Mac users reluctant to spend US$130 for the new operating system “just can’t spot a bargain” because “this triumph of the programmer’s art is pure gold,” Charles Haddad writes in his latest ” Byte of the Apple ” column for Business Week Online .
He admits that besides the price of Mac OS X 10.1 itself, many users will have to upgrade or buy new Macs as you need at least 128MB of RAM and a G3 to run the next generation operating system. But it’s worth it for several reasons, Haddad says.
Mac OS X 10.1 looks great. “I wouldn’t know cashmere from rat fur,” the columnist says. “Still, even I can’t resist admiring the stunning clarity of OS X’s throbbing blue buttons and 3D photo-realistic icons. The desktop is so sharp that even a bat-eyes like me can enjoy using the tiny screen of an iBook.”
Mac OS X 10.1 is cost-effective. “It’s the most stable personal computer operating system I’ve ever seen,” Haddad writes. “Not once in eight months of use has it crashed on me. Not once.”
Classic is slower than the traditional Mac operating system, but works and is stable. This means you don’t have to buy a lot of new software to use Mac OS X.
Cocoa, “OS X’s native language,” is resulting in some great shareware and online products, Haddad says. “Examples include OmniGroup’s OmniWeb and OmniOutliner,” he writes. “You see the real future power of OS X with these programs. They’re fast, stable, colorful and full of new and interesting features.”