The complete guide to installing Mac OS X Lion

Here's how to make the upgrade to Apple's latest OS as quick and painless as possible

At long last, Lion (Mac OS X 10.7) is available, and unlike previous versions of the Mac OS, getting it doesn't involve driving to the nearest Apple Store or retailer, or waiting for the FedEx truck to arrive -- you just download it directly from the Mac App Store. The installation process itself is also easier and faster, requiring just a few clicks to install Lion over your existing copy of Snow Leopard. But just because Lion is the easiest-to-install version of Mac OS X yet doesn't mean you should make the jump without any preparation, or that there are no important decisions to make along the way.
We've installed Lion more times than we can count, on a variety of Mac models, in order to put together a guide that we hope will make the transition painless for you. In the articles below, we cover the requirements for running the next big cat; the things you should do to get your Mac ready; and the purchase and download processes. We walk you through the actual installation; recommend some post-install tasks; discuss some upgrade challenges; and help you decide if a "clean install" is for you. We've also got instructions for creating a bootable Lion installer disc or drive, as well as for installing Lion over Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5), provided you have the appropriate license to do so. Finally, we've got a hands-on look at Lion's new recovery mode.
[ See InfoWorld's slideshow tour of Mac OS X Lion's top 20 features. | Keep up with key Mac OS X, iOS, and other Apple technologies with the Technology: Apple newsletter. ]
Click on the links below to read on!
Get your Mac ready for Lion
Apple bills Lion as the easiest-to-install version of OS X yet, and that may be true. But there are still a few things you can do right now to ensure that your Mac is ready for 10.7.
Installing Lion: What you need to know
Now that Lion has been released, here's a look at the details of installing and setting up Apple's first download-only OS. We also take a look at some of the upgrade obstacles you might face.
How to make a bootable Lion install disc or drive
Though you can install Lion directly from your Mac's hard drive, a bootable installer drive or DVD can be more convenient for installing Lion onto multiple Macs, and if your Mac is experiencing problems, a bootable installer makes a handy emergency disk or disc.
Should you do a "clean install" of Lion?
Some Mac users prefer to do a "clean install" of each major new version of OS X, erasing their drive and starting over. We examine whether or not that's possible or, more important, advisable with Lion.
How to install Lion over Leopard
Installing Lion officially requires that you have Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6) installed, but there are situations in which you may have a valid Snow Leopard license but want to go directly from Leopard (OS X 10.5) to Lion. It turns out there are several ways to do so.
Hands on with Lion Recovery
One of the most significant new features of Lion is that it lets you boot your Lion-equipped Mac into a special recovery mode that includes a few essential utilities for fixing problems, restoring files, browsing the Web, and even reinstalling Lion. Here's our comprehensive look at this new troubleshooting tool.

 

Google+ to get group sharing boost from Fridge

Google's acquisition of the startup company could help the new social network by simplifying the ad-hoc creation of online groups

Google has acquired startup company Fridge to enhance Google+'s capabilities for group sharing.
Fridge was designed to simplify the ad-hoc creation of online groups where members can share posts, photos, videos, discussions, and text messages, both on desktop computers and mobile devices.
[ InfoWorld's Woody Leonhard thinks Google+ is the right service at the right time. But Robert X. Cringely says Google+ is mostly a minus. Who do you agree with? | Stay ahead of the key tech business news with InfoWorld's Today's Headlines: First Look newsletter. ]
"We strongly believe in the group social experience and couldn't think of a better place to realize our vision of bringing the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to the web as part of the Google+ Project," reads a Fridge blog post.
A key Google+ component is its Circles feature, which is designed to let members easily create multiple sets of friends and contacts -- like family, work, college buddies or softball league teammates -- in order to share different content with each one, as opposed to sharing everything with everyone.
For current Fridge users, the news isn't good because the service will shut down. New content can no longer be posted to Fridge, and users will have until August 20 at 6 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time to download their content they have stored on the site. After that, all user data will be deleted.
Google+, launched in late June, is in a beta version and available only to people that members invite. It is estimated that between 15 million and 20 million people have accounts.
While that is only a small fraction of the 750 million members on Facebook, Google believes that its site will give Facebook a run for its money. For example, Google maintains that Google+'s mechanism for sharing and for privacy is much simpler and effective than Facebook's.
For the week ending July 16, Google+ ranked in the 42nd spot among social networking sites and in the 638th spot among all sites in the U.S. in terms of visits, Hitwise said on Wednesday.
However, it is growing fast, despite being available by invitation only. For example, it ranked in the 2,404th spot among all sites in the U.S. in the week ending July 9, Hitwise said.
Meanwhile, visits to Google+ topped 1.8 million the week ending July 16, up 283 percent compared with the prior week and up 821 percent compared with the week ending July 2, according to Hitwise.

