You'll find few more graphic markers of the end of an era than Apple CEO Steve Jobs' last rites for Mac OS 9. The eulogy for the operating system during the recent Worldwide Developers Conference, complete with on-stage coffin, was partly humourous and partly reverential. OS 9 is the ultimate form, after all, of the program code included in the first Mac from 1984. The future, though, belongs to Mac OS X.
Apple estimates that 23 million of the 25 million Mac users worldwide continue to run OS 9 or older editions, yet Apple and much of the software development and hardware manufacturing industries are now focused on OS X, the new generation of the famous operating system. For every user and business that relies on Macs and hasn't yet moved to OS X, the question is not if they should upgrade, but when.
The benefits of taking the plunge can be immediate: OS X is a highly stable performer, offering a near crash-free experience for many users. Technologies, such as the built-in Apache Web server, offer possibilities not readily available before on the Mac, and there's a growing crop of applications that run exclusively under the new operating system. Apple's policy of introducing important new software that runs only under OS X, such as iPhoto and the forthcoming iChat, is sure to be followed by other big names. Indeed, the latest Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer releases are designed specifically for OS X, and Microsoft has stated that future versions will be OS X-only. Nevertheless, the move isn't without its drawbacks, not least of which is the possible significant expense, along with initial confusion as you adjust to a new way of using your Mac.
Anyone with a few years of Mac ownership behind them has faced upgrading before. Previous transitions, such as the move from System 7 to Mac OS 8, were relatively straightforward. There were always new interface quirks to adjust to, but you could largely be sure your existing peripherals and applications would continue to work, perhaps with the help of a simple software patch. By contrast, switching to OS X is like crossing the Rubicon: because the operating system is now built on Unix, any software application or hardware driver must be rewritten by its developer. This means that before upgrading, you need to make sure all the equipment and applications you already use will function under the new regime. If an item doesn't work, you need to find an acceptable alternative.
To assess the potential cost of switching, make a list of the elements in your Mac setup - the computer models you own and their hardware specifications, the peripherals you use, how they connect to your Macs and the drivers they rely on, as well as the applications you use. The list will be long, and, if you're unlucky, every item on it may need to be upgraded or replaced. Few people can afford to simply toss out their existing setup and buy a brand-new system and applications on a whim, so switching to OS X will involve prioritising hardware and software purchases as part of your regular upgrade cycle.
Hardware concerns
The most fundamental requirement of migrating to OS X is that your Mac can run it. Apple's official minimum specification is any Mac model with a PowerPC G3 or G4 processor, 128Mb of RAM and a built-in USB connection port. It's technically possible to run OS X on older Macs - for example, via the shareware program XPostFacto. However, following that path is more an exercise in geekiness than a practical option.
The real-world experience of those who have already upgraded their system is that your minimum spec should be somewhat higher, avoiding some of the factors that can inhibit speed. Increasing your Mac's memory to 256Mb will help OS X function more smoothly, while machines allocated for media manipulation work should be fitted with 512Mb or more.
Your Mac's graphics card has become a more critical consideration. OS X's full support for graphic accelerator functions, such as video playback and 3D animation, begins with ATI's RAGE 128 series. Macs with older chips, such as the RAGE Pro range, can't perform these tasks adequately, although many general tasks, such as Internet use, are perfectly viable. Every Mac with a G4 processor has included at least a RAGE 128 chip, although many G3 systems are affected. If you have a Power Mac with an older graphics card, you can simply buy a new card, but all other Mac models have the graphics hardware soldered on to the motherboard, so you're stuck with what you've got unless you buy a brand-new Mac. That being the case, you need to assess whether these Macs can usefully perform a role, such as word processing and Internet duties, without hardware acceleration, or whether you continue to run these models under OS 9.
The next big OS X release, codenamed Jaguar, raises the bar still further by implementing a new system of sharing common interface animations between the central processor and the graphics card. This will demand a minimum of an ATI Radeon or an Nvidia GeForce2 MX, so even G4 models of a 1999 or 2000 vintage are affected. It's unclear by how much the performance of Macs without these cards will be compromised.
Peripheral compatibility
Support for peripheral devices under OS X is variable (OS 9's support remains more comprehensive) and your equipment checklist could well reveal some devices that will need to be replaced altogether. Peripherals using serial connections may not function, although USB-to-serial adaptor manufacturers, such as Griffin and KeySpan, have updated their drivers. OS X can recognise SCSI devices if the manufacturer has released new drivers. However, you must check manufacturer's Web sites for details.
Other than these connection port issues, storage devices shouldn't present many problems. OS X supports FireWire and USB-based external devices, including hard disks, Zip drives and SuperDisk drives. Support for rewritable CD drives is expanding quickly - a list of supported models, which includes all Apple's internal drives, is available at apple.com/itunes/compatibility.
