Tradeoffs for OS X Beta
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: New 2008 iMac 2GB $42 / iMac Intel Core2 DUO & MacBook Pro 2GB $36 - 1GB $20. MacPro 8 Core Memory 8GB kit $286 / 4GB kit $143 / 2GB kit $93 -- Free shipping available. LIfetime warranty.
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
OWC: Mercury Elite FW800/FW400/USB2/eSATA up to 2.0TB TOP-RATED Solutions offer High Performance, Reliable storage for all your data storage needs. 500GB $159.99, 750GB $199.99, 1.0TB from $299.99
Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.
- 2000.10.13
I seem be experiencing a bit of déjà vu lately in regards to Mac OS X Beta and everything that surrounds it. It reminds me of when Windows NT came out - everyone was trying to figure out what to make of it. While technically superior to Windows 95, there were many tradeoffs involved in wanting to run it as your primary operating system.
As a desktop operating system, I avoided NT altogether, because the minuses outweighed the pluses. Just to name a few" playing games were out of the question because Direct X (Microsoft's gaming API) didn't run on it, hot swapping PCMCIA devices made it impossible for me to use NT on the road, driver support wasn't quite there, and if you crashed really bad, recovery on any level was out of the question.
These were tradeoff's that I found unacceptable just to run a fully 32-bit operating system that could bring my Windows computing to the next level. It took Microsoft four years to implement the features I wanted with Windows 2000, and by then I had already switched to the Macintosh.
When I look at Mac OS X, I seem to be doing the same thing as when I was exploring the possibilities of running Windows NT. With OS X I get my beloved command line back, and I get to play by Unix rules. Preemptive multitasking is another thing I am looking forward to, because it would be nice to hold down the mouse button for an extended period of time and not have Mac OS halt all operations until I let go. In a nutshell everything that Steve Job's is selling in Mac OS X, I want to buy.
There are always tradeoffs when moving to a new operating system, especially one in beta. Old reliable hardware might not work, and drivers may never be written for them. Your favorite software, despite compatibility claims, may have unforeseen issues which keep it from working. I have gotten used to these things over the years. When I consider using a new OS, I create a list of tradeoffs that will incur.
Right now, it all comes down to drivers, which is at the top of my tradeoff list. Mac OS X Beta does not work with my Voodoo 3 AGP, keyboard, or AirPort. While I may gripe about that now, I am confident that they will work when the final version ships - but I am anxious to use OS X right now.
The Voodoo 3 I can live without for a while, because I am not really playing any games at present, and I know that 3dfx will release drivers. I did see that a version of Quake 3 was released by the Omni Group, and I was tempted to play it on a Mac OS X system. Then I remembered how bad the ATI Rage 128 is at playing 3D accelerated games; I changed my mind.
My keyboard, a Microsoft Intellitype Pro USB, does not work with Mac OS X at all. I have traced this problem back to Darwin and it's lack of driver support. Searching high and low, I have yet to find anyone even discussing the issue of using third party keyboards and mice. The only thing I did find was an Apple TIL in the Mac OS X Server section on Apple's website stating that third party USB keyboards and mice may not work under Mac OS X Server. I am not certain that Microsoft will release drivers for this keyboard, even though they did ship drivers for Mac OS 9 a short while ago.
In the meantime I did try to use the keyboard that Apple bundled with my G4. I used it for about two hours until my wrists and fingers screamed in pain. Unfortunately, I have carpal tunnel - even when I use a screwdriver for long periods of time I experience quite a bit of pain. If you have gotten Mac OS X to run with third party USB keyboards, I would like to know what keyboard you are using.
There have been reports of hacks existing to get AirPort working with Mac OS X Beta. I have tried these hacks and have never gotten it to work. The first report I read was from Mac OS Rumors, who I never take seriously, but I thought for once that they actually posted something factual. Even after doing their hack, doing an "ifconfig &endash;a" (shows all network device information) in the command line revealed that no other network devices existed on my G4 or PowerBook other than a loopback interface and my ethernet interface. If anyone has gotten their AirPort to work with OS X beta I would appreciate you going to terminal, and doing an ifconfig &endash;a and sending me the information that comes from it.
In order for me to use Mac OS X Beta on my G4, I would have to stop using all the devices mentioned above. Once again, I find myself asking the same question I did with NT, is it worth it right now?
