MACINTOSH REVIEW Panther proves to be a sleek version of OS

By MATTHEW FORDAHL
AP TECHNOLOGY WRITER
For the second time in just over a year, Apple Computer Inc. is out with a major upgrade of the Mac OS X operating system, packing it with features Windows users won't see for years and attaching a price tag befitting Apple's reputation as the Porsche of computer makers.
At $129 per computer or $199 for a five-license pack, Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther" is expensive, but for the most part worth the price. A variety of envelope-pushing enhancements improve navigation, security and interoperability with other computers.
The upgrade introduces an improved Finder, the tool through which users poke around their hard drives and networks. It also solves the problem of desktop clutter, offers fast switching among users and provides strong security.
Most remarkably, despite the 150 improvements, Panther seemed to speed up, not slow, my aging Power Mac. After a tricky installation, the Unix-based operating system was rock-solid and never crashed in my testing.
Graphics enhancements
The most noticeable changes take advantage of the Mac's advanced graphics, which leap over the capabilities of Windows-based machines. Microsoft's next release, code-named Longhorn, won't introduce Windows users to similar features until 2006.
And these Apple graphics aren't just eye candy.
Panther exploits the advanced rendering capabilities to allow users to quickly make sense of a cluttered desktop. With the Expos & eacute; feature, all the open windows on the desktop immediately shrink to fit on the screen but are still clear enough to identify.
To bring a desired window to the foreground, the user needs only to click on it. Another function key reveals all the windows in the current application. Yet another clears the desktop entirely. There was no stuttering or slow redrawing.
With Panther, Apple also introduces fast user-switching. Fans of Windows XP know this feature well: It allows one user to sign on while the previous user's programs continue to run in the background.
But Panther adds a graphical twist. When the account is switched, the entire screen becomes the face of a giant cube that appears to rotate, revealing another face of the cube with the new user's screen ready for action.
All applications continue to run for both users. In fact, while my wife was checking e-mail under her username, my hidden session was still streaming iTunes music to my Windows network.
Faster navigation
Apple also has made major strides in fixing the clunky Finder of previous releases. Besides a brushed-aluminum look, it sports a navigation pane that lists common areas such as the main hard drive, the applications folder and the network. Additional destinations can be added by dragging them into the pane.
Files that reside on the network are just as accessible as those on the local hard drives. In my mixed Mac-and-Windows network, all my PCs showed up after clicking the "network" icon and providing a username and password.
The networking improvements go a step farther. With printer-sharing enabled, any printer connected to the Mac can be shared with a networked PC. And a shared printer attached to a PC also can be shared with a Mac.
The benefits of such features are obvious in a corporate environment. Now, as home networking takes off, it's no longer necessary to run the same operating system on every computer.
Security issues
With networking made simple, security becomes a greater concern.
Macs already have a reputation for being less prone to viruses than Windows computers. One reason is that Macs aren't as juicy targets as the legions of Windows machines. (Still, don't expect to escape the security patch: Apple released one for Mac OS X 10.3 Tuesday.)
Another reason is that Apple tends to leave networking services off until the user decides to turn them on. Some versions of Windows are more vulnerable because Microsoft, before its recent security push, often left services on by default in the interests of user convenience.
Other security enhancements include an option to make files unrecoverable when they're deleted. Normally, on Windows machines and Macs, just the hard drive space is freed up when a file is removed. In Panther, users completely write over the freed-up hard drive space.
Installation glitch
I experienced one rough spot with Panther -- the installation. On my 2001 Power Mac G4, it could not boot from the installation CD.
Apple was as baffled as I, and according to the message boards at Apple's Web site, a handful of other users experienced the same problem. I eventually got the software installed by using the CD drive of a laptop I connected to the Power Mac via FireWire. Apple engineers are investigating the problem.
Once running, I had no other problems and could understand why Mac fans hold late-night launch parties even for an incremental upgrade. Panther doesn't disappoint.
Still, it would be nice if it weren't priced as if it were the Mac OS XI.