I know I'm late to the blogosphere release party for Panther, but I just got it last night and, biting the bullet, installed it with only minimal effort toward backing things up. I intend to eventually wipe this PowerBook completely and install fresh, but I couldn't wait. :)

Mark Pilgrim published the most definitive coverage of the beastie I've seen yet, with help of the denizens of #joiito to manage the onslaught of readers. So, I won't make any attempt to catalog the new things.

A few impressions though:

• Everything feels faster. Windows slide around and resize like they've been waxed underneath. Things seem to launch faster.
• A few small things have improved, like System Preferences quitting when I close the window, rather than hanging around waiting for me to open the window again or quit.
• Some third-party extension I had installed threw Finder into a launch-and-crash loop for awhile. So, if you've yet to install, try to purge your system of extensions first. This should be obvious, but is sometimes a surprise when it's actually a problem.
• Expose looked like a neat feature when I first heard of it. I fully expected it to be slow, stuttery, and 'cute' when I finally played with it. Now, having used it and slowly incorporating it into my usage habits, it's amazing. Smooth and not stuttery at all, it looks like a computer interface feature from the movies.
• Fast user switching, where desktops rotate in and out of view, also looks like you wish it would, and seems like it's from the movies.
• I hate metal.
• I hate metal.
• I hate metal.

That is all. For now. Maybe.

shortname=late-to-the-panther-party