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El Capitan

Earlier this week, Apple released OS X x.xi El Capitan on the Mac App Store. With some important under-the-hood improvements and a scattering of new features, this upgrade is definitely worth your time. And with a price tag of $0, information technology's difficult to complain.

Okay, then what are nosotros getting hither? What's so great about El Capitan? In this post, I'll be running downward my listing of the six all-time new features in Bone X 10.xi. Whether y'all're on the fence about the upgrade, or only want to know a little bit more about Apple's latest OS, this truncated list is what you need to know.

Split View

Fullscreen split view

Over on the iPad, iOS 9 finally introduced side-by-side multitasking. While the Mac has obviously had that kind of functionality for decades, Apple is making it fifty-fifty improve with El Capitan.

At present when you're in fullscreen mode, y'all tin can take two apps displayed side-past-side. Dubbed "divide view," this is a significant step frontwards for the lark-free interface. More oftentimes than non, you need multiple windows open when you lot're trying to achieve a chore. For example, being able to go on Soulver open side by side to my text editor in divide view is a really useful improvement.

Of grade, you can yet navigate around your desktop equally you would normally. Nobody is forcing y'all to use fullscreen way if information technology'southward non your cup of tea, but I'm glad that it'due south getting better for those of us who use information technology to get piece of work washed.

Natural Language

Natural language search

The more content we have, the more of import search becomes. Even with the diligent use of naming conventions, finding a specific document in the Finder can sometimes be like finding a needle in a haystack. That's why I'm excited that Apple is rethinking how search works on Bone X.

With this update, Spotlight is much easier to use. You nonetheless trigger the search bar in the aforementioned way, merely you can do local searches using the same kind of tongue that you'd use with Siri. Now that you can search for "Keynote presentations I made in May" or "emails I received from Carol," finding your files will be much easier.

This certainly isn't the be all and cease all for human-reckoner interfaces, merely I'yard thrilled that nosotros're hurdling towards a futurity where communicating with your reckoner is equally easy as talking to your friends.

Photos App

Third-party add-ons for the Photos app

Traditionally, people remember of Apple'southward software as completely walled off. Of course, the situation is more complicated than that. Every bit long as Apple has been making software, people have been tweaking it. While that often means tinkering with unsupported and undocumented functionality, Apple has gotten better in contempo years nearly letting third-political party devs customize the Bone X and iOS feel.

This fourth dimension effectually, Apple tree is allowing third-parties to create extensions for the Photos app, and release them on the Mac App Store. If yous're not content with the built-in editing suite, you tin now customize your experience as you run across fit.

Because that Cupertino discontinued both iPhoto and Aperture earlier in the year in favor of this new app, this gives me promise that some of best features from those apps will live on through these add-ons.

Mute Tabs

Safari improvements

In El Capitan, Safari is getting a lot of dearest. It should go without saying that it's a flake faster, simply Apple is too offer upwards a few new user-facing features to make the built-in browser more compelling. And as a Safari user myself, I welcome these quality of life improvements with open arms.

Long ago, Chrome started showing a speaker icon on whatever tabs that are currently making noise. That was a smart improver, but Apple tree has taken it one step farther. In this new version of Safari, not only can users see which tabs are making noise, just they tin can at present mute all tabs from the address bar. Since we're now living in a world where some websites call up its okay to automatically start playing video with sound whenever y'all load a page, this characteristic is a godsend.

Want to picket your favorite web videos on your Apple Tv? AirPlay streaming is at present baked right into Safari. Press the AirPlay button on videos, and information technology will pop up immediately on the big screen. And since you no longer have to stream your unabridged desktop to the Apple tree Telly, you won't take to worry about broadcasting embarrassing URLs or desktop icons to your family unit.

As a nice little bonus, frequently-used tabs can at present exist pinned to the tab bar. We all know other browsers have implemented this feature earlier, only it's a solid add-on that every major browser should benefit from.

Metal comes to Os 10

Metal, the depression-level graphics API developers have come to love on iOS, has finally made its way onto the Mac. In the same fashion that Direct3D 12 and Mantle offer performance benefits on Windows, Metal is aimed at making the Mac faster. Non only volition this make for higher frame rates on new games, but information technology could also make your normal computing experience snappier past allowing developers to better optimize graphically intense elements similar animations.

At this point, it's safe to say the Mac volition never have the aforementioned kind of gaming support as Windows. However, Mac support has steadily improved in recent years thanks to the rise of multiplatform development environments similar Unity. And because gaming is already heading this management on other platforms, it's wise for Apple tree to offering a comparable API.

OS X Security

Improved security

On Unix and Unix-similar operating systems, having root admission tin cause all sorts of security issues. Simply by entering your password, you could potentially let loose all sorts of hellish malware on your system. And hot off of the heels of that iOS App Shop issue, it's wise that Apple tree is taking security seriously in the new OS.

By default, El Capitan ships with something chosen "System Integrity Protection" turned on. This security measure prevents even the administrator from tampering with directories and processes deemed to exist a security adventure. Thankfully, most users won't ever find a divergence. More or less, this is simply another layer of security to keep rogue software from infecting your Mac.

The tinfoil hat enthusiasts among united states will probable point to this every bit Apple taking away control from users, but that'southward not really the case. If you lot want, this feature tin can be turned off completely. You'll need to boot into the recovery division, and run csrutil in the terminal. Simply unless you absolutely demand to tweak something, I can't in proficient conscience recommend toggling this characteristic off.

Yeah, aye, capitan

This isn't a revolutionary OS. It's not rocking the boat, nor should it. OS X is extremely mature, and making sweeping changes solely for the sake of appearances would exist more than a little featherbrained. And since El Capitan is free, works on all Macs running Yosemite, and offers a handful of improvements, it's easy for me to endorse wholeheartedly.

Of class, the standard warnings still apply. Brand sure all of your data is safely backed up before yous make the bound, and anyone on a mission-disquisitional automobile should hold off on updating until nosotros know for sure what apps accept compatibility issues. Beyond those caveats, there shouldn't be anything keeping you lot from enjoying the Apple OS with the goofiest proper noun.