Mac OS 9.1

Mac OS 9.1 (code name "Fortissimo"), released on January 9, 2001, is the latest version of Apple’s flagship operating system. Mac OS 9.1 is designed to be a transitional step toward Mac OS X, which is scheduled to be released on March 24, 2001.

Information Systems & Computing (ISC) will support Mac OS 9.1 for its clients, including off-campus students, only on new Macintoshes that ship with Mac OS 9.1 pre-installed. ISC strongly recommends that all other users adopt a "wait and see" attitude, continuing to use previous versions of the Mac OS until after the initial bugs in Mac OS 9.1 are identified and fixed.

When ISC does recommend an upgrade it will be for PowerPCs 180 MHz or above that have at least 64 megabytes of RAM. Please refer to ISC's Mac OS System Specifications to find out which versions of the Mac OS are recommended for your Macintosh computer. The full install of Mac OS 9.1 uses between 320 megabytes and 500 megabytes of hard disk space, depending on the type of Macintosh and choices made during the install.

Issues

There are several known new issues with Mac OS 9.1, several of which that will be especially relevant to Penn’s Macintosh users:

• The Mac OS 9.1 Installer/Updater moves files around on your boot drive. It renames the Applications folder to "Applications (Mac OS 9)", and moves the Internet, Apple Extras, and Utilities folders into it. The name of this folder can then no longer be modified from the Finder. This has the potential to adversely affect many third-party installers.

• The Network Apps Installer 5.0 on the PennConnect 2000 CD-ROM does function correctly, but installs an 'unblessed' Internet folder on the top level of the hard drive.

• The Mac OS 9.1 Installer/Updater deletes several preferences files, including Finder Preferences.

• Mac OS 9.1 is not compatible with Mac OS X Public Beta.

How to get it

Apple is making the upgrade to Mac OS 9.1 available in three different ways:

• The Mac OS 9.1 Update files are available for download from Apple's support web site. Note: this is a large (70 megabyte) multi-part download.

• The full version, at approximately $50 for the CD-ROM, will be available from the Computer Connection.

  Note: if you use a Language Kit, you must have the full install CD in order to upgrade your language kit at the same time as you are upgrading to Mac OS 9.1.

• Customers who purchased Mac OS 9.0 can upgrade to Mac OS 9.1 media for $19.95 by using the upgrade coupon.

What's new in Mac OS 9.1

Startup Disk 9.0. The Startup Disk control panel has been completely rewritten and now supports both Mac OS 9.x and Mac OS X volumes. It also allows selection among multiple System Folders on the same volume.

Finder 9.1. Finder 9.1 has a new Window menu which lists all open windows, with those that have been windowshaded identified with a dash. This represents a step toward Mac OS X, which also includes a Window menu.

Major System file changes. A new process manager speeds up event handling and switching between applications. This System file update also includes many bug fixes and speed enhancements.

Other new features included in Mac OS 9.1:

• General Controls 8.0. The General Controls panel now supports multiple users.
• Open Transport 2.7.4.
• Sherlock 2 3.0.2. Sherlock 2 adds an entertainment channel.