Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

Toyin · Dec 20, 2002, 07:32 AM

Sherlock is significantly faster on my machine (dual 500) after the 10.2.3 update. It launches in 1 bounce and the channels load in 2 seconds or less (except flights). At this rate of improvement and with the number of available channels increasing quickly it's really going to give Watson a run for it's money.

Green Leaf · Dec 20, 2002, 08:28 AM

still slow for me
much slower than Watson!

kman42 · Dec 20, 2002, 09:20 AM

I agree. Significantly faster. g4/867

Anyone have a good source for channels? Any cool ones spring to mind?

kman

cwasko · Dec 20, 2002, 09:21 AM

Originally posted by Toyin:
Sherlock is significantly faster on my machine (dual 500) after the 10.2.3 update. It launches in 1 bounce and the channels load in 2 seconds or less (except flights). At this rate of improvement and with the number of available channels increasing quickly it's really going to give Watson a run for it's money.

I just tested it on my B&W and my 600MHz iBook. It seems abut the same speed. Maybe it is a little quicker, but not my much. Maybe they made it threaded to take advantage of your extra CPU.

Originally posted by Green Leaf:
still slow for me
much slower than Watson!

Considering there is not one Apple made software that has met your 'approval', this is no suprise. Why would I use Watson? I'd have to pay for it. As I've said before, Green Leaf, go away.

RealMadrid · Dec 20, 2002, 09:22 AM

Yeah!

Did not check that but it is true. Much faster. Takes some time to load the chanels the first time but then it changes without delay.

Great improvement!

Guy Incognito · Dec 20, 2002, 09:28 AM

You guys do realize why Sherlock is slow eh?

Sherlock checks for an updated version of the channel everytime a channel is clicked after launch. If you keep Sherlock launched all the time and never close it...channels should pop right up.

Keep that in mind (I know you won't but this is my last try to make people understand why Sherlock is slow and prevent threads with people wondering why Sherlock is slow. Sherlock will be as fast as your connection speed.)

absmiths · Dec 20, 2002, 09:53 AM

Originally posted by Guy Incognito:
You guys do realize why Sherlock is slow eh?

Sherlock checks for an updated version of the channel everytime a channel is clicked after launch. If you keep Sherlock launched all the time and never close it...channels should pop right up.

Keep that in mind (I know you won't but this is my last try to make people understand why Sherlock is slow and prevent threads with people wondering why Sherlock is slow. Sherlock will be as fast as your connection speed.)

It's too bad Apple didn't check for a new version asynchronously and just inform you that a new version will load at next start, or just silently install it and activate it on next start.

Toyin · Dec 20, 2002, 10:03 AM

Originally posted by Green Leaf:
still slow for me
much slower than Watson!

Sorry to hear it, maybe it's an altivec enhancement?. I think I have to give the nod to Sherlock 3, which is sad because I probably won't pay for the next Watson upgrade.

Originally posted by kman42:
I agree. Significantly faster. g4/867

Anyone have a good source for channels? Any cool ones spring to mind?

kman

I'm not in front of my computer, but try Versiontracker. Off the top of my head I've got the Weather Channel, Horosocope, Music Lyrics, and iCal Share channels added.

Toyin · Dec 20, 2002, 10:04 AM

Originally posted by Guy Incognito:
You guys do realize why Sherlock is slow eh?

Sherlock checks for an updated version of the channel everytime a channel is clicked after launch. If you keep Sherlock launched all the time and never close it...channels should pop right up.

Keep that in mind (I know you won't but this is my last try to make people understand why Sherlock is slow and prevent threads with people wondering why Sherlock is slow. Sherlock will be as fast as your connection speed.)

Yeah but upon a new launch Sherlock is much faster than it used to be. Perhaps it's a network improvement then?

Guy Incognito · Dec 20, 2002, 10:07 AM

Originally posted by Toyin:

Yeah but upon a new launch Sherlock is much faster than it used to be. Perhaps it's a network improvement then?

They probably updated their channel checking methods.

Guy Incognito · Dec 20, 2002, 10:11 AM

Originally posted by absmiths:

It's too bad Apple didn't check for a new version asynchronously and just inform you that a new version will load at next start, or just silently install it and activate it on next start.

Yeah...I'm not exactly sure how it works in 10.2.3 'cuz I'm away from my computer for the holidays but Apple's channel checking methods sucked in 10.2 to 10.2.2 since it was definitely the cause of all the slowdowns people are talking about.

funkboy · Dec 20, 2002, 10:25 AM

Originally posted by Toyin:
...it's really going to give Watson a run for it's money.

Considering Sherlock is free... can it give anything a run for any money?
Not to steer this thread completely off topic...

Developer · Dec 20, 2002, 10:27 AM

Originally posted by funkboy:

Considering Sherlock is free... can it give anything a run for any money?

Last time I checked Sherlock was part of a $129 software package. How does that qualify as free?

CheesePuff · Dec 20, 2002, 10:30 AM

Yeah, nice, much faster. Also I keep an alias of my Applications folder in the Dock and when I clicked it to open, it instanlty came up (this is after a restart). Never did that before. (I have 80 apps in the folder and always took a second to even three before it let me do anything).

