Mac OSX 10.7 -- Lion

I've been running Lion for a couple of weeks now, and think I like it!  Yes, the download from the App Store takes forever, but it's worth it.

App Check
The first thing I did was check to see if all of my apps work.  They do.  Here's a quick list of the apps I use and rely on (all are the most current versions):

• Microsoft Office 2011 (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, Remote Desktop Connection)
• Firefox 5
• Bria 3 Softphone
• VMware Fusion 3.1
• TweetDeck
• Mindjet MindManager
• SPB Wallet
• GoToMeeting 5
• iLife
• iWork
• Kindle
• Logos Bible Software 4

They all work!  That's important, since it's not about the OS, but about the apps.

Network Integration
Integration with our Microsoft network is still good.  We don't add our Macs to Active Directory, but do automatically mount network volumes for easy access (see prior post for easy steps to do this).

A Coupla New Features
New versions of software don't have to be better, just different!  (One of our favorite sayings.)  While that may be true with Lion, there are a couple of new features worth mentioning:

• Mission Control
  Mission Control replaces Spaces.  Admittedly, I was never a fan of Spaces, primarily because I didn't like how it impacted mouse movement.  Mission Control is similar in function, but better.  It acts more like the multiple screens on an iPad.  I like to the point where I'd say the meager $29.99 upgrade fee is worth it just for Mission Control!
• Launchpad
  Launchpad is a simple way to see all of your apps.  It's a little like doing so on the iPad, and is convenient.  Some are predicting the death of the Dock because of Launchpad... we'll have to keep watching to see what Apple does with that.

Mouse Scroll Behavior Change
Lion takes the iPad concept to the mouse too.  Unfortunately, in its default setting the mouse scrolls up and down opposite to how computer users want it to.  But you can go to the Mouse or Trackpad preferences and fix it by simply un-clicking the "Scroll direction: natural" box.

A Coupla Minor Bugs
There are a couple things I hope Apple decides to fix, but they're minor:

1. For some reason my sound setting keeps resetting itself to a very low volume setting.  I haven't found a pattern yet, so am thinking it's just a bug.
2. When shutting down it always asks if you want it to re-open windows when logging back in.  Removing the check mark (which shows up checked every time) is often ignored... another little bug.

Is Lion Worth It?
I like keeping in current operating systems when I can.  This upgrade is very affordable and, I think, worth doing.