESET Cyber Security for Mac allows... Read more
Opera 105.0.4970.29 - High-performance W...
Opera is a fast and secure browser trusted by millions of users. With the intuitive interface, Speed Dial and visual bookmarks for organizing favorite sites, news feature with fresh, relevant content... Read more
Quicken 7.4.1 - Complete personal financ...
Quicken makes managing your money easier than ever. Whether paying bills, upgrading from Windows, enjoying more reliable downloads, or getting expert product help, Quicken's new and improved features... Read more

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

‘Refind Self: The Personality Test Game’...
The last two months have been so busy that I’ve not been able to make time to play many games until recently. There are still new games coming out even as we head closer to the holidays, but I finally managed to play Playism and Lizardry’s recent... | Read more »
Experience the glory of the Northern Lig...
Dinosaur Polo Club, one of the best developer names out there, have recently announced the final update of 2023 for Mini Motorways. Instead of embracing Christmas, this event is instead inspired by one of the most beautiful natural phenomena, the... | Read more »
‘Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition...
After a bit of a delay, Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition () is now available on Apple Arcade worldwide. When Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition hit early access on PC and consoles including Nintendo Switch, I always assumed it would... | Read more »
‘Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat’ Releases...
It feels like we’ve been covering Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat (), the mobile entry in the superb Devil May Cry series, for as long as we were waiting for Devil May Cry 5. After trailers revealing gameplay, characters, controller support, betas,... | Read more »
‘Marvel Snap’ Dons Its Finest in the New...
It’s been quite a year for the card battler Marvel Snap (Free), which is still one of my favorite mobile games. There have been a bunch of interestingly-themed seasons, sometimes connected to the MCU and sometimes just doing their own thing. Plenty... | Read more »
SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘A Highland Song’...
Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for December 5th, 2023. It’s a bit of a short one today since I was busy with a variety of other things, but there are several new releases for us to summarize. There are some really... | Read more »
‘Metal Slug ACA NEOGEO’ Review – Another...
Well, here we go again. The latest addition to SNK and Hamster’s mobile Arcade Archives line is none other than Metal Slug ACA NEOGEO ($3.99), a second take on a game we got a mobile version of a decade back from Dotemu. That was a fine version for... | Read more »
‘Sonic Dream Team’ Apple Arcade Review –...
What an unusual day we have arrived upon today. Now, Sonic the Hedgehog games aren’t a new thing for iOS gaming. The original Sonic the Hedgehog appeared on the classic iPod, so the Blue Blur got in the doors as fast as you would expect him to. The... | Read more »
PvP Basketball Game ‘NBA Infinite’ Annou...
Level Infinite and Lightspeed Studios just announced a new real-time PvP basketball game for mobile in the form of NBA Infinite (). NBA Infinite includes solo modes as well, collecting and upgrading current NBA players, managing teams, and more. It... | Read more »
New ‘Dysmantle’ iOS Update Adds Co-Op Mo...
We recently had a major update hit mobile for the open world survival and crafting adventure game Dysmantle ($4.99) from 10tons Ltd. Dysmantle was one of our favorite games of 2022, and with all of its paid DLC and updates, it is even better. | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Apple’s 14-inch M3 MacBook Pros are on Holida...
Best Buy is offering a $150-$200 discount on Space Gray or Silver 14″ M3 MacBook Pros on their online store with prices available starting at $1449 ($1399 for premium My Best Buy members). Prices... Read more
Holiday Sale: 128GB iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Plus, o...
Boost Infinite, part of MVNO Boost Mobile using AT&T and T-Mobile’s networks, is offering the 128GB iPhone 15 Pro, 128GB iPhone 15 Plus, or 128GB & 256GB iPhone 15 for $60 per month including... Read more
Clearance 12.9-inch iPad Pros with M1 CPUs av...
Apple has Certified Refurbished, previous-generation, 12″ M1 iPad Pros available in their online store in a variety of configurations. Models start at $889 and range up to $350 off Apple’s original... Read more
Mac Studios with M2 Max and M2 Ultra CPUs on...
B&H Photo has standard-configuration Mac Studios with Apple’s M2 Max & Ultra CPUs in stock today and on Holiday sale for $200 off MSRP. Their prices are the lowest available for these models... Read more
B&H is offering a $150 discount on 13-inc...
B&H Photo has 13″ MacBook Airs with M2 CPUs and 256GB of storage in stock today and on Holiday sale for $150 off Apple’s MSRP, only $949. Free 1-2 day delivery is available to most US addresses.... Read more
Apple is clearing out last year’s M1-powered...
Apple has Certified Refurbished 11″ M1 iPad Pros available starting at $639 and ranging up to $310 off Apple’s original MSRP. Each iPad Pro comes with Apple’s standard one-year warranty, features a... Read more
Save $50 on these HomePods available today at...
Apple has Certified Refurbished White and Midnight HomePods available for $249, Certified Refurbished. That’s $50 off MSRP and the lowest price currently available for a full-size Apple HomePod this... Read more
New 16-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pros are on sale f...
Holiday MacBook deals are live at B&H Photo. Apple 16″ MacBook Pros with M3 Pro CPUs are in stock and on sale for $200-$250 off MSRP. Their prices are among the lowest currently available for... Read more
Christmas Deal Alert! Apple AirPods Pro with...
Walmart has Apple’s 2023 AirPods Pro with USB-C in stock and on sale for $189.99 on their online store as part of their Holiday sale. Their price is $60 off MSRP, and it’s currently the lowest price... Read more
Apple has Certified Refurbished iPhone 12 Pro...
Apple has unlocked Certified Refurbished iPhone 12 Pro models in stock starting at $589 and ranging up to $350 off original MSRP. Apple includes a standard one-year warranty and new outer shell with... Read more

Jobs Board

Omnichannel Associate - *Apple* Blossom Mal...
Omnichannel Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Read more
Operations Associate - *Apple* Blossom Mall...
Operations Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Read more
Cashier - *Apple* Blossom Mall - JCPenney (...
Cashier - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Blossom Mall Read more
Mobile Platform Engineer ( *Apple* /AirWatch)...
…systems, installing and maintaining certificates, navigating multiple network segments and Apple /IOS devices, Mobile Device Management systems such as AirWatch, and Read more
Omnichannel Associate - *Apple* Blossom Mal...
Omnichannel Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Read more
All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.