KidRed · Dec 20, 2002, 10:47 AM

Originally posted by Developer:
Last time I checked Sherlock was part of a $129 software package. How does that qualify as free?

Because once you have the OS, you don't need to pay for an alternative

btw- yes, it's faster for me, launching and loading channels.

cwasko · Dec 20, 2002, 11:08 AM

It still doens't remember the position of the window after you quit it and re-launch. iCal does this too. Highly annoying.

eevyl · Dec 20, 2002, 11:10 AM

"Significantly faster" is the Open Source term for "Snappy�"

Toyin · Dec 20, 2002, 12:49 PM

Originally posted by eevyl:
"Significantly faster" is the Open Source term for "Snappy�"

Yeah this is really a placebo effect. The fact that I now use Sherlock more than Watson (because it's faster) is all in my head. Oh look! I can

too.

CheesePuff · Dec 20, 2002, 01:13 PM

Originally posted by eevyl:
"Significantly faster" is the Open Source term for "Snappy�"

Do you have a G3 or G4... or have you even tried it out yet?

BTP · Dec 20, 2002, 01:35 PM

After thinking that you were full of it, I tried and have to agree with you. Nothing earthshattering, but it flows better, no blank screen for 10 seconds, etc.

I like Watson too, but I prefer Sherlock for some things.

Anomalous · Dec 20, 2002, 02:07 PM

It is about the same speed for me on a G3 400.

CheesePuff · Dec 20, 2002, 02:32 PM

Originally posted by Anomalous:
It is about the same speed for me on a G3 400.

Maybe the code was Altivec enhanced then.

Adam Betts · Dec 20, 2002, 03:02 PM

Originally posted by eevyl:
"Significantly faster" is the Open Source term for "Snappy�"

Will you STFU please? It's getting old already.

Sherlock 3 is indeed faster! After loading all channels, it will switch without any waiting. Sherlock 3 take only one bounce to launch. Very nice and a big improvement!

The only thing I don't like in Sherlock 3 is Pictures. You have to click search button again if you want to load the second pages. They should add a button 'More...' or something. I wish they would also improve the Airplane icon. It's not exactly pretty

Sherlock 3 now officially earned a space in my dock

diamondsw · Dec 21, 2002, 01:25 AM

Any way to ignore all posts that contain "snappy" (including this one

)?

eevyl · Dec 21, 2002, 02:14 AM

Originally posted by Adam Betts:
Will you STFU please? It's getting old already.

Sherlock 3 is indeed faster! After loading all channels, it will switch without any waiting. Sherlock 3 take only one bounce to launch. Very nice and a big improvement!

Thank you very much for being so nice!

I have indeed tried Sherlock 3 on my G4 400 (AGP Graphics) and on an iBook 366 Indigo, and see no improvements over 10.2.2.

However, since we installed DSL in home, Sherlock 3 (and every other Internet application) is significantly faster. But nothing strange about that.

Well, it was only a joke... from my point of view of no improvements.

MickS · Dec 21, 2002, 06:21 AM

<disclaimer>
I tried Sherlock 3 when I installed 10.2, tried it, decided it was too slow and too US biased so removed it from my Dock. I didn't try it under 10.2.2.
</disclaimer>

After seeing this thread I just tried Sherlock 3 again on my 667 TiBook (512MB RAM) and have to say that it is still unusable. In fact it's so slow that it makes Virtual PC, iCal and iPhoto look snappy.

Maybe Sherlock 4

Toyin · Dec 21, 2002, 06:46 AM

If there's anything that we've learned in the last two years with OSX, is that performance differences are much more variable than OS9. I still stand by my initial observation. Sherlock really flies now and is as fast as Watson when initially loading channels and switches between channels instantly after they're loaded.

If it doesn't work for you, then state your opinion and move along. No need to trivialize other peoples observations.

MickS · Dec 21, 2002, 08:08 AM

Originally posted by MickS:
After seeing this thread I just tried Sherlock 3 again on my 667 TiBook (512MB RAM) and have to say that it is still unusable. In fact it's so slow that it makes Virtual PC, iCal and iPhoto look snappy.

Replying to my own posting, wrong I know, but having spent more time playing with it, I take my comments back. Once I've loaded all of the channels in once it is quicker.

Now if only Apple will make the channels work well if you are outside the UK I would go back to using it a lot. Example: I can select regions in the eBay channel but these are US states. If I visit eBay I can search for things that are available to the UK.

kcmac · Dec 21, 2002, 08:27 AM

Sherlock is definitely faster on my DVSE 400 with the 10.2.3 update.

I also have Watson. I am an infrequent user of both. The thing I don't like about Watson is that it seems every time I use it, it needs updating. Go to the site, download new version, turn off Watson, reinstall, turn Watson back on and upgrade the plugins.

I mostly use the Yellow Pages finder and Sherlock is much better in that regard. I am now probably more in the Sherlock camp.

Trekkie · Dec 22, 2002, 01:10 AM

Originally posted by kman42:
Anyone have a good source for channels? Any cool ones spring to mind?

Just click and your problems will be solved.