So how long before Linux knocks off Apple's new Versioning? = )

[Copper Bezel]

This reads a bit like a word problem, but I ask it entirely without irony.

In addition to major selling points that look like Gnome 3's release notes from months ago and the, ah, so very revolutionary concepts of upgrading an operating system over the network or running apps in fullscreen mode, OSX Lion seems to have solved human error, or at least made some baby steps in that direction. Through an open API that any app written for the OS can take advantage of, the system supports versioning for files that apparently works like a changelog, allowing documents and such to be walked back through prior versions like an unlimited, system-wide Undo button, and on the basis of this new understanding that saving a file is now a non-destructive activity, it now supports apps that autosave periodically and on exit, so that every edit is as good as saved as soon as done.

This changes everything, as they say.

Since I have no interest in OSX in any form, mostly because it's not Linux, but would really rather like to never see the "Your changes in the last XX minutes have not been saved" dialog again, how long should I reasonably expect to wait to see this feature adopted by every major operating system and application ever?

[Primefalcon]

Btrfs ftw

[Bachstelze]

This is an absolutely terrible "feature" and I sure as hell hope you can deactivate it in Lion (I have not upgraded yet). From a security point of view, having the OS do things behind your back that you neved told it to do is a frightening thought. For example I often temporarily copypasta sensitive data in TextEdit for reference that I never save to disk, how am I supposed to do that now? (No, pencil and paper is not an option for RSA keys.)

[Copper Bezel]

Use an application that doesn't support it? The case you're describing is the exception to the rule. I wouldn't be a Linux user if I didn't appreciate the importance of exceptional use cases, and the most important option in any new feature is the one that turns it off. However, I'm pretty sure that I actually hit Ctrl+S more often than I hit Alt+Tab, and the ritual of hitting "Save" or "Cancel" every time I exit any program ever is one that I would find myself unconsciously performing after a catastrophic brain injury that left me without the power of speech. I'd rather have an option to prevent this behavior for the 1% of the time it could pose a problem than to go through that ritual the other 99%.

[ninjaaron]

From a security point of view, having the OS do things behind your back that you neved told it to do is a frightening thought.

Geez! It sure is when you put it like that! I pissed my pants when I read this sentence.

Soon this feature will be integrated with the cloud, MS will adopt it, they will all get deals with NSA, any OSs that don't incorporate this feature will be outlawed (because of patent infringement, of course). Ubuntu will be incorporated by that point, so they will be ok.

Then BOOM! Your going wake up one morning DEAD!


Anyway, that's what I thought of when I read that sentence. I dunno. Lot's o' people making lot's o' deals with the NSA these days.

[Copper Bezel]

Yeah, I know! It's like how Zeitgeist killed my cat the other day after determining from my browsing habits that she might be a threat.

[el_koraco]

Yeah, I know! It's like how Zeitgeist killed my cat the other day after determining from my browsing habits that she might be a threat.

You have a cat? P*ssy.

[zekopeko]

This reads a bit like a word problem, but I ask it entirely without irony.

In addition to major selling points that look like Gnome 3's release notes from months ago and the, ah, so very revolutionary concepts of upgrading an operating system over the network or running apps in fullscreen mode, OSX Lion seems to have solved human error, or at least made some baby steps in that direction. Through an open API that any app written for the OS can take advantage of, the system supports versioning for files that apparently works like a changelog, allowing documents and such to be walked back through prior versions like an unlimited, system-wide Undo button, and on the basis of this new understanding that saving a file is now a non-destructive activity, it now supports apps that autosave periodically and on exit, so that every edit is as good as saved as soon as done.

This changes everything, as they say.

Since I have no interest in OSX in any form, mostly because it's not Linux, but would really rather like to never see the "Your changes in the last XX minutes have not been saved" dialog again, how long should I reasonably expect to wait to see this feature adopted by every major operating system and application ever?


Btrfs ftw


It's going to take a very long time. Btrfs is only a minor part in the puzzle. The majority of work is building a framework to support it and having apps start using it.

There is a great article on arstechnica (http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2011/07/mac-os-x-10-7.ars) that talks about auto-save, auto-resume, versioning, obsoleting the quit application paradigm (they are all interconnected).

[zekopeko]

This is an absolutely terrible "feature" and I sure as hell hope you can deactivate it in Lion (I have not upgraded yet). From a security point of view, having the OS do things behind your back that you neved told it to do is a frightening thought. For example I often temporarily copypasta sensitive data in TextEdit for reference that I never save to disk, how am I supposed to do that now? (No, pencil and paper is not an option for RSA keys.)

If you are worried about security than you should already be using full disk encryption. Since you apparently are worried that TextEdit will auto-save sensitive information in plain text in the background you must not be using full disk encryption, which would mean you aren't really worried about security.

[Copper Bezel]

Yeah, that didn't sound quite kosher to me, either, but I can accept that there are small security gestures one can make even in a relatively insecure system.

Thanks for the link. For anyone looking through that page, this (http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2011/07/mac-os-x-10-7.ars/7#document-model) item is the one this thread is in reference to.


You have a cat? P*ssy.
Had a cat. Poor dear. I never realized the hidden risks of desktop indexing until it was too late. = P