Mac OS X

Mac OS X

Mac OS X is the latest OS from Apple Inc. and is currently in version 10.4, codenamed Tiger. OS X has a big cat name for each of the versions starting with Cheetah (10.0) going on to Puma (10.1), Jaguar (10.2), Panther (10.3), Tiger (10.4) and ending with the yet unreleased Leopard (10.5).

Apple Inc. actually had Mac OS’s 1-9 also, but they were a different variety and with a different underlying system programming. Beginning with Cheetah (v. 10.0), Mac OS X was built on an open source project called Darwin and the NeXt Onestep platforms. Darwin was modeled off Unix.

Previous to the development of OS X, which started in ‘99, Mac OS had a “Platinum” theme. However, the advent of OS X brought the Aqua theme characterized by smoothed edges, translucent colors, and pinstriping.

The addition of the dock was a unique feature no other OS had been able to effectively utilize. Not only does the Dock work as a task manager, but it also allows users to de-clutter their desktop by letting them keep application icons in the dock to be easily executed.

Besides the UI (User Interface) of Mac OS X, the fact that it is based on Unix gives it great flexibility and stability. Just like Linux and Unix, OS X has a wonderful absence of viruses and spyware which leaves the user free to USE their computer instead of Managing it.

Since Apple produced their first computers, it was the defacto platform for creative programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, ProTools, etc. These programs were developed and made to work extremely well on Macs.

If you go into a professional studio of almost any sort, you will find a Mac as the main computer used. Yeah, the programs have been ported to Microsoft Windows, but the majority of people will choose a Mac.

One reason for this is that Macs have few background programs running that you would have to quit or prevent from running to allow you to use the full power of the computer for whatever you are working on. Also, Mac OS X was written to enable multi-tasking from the very beginning. In Windows, it was an afterthought.

Another thing that plays into Apple’s hand is that they have full control over not only the software that is on their machines, but also what hardware is IN them. They have coded into the OS itself the specific hardware that can be used with their OS and that simplifies things a lot. Instead of having to put in support for different hardware from different vendors, they can keep the possibility of errors low.

Because of this, it is extremely rare to hear of a Mac crashing due to a driver issue…because all drivers are made by Apple themselves or looked over by Apple to ensure compatibility.

The only drawback to having a Mac is that very few games are made for Macs. You could say this is because Mac doesn’t have the market share to justify the newest games released on Mac. You could also say that Mac users are less likely to be gaming, as opposed to creating the games.

After all, Windows is proven to be robust as a gaming OS and I think that is a very strong selling point. Mac is good for creative productivity and has shown that over and over.

The Rundown - Being based off of Unix and using their experience from their previous OS’s, Apple has created one of the best Operating Systems in the world today. It is flexible yet robust. It is powerful yet user friendly. It is secure yet customizable. What more could you want.

True, not everyone will like OS X, but that is just my point. If all you want to do is e-mail and some word processing, Windows is good enough and you can automate their endless updating. If you want complete cutomization where you can change any tiny detail, including the kernel, then Linux is for you. If you want to be creative and not have to deal with updates and crashes and defunct drivers that will pull you into a full-blown maintenance routine, then Mac is for you.

Like you hear everyone say, Macs just work. They don’t bother you with all the internal/background workings because they are stable enough to only need updated once a month or so. You can leave them on or in sleep mode for months at a time without a restart. You can do all the processor intensive creative works you want without losing your work because your camera driver crashed the system.

Look at who currently buys Macs. Schools, Media producers and artists, and College students. Why? Because they want a solid machine that will work for them without all the Update hell or having to messing with the guts of the computer to do anything.

If you want a mess-free computing experience, you can’t get one better than Mac. Its just that simple.

 

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