Back to OSX

[SkyHog]

Windows 7 ****ed me off tonight big time. It has been becoming unresponsive and requiring a hard power off lately on my Mac, and I got fed up with it to the point where I went back to OSX 10.5.8.

I loved Windows 7, and I understand I was running a release candidate, but it really was starting to slow down a lot lately (not just on this PC, either, but on my Media Server and on my 2 laptops). I sincerely hope that this problem will not persist in the RTM version.

Internet Explorer 8, which I also loved, has slowed down on all three machines as well, but only in Windows 7. At work, I run IE8 without any performance issues on Windows XP. I guess we'll see what the cause is.

For the first time since I started testing Windows 7, I can honestly say, it feels incomplete. I was disappointed to say so.

Unfortunately, even though I'm within my 1 year warranty period, I cannot upgrade for free or discounted to Snow Leopard, because Apple is the company of the devil (not that Microsoft is any better), so I guess I'll have to come out of pocket $30 to upgrade.

That said....yay Mac world, Nick is back.

 

[jesse]

Unfortunately, even though I'm within my 1 year warranty period, I cannot upgrade for free or discounted to Snow Leopard, because Apple is the company of the devil (not that Microsoft is any better), so I guess I'll have to come out of pocket $30 to upgrade.

Seriously -- you're going to complain about a $30 operating system upgrade? How much does it cost to upgrade from Vista to Windows 7? Personally I consider the $30 very reasonable. Even my friend who prefers to steal operating systems, but recently switched to Apple, asked me to give him a copy of Snow Leopard. I told him to just go buy it for $30 -- he thought that was fair and went and bought it.

I don't mind paying for something for a reasonable cost. Truth be told I didn't gain a whole lot from the switch -- although it is noticeably faster.

 

[SkyHog]

Seriously -- you're going to complain about a $30 operating system upgrade? How much does it cost to upgrade from Vista to Windows 7? Personally I consider the $30 very reasonable. Even my friend who prefers to steal operating systems, but recently switched to Apple, asked me to give him a copy of Snow Leopard. I told him to just go buy it for $30 -- he thought that was fair and went and bought it.

I don't mind paying for something for a reasonable cost. Truth be told I didn't gain a whole lot from the switch -- although it is noticeably faster.

Its the principle. FWIW, Microsoft offers free (not discounted) upgrades to people who buy computers after July 1, 2009. Apple does not.

But - also remember, that Snow Leopard is still 10.x. Its not a major upgrade. It would be like Microsoft charging for hotfixes.

That said, I'm happy to be back in the Mac world again. Seems I have to change my OS every few months or so or I start to get antsy.

edit: Now - I need to find out how to redownload LogTen that I paid for a long time ago. I don't have the email anymore....gotta be a way.

 

[wildwobby]

Snow Leopard is much more to a developer than it is to the end user in comparison to 10.5.

The new technologies available newly in 10.6 such as Grand Central Dispatch for example make it extremely easy, clean, and efficient to create applications with the ability to utilize multiple threads/cores. From the playing around I have done in GCD so far, it is a GAME CHANGER when it comes to threading applications. Other nice changes (from a developer POV) include OpenCL, the 64-bit compatibility, a new version of XCode (Apple's IDE -- which is hugely improved in 10.6), clang, and an abundance of new/reworked APIs, plus much more.

As you can see, most of the major stuff included in SL is from a developer point of view. Although the updates may not seem that great over Leopard from a user's point of view, even though I also think it is worth $30.00, it IS the future. The technologies like dispatch can only be used in systems with 10.6+. By not upgrading, you are hindering OS X from moving forward.

In my opinion Apple has done an amazing job with these new technologies. Snow Leopard which is pushing for 64-bit binaries to become the norm, has done a perfect job with utilizing the Universal architecture system for native code on both x86_64 and i386 the same way they did when making the move from PPC to i386. How did Microsoft handle it? They have like 10,000 versions of the operating system in both 32 and 64 bit packages, drivers are impossible to find that are compatible, etc...

Microsoft is a mess, way behind Apple in terms of new technology, and are in a hold to deep in which to recover. It is my opinion that Microsoft will die a slow death over the next 20 years.

