Mac OS X - time to change?

If you own an Apple Macintosh computer, you have likely heard that Apple has come out with a pretty robust operating system called Mac OS X (ten). Mac OS X will be able to carry

It's quite a risk Apple is taking, but I am sure as soon as all the software falls into place and the bugs worked out, Mac OS X will be the best by far for users who want stability UNIX-based core operating system and the ease of a Macintosh. But, it's almost ready for typical home users! See it at http://www.apple.com/macosx/

How do you say Mac OS X?

The X is Roman numeral for ten. Verbally you say "ten" It wasn't much time when Microsoft caught the trend and renamed it's operating system to Windows XP.

Who is this MacOS X operating system for?

The Mac OS X is not quite ready for prime time - so close though. If you've never used the MacOS before, then by all means, use X and don't look back. Current and hardcore Mac users will have to adjust to a new way of thinking and viewing of their screen. It kind of looks familiar, but you'll need to adapt. I think it's for the best, but you'll need to be the judge of it.

What do I hear about both operating systems being loaded on at the factory now?

It's true - all Macs shipping from May 21, 2001 have both operating systems installed, but only OS 9.1 is activated. You can easily switch to Mac OS X and even in Mac OS X have Mac Os 9.1 running at the same time. You can't have Mac OS 9.1 running first and then start-up Mac OS X., you'll need to reboot.

My head hurts! Why can you (or would you) run both OS'es at the same time? What's wrong with Mac OS X?

Not everyone will be pleased or have the money to run out and buy the new version of software such as Adobe PhotoShop. Mac OS X is so different in the way it runs, older applications will not work with OS X. But, of course you'd like to use your old applications now at the same time. Apple is letting you use both Mac OS 9 and X at the same time! You should eventually see if there is a Mac OS X version of your software (the upgrade might be free).

I need to login now why?

Yes, you need to login. The Macintosh operating system was never was secure unless you use third party products, which work, but do change the code often without Apple's permission. Mac OS X is very secure, not letting you boot up completely without logging in.

I hear the Mac now runs on some UNIX variant. Will I need to learn the language?

The beauty behind Mac OS X is that you can dive in under the hood if you want to. If you don't care, then there is no need to use advanced tools (but keep them around just in case). At its core, Darwin uses BSD, which stands for Berkeley Software Distribution. Linux is another free operating system.

Aren't BSD and LINUX free? Why am I paying for this?

from http://www.opensource.apple.com//ps-faq.html "Open source is a term for the historical development model used by the Internet community to facilitate distributed development of complex, high-quality software. The basic principle is to involve as many people as possible in writing and debugging code, by publishing the source code and encouraging the formation of a large community of developers who will submit modifications and enhancements. Community efforts such as BSD, Linux, Sendmail, Apache, and Perl embody the spirit and power of the open source model."

It's based on a free operating system. Apple has taken the core of BSD and added a Mac-like graphic user interface to make it look like something you're seen before. As an advanced user, you could download BSD for free and run it on another machine. You are paying Apple for the use of BSD optimized for the Mac, with the Mac look. There are other operating systems you can run, many more for the computers running Pentium processors. This is likely more than you wanted to know though…

What else do I need to know?

If you're going to upgrade, you'll need to know a few things

You need a relatively new Apple machine - the faster, the more memory - the better. Memory is cheap right now, load up while the price is so low.

If you have a diskette drive built-in, such as a Beige G3 it will not work with Mac OS X - don't rip the diskette drive out too quick, it'll run in Mac OS 9.

Both Mac OS X and 9 can be on the same hard drive at the same time, just don't move the files Mac OSX places on the hard drive around. You can access all the files in Mac OS X, your files won't disappear.

You'll need to spend some time poking around and exploring the new look. This could be hours or days. You'll find some favorite features kept, and some gone. You won't be able to configure the Apple menu - instead, the Dock is yours for customizing.

Go to Apple's webpages at http://www.apple.com/macosx/ to find out more