Hey, Mac heads: OSX?

[Robb]

Do I really, really, really need to get it in gear, get the extra memory, and upgrade to OSX?

I mean, my father-in-law keeps bugging me about it... but he's always been a classic early adopter (and I know it's hardly "early" to think about OSX). I'm just so... stable right now.

I spend most of my time on a lime iMac, a Lombard, and a bulletproof Wallstreet... I use the thing for writing, and mucking about on the web. That's really 99% of the use. I'm just fearful of messing with a system (OS9) that's been so functional for me... all my computers can talk to each other painlessly, all my software works and plays well with one another, etc.

Is it worth it?

[AngryYoungMan]

1. YES YES YES

I've had about seven Macs, starting with the original in 1984. I now use a PowerBook and a G4 all day, every day. OS X is the best thing since sliced bread. I can go into lots of detail if necessary.

P.S. Panther is worth every penny.

[Robb]

2. Ha! I had a 128K too!

...and I remember being upset that the 512K didn't make the same series of sounds when it started up...!

For an idle user like myself, what's the advantage?

[Atman]

7. Ohhh...do it! But...

You must meditate and chant first, and ready yourself for some big changes.

At first, I hated it. Things seemed to be changed that didn't need to change. But, being basically Unix, most of the things people missed from old OS9 control panels and plug ins were quickly written as add-on to OSX. Now, with the newest versions, most of those hacks have been built in. And it is stable as all hell. I regularly run Photoshop, Illustrator, GoLive, Mail, iTunes, Safari and my legacy scanner that only runs under OS9, all at the same time, and nothing ever skips a beat. On the odd chance one of the apps hangs up, everything else just keeps on keepin' on.

Besides that, the really cool stuff is too numerous to mention. Check out Apple's web site; the new Panther version just came out Friday.

www.apple.com/macosx/

[bif]

3. I've been holding back too.

I can't afford the softwar upgrades. And right now, my Mac is running smooth as heck with 9.2.2 I was having problems and the tech guy here striped my hard drive and did a clean install. It's been working flawlessly for about two months. If I did the upgrade to OSX, I'd have to run everything in classic mode. So where's the benefit?

[dpbrown]

5. I think you ought to build a budget to move up

There are a lot of intangibles involved, but almost all my software now has an OS X version. Sure, it took a couple of bucks to get updated, but there's just no comparison between Classic and OS X now that I'm there.

[dpbrown]

4. OS 9 is included with OS X

So you don't have to necessarily "give it up."

We've got a flat-screen iMac and a 14" iBook. The iMac is G4 but the iBook is G3 (I think). We've been running OS X since we ditched our PM4400 and Beige G3 last year.

I won't go back.

It took a little getting used to, but now I'm hooked on all the stuff you can only have with OS X - my iDisk, using my .mac account to make websites, Safari, Mail.app, iPod, iTunes, etc. And I'm psyched for the other stuff too. We're going to get the recording attachment for the iPod and I really want the iSight cam to do Firewire-enabled teleconferencing. (Actually, a couple of the above might have been available in OS 9, too, I don't remember anymore.)

The key for you, I think, will be how supported your equipment is. But if it's supported for OS X, you should at least give it a whirl. It's supremely smooth, and it gets out of your way, just like an OS should.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[jmatthan]

6. Be very careful

I have been a Mac user from 1984 onwards. I became used to solving my computing problems using a standard set of rules, such as dropping extensions, etc. I was totally in control of my computer and never had to depend on outside help although I was and am a computer idiot.

With MacOS X that has changed. There is no simple set of rules for people like me to solve the problems, if and when they occur. And problems do occur, and many them have not been solved with each subsequent release of OS X. (I have been using OS X from 10.0 onwards and will be changing to Panther as soon as I get it.

I have stopped using many of Apple's own software for OS X such as Mail, Safari, Sherlock, as they just crash and there is nothing you can do to solve these problems.

On the other hand MacOS X is really beautiful and I use it on my main computer - the latest eMac. I have a local ethernet link to my older 1996 Performa 6400 which runs System 9.1 and I have a great performance from that old machine with all my old and trusted software. That in turn is connected by Appletalk to my solid and dependeable 1992 PowerBook 170 which runs 24 hours a day on system 7.6.

All this linking is seamless as I transfer files across my local network and feel confident with each - except my latest eMac and that is because I know in case of a crash there is no way with my limited computing skills I would be able to solve them except by being online through my other computers.

MacOS X is great - really great - but you have to be an expert to solve the problems that occur. If you have the time to learn, then do a 100% switch, otherwise be like me and enjoy the best of all Mac worlds!!

Regards

Jacob Matthan
Oulu, Finland

[BlackVelvetElvis]

15. Great point

I never have to worry about the "extension conflicts" in OS X. What a pain in the butt that was!
If you do install X, do it clean-wipe the HD completely beforehand.
I haven't had any problem with Apple's software except Safari; a bit buggy. I can say that I haven't had one single pop-up window since I've been using it.