</rant>

 

[wildwobby]

Its the principle. FWIW, Microsoft offers free (not discounted) upgrades to people who buy computers after July 1, 2009. Apple does not.

But - also remember, that Snow Leopard is still 10.x. Its not a major upgrade. It would be like Microsoft charging for hotfixes.

That said, I'm happy to be back in the Mac world again. Seems I have to change my OS every few months or so or I start to get antsy.

edit: Now - I need to find out how to redownload LogTen that I paid for a long time ago. I don't have the email anymore....gotta be a way.

Yes, Snow Leopard is still 10.x, but it is in no way comparable to a hotfix! There are tons of new technologies in the release as I described. The interface may be close to the same, but under the hood, Snow Leopard is a whole new beast! OS X is going to be around for a while. It has been here since 2001, and will probably stay here until at least 2016.

 

[sba55]

Yes, Snow Leopard is still 10.x, but it is in no way comparable to a hotfix! There are tons of new technologies in the release as I described. The interface may be close to the same, but under the hood, Snow Leopard is a whole new beast! OS X is going to be around for a while. It has been here since 2001, and will probably stay here until at least 2016.

Exactly. Snow Leopard represents a major change for OS X. If you think otherwise, you're falling for the version number game....

 

[Arbiter419]

Hrm...I actually feel the exact opposite about Windows 7. I've had zero problems with it, and I feel that it's everything Vista should have been. (I'm running RCI x64) My machine's been on for 30+ days and I haven't noticed any slowdowns.

But I understand the antsy feeling regarding switching OS's every few months or so...I used to be like that. Then it became too much of a PITA to back up all my data to make the switch.

Related sidenote: Have you tried Linux?

*runs and hides*

 

[murphey]

I'm still wondering why people are running Windows Anything on Mac hardware? Unless you're running a dual-boot system, of course.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Its the principle. FWIW, Microsoft offers free (not discounted) upgrades to people who buy computers after July 1, 2009. Apple does not.

Apple generally *does* do such things, but not with a very long tail. And I certainly don't see a major OS upgrade as a "warranty" type of item.

But - also remember, that Snow Leopard is still 10.x. Its not a major upgrade. It would be like Microsoft charging for hotfixes.

Not at all. OS X is always going to be "10.x." It's simply a naming thing. They decided when it came out that after all the code names and BS we'd heard over the years (Copland, Rhapsody, etc.) to simply call the new OS "Mac OS X." Until there's something entirely new, it'll probably always be 10.x. It's not numbered like most software. Major upgrades of OS X are .1 upgrades, not 1.0 upgrades. So, think of OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" as Mac OS X 6.0. But if they actually called it that, people would get confused. So it's 10.6. Remember, the *first* version of OS X was 10.0, not 1.0. And IIRC every single .1 upgrade, generally a year or two apart, has been a paid upgrade with a level of features worthy of a paid upgrade (or a x.0 upgrade on any other software).

That said, I'm happy to be back in the Mac world again. Seems I have to change my OS every few months or so or I start to get antsy.

It's kinda like underwear, huh?

edit: Now - I need to find out how to redownload LogTen that I paid for a long time ago. I don't have the email anymore....gotta be a way.

You can *download* it - I think the full thing is available for download for free - But you'll still need your serial number, IIRC. It's sold through Kagi.com, I bet there's a way to get on there and prove it's you and get the number re-sent. Their main site is coradine.com and they're very nice people so I bet if you can't figure out a way for Kagi to do it, you can explain the situation and they'll help you out.

 

[gprellwitz]

Seriously -- you're going to complain about a $30 operating system upgrade? How much does it cost to upgrade from Vista to Windows 7? Personally I consider the $30 very reasonable. Even my friend who prefers to steal operating systems, but recently switched to Apple, asked me to give him a copy of Snow Leopard. I told him to just go buy it for $30 -- he thought that was fair and went and bought it.

I don't mind paying for something for a reasonable cost. Truth be told I didn't gain a whole lot from the switch -- although it is noticeably faster.

I'll point out that Windows 7 is a $30 upgrade too, if you're a student. They verify that by your having a .edu email address.

