Associated press writer Robert Weston said that he walked away from the Mac four years ago, but after a weekend with Mac OS X, he’s thinking about switching back. In a recent article entitled Apple OS X solid, yet lacks essential support, he lauds the new operating system, although he does have a few complaints.
He’s impressed with the stability of the new operating system, and in a comment sure to please Microsoft detractors, he said that the only application he saw crash on OS X was the preview edition of Microsoft Explorer 5.1.
Weston knocks OS X’s lack of support for CD-RW and DVD-R drives, but points out that Apple expects to restore support for those devices soon. He also said that lack of support for Virtual Private Networking is a shortcoming, and laments the availability of OS X applications. Weston’s list of complaints also extends to the network tools included with OS X — including a port sniffer, which he notes could be trouble in the wrong hands, since it lets users search for possible points of entry on other computers. Likewise, Weston said that Apple’s inclusion of FTP and Telnet service “[makes] the new OS powerful and versatile. But these features also could leave novice users vulnerable to being hacked.”
Weston gave high praise for the easy of Mac OS X’s installation, and he liked the new graphical user interface, which he describes as “a complete overhaul” of previous versions of Mac OS.
Weston said that OS X’s UNIX underpinnings may have a more positive outcome, too — it could mean that the new operating system may get industrial-strength database programs and other high-powered software that would be an easy conversion from other UNIX-based operating systems, too.
Weston also gives high marks to Mac OS X’s support of third party peripherals, noting that his DeskJet printer and FireWire-enabled digital camcorder were both recognized immediately. “I wish I could say as much for my PC,” said Weston.