Spiderider's Full Review: Apple Mac OS 10 Full Version (M7686LL/A)
Pros: Pretty! It's more stable, more attractive to use.
Cons: Not much to run on it, and a host of problems with compatibility.
Recommended: No
Bottom Line: X doesn't offer real advantages as an OS at the moment. But in the future... Things look like they might look a lot brighter.
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OS X might be a good idea whose time hasn't come. The MAIN drawback is that there is so little software to run in it. If you are a seasoned Mac user, you probably already have the basic staples of computing - graphics, and word-processing programs. If you want to use them in your OS X environment, you'll have to wait until new versions come out, and then, expect to buy entirely new copies. Upgrades to OS X nativity won't be in the form of free, downloadable patches.
I had hesitated when X first came out. I read some negative reviews. But when version X.1 issued and allegedly fixed the problems, the reviews were glowing. Fast startups (of your X native software) system stability, smooth multitasking, etc.
I bought the program and had some real problems getting it installed. It required calls to Apple Support to overcome some conflicts with parts of my old operating system.
I had thought that OS X would be allow me to use my old software. While you can run your old software, it isn't running in X. What happens is that the software will open in what's called the "Classic Environment." This is basically OS-9 running INSIDE OS X. To do this, OS 9 has to boot up, which takes as long as it did when you booted it up as your main operating system. So, it's like booting up TWICE to run an application like PhotoShop. So while native programs DO open faster in X, plan on waiting twice as long for the older ones to open.
If you have a floppy drive, there is no support. You have to reboot your computer in OS-9 (not the classic environment, but completely reboot IN OS 9) to access it.
If you had features on your mouse or trackball, or tablet input devices, don't expect them to work. You're back to basics! I enjoyed the right button double click, for example, on my Turbomouse, but it there is no support for it here.
To my mind, X is moving more in the direction of Windows - just as Windows has been moving in the direction of the Mac for years.
X sports a dock at the bottom of the screen. It's like the minimizing bar in Windows. The controls are more like windows, as are the hierarchies of files when saving or opening from the finder. I think there are more clicks required to get around now than in the old system. And I've even had to "force quit" programs that freeze up, just like in Windows.
I had expected more integration, too. There is an improved interface for accessing the web and e-mail, but it's not compatible with AOL - which you run just like you always have. (By the way, there is - amazingly enough, an OS X native version of AOL 5)
I haven't found much integration - certainly not as much as I find in the smooth integration I'm seeing on my Windows system at work.
Downloading software updates has been a problem as well. Somethings don't seem to decompress, and I sometimes need to reboot in OS 9 to install software updates on my older programs.
That's not very much of an advance in convenience of use. I'd call it just the opposite.
For me, there have just been more drawbacks in X than advantages. I suspect that when more programs become available, X will come into its own. THEN programs will open and run more quickly, and it might have more advantages than the older OS format.
Mac OS will give your Macintosh a dramatic new look and feel, along with all kinds of enhanced capabilities for accessing the Internet. It will also s...More at eBay
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