Macintosh OS X

Intro

Macintosh users represent a small percentage, but still relatively large number, of computer users, and that percentage is slightly higher in the nonprofit world.

The Macintosh computer and its operating system based on folders and extensions has represented an alternative to Microsoft Windows that was easier to learn and use for many people. However, the new Macintosh operating system, OS X, is poised to radically change this. Based on a different architecture (Unix) than previous Mac operating systems, Mac OS X could be perceived as a completely new OS that existing Mac users will have to learn. This could potentially turn users away. On the other hand, it has the power and performance of Unix-based systems, but still retains the appearance, if not the reality, of the old Mac "ease of use."

The following report examines the new operating system and aims to address some concerns that nonprofits may have about using OS X.

Installation

The main thing I can say about installing OS X is: Do your homework!

Try 1

I thought I had done due diligence and made sure the laptop I was using was perfectly compatible with OS X. However, after spending 20 odd hours trying to install it, I finally discovered what I should have found out at the beginning (in this case, that my laptop with an extra 64 MB of RAM would crash if I installed OS X).

Try 2

So I tried again on a new iMac that came with OS 9 installed, but had OS X (revision 10.0.3) included on CD. The install takes about 20-odd minutes, and ends with an "oh so hip" Kruder and Dorfmeister remix. I encountered almost no problems. I did hit one snag, as it seemed to stall after the network install. However, after a "force quit" (option-apple-esc) of the installer, it seemed to work fine.

A few installation notes: you must create a "master user" account, which will serve as the administrator account. You also need to connect to the Internet as soon as you start-up, so make sure you have your modem installed, or you have the computer connected to your network.

A good installation overview can be found at TidBits , which I would consider to be the best source of Mac info for "average" users, including nonprofit users.

Operation

The first thing you notice about OS X is that it's beautiful. It is to user interfaces what the iMac is to the gray box. It's a pleasure to watch the operating system's use of shadows, transparencies, and cute little animations, and I'm sure there will be third party user interface tweaks available soon.

On the usability side, because of changes in the new operating system, OS X is not very intuitive for existing Mac users. However, judging from the Unix hack who's using the OS X machine at CompuMentor, it is intuitive for Unix users.

Part of the problem is that many of the old Mac functions have been moved around or replaced. The Chooser is gone-- you now connect to servers through the Go menu in the Finder. There is now a separate Print Center application for handling printers; the Application menu has been replaced by a totally new interface widget called the Dock (similar to the Windows Task Bar, but nicer); the Apple menu doesn't seem to be as flexible as the old version, as some of its functionality has moved to the Dock as well; there are no more Control Panels; and the File/ Edit/ View menus contain different options.

Generally, existing Mac users can blunder their way around and find out how things work, although it will take time to get used to the changes. If you have solid Mac skills and OS X native software, and you are performing common tasks, you would be running at 80% very quickly. On a final note, it is no longer advisable to alter anything in the System folder.

Hardware

Here at CompuMentor, we are running OS X on an iMac with a 400 mhz G3 processor and 128 MB of RAM. It slows to a crawl when I try to switch applications when several are open, especially when I have the Mac OS 9 "Classic" environment running. It needs more memory for sure, and perhaps a faster processor to really make this a snappy graphical user interface.

Officially, OS X will only run on G3 or G4 processors. However, since we've entered the Unix community, there are hacks that will allow you to run the operating system on older Macs.

Cost

OS X costs $130 if bought separately, but it is now coming installed side by side with OS 9 on new Macs. The system boots into OS 9 by default. At this time, there is no information about when new Macs will not have OS 9 installed as the boot OS.

Compatibility

The OS ships with a stable, though slow, version of Internet Explorer, iTunes, a Eudora beta, and a Mozilla beta. Additional OS X native software is available for purchase, including Quicken 2002, and Appleworks. More information on software applications for Mac OS X can be found on the Apple site.

Security

Security is definitely a concern, as now there are more options in the OS setup and hence more possible "holes." There are also more people who hack Unix-based systems than Mac systems. You can read more about OS X security issues at Macintouch .

Reliability

The OS appears stable. One nice thing about OS X, since it is a UNIX style system, is that there are very few memory constraints. I have opened many applications at once and the OS keeps running smoothly (although some applications did crash). I was able to manually cripple the machine using UNIX commands, but that is to be expected.

Recommendations

• Techies:

  Yes! It's beautiful, snappy, and customizable almost to self-destruction. The only reason I haven't installed it on more machines is that I'm still smarting from that laptop debacle.

• Nonprofits:

  Honestly, I don't think learning to use OS X it is a huge hurdle. Nonetheless, I think basic users with basic needs (word processing, Internet use, spreadsheets and simple databases) should stay with OS 9 for as long as possible. The longer people wait, the more stable OS X will become and more native applications will become available. However, all new Macs are coming with OS X pre-installed, and some nonprofits may no choice but to learn to use it.