The best graphical operating system I've ever seen
Written: Apr 23 '03 (Updated Apr 25 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very stable; simple interface; built for networking; built-in applications are fantastic
Cons: Difficult at first for OS 9 fans; Clumsy migration path; Macs ain't cheap.
The Bottom Line: A stable, beautiful and intuitive OS. It's a pity it's not standard and Mac hardware is expensive.
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| HawgWyld's Full Review: Apple Mac OS X Jaguar 10.2 Full Version (M8712LL/A... |
Every now and then, the folks at work are really kind to me. My most recent gift came in the form of Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar to replace my aging version of OS 9. While I've been a fan of Macs for years, I was truly amazed at how damn good this newest operating system for the perennial underdog is.
Now, bear in mind that I'm a newspaper reporter. Naturally, then, the folks at my company have fallen in line with the rest of the publishing world and prefer Macs. After using OS X, I'm considering breaking away from the Microsoft addiction I've had for over 20 years by using my current Windows box at home for a boat anchor and shelling out the bucks for a Mac.
Before I discuss the attributes of OS X, I should get into as much of a technical discussion of the operating system as I dare. I do believe understanding a little something about the underpinnings of OS X is important because it's a good idea to know exactly why the operating system is so stable.
There's little dispute that OS X is build around a Unix core through Apple's open-source Darwin project. Wonderfully stable operating systems such as Linux and Free BSD were derived from Unix, so OS X shares something in common with those "alternative" packages (alternative meaning anything that's not Windows). Specifically, OS X is rock solid, and I've only had it crash once during about two weeks of constant use. Reporters these days, of course, are damn near chained to computers as we spend a good part of our time researching on the Internet, writing articles on applications such as News Edit, reviewing photographs and etc.
Of course, there's some dispute over whether OS X is based on Linux, Free BSD or a little bit of both. It's my understanding from some of the tech guys at work that OS X chose to go with a Free BSD core because of licensing. Under the Linux licensing scheme, I'm told, Apple would have to give it's alterations to the underlying kernel back to the Linux community (i.e., the user interface and some associated applications). Under the Free BSD licensing scheme, Apple is free to slap a copyright on said alterations and sell the whole thing for a heck of a lot of money. I don't know whether OS X is based on Linux, Free BSD, CP/M (ah, remember the eight-bit days?) or my neighbor's dog. Furthermore, I really don't care. What I do care about is that the operating system is stable as hell.
Truth be told, I've only had OS X crash on me once, and that was when I was running Netscape 7.0 with four pages open. Netscape 7 seems to act a little flaky here and there under OS X, so I'm not sure if my system suffered from a operating system flaw or my Internet browser needs a fix. Only time will tell, I'm afraid. Perhaps it could be that my hardware is a bit slim for Jaguar -- my system at work is a Ruby Red iMac (it looks just dandy!) with a 400 MHz G3 and 128 megs of RAM.
Not only is Jaguar stable as can be, it's also an attractive operating system, thanks to Apple's slick Aqua interface. The most dominant feature of the interface is a "docking bar," which stays hidden until the mouse is pulled to the bottom of the screen (or, the right, left or top, depending on how you configure the thing). The docking bar can be configured to provide instant access to whatever applications you care to drag into it, and serves the purpose of the old OS 9 "finder" in that it's the place the user goes to switch between applications which are open and running.
Now, the docking bar can be a bit confusing for long-time Mac users used to clicking the "finder" in the top-right corner of the screen to switch from program to program. Confusing, too, is the updated Sherlock tool. In the past, that was used to find files on local hard drives. Under OS X, local drives are searched elsewhere, while Sherlock is used to search for files on the Internet and etc.
Fortunately, getting used to some of the differences between Jaguar and OS 9 aren't that difficult. One thing I hate about Jaguar, however, is that it will only run applications designed for it. Sure, it'll run OS 9 applications by booting and running the earlier operating system, but that method is clumsy and the applications seem a bit slower. That could mean folks interested in performance will need to lay out the cash purchase OS X versions of applications. Frankly, most firms have shut down development of programs for OS 9, anyway, so upgrading that old software will likely be necessary in the future regardless.
Fortunately, OS X is bundled with some nice applications. My favorite is the e-mail client, which offers the functionality of Outlook Express or Netscape and has some other bells and whistles built in. There's an automatic spell checker that's nice, but the great thing is the way it handles spam. By default, the e-mail client classifies certain e-mail as spam (unless you turn the feature off), and can be trained to learn what's junk mail and what's not. Once out of "training" mode, Spam will be dumped in a junk mail file. With the click of a mouse, the user can define mail as junk or tell the client it's wrongly identified useful mail as spam. The method the client uses to handle spam makes it easy to get rid of junk and keep useful stuff. Very slick.
There's also iTunes, the build in CD player/burner, iMovie for folks interested in manipulating digital films and such (I have no experience with it, sadly) and iCal -- a fantastic calendar program which is very easy to use. The folks at Apple seemed to have made a goal of making Jaguar simple to use and packed with powerful features, and they've achieved that pretty well.
Oh, and the package networks easily (a must for a newspaper with five bureaus and over 150 employees). Unfortunately, I do believe Jaguar was designed with broadband Internet connections in mind. My Mac at work is hooked up to a T-1 line, which is activated often (checking for updates on various applications and etc.) And, a broadband connection is almost essential for updates. After Jaguar was installed on my system, I quickly figured out I had version 10.2 because a dialog box informing me of such popped up after the system had been purring along for a couple of days.
I was informed the latest update was version 10.2.5 -- the main component of which was 85 megabytes long. Just imagine downloading that over a phone line.
While this is a fantastic operating system, it does have it's flaws. First of all, Mac hardware isn't cheap. Want a cheap alternative to Windows? Linux is attractive in that department. And, bear in mind, a very good system with Windows XP can be put together for quite a bit less than a Mac -- the "dirt cheap" Mac these days appears to be the eMac, which starts at $999. For half that much, one can locate a Windows box which will suit the needs of most folks (gamers and "power users" not included, of course).
Second, most software is made for Windows. Sure, XP is ugly, buggy, sluggish and a security risk, but it's standard. If you want that whiz-bang application or top-rated game, you might find yourself out of step with the rest of the world if you're not running Windows.
Still, I'll stick to game consoles for games and will likely wait to get a Mac with OS X (the next version is called "Panther") rather than deal with Windows XP. The sophistication, stability and flexibility of OS X is worth it to me, but I fear I'm in the minority in that regard.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
HawgWyld
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Member: Ethan C. Nobles
Location: Benton, Ark.
Reviews written: 1429
Trusted by: 495 members
About Me:
The oxen are slow, but the earth is patient.
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