 

[tparsons]

Related sidenote: Have you tried Linux?
*runs and hides*

Not the OP, but yes, Ubuntu Linux. Except for some specialty programs I use for business which require Windows, it does just about everything I want. Office software (Open Office), picture and video download and editing. Networking. Printing (except Lexmark). Some simple games. Internet (Firefox browser and Thunderbird or Evolution email). Calendar. CD/DVD play/burn. There is a free program available that enables you to run some Windows programs under Linux. Updates daily and anti-virus programs are not needed. Like MAC OS, there are virtually no viruses that affect it. It reads and writes NTSF (Windows XP and later) format drives. There is a very good community support forum.

Runs on PC and MAC. Free. You have to download an iso file and burn it to a CD, or you can order a free CD. What you get is a "live" CD that will run very much as if it were installed on your HD but slower. It gives you a feel for the system. You can install to your hard drive from the same CD and you can set it up to dual boot. You have to understand that is is NOT Windows, just as MAC OS is not Windows.

I believe it does not do iPhone or sync with PDAs easily.

http://www.ubuntu.com
Forums: http://ubuntuforums.com

 

[Everskyward]

I have a computer that is running Ubuntu because I resurrected a computer which had had its original OS corrupted. I think I made it worse by trying to "fix" it but that's another story. I didn't have a backup disk or an original copy of Windows XP so I loaded Ubuntu. It does basic things but I would not want that to be my only computer. It might be OK if you don't want to run specific programs. It also seems that you need to do some tinkering to get some things to work right. I had a hard time getting the mouse to work. I finally figured it out after looking through a lot of solutions but I would never be able to repeat it without going to all that trouble again. I've come to the conclusion that it is OK if you just want to do basic things but if you want to do more you need to like tinkering with your computer which is something which doesn't interest me at all.

 

[SkyHog]

Not the OP, but yes, Ubuntu Linux. Except for some specialty programs I use for business which require Windows, it does just about everything I want. Office software (Open Office), picture and video download and editing. Networking. Printing (except Lexmark). Some simple games. Internet (Firefox browser and Thunderbird or Evolution email). Calendar. CD/DVD play/burn. There is a free program available that enables you to run some Windows programs under Linux. Updates daily and anti-virus programs are not needed. Like MAC OS, there are virtually no viruses that affect it. It reads and writes NTSF (Windows XP and later) format drives. There is a very good community support forum.

Runs on PC and MAC. Free. You have to download an iso file and burn it to a CD, or you can order a free CD. What you get is a "live" CD that will run very much as if it were installed on your HD but slower. It gives you a feel for the system. You can install to your hard drive from the same CD and you can set it up to dual boot. You have to understand that is is NOT Windows, just as MAC OS is not Windows.

I believe it does not do iPhone or sync with PDAs easily.

http://www.ubuntu.com
Forums: http://ubuntuforums.com

Linux rocks hard. Even syncing with PDAs is doable for the most part. The only thing missing is iTunes for it to sync with the iPhone easily.

I see OSX as a fancy Linux clone, but without the weird quirkiness that is inherent in an OS designed for a plethora of different types of hardware.

BTW, for anyone that is curious, emailing [email protected] will allow you to retrieve your serial number for LogTen Pro.

 

[rpadula]

Its the principle. FWIW, Microsoft offers free (not discounted) upgrades to people who buy computers after July 1, 2009. Apple does not.

Nick, perhaps you missed the Snow Leopard Up to Date program. Essentially the same thing -- any Mac bought after June 8, 2009 could get a copy of SL for $9.95. I got mine that way. It's my understanding some % of that cost is for the postage and physical media.

 

[Arbiter419]

Linux rocks hard. Even syncing with PDAs is doable for the most part. The only thing missing is iTunes for it to sync with the iPhone easily.

I see OSX as a fancy Linux clone, but without the weird quirkiness that is inherent in an OS designed for a plethora of different types of hardware.

BTW, for anyone that is curious, emailing [email protected] will allow you to retrieve your serial number for LogTen Pro.

It sure does. The thing that does it for me is the customization. (Gnome themes and such)

And yeah, OSX is Unix based..so yeah.