Mac OS X version 10.0.x

Important Note:

Information Systems & Computing (ISC) no longer supports Mac OS X version 10.0.x but does support the newer Mac OS X versions 10.1.4 and above.

If you are currently running Mac OS X version 10.0.x, ISC strongly recommends that you upgrade to the supported Mac OS X.

To obtain a supported version of Mac OS X:

• You can purchase the full version of Mac OS X version 10.2 (three CD-ROMs; Mac OS X version 10.2 and developer tools) from the Computer Connection. Please consult the Computer Connection for the exact purchase price.
• An upgrade version of Mac OS X version 10.1 (one CD-ROM; upgrade to Mac OS X version 10.1), which requires a previous installation of Mac OS X, is available at no charge from the Computer Connection.

The original Mac OS X article from March, 2001 is below:

Mac OS X, released on March 24, 2001, is the latest version of Apple’s flagship operating system. Mac OS X is the most significant update to the Mac OS since the release of Mac OS 7.0.

Information Systems & Computing (ISC) will support Mac OS X for its clients, including off-campus students, only on new Macintoshes that ship with Mac OS X 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 X are identified and fixed. Furthermore, ISC recommends that local support providers with strong Macintosh environments carefully test applications that are important to their users.

When ISC does recommend an upgrade it will be for PowerPC G3s or above that have at least 128 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 X uses between 300 megabytes and 1.5 gigabytes of hard disk space, depending on the type of Macintosh and choices made during the install.

Please note that ISC testing with very early 'beige' G3 desktops and towers (manufactured from November 1997 to December 1998) and with the original G3 PowerBook (manufactured from November 1997 to March 1998) shows that they are unlikely to function correctly under Mac OS X, even if they meet the system requirements above. In particular, non-standard components such as internal SCSI drives will likely lead to a condition where a 'beige' G3 desktop will not boot under Mac OS X.

Mac OS X includes a Classic Environment for running applications that are not native to Mac OS X. This environment, which is based on Mac OS 9.1, is an impressive technical achievement but is not suitable for heavy use and presents its own technical issues.

Issues

There are a number of known issues with Mac OS X, several of which are especially relevant to Penn’s Macintosh users:

• The PennConnect 2000 CD-ROM runs, with these important provisos;
  • The Macromedia Director-based front end does not autoplay. It can, however, be run manually in the Classic Environment.
  • The Network Apps Installer on the PennConnect 2000 CD-ROM runs and installs all applications, but these applications are installed in individual folders on the top level of the boot hard drive. Once these applications are installed, their folders can be dragged into the Application folder.
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.05, databeast DataComet 4.6.3, Fetch 3.0.3, Netscape Communicator 4.73, NewsWatcher 2.2.2, and Qualcomm Eudora 4.3.2 will only run in the Classic Environment.
  • Both the remote access instructions and the PPP for Macintosh 5.2 installer on the PennConnect CD-ROM were written for Mac OS 7.x/8.x/9.x, and thus are incompatible with Mac OS X. Please refer to PPP for Mac OS X for appropriate instructions.
  • The ResNet 2000 Installer on the PennConnect CD-ROM was written for Mac OS 7.x/8.x/9.x, and thus is incompatible with Mac OS X. ISC intends to make a "ResNet for Mac OS X" document available as soon as possible.

• Instructions for configuration of static IP addresses are included in ISC's PennNet Ethernet Installation Guide for Mac OS X.

How to get it

The full version of Mac OS X, at approximately $70 for the CD-ROM, is available from the Computer Connection.

What’s new in Mac OS X

Mac OS X features completely rewritten BSD UNIX-based underpinnings, which are code-named Darwin. Darwin supports protected memory, preemptive multitasking, and symmetric multiprocessing. This promises to make Mac OS X by far the most reliable version ever of the Mac OS.

A significantly modified user interface, called Aqua, which features parts of previous Mac OS and NeXT interfaces. Aqua's most obvious new feature is the Dock, a large bar which sits at the bottom of the desktop and allows one to access applications, folders, and web addresses with a single click.

Mac OS X supports several advanced graphics technologies, including OpenGL, QuickTime 5, and Quartz. Quartz, Apple's new 2D graphics environment, includes:

• Built-in support for PDF documents, allowing one to view and save in Adobe Acrobat-compatible format.
• Built-in support, including rendering and anti-aliasing, for TrueType, Type 1, and OpenType fonts.
• Full support for ColorSync, Apple's color management technology.

Mac OS X features a Classic Environment for running applications that are not native to Mac OS X. This environment runs a modified version of Mac OS 9.1.

Mac OS X has significantly greater provision for security than any previous version of the Mac OS. This will be especially important in light of the University's Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) initiative.

A full BSD UNIX command set is accessible from a command line terminal interface.

- John Mulhern III, IT Project Leader, ISC Technical Support Services