Support for printers is generally good, especially networked PostScript printers. Drivers for many models from Canon, Epson and HP are included with OS X, while others are available as free downloads from the manufacturers' Web sites. Digital cameras are also little trouble: supported models integrate seamlessly with OS X using software such as iPhoto or Image Capture. Check the list of iPhoto-compatible printers and cameras at apple.com/iphoto/compatibility/. If your camera isn't included, you could invest £40 or so in a memory card reader to transfer pictures, choosing a model listed on the same Web page.
Scanner driver availability, on the other hand, is risible. The reasons behind the lack of support are complex: the OS X version of Photoshop is only just emerging, and an implementation of the TWAIN scanning standard has been equally long in coming. There are no bundled scanner drivers in OS X, so you need to check the scanner manufacturer's Web site. For models where a driver has yet to appear, the shareware programs VueScan and SilverFast may offer an alternative.
Software upgrades
The 14 months since the initial launch of OS X have seen a steady stream of software announcements, and there's now a native solution in every significant product category. However, it wasn't until the last few weeks that some of the real big hitters emerged. The presence of staples such as FileMaker, Microsoft Office, Norton Utilities, Dreamweaver and Photoshop means that, for many people and businesses, the unavailability of key software is no longer a barrier to upgrading. (Some absentees remain, however, notably QuarkXPress.)
You can now work out how much it will cost to upgrade your current OS 9 software to OS X editions. As with all upgrades, there's no common pricing policy among publishers. Roxio, for example, has made its native upgrade of Toast Titanium free to registered owners of version 5.0. Many publishers opted to add OS X compatibility as part of their next big upgrade, adding the necessary changes as part of their regular development cycle. If you're being charged for a compatible upgrade, you can broadly expect other significant features to be included, which should help justify the expense.
Before budgeting upgrades, check how well your current software works in OS X's Classic environment, which enables most OS 9 software to run within the OS X framework. Programs such as Microsoft Office 2001 and Dreamweaver 4.0 run without significant problems. By establishing which programs would continue to work under Classic, you can set priorities for your spending. For example, you can upgrade the programs you use most often immediately, while postponing spending on less critical packages, and using them in Classic in the meantime.
Installing and setting up OS X is more involved than previous Mac OS upgrades, as the settings already on the Mac don't copy across. Make sure you note down settings, such as TCP/IP and remote access details, as you need to re-enter these by hand. OS X continues to support both AppleTalk and TCP/IP networking protocols, although it seems more comfortable under the latter.
In a mixed workspace of Macs and PCs, OS X can also have difficulty connecting to some Windows NT/2000 servers: the problem appears to lie with the way in which the password is processed. If you can't link to a server in OS X, you can still make the link through the Classic environment. Fire up any program that runs under Classic, then use the old-style Apple menu to open the Chooser and select the server in the usual way. Once the server connects, its icon will appear on the OS X Desktop, at which point you can save it as a Favourite if you use that server regularly. You should then be able to connect without further recourse to Classic.
New mindset
OS X provides a genuinely fresh approach to everyday tasks such as file sharing and hard disk navigation - for example, imposing rules about where you can and can't store documents. The change is necessary because of OS X's enhanced abilities to personalise the user experience for each person that sits down at a Mac, but it does demand some extra discipline from its users. Different people will react to the change in different ways: some will welcome the innovations and their benefits, while others will resist any change to their established working pattern.
If you work within an organisation, seek out those who have already embraced OS X, perhaps using it at home while they wait for the workplace to upgrade. Use these people as evangelists, as they may be able to offer reassurance before the upgrade takes place and provide orientation training once the operating system is installed. Remember you may also need to arrange training for new feature sets in applications.
If you're already familiar with OS X and need to explain it to others, you need to step back from it a moment. Remind yourself what using OS 9 was like, and recall the hurdles in understanding that you've already jumped. Changes such as the new Users folder put many people's noses out of joint. You may be used to depositing documents wherever you like; now they should be stored in the Users folder, which can require a change of attitude towards basic practices.
Issues likely to confuse newcomers, other than the wholly new interface, include the way not all fonts can be accessed all the time, and the way in which some programs remember settings whether you use them in OS 9 or OS X, while others, such as iTunes and Internet Explorer, don't. Central to this is an understanding that OS X can work alongside and remain separate from OS 9 - Internet Explorer has entirely separate versions for each OS, for example.
Move on up
It would be naive to expect a cost-free transition from OS 9 to OS X, but the new version is now sufficiently evolved that you can at least budget for the switch and anticipate the most likely stumbling blocks. Throughout the adjustment, always remember the clear benefits: gains in productivity through a near crash-free environment and improved workflow from the extra features offered by the operating system and new applications.
Author: Richard Hill
Xcalibre