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DL2 Preview
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DuckRacer1
Forum Regular
Join Date: Aug 2006
Status: Offline
Oct 20, 2007, 01:48 PM
 
Hopefully this hasn't been posted.

Theocacao: Delicious Library 2 Preview

Delicious Library 2 Preview
After a long wait, the time has finally come for some real Delicious Library 2 details and screenshots. I can't show everything because some of the features integrate with parts of Leopard which are still under NDA, but there is plenty to dive into.



Delicious Library 2 is a Leopard-only app, so it's not at all shy about jumping into new API. When you delete book from the shelf, it doesn't just disappear, it actually shatters. Selected items glow an eerie glow, and books, DVDs, and video games fly around the shelves as the thumbnail size changes. All courtesy of Core Animation.



Double-clicking on an item summons the Details panel, which contains a summary, reviews, a list of similar items, a rating, and so on. From a technical standpoint, the implementation of this is clever because it looks like a HUD, pops into view like an iPhone dialog, but repositions itself as the view shifts.



One of my favorite minor (though awesome) features is the ability to drag any item off a shelf and into the Finder. This creates a double-clickable item on your desktop — with full artwork — which you can treat like any other file: put it on the Dock, email it, put it on a server, post it on a web site, and so on.



If you double-click this file on another machine, the item will appear in that person's Library. I can have a bunch of DVDs I want to watch sitting in a pile on the desktop, or I can just make a stack (the new Leopard Dock feature) out of them.

But it's actually even a bit fancier. Like any file, they can be viewed in the Finder Cover Flow view, and you can get a box shot of the item with a text summary by activating the QuickLook feature. I'd really, really love to show you screenshots of these because they're gorgeous, but third-party screenshots of Leopard UI are blocked by NDA until Leopard is out.



The barcode scanner is drastically faster at detection now — at least it seems that way to me. It makes the process of scanning items in much more enjoyable. There's also a pretty slick easter-egg-ish-thing (feature?) which is actually quite useful. In fact, for some it might be worth the purchase price just for this one aspect of the program (parents in particular).

The big news in Delicious Library 2, though, are the sharing features. Rather than just hoarding your collection, you can share it with both friends and total strangers. There are quite a few options for doing that, and we'll take a look at that next time.

For the developers in the audience, one of the most interesting aspects of Delicious Library 2 is seeing how far a first-generation Leopard app can go in upgrading the Mac user experience, even with a small team of programmers and artists.

They don't give out those cubes to just anyone, you know.
     
Chuckit
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Diego, CA, USA
Status: Offline
Oct 20, 2007, 02:02 PM
 
Yow! That's hot.
Chuck
___
"Instead of either 'multi-talented' or 'multitalented' use 'bisexual'."
     
Horsepoo!!!
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2003
Status: Offline
Oct 20, 2007, 02:14 PM
 
Originally Posted by DuckRacer1 View Post
Hopefully this hasn't been posted.

Theocacao: Delicious Library 2 Preview
Very cool! And I do like the simplified UI seen on Apple's page. Sure, DL2's interface has probably changed a little since they got that award...I'm sure the source list has changed to match the source lists seen in Leopard apps and iLife apps.

Looking forward to rescanning my library (I have to since I forgot to backup my library last time I wiped my HD.) But if the scanner is faster now, rescanning will be very fun.

edit: interestingly, these must be old screenshots considering the brushed-metal Finder window.
     
bpnkrtn
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Status: Offline
Oct 20, 2007, 08:33 PM
 
I'm looking forward to DL2 for even another reason ... I just switched from Windows ... been holding back as I figured I might as well invest my time in learning the new OS. The features above look to be fun and useful.

... I have plastic in hand ... ?

bruce
     
bpnkrtn
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Oct 20, 2007, 08:35 PM
 
.. don't mind me ... I just forgot to subscribe to this topic

bruce
     
illitrate
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Status: Offline
Oct 21, 2007, 03:06 PM
 
hey thanks for posting that - it sounds awesome (although i only read the first couple of bits - then i stopped as i didn't wanna spoil all the excitement when the app is finally released)
     
ThisMessIAmIn
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Oct 2006
Status: Offline
Oct 24, 2007, 01:19 AM
 
I'm really interested to find out about the sharing features.
     
Delicious Monster
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Jun 2006
Status: Offline
Oct 25, 2007, 12:06 PM
 
So, yeah, we're not going to ship on Friday (I mean, ship without even seeing the final build? Seems like a bad idea, right?) but that should at least free us to answer questions, show screenshots, and things like that. The bad thing is not only has the NDA prevented us from telling you something, it's prevented us from telling you why we can't tell you. Frustrating, right?
     
Thinine
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jul 2002
Status: Offline
Oct 25, 2007, 03:14 PM
 
Yeah, beta testers haven't even received any builds, so it would be crazy to ship. You need us!
     
Delicious Monster
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Jun 2006
Status: Offline
Oct 25, 2007, 07:34 PM
 
I know how you feel. Even to this day I don't know if I just didn't have a high school reunion, or if they specifically "forgot" to tell me.
     
cybergoober
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Newport News, VA USA
Status: Offline
Oct 25, 2007, 08:56 PM
 
I read on MacOSXHints.com that the Leopard embargo had been lifted (NDA no longer in effect) as of 6 PM tonight…
     
 
   
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