[Atlant]

8. If 9.x is working for you, and you're not looking for the iLife apps...

If 9.x is working for you, and you're not looking for the iLife apps,
then you may want to "stand pat" for a while longer.

OS/X is a wonderful experience, and I'd never willingly go back to
9.2.2, but there's got to be some payoff for you, right? For me,
the iLife apps and the Unix underpinnings are a big payoff, as
is the ability to run the latest Microsoft Office (as well as
the latest high-powered graphic tools), but only you can say
whether any of this is important to you. But also realize that
as time goes by and more apps go through upgrades that make them
OS/X-only, the balance will shift to much-more-strongly favor OS/X.
By the way, the "classic" (MacOS/9.x) emulation layer in MacOS/X
works very well; most or all of your old software apps will almost
certainly run.

With regard to adding memory: Add the memory anyway. All computers
love physical memory and this includes Macs, whether they're
running MacOS/9.x or MacOS/X.

With the Wallstreet, there are several additional caveats you'll
want to watch out for if you're upgrading to MacOS/X:

• You must install MacOS/X on the first partition on your
  harddrive, and that first partition must be NO MORE THAN
  8GB in size. Otherwise, the Wallstreet firmware can't boot
  MacOS/X.
  
  
• If you're using AirPort wireless networking (via a third-party
  WaveLAN card), while MacOS/9.x provided native drivers for the
  WaveLAN cards, MacOS/X doesn't! But there's a perfectly serviceable
  third-party driver for the cards.
  
  
• The WallStreet required a hardware accelerator card for DVD
  palyback. This isn't supported in MacOS/X, so you'll lose the
  ability to play DVD movies on your WallStreet. You can still
  access DVD discs as data devices, though.
  
  

Having said all that, you should know that I'm very happy with
my upgraded-to-MacOS/X WallStreet. It's currently coinfigured with
512MB of RAM and 80GB of hard drive. It actually feels to me as
though it has better performance under OS/X than it had under 9.2.2,
although I suspect most benchmarks would prove me wrong; maybe it's
just more "interactive" than it was. It's just been replaced by a
shiny-brand-new PowerBook/G4 15", though, so it may retire to our
stereo system as an iTunes server, replacing our several bookcases
full of CDs with one compact music organizer and general-purpose
file server.

Atlant

[alfredo]

9. Panther is great, but it needs at least one upgrade to take care of

a few issues. Considering the size of the update, 10.3 is pretty good as far as glitches. 3rd party stuff has had some snafu's, but that is to be expected.

Make sure if and when you upgrade that you have at least 9.2 256 RAM, and enough hard drive. It takes up about 3 gigs. I have it on a lime 333MHZ 256RAM machine and it works well. I have a 30 GIG drive in it so space for me is not an issue.

there is a learning curve, so when you are ready to take the plunge, get a book that covers Panther (10.3)

Go to a computer store and play around with Panther. Have some geek show you the ropes.

[myomy]

10. I held off until 10.1 and itÕs been an all around great experience.

No more crashes. Occasionally an app will crash, but you just quit it and restart that app. Painless. I also love the Safari browser, Mail, iPhoto, Itunes and on and on. Also having a good experience with Panther. ItÕs definitely a very positive upgrade.

[elfin]

11. I am a laggard as well

Have a G3 Wallstreet with 9.2.2 - so it is all set to change -- if I want to. I talked to the Apple Store and they said with the way I use my computer, I wouldn't have to.

I don't "do" movies, music - just PageMaker, Photoshop and Appleworks as my main apps. Netscape and IE work well enough for me, so unless I HAVE to, I probably won't go through the anxiety of switching, fearing I might lose some capability with my apps, even though everyone says that is not a problem.

[MUAD_DIB]

12. Food for thought.

If you put OSX on a blue G3 the results will be less than pleasant.

I had installed it on my G3 twice with crappy results.

OS9 works fine for me.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

13. OS X on a G3

OS X can spot any surface flaw on your HD when installing and will stall and not install at all. I had this problem at work (on a blue G3), so they gave me a G4 and it installed great and has been running fine.
I've been using Jaguar for about 6 months at home and love it except my 640 mgs of RAM isn't quite enough to run some multimedia files on (or Limewire). Get as much memory as you can. What a memory hog.
It's a big change, but I can say that I will never go back to previous versions. I love that when a program freezes, it doesn't effect the computer. I have never had to reboot.
It was a huge deal to get used to (navigation, apple menu, finder functions) but I got over it.
Our Mac tech at school says that OS X also perfoms some major functions overnight (daily, weekly, and monthly), so it likes to be kept on ALL the time.

[leftofthedial]

14. OS X is great

But if all you're doing is what you say above, you don't really even need OS 9.

Stability and comfort. The very definition of success in Murka.

My grandaddy always said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

But OS X fucking rocks.

[Zech Marquis]

16. you should start preparng for the Panter upgrade

OS X is the SHIT. jaguar kicks ass, and from what I saw in Panther this past weekend, it's onl going to get better.