I am actually a big Westlaw fan. The interface has always been a bit more Mac-like. Last week I signed up for a Lexis product and was welcomed on my first day to this message: 

We’re sorry, but the [edit] is designed for use only on the IBM-compatible PC. It may not function properly on Macintosh. For assistance or more information, please contact your account executive.”

 Really? You think you can fix that? Not really a great week for these guys anyway. Plenty of big names taking issue with the company. In any event, they seem to have turned the corner on some of the user interface issues. Look forward to signing in without using virtualization. 

I suppose that this is one of the more substantiated rumors regarding the upcoming OS. There is some good news and bad news. The good news is that it will probably be wicked fast and battery efficient. The bad news is that PPC users may be getting passed over on this one. I know, I know. But we go through this every time people. If you don’t like it, write your local Apple Rep. Some more details from Jacqui Cheng in Ars Technia:

“[T]he release is heavily focused on performance and nailing down speed and stability. With Apple’s current (and future) focus on smaller, thinner, and more mobile devices, this move makes perfect sense. Things like the MacBook Air, iPhone, iPod touch, and other mysterious devices that have yet to be announced need better performance for better battery life, and that’s definitely something Apple wants to excel at in the years to come. Our sources did not note whether Apple planned to discuss Snow Leopard at this year’s WWDC.

Something else that may happen is that Apple may eventually wrap everything in Cocoa—things that are currently only Carbon accessible will be no longer. This (which is reportedly not yet in stone) should make many Objective-C programmers happy, although those who are married to Carbon may get a bit bristly at the news.”

Seriously, this is an early bird rumor. We knew the iPhone was coming out ages before it actually did. So true is Snow Leopard. The rumor mill says that the earliest launch date is set in 2009.