Paul Thompson writes: >I've followed (like St Peter: afar off) some of the seemingly endless >discussions about the problems presented by OS X. And I'm wondering, >if it it is such a beast why anyone would bother with it. Obviously >it must have some advantages, unless you X users are super >masochists... > >So can someone tell me - briefly - why X is better? & for what?
Didn't we just have this discussion last week? More than better or worse, Mac OS X is different. It's got a Unix core, a NeXTstep heart, and a more-or-less Mac-like shell. It is a completely different OS from what we now call the classic Mac OS. It is more stable, it has much higher hardware demands, and about 97% of all future Mac software development will specifically target OS X. It used more CPU cycled, demands more RAM, uses more drive space, and is very graphically intensive. Only with the fourth release (beta, 10.0, 10.1, 10.2) does it begin to approach the responsiveness of OS 9. It is so different from OS 9 that it can take days, weeks, or even months to become comfortable with it. It works, but there are enough differences to keep tripping you up. All that said, the more I use OS X, the more I like it. It's stable -- you can force quit Internet Explorer and iCab until the cows come home and it doesn't mind. (Why so often? Yahoo! Games applets keep hanging when I play too much Euchre.) I still use OS 9 most of the time because three programs and some utilities I depend on simply aren't available for X. Jaguar and Mail may get me a step closer to making the switch, but I love good old Claris Emailer. Home Page, the program I use to design/edit Low End Mac, is the biggest reason I still need the classic Mac OS, and it's much nicer in native OS 9 than in the classic environment. Basically, switch when you have a compelling reason to do so. Your computer is a tool, and you should only make changes to it that will make it a better tool for the work you do. -- Dan Knight, president, Cobweb Publishing, Inc. <http://cobwebpublishing.com> <http://lowendmac.com> <http://digital-views.com> <http://digigraphica.com> <http://lowendpc.com> <http://reformed.net> In a world without walls or fences, who needs windows or gates? -- G-Books is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Check our web site for refurbished PowerBooks | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-Books list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-books.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-books%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
