MA3 Pre-Release chitchat
 

I'd be interested in any news of Marine Aquarium 3.0 for the Mac. I was one of the first purchasers of the original Mac version, and have been somewhat patiently waiting for a 3D background and individualized fish behaviors. Marine Aquarium is a very fine program, and I'm so ready for this update.

Dana

any estimate how soon Mac version available?

There's no estimate yet on the Mac version of the new program. It will be a while getting the bugs worked out, then Jim O'Connor will start the Mac conversion process. This is not trivial, as the entire program has to be changed from DirectX to OpenGL.

Then there's the matter of when to do this in order to maximize Jim O's efforts. The evolution of the Aquarium will progress rapidly as I switch the fish to the new models and behavior, then start bringing the background to life, one item at a time. Jim O has a lot of other things to do, so I'm sure he doesn't want to keep making changes to the Mac version every week.

Larger Monitors
 

I'm ordering an Apple 30 inch Cinema monitor this week.
I've noticed that the iMacs are coming out with a 24 inch monitor which will, in time, become the more standard size.

Remember, we all were on 14 and 15 inch monitors not that long ago and 19 inch monitor was considered large.(I may be giving myself away, but my first monitor was a green screen)

Is this an issue you are looking at for the new, improved, can't wait for it version 3.0 for the Mac?

From a Windows perspective, Marine Aquarium 3 looks fantastic on my Mitsubishi 70" 1080p DLP HDTV. It should look great on the Mac.

Hiya,

Just wondering if you guys have anymore news on the MAC version yet, its been a few weeks since the last post saying that an estimate wasn't available. So i was wondering if we were talking like maybe early next year sort of jan or feb?

Thanks guys :)

Jim O'Connor already has the current code and is looking into what it will take to do the conversion to the Mac. The problem is, the code is constantly undergoing radical changes, so he's shooting at a moving target. The entire program has to be converted from DirectX to OpenGL, and that's not trivial. Also, another way will have to be found to play music without DirectX. So I'd guess at least a couple of months, once he has a fairly stable code base to work with.

As a dedicated Mac person and Serene screen fanatic (I've got most of my friends, also Mac lovers using 2.6), I'm eagerly awaiting the release of 3 in a Mac version!
Thanks for keeping us up to date, Jim!

Actually works well under VMWare
 

If you are interested in seeing the quality of MA3 on a Mac, it works very well under VMWare.

I'm running it on an early 2008 MacBook Pro and getting around 58 FPS on the laptop screen as I type this on an external monitor under OSX.

I plan on leaving it running on my built in display as eye candy because my external display is better for daily work.

I also have Marine Aquarium 2.6 running using xBack all the time so I have fish all over the place.

jeff

Now that MA3 is becoming more and more stable, is there any update as to when the Mac version will be released? Can't wait to see it on my iMac.

I sent all the files to Jim O'Connor about a week ago. He's looking into it.

OH!!!!! Now I'm starting to get excited!

:hmad::hmad::hmad::hmad::hmad::hmad:

Eagerly awaiting 3.0
 

Any update to offer on the mac conversion?

Ditto for eagerly awaiting 3.0 for Mac!
 

Just popped in to see if there were any news ---yippee!
Anyone know how long it takes to turn files into finished and available product?:p

Given that the PC version is taking a long time.. I would expect the Mac version to take even longer than long..:D

The problem with doing a translation is that Jim O'Connor has to try and hit a moving target. The program is changing so rapidly that it's difficult to know when to cut ot off for the Mac version.

I'm not techie enough to know how or why the program changes rapidly.:dunce: So I'm limited to pacing back and forth.
Good for my waist line, anyway
Will bribes help?
I don't get up to the Pacific Northwest much, but I do work in a Yoga & Massage Wellness Center in San Diego - and I can see you get some table time if you and the other Jim are transported here! :artist:

The program changes rapidly because people keep asking for features, and I keep putting them in :)

Beta team
 

I know it is early still, and I am waiting patiently. I was wondering what the pathway is to joining the beta test team for the mac version of 3.0 if and when you do have a testable mac version. I have been on many beta teams and am excellent at pushing software to its limits. Thank you for such a great product.

I'm running VMWare - Windows XP Pro on my MacBook Pro (2.53 GHZ, 4 GB RAM) and the 24" Cinema display - Ver. 3.0 of SereneScreen Aquarium. COOL! My only problem is bubble sound but no visible bubbles (and yes, I've checked and unchecked the bubbles option repeatedly - no cigar). HEAT! The fans on the MacBook run fast & loud after a few minutes. This program obviously is VERY demanding on the processor. ANYBODY TRIED running 3.0 using Boot Camp???
Thanx, LongJnSilver - London, UK

Try to reduce the max frame rate.

jeff

This is no longer a dead topic as far as development goes. We're on the case, and making progress.

