|
Being one that likes to live on the bleeding edge, I have installed OS X on my PowerMac G3 450 as well as my PowerBook. You can install OS X by itself, or the more common method is to install it with OS 9, now called "Classic." I decided to install both, due to the lack of applications for OS X. By installing OS 9 I can run most of my old software while taking advantage of the new operating system. Classic takes a minute or so to start, but then you're running a copy of OS 9 within OS X - so most of your software will still run. I've been running PhotoShop 6 and Office 2001 in Classic with no problems. However, I can't wait for these applications to be native under OS X. OS X is based on a flavor of Unix called BSD. Apple calls this core operating system "Darwin" and everything else is built upon it. While the most popular version of Unix, Linux, ships with two different Windows-like programs (Gnome & KDE) you can select from, OS X is very similar to the old OS 9 interface, thus decreasing the learning curve of someone new to Unix. People have been moving Unix applications to OS X, and this is an added bonus--it's like running 3 operating systems at one time, seamlessly. The Aqua interface is absolutely beautiful, although some have derided the candy-like appearance of the interface buttons. Based on PostScript, the display is the closest thing to true WSIWYG-- What You See (onscreen) Is What You Get (when you print). By using an industry standard for displaying graphics, Open GL, it is much easier for developers to port their graphics applications and games to OS X.
Why did Apple select Unix as the foundation of OS X? For the same reason Microsoft has had to rebuild Windows for NT and now 2000. The old foundation was not able to support the new demands of users, or take full advantage of the new breakthroughs hardware. OS 9 was flawed, both in memory management (you had to manually set the amount of memory a program could use) and in multitasking. You could not truly run several applications at one time and have them behave. With OS X, if one crashes it should not bring down the entire operating system. I have yet to have a serious crash under OS X - and I've done some crazy stuff. Probably the one feature all Mac users check out first when they get their hands on OS X is the command prompt. For the first time since the Apple 2e they have given us the power to access a command line. This is the window into the Unix "heart" of OS X, and they way to fully realize the power of OS X. While most people that use OS X will never need to run a shell script, this will help OS X appeal more to the technical audience. OS X will give us a much stronger base for future software, which is starting to become available. The first applications you see are the ones that come with OS X. iTunes, Apple's music player, is a great example of a well-designed application. I use it constantly for playing MP3 files and streaming radio over the Internet (since I can't receive any radio in my basement I especially appreciate this feature). The next release of OS X, 10.1, is due in September. While Apple has been providing free and frequent updates to OS X since the release, this one will add a much faster and improved Aqua interface, DVD playback and burning (right now you can't play DVD's in OS X, you have to reboot into OS 9), enhanced networking support, and much more. I got a chance to play with OS X 10.1 at MacWorld and this will become my primary operating system when it ships. I believe this version will be the first "real" shipment of OS X. To find out more, visit Apple online at: http://www.apple.com/macosx/. If your Mac didn't come with OS X (all recent ones do) you'll probably pay around $99 for your copy. If you buy it now, Apple has promised a free upgrade to the next release. While it's not perfect, I'm starting to fall in love with OS X. As more and more applications appear, I'm starting to be able to realize the promises of OS X: speed, reliability, and the power of Unix--all in a gorgeous interface. |
|
|
I've been using 
The Dock is a cross between Apple's old program
switcher and the Windows "Start" menu. Completely configurable,
you can drag any application to the dock and then launch it by
clicking on it. You can have the dock hide automatically, or
have the applications grow when you move the mouse over them.
With OS X 10.1 you can even move the dock around the screen.
The dock has been changed several times since the release of
OS X, and the next release should be even more useful.