OS X....Please!

[Himrich]

I knew my way around in OS 6, 7, 8 and 9 but this animal called X is more like Windows than Mac, isn't it? You have to be a geek to dispose of prefs files, install programs that work with multiple users or even know where things get installed in this operating system as opposed to the old simple method of everything in the same folder. I'm a mess and it is getting worse with every day. Terminal? Give me a break, only programmers need approach these grounds.

Yes, I admit I like the stability, but I'm beginning to question if stability is worth the price of complexity. I'm beginning to long for the wonderful, simple, huggable OS's of the past. Are you?

This is what I am trying to figure out for a friend of mine. Why do the aliases in the link below show up on his computer? They don't on mine. He has both OS's on the same drive. I have mine on two separate partitions on the same drive. Does this cause his situation? I don't have an answer, do you?

http://rlhimrich.home.attbi.com/os9_aliases.htm

I am really frustrated and wondering where my beautiful Mac is headed. I used to defend it's simplicity but today I won't even attempt to convince a PC user to come to the Mac with my past install examples, CD or floppy insert examples or the unbelieveable Clean Install (for which PC users would drool over). Face it, they aren't all that impressed once I get past the "Eye Candy." It is just a PC in a candy wrapper. Sorry for the downer, but that is the way I feel lately. This sucks.

[Al]

X is not like Windows    , it IS Unix...    

Rick, give it more time and I bet you will love the way X is.... I thought the same way at first like you, now I only have a few good reasons to even be in OS 9.  Sometimes a new toy takes a little while to get rid of the butterflies.

[Himrich]

But isn't Windows NT UNIX based?

   

And how about my problem at the link above. Any answers? It is uniquely an MacOS X problem, isn't it?

[csonni]

Himrich- as far as installations go, I'm pleased that there is nothing scattered all over.  It's basically one clean package for each app.  Sure there is a preference file (just like in OS9 when you start the app up) and maybe something in Application Support folder, but what do yu mean about files all over?  Maybe I don't dig too deep into the core system of X, but I think it's a rock solid product.  I've had one kernal panic, but that was only do to my inserting a problem flash card into the Powerbook.

[Spartacus]

NT is not based on UNIX. It is based on NT.    
(it's a network OS designed to compete with UNIX)

I believe OS X is wonderful.
You don't have to use that UNIX stuff like Terminal, etc. You said it yourself: "only programmers need approach these grounds". For the ordinary Mac user there is no need to ever touch Terminal.
The GUI is still as easy to use as the old classic OS's GUIs. And in my eyes it is much more comfortable.

What happend to your CD and floppy insert examples? They still work.
And what is in your experience not 'clean' when installing OS X?

And your alias problem is really not a problem. You have already found the cause of these alias. It's related to the file system of OS X. When you OS X and OS 9 on seperate partitions you're not going to file these aliases. (it is always advisable to have OS X and 9 on different partitions)

And in order to impress PC users you can still show them the stability and power of OS X. In my eyes the key arguments for OS X.

As Al said, give it some more time. I bet in a couple of months you won't even miss the classic OS any more.

[kelly]

Does your friend have TinkerTool installed?  

Looks like it's showing Invisible Files.

What's up with the Previous Systems Folder?

"Desktop (Mac OS 9)" can be pretty handy.

Put things in there that will only show up Booted to OS 9.

Windows NT is nothing like OS X.

The Jaguar Report: Easy Ways to Adapt to Mac OS X

http://macnightowl.com/news/2003/02/week2.htm

http://macnightowl.com/news/index.htm

[Gary S]

Himrich,

I'm still finding OS10 kind of foriegn to me too. I think it's a matter of which OS you feel comfortable with.

I don't use it as much as I could so I think it takes time.
     

Now my son loves to play a few games on it and surf the internet.

I can understand your frustrations though....the 2 OSs are different.
Some suggest that the best way to get used to OSX is to use OS9x as little as possible but if OS9x is where you get your work done and is more efficient, it's hard to do.

I'm new to OSX so i don't know how long it will take me.
i know it's UNIX and not Windows but I agree that it sometimes feels like Windows.
 
 [ 04-18-2003, 12:43 PM: Message edited by: Gary S ]

[kps]

I can't give you a difinitive answer, but here are some of my thoughts.

The aliases point to hidden unix directories, but not in the OS X system. I suspect they point to other aliases in the Previous System folder, which is a left over from a clean reinstall of OS 9. So your friend must have done a clean reinstall at some time.

Confirm this by using Get Info on the aliases and see what original they point to. It could be other aliases in the OS 9 Previous System folder or the originals in OS X.

I don't think it would create any problems if they were deleted along with the Previous System folder.

[Himrich]

OK, OK, OK. I'll stop whining and give it a chance.      

Maybe I just needed a good brow beating.    

To answer Kelly, no he does not have any program installed to identify invisible files but if I'm reading the other posts correctly these aliases are normal when both MacOS X and MacOS 9 are installed on the same partition.

[CyberPet]

Those of you who are a .Mac account holder, I hope you've found the great tutorial Apple offers online to learn the basics of OS X. It's very informative and even I, who have been using OS X for a while now (and the proud owner of David Pouge's book "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual") did learn a few more things.

Check it out!

[Gary S]

I'm not a .Mac account holder but I have to agree with Petra about David Pouge's book "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual". I was fortunate to recieve it as a gift from a friend.    

I also bought Robin William's "OSX Book" that also covers Jaguar and "OSX for Dummies" 2nd Edition by Bob LeVitus which cover 10.2 also.
As far as the books go, I think it's important to find one you can relate to.    
So far the Dummie's book is very good for the basics. Then if I need more info...the others tell me the rest but it's been like learning a new OS, which it is....for sure.