On 10/08/04 15:48, "Andrew Main" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I read MacInTouch and MacFixIt every day, and am appalled at how > disastrously messy OS X -- which was supposed to solve all the > problems we were having with the classic OS -- has turned out to be > for many users. The difference is that unlike OS 9 (and earlier), > when trouble comes to OS X it's often impossible for a non-geek to > figure out. If I were attracted to learning arcane command-line > stuff, I'd have gotten a PC in 1988 instead of a Mac. The Mac was > easy enough for a clever non-geek like myself to figure out that I've > been making my living doing Mac support for over a decade; but OS X > is a whole other level. True, it's pretty robust, but when it does go > wrong, it really goes wrong. And it's a much bigger job to reinstall. > > From today's MacFixIt: > > 1. Make sure your hard drive is in good shape: Boot from the OS X > Install CD and run Disk Utility's Repair Disk function (or use a > third-party drive utility such as DiskWarrior or TechTool Pro). > 2. When booted from the volume containing Mac OS X, run Disk > Utility's Repair Disk Permissions function. > 3. Install the update. > 4. After rebooting, again run Repair Disk Permissions. While I generally agree that OS X still has some problems, I think it's a vast improvement over OS 9 and the advantages outweigh the non-geek factor of OS 9 which, should I remind you, is, at the core, a system that was designed around 1983 and which, when it came out about 4 years ago, still had large portions that were in 68000 code even though PowerMacs replaced regular Macs over 10 years ago! My only slight gripe at Apple is that they left too many opened doors for developers to exploit and come up with all those "enhancements" that can radically change the look and feel of the core system. While I myself use some extensions to provide more functionality, as a software developer that distribute its software over the Internet and support it, I'm amazed by all the gunk, gadgets and what's not that regular users will install in their account then later complain that their system is unstable or require too much geeky maintenance. If they were keeping their system clean, they would avoid far less problems, but, of course, it is not the developers of all those nifty "enhancers" that will tell them since they're charging for those "utilities". I try to keep my systems as clean as possible and I must say that most of the time, I don't think about running Disk Utility to repair permissions here and there, before and after upgrades and I haven't had any serious problem so far. So, keep that in mind the next time you find a colorful, innovative "utility" with all kind of bells and whistles that can make you fresh coffee when you wake up and start your toaster in the morning. There ain't such things and all those little messy extensions you keep burn precious cycles on your system and many of them will compromise the very permissions that you're trying to reset, not mentioning affecting the system stability and reliability as a whole... -Laurent. -- ======================================================================== Laurent Daudelin Developer, Multifamily, ESO, Fannie Mae mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Washington, DC, USA ************************ Usual disclaimers apply *********************** -- 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/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