 

APJ Abdul Kalam

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
born 15 October 1931) usually referred to as A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is an Aerospace engineer, Professor and chancellor of Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. During his term as President, he was popularly known as the People's President. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.
Before his term as India's president, he worked as an aeronautical engineer with DRDO and ISRO. He is popularly known as the Missile Man of India for his work on development of ballistic missile and space rocket technology. Kalam played a pivotal organizational, technical and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear test in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974.
He is currently the chancellor of Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, a professor at Anna University (Chennai), a visiting professor at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Management Indore, and an adjunct/visiting faculty at many other academic and research institutions across India.
In May 2011, Dr. Kalam launched his mission for the youth of the nation called the What Can I Give Movement. Dr. Kalam better known as a scientist, also has special interest in the field of arts like writing Tamil poems, and also playing the music instrument Veena

Early life and education

Abdul Kalam was born in Rameshwaram, presently Tamil Nadu, in British India in 1931. He spent most of his childhood in financial problems and started working at an early age to supplement his family's income.
After completing his school education, Kalam graduated in physics from St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli. He then graduated with a diploma in Aeronautical Engineering in the mid-1950s from the Madras Institute of Technology. As the Project Director, he was heavily involved in the development of India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-II).

Career

As Chief Executive of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (I.G.M.D.P), he played a major part in developing many missiles in India including Agni and Prithvi although the entire project has been criticised for being overrun and mismanaged. He was the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of Defence Research and Development Organisation from July 1992 to December 1999. Pokhran-II nuclear tests were conducted during this period and have been associated with Kalam although he was not directly involved with the nuclear program at the time

Issues held

Future India: 2020

In his book India 2020, Kalam strongly advocates an action plan to develop India into a knowledge superpower and a developed nation by the year 2020. He regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower.
It has been reported that there is a considerable demand in South Korea for translated versions of books authored by him.
Kalam continues to take an active interest in other developments in the field of science and technology. He has proposed a research program for developing bio-implants. He is a supporter of Open Source over proprietary solutions and believes that the use of free software on a large scale will bring the benefits of information technology to more people.

Awards and honours

Year of Award or Honor	Name of Award or Honor	Awarding Organization
2011	Doctor of Science (microbiology)	S.Gujarati University
2009	Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa)	Anna University of Technology
2009	Hoover Medal	ASME Foundation, USA[12]
2009	International von Kármán Wings Award	California Institute of Technology, U.S.A
2008	Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa)	Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
1997	Bharat Ratna	Government of India
1990	Padma Vibhushan	Government of India
1981	Padma Bhushan	Government of India

=Books and documentaries

Kalam's writings

• Wings of Fire: An Autobiography of APJ Abdul Kalam by A. P. J Abdul Kalam, Arun Tiwari; by K. Bhushan, G. Katyal; A. P. J. Pub. Corp, 2002.
• Scientist to President by Abdul A. P. J. Kalam; Gyan Publishing House, 2003.
• Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; Penguin Books, 2003.
• India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Y.S. Rajan; Penguin Books India, 2003.
• India-my-dream by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; Excel Books, 2004.
• Envisioning an Empowered Nation: Technology for Societal Transformation by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; TATA McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Ltd, 2004.
• Guiding Souls: Dialogues on the Purpose of Life by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Arun K Tiwari; Ocean Books, 2005.
• Children Ask Kalam by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; Pearson Education, ISBN 81-7758-245-3
• Indomitable Spirit by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, 2006
• The Scientific Indian: A Twenty-first Century Guide to the World around Us by APJ Abdul Kalam and YS Rajan
• My Journey by APJ Abdul Kalam, Published By: V Suryanarayana Murthy

Biographies

• Eternal Quest: Life and Times of Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam by S. Chandra; Pentagon Publishers, 2002.
• President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam by R. K. Pruthi; Anmol Publications, 2002.
• A. P. J. Abdul Kalam: The Visionary of India by K. Bhushan, G. Katyal; A.P.H. Pub. Corp, 2002.
• A Little Dream (documentary film) by P. Dhanapal; Minveli Media Works Private Limited, 2008.^[15]
• The Kalam Effect: My Years with the President by P.M. Nair; Harper Collins, 2008.
• My Days With Mahatma Abdul Kalam by Fr.A.K. George; ISBN No:978-8190452953; Publisher: Novel Corporation, 2009