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Does Switching To OS X Now Make Sense For Me?
Like many other Macaholics right now, I'm deliberating over whether to win to switch to Mac OS X. By temperament I'm not an early adopter, but on the other hand, I'm not inclined to lag behind by one or two OS versions either. And while a policy of avoiding "point 0" versions of software isn't necessarily a bad one, I upgraded reasonably promptly to both OS 8.0 and OS 9.0, and was not sorry in either case. The big question is, does enough of the software I need to do my work exist in OS X native configuration to make the switch sensible at this time? So here's a breakdown of what I need, and what is available in OS X native software that I would consider using. (I know that there are other applications available in some of the categories cited (AppleWorks in a couple or three of them, for instance), but for a variety of reasons beyond the scope of this article, they would not do the job for me the way I want it done). Word-cruncher/HTML editor Current applications under Mac OS 9.1 Tex Edit Plus
OS X native available Tex Edit Plus Conclusion: I could get along happily enough with Tex Edit Plus for now, except for one issue -- a spell checker. I use SpellTools, and it isn't OS X native, nor, as far as I know, is there any other free-standing spell check program like Spell Catcher or Excalibur that is OS X native. I will have to check out how much hassle it would be to dip into Classic mode for spell checking. Email Client Current applications under Mac OS 9.1 Eudora Light
OS X native available Eudora 5.1 beta
This category probably presents one of the biggest OS X stumbling blocks for me. I still use Eudora Light (which will never be OS X native) for my highest traffic e-mail accounts, and I'm addicted to Nisus Email for its quick send virtues. I want my email archives to remain compatible with my non-OS X supported UMAX S-900 backup machine. SweetMail poses no problem, and my Eudora Light mailboxes can probably be dragged into Eudora 5.1, but it's going to be a wrench to give up Eudora Light. Then there is Mac OS X Mail -- the email client built into Apple's new operating system. Mail has borrowed and enhanced Eudora 5's on the fly spell checking. When you type in a word Mail doesn’t recognize, the program underlines the questionable word. Control-click on it, and a popup menu appears offering you correct spellings to choose from. (Maybe I should just spell-check my Tex-Edit documents in Mail or Eudora!) With Mail, you can also drop attachments directly into your messages. Just drag a sound file, image or movie to the body of your message, and that’s it. It’s loaded. Your enclosure is ready for sending. Mail's AddressBook also gives you digital cards on which to store your contacts' pictures, home and office street addresses and phone numbers, and other personal information (such as their birthdays and website URLs). Will I use Mail when I switch to OS X? Maybe, but I'm too attached to Eudora to give it up entirely, and I wouldn't want to be without Nisus Email's quick send facility either. Web Browser Current applications under Mac OS 9.1 iCab
OS X native available iCab
I do about 95% of my surfing with iCab and WannaBe -- split about 50-50. iCab is no problem -- there's an OS X native version -- but the others are. It would immensely slow down my work without WannaBe, which is a life saver on my slow, rural, dial up Internet connection. And yes, I know that MS Internet Explorer 5 is OS X native, but that would violate my provisional "no MS software" policy that I've been able to maintain for five months now. ;-) Dictation Software Current applications under Mac OS 9.1 iListen 1.0.1
OS X native available None This could be the make or break category for me. I am unable to type for more than short periods of time, so I am dependent on dictation software. Neither of the applications available is 0S X native. An OS X native version of ViaVoice is promised for later this year, but since the current ViaVoice Enhanced version does not support my 233 MHz G3 PowerBook (300 MHz minimum), presumably the new version won't either. iListen is a memory hog, and even in OS 9.1 with virtual memory enabled, I frequently run out of memory (I have 192 MB) with my current suite of production applications running. Consequently I would be obliged to run in Classic mode most of the time for dictation support. Graphics Application Current application under OS 9.1 Color It! 4.0.1 OS X native available Presumably there will be some This one would not be a big problem for me. I do only a small amount of graphics work, and it would be no real hardship to switch to Classic mode for that. Text Search Applications Current applications under Mac OS 9.1 Speed Search
OS X native available
I use one or the other of these two applications several times a day, and neither is OS X native. And no, I'm not interested in indexing my hard drive to get (sort of) similar function under Sherlock. That leaves me back in Classic again. I'm told that indexing works better under OS X, but I remain to be convinced. Desktop Database Current application under Mac OS 9.1 Notepad Deluxe 2.1.3 OS X native available Notepad Deluxe 2.1.3 No problem here. FTP Client Current application under OS 9.1 Vicom FTP Client OS X native Fetch
Not a big deal for me, I'm a fairly light FTP user. But probably Classic mode again for me for now. On-Screen Virtual Keyboard Current application under OS 9.1 Keystrokes 2.x OS X native available None This is another utility I depend on for physical disability reasons. No OS X support yet. ICQ Client Current application under OS 9.1 ICQ Alpha OS X native available ICQ Alpha This should be no problem MP3 Player Current applications under OS 9.1 iTunes
OS X native available iTunes Smooth sailing here as well. However, overall the inescapable conclusion is that even with OS X installed, I would likely still spend 80 or 90 percent of my computing time in Classic mode. That might or might not be a practical proposition, given my modest 192 MB of RAM. Even with the current bargain basement RAM prices, I am planning a system upgrade in the not too distant future, and not inclined to spend more money upgrading the WallStreet. There is also the issue of whether this 233 MHz processor has the muscle to run OS X satisfactorily. I am skeptical, although perhaps it will surprise me. Nevertheless, curiosity will probably get the better of me soon, and since I have plenty of free hard drive space already suitably partitioned, I'll no doubt get around to installing OS X in the not too distant future. However, I'm doubtful that it will become my production 0S for some time yet. What I will probably do is park OS X on one partition of my hard drive, keep my current copy of OS 9.1 where it is as my production OS, and experiment with OS X as time and inclination permit. That will make the learning curve less steep to climb when I do make the switch to OS X as my everyday system, probably on a new, faster Mac, later this year. In the meantime I'm looking forward to the release of Mac OS 9.2.
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