In the end it's a matter of patience, which I don't really have much of. I want to use Mac OS X now, but the price I would have to pay does not make it seem worth it.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Power Mac 8200, Apr. 1996 - The minitower version of 7200 was never sold in America.
- List of the Day: G4 List is for those using Power Mac G4s or G4 upgrades.
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- New Apple Notebooks at Zero Minus One Week, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 10.07. It's widely anticipated that Apple will overhaul the MacBook Pro and MacBook lines next Tuesday. What should we expect?
- How to Clone Mac OS X to a New Hard Drive, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 10.07. Whether you want to put a bigger, faster drive in your Mac or clone OS X for use in another Mac, here's the simple process.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.07. Used 867 MHz Combo, no APX, $490; 1.33 GHz, $496; 1.5 GHz SuperDrive, $542.
- Best Mac mini Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.07. Used 1.25 GHz G4 Combo, $399; 1.42 SuperDrive, $559; 1.66 Core Duo, $499; new 1.83 Core 2 Combo, $570 after rebate; 2.0 SD, $770 a/r.
- Best Power Mac G3 and PCI Video Card Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.07. Used beige 300 MHz, $25; 333, $198; blue & white 300, $49; 350, $55; 400, $90; 450, $105; PCI video cards from $15.
- $19,800 Bentley Ego Laptop Remarkably Similar to 1999 Clamshell iBook, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.06. Granted, Apple's iBook didn't have white gold trim, a padded leather exterior, or come in colors to match your Bentley automobile.
- The Cost of Moving to Small Business Server vs. Moving to Leopard Server., Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 10.06. Upgrading the existing SBS 2003 Server would cost less, the the server will run up against hardware limitations long before a Mac Pro does.
- Use Your FileMaker Pro Databases on Your iPhone, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple, 10.06. Although there's no version of FileMaker Pro for the iPhone, FMTouch will let you use your data and layouts on it.
- Best eMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.06. Used 700 MHz CD, $110; CD-RW, $130; Combo, $170; 800 CD, $170; 1 GHz Combo, $250; SuperDrive, $280; 1.25 Combo, $290; SD, $360; 1.42 Combo, $359.
- Best MacBook Air Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.06. Used 1.6 HD, $1,299; refurb, $1,499; new, $1,669 after rebate; 1.8, $1,919 a/r; 1.6 SSD, $2,294 a/r; used 1.8 SSD, $1,997; refurb, $2,299; new, $2,349 a/r.
- Best iPod shuffle Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.06. Refurb 3G/1 GB, $39; 2 GB, $59; new 1 GB (3G or 4G), $47; 2 GB (3G or 4G), $67. Prices include ground shipping.
- Mac Netbook Coming?, $179 64 GB SSD, Apple Owns 20% of US Notebook Market, and More, The 'Book Review, 10.03. Also head of Norton AntiVirus team uses a Mac, Toshiba demos new battery technology, 1 TB notebook drives due in 2010, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
- Getting the Most from Your G3 Mac, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 10.03. Most G3 Macs can be upgraded so they can run Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' quite nicely. Here's how.
- Apple Drops iPhone NDA, Defecting to Android, Auto Performance Apps for the iPhone, and More, iNews Review, 10.03. Also more research needed on cellphone cancer link, file sharing app for the iPhone, three new power accessories from Macally, several new iPhone apps, and more.
- Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.03. Used 450 MHz, $75; 500, $99; 733, $150; 800, $199; 1.25 GHz, C$349; 867 MHz dual, $225; 1 GHz, $349; 1.25, $499; 1.42, $600.
- OS X and Safari Shares Grow in September, Toxic Mac Pro?, Green Hard Drives, and More, Mac News Review, 10.03. Also Vista terrible as Mac market grows, CrossOver Mac Pro reviewed, SimpleTech Pro Drives, and a new toolkit for working on computers.
- Best iBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.03. Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 366, $199; 500 CD, $149; 800, $190; 600 CD-RW, $240; 800 Combo, $300; 900, $399; 14" 600, $360; 900, $469.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.03. Mac OS X 10.0.3, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $60; 10.3 CD, DVD, $100; CD, $119; 10.1 Server, unlimited users, $65; 10.3 Server, unlimited, $150.
- More links in our archive.
About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts
Have a question?
Ask an expert!
Navigation
Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System
6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
Mac FAQ
Abandonware
Petition
Mac vs. PC Info
Affiliates
The Apple
Store
Mac
Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial
Memory
batteries.com
Advertise