No longer a dead topic...
 

Good to hear that! Please make it compatible with the ImacG5. I do not have Intel processors, so it would be a terrible disappointment if it did not run on my trusty Imac.
What about the license key, will it also work on a Mac? I currently have one for my pc laptop. Not that I would not buy one for my mac if there was no other way...

An iMacG5 should be plenty of horsepower. You'll have to check with Prolific about their policy on the keycodes. That is a publisher sort of thing.

Thanks for sharing news about the mac translation process! I look forward to enjoying the beta program, when it is released.

Not compatible with Snow Leopard
 

I've installed Snow Leopard on my MBP and I get the following message whenever the screen saver kicks in:

You cannot use the Marine Aquarium 2 & Time screen saver with this version of OSX. Please contact the vender to get a newer version of the screen saver.

Will there be a SL compatible version coming? I'm bummed because I had just updated to the Leopard version of Marine Aquarium a month or so ago and I miss it already. :(

As Snow Leopard is not a released product yet, I guess you're one of the first folks to test Marine Aquarium 2 on it.

Marine Aquarium 3 will be Snow Leopard compatible and is in the pipe to be available fairly shortly. It is MUCH cooler than MA2+ versions, and the logo functionality is in there to match Windows (which MA2+ Mac never had).

thank for the update, that's excellent news. I look forward to having my fish back (and checking out MA3!).

Jim, logged in to say i'm looking forward to MA3 for 10.6, and hoping those goldfish won't get neglected either! :)

Aquarium 2.6 is a great program . A constant on my Macs. I got the bad news ... upgraded OS X to 2.6 (Snow Leopard) and Aquarium no longer works .. I am willing to pay for an update .. I am feeling quite deprived. Sooner the better.

Will Marine 2 be updated for Snow Leopard?
 

I'm happy with Marine Aquarium 2 for my Intel Mac and do not want to have to purchase Marine Aquarium again for the MA3 in order to enjoy the screensaver.

There are many of us are hoping you'll be updating the 2 for Snow Leopard.

Yes?

My intuition, based on what was written on the extraordinary challenge in writing the app for Macs, that we should not hold our breath. The market share is probably not worth the effort, but for the cost of the screensaver (2) I wish it would have been supported for more than two years. :rolleyes:

I would not expect MA2 to be updated for OS X Snow Leopard. The upgrade to MA3 is $9.95. The background graphics are substantially improved.

Jim stated above that Marine Aquarium 3 is in development for Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Considering the improved graphics (MA2 was built for 1024 x 768, MA3 was built for 5000 x 1600), I think the reasonable upgrade cost will be worth it.

Also, it was Apple's decision to change their APIs and break screen savers that are less than 2 years old.

It's up to Jim O'Connor whether to re-write the Mac version of MA2.6 for Snow Leopard, but given the difficulty and man-hours involved it doesn't seem likely. Who would buy it, and why?

On the PC-side, things are different. We maintain MA2.6 because there is no effort involved in doing so. Through Win98, XP, Vista, and Win7, Microsoft has kept compatability with older programs, so it just works.

MA 2.6 should run on first generation Intel Macs on Snow Leopard, those which don't use the 64 bit OS.

Right now we're concentrating on Marine Aquarium 3.0 and making it as good as we can for Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard. The artwork Jim Sachs made for Marine Aquarium 3 is very, very good. Please take a look at the demo of Marine Aquarium 3 when it is available and see if it isn't worth the upgrade fee (no idea what that will be).

Marine Aquarium 3 for Mac OS, Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard, is very close to being available for your examination.

Apple decided to make the System Preferences panel prefer 64 bit panes, and the Saver engine to require 64 bit panes, as well as be garbage collection compatible, while also removing several APIs we have been using. This is not an unreasonable thing for them to do (some of the APIs have been around since 10.0), as maintaining backwards compatibility when the OS is moving forward so fast is a major pain in the neck, but it does create a problem for us. We can finish Marine Aquarium 3, which we had schedule commitments to do, or we can spend that time on Marine Aquarium 2.6 and break our commitments for Marine Aquarium 3. I thought most people would greatly prefer the much improved Marine Aquarium 3. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope you will be convinced I was right.

Goldfish will get attention when we finish MA 3.

Just be aware that the fish behaviors is something that is in development still and not available on either Mac or Windows just yet. But you will be getting the new background.