Question on MacOS

syn1980 · Aug 22nd, 2005, 05:04 PM

Hi Mac Gurus

I new to MacOS and have some basic question.I keep reading that prior that old mac machines come with both Mac OS X and Mac 9.0.x Operating Systems.

I understand that those machines always bootup first in some "classic" mode that is Mac OSx and then boot into the Mac 9.0.X for GUI capabilities.

Can you not just have a single operating system like you have in windows that directly boots into it.

Sorry,if the question is kinda lame.I'm from a PC background and trying to understand the whole Mac OS setup .

any links or resources that explains the above is much appreciated.

Thanks

:-)

thejst · Aug 22nd, 2005, 05:06 PM

it may help to know what kind of machine you have, and which versions of OS you are running/wanting to run

thejst · Aug 22nd, 2005, 05:07 PM

FWIW- Classic is not the same as running OS9- Classic is more of an emulator of OS9 that is managed by OSX than a 'real' OS. Anytime I have used it, it has been less than useful...like Virtual PC...

Howard2k · Aug 22nd, 2005, 05:10 PM

My understading:

Some apps will only run in Classic mode (like OS9 or previous). This is like having old Windows 3.0 apps kicking around. In order to run them, the OS needs to understand all that old guff. In the case of Win95 Microsoft introduced a bunch of code to take care of the 16 bit to 32 bit app transitions. Kind of similar.

You don't HAVE to use the classic environment though. I don't have any classic apps so never use it. If I installed it then it would start as required. A little like Win95 not bothering to start it's processes required for 16 bit app support until you actually run a 16 bit app.

Actually a better analogy was the way that Windows NT used to handle 16 bit apps or POSIX apps. I don't know if you're familiar with that, but it's a better fit. The win95 analogy is perhaps a little easier to understand though

I run OS X. I could install Classic mode if I wanted it, but I don't need it so it's not there.

syn1980 · Aug 22nd, 2005, 05:47 PM

So,letz say I intend to install Mac OS Tiger ,then apart from the Mac OS tiger in my machine,I'll still have Mac OS X to provide some sort of legacy application support.

Is it that correct ?

IronMac · Aug 22nd, 2005, 05:50 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by syn1980
	So,letz say I intend to install Mac OS Tiger ,then apart from the Mac OS tiger in my machine,I'll still have Mac OS X to provide some sort of legacy application support. Is it that correct ?

Errmmm...Mac OS X is the operating system. Tiger is just the latest iteration of that operating system. For example, I have Panther which is the version of OS X before Tiger.

Both Tiger and Panther (and earlier versions of OS X) are able to provide some level of legacy application support vis-a-vis Classic.

Some machines, such as my G4 933, are able to dual-boot into OS X or OS 9.

Josh · Aug 22nd, 2005, 07:16 PM

Hmmm.. Either this guy has used a computer for the first time today, or he's playing with you guys. Of course I could be wrong, but I would think that anyone that could find this site and sign up would also be able to make it to Apple's website and figure out what Mac OS is.

Howard2k · Aug 22nd, 2005, 07:19 PM

Don't take it for granted. I've used computers professionally for >15 years but in February this year I could not tell you how to take a bunch of files and make a .zip file out of them in OS X. I kid you not. There are billions of people out there who know NOTHING about OS X.

I suspect that syn1980 knows much more than nothing about OS X, but he's still got a lot to learn, that's all.

Macaholic · Aug 22nd, 2005, 07:42 PM

Here's the clear points:

-- Mac OS X runs all by itself on top of a UNIX kernel.

-- You do NOT need Mac OS 9 installed to install and run Mac OS X.

-- There is no compatibility with older Mac OS 9 software within OS X itself. Therefore, you do not experience any system slowdowns due to emulation of OS 9 if you do not need it.

-- Almost every applications -- and certainly all popular applications -- have long ago been made OS X compatible. Therefore, you'll probably have little occasion for OS 9 compatibility.

-- If you do need Mac OS 9 compatibility, it can be installed on the same drive, even the same partition, as Mac OS X.

-- The installation of Mac OS 9 will in no way impede the performance of Mac OS X.

-- When you in fact launch a "Classic" Mac OS 9 application while booted in Mac OS X, ONLY THEN will Mac OS 9 be loaded into OS X's environment as an emulation. ONLY THEN will you experience some amount of sluggishness.

Got it?

Mac OS X doesn't need OS 9 to be functional; YOU may need OS 9 to be functional if you're using old applications.

I've not used an OS 9 application in about two years.

Josh · Aug 22nd, 2005, 08:14 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by Howard2k
	Don't take it for granted. I've used computers professionally for >15 years but in February this year I could not tell you how to take a bunch of files and make a .zip file out of them in OS X. I kid you not. There are billions of people out there who know NOTHING about OS X. I suspect that syn1980 knows much more than nothing about OS X, but he's still got a lot to learn, that's all.

Yeah, I realized after I clicked the reply button that I may have been wrong. It just seems that lately on ehMac It's hard to tell who's being legit and who is being a little less than honest, although I guess that comes with the growth of a community. I apologize to you syn1980 as I know from personal experience that it can get quite confusing when encountering a completely new OS, and I hope I didn't make it any harder for you.

Josh