"Ask TASC"—About Mac OS X

TASC receives many calls each day from customers who experience similar problems. In each issue of Interface, we present some frequently asked questions and answers. We hope you find this information helpful.

First, we should set the stage with some technical lingo. Now that Mac operating system OS X (pronounced "ten") is out, you will hear people talk about Mac OS 9.1, Classic, Carbon and Cocoa.

Knowing the differences will help us give you technical assistance, as well as help you decide what applications to install.

•	Mac OS 9.1	–	If your computer is currently using this version, refer to it as "Mac OS 9.1." This informs the technical support or sales staff that you are not using OS X (either you have not installed it or are currently booted up in the older operating system).
		–	OS 9.1 must be installed prior to installing OS X. So, if you have a version of Mac OS prior to version 9.1, you must first upgrade to 9.1.




•

Classic

–

OS X has a built-in "Mac OS 9 Emulator" called Classic. Use this term to indicate that you are talking about an OS 9 application that you are running while booted up in OS X.




•

Carbon

–

These applications are able to run on either OS 9 or OS X.




•

Cocoa

–

These applications are only able to run on OS X.

What Is Mac OS X?

Mac OS X is substantially different from Mac OS 9.x—with a different desktop layout, file structure, system layout and configuration. Don't worry, you will still be able to point, click and drag as always. Check out Mac OS X on the Apple Web pages for more information. OS X is built on UNIX BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution), with some elements of the NeXT OS and a few things from the older Mac operating system.

Users will interact with the computer using the Finder—which looks quite a bit different than in OS9. You won’t need to learn Unix, although users who want to "look under the hood" should have some Unix knowledge.

Do I Need to Upgrade?

As with any upgrade, you need to ask yourself questions such as, "Does this new operating system have something in it that I need to do my work?" "Does this new OS have features that will improve my productivity?" "Will the applications I need run in Classic? If not, is there a Carbon or Cocoa version?" Or, perhaps you’re one of those people who just has to have it.

Our recommendation—ask yourself these types of questions. If the answer is still yes, then first make sure your computer meets at least the minimum requirements before plunging in. You may not be able to run the new OS without some hardware upgrades. Check out Mac OS X on the Apple Web site to find out the requirements for running it on your computer.

At present, there are not yet enough applications for OS X to justify switching to the new OS. Plenty of applications should be available by the end of 2001, but many will probably require you to procure an upgrade to run on OS X.

How to Get Mac OS X

To get Mac OS X, contact your institute or center’s Software Distribution Project (SDP) representative or call your help desk. Your SDP contact is listed on the CIT SDP Web page. Or call the CIT help desk, TASC.

After you have installed Mac OS X you may need minor updates to some of its components. For most updates, you should simply use the Software Update feature found in the "Mac OS X System Preferences." For updates to Mac OS 9.1, use its "Software Update" control panel.

Apple has just announced plans to ship Mac OS X (version 10.1) in September. This latest version—also available from your SDP contact—will sport more Finder enhancements and speed improvements. This is not an update but rather an "upgrade"—which means that you will need to install it (just as you would any other release of the OS) from the Mac OS 10.1 Installer.

Mac OS X Installation

There are essentially three ways to install OS X:

1.	Install it on the same hard drive that you have OS 9.1. This is probably the easiest and recommended method for most users.
2.	Install it on a second hard drive.
3.	Install it on a different "partition" on the hard drive where you have OS 9.1. This is more complicated, and you will need to reformat your hard drive:

a.	Back up all your data and make a list of the applications you want to reinstall.
b.	Format the hard drive into at least two partitions, one for OS 9.1 and one for OS X.

–	Drive Setup will be needed to accomplish this. (If you use another disk formatting program, be sure it is compatible with Mac OS X. It also needs to support the HFS Plus format).
–	You will need to create the first partition to be less than 8Mb (that is, 7,999,999 bytes), and install OS X on this first partition. OS X won’t install on the other partition, or if it is 8,000,000 bytes or larger.

c.	Install Mac OS 9.1 on the second partition. We recommend that you also install the Developer Tools from the companion CD that comes with OS X, since it will improve the speed of OS X. The Developer Tools Installer should install the tools on the OS X partition.
d.	Reinstall all of your applications on the OS 9.1 partition, since they probably are not OS X applications.
e.	Restore your data files.

How Can I Find Mac OS X Versions of My Applications?

The quickest way is to check the application manufacturer's Web site. Here are good Web sites to check out for late breaking news:

Apple’s Mac OS X Web site
MacNN’s OS X Web
Version Tracker Web site

Probably one of the most awaited application suites is Microsoft Office 10, due out later this fall. You may want to check the Microsoft Web site for the latest info.

We do not recommend using "beta" or unreleased versions of software.

Where Do I Get Training?

The CIT Training Program plans to offer a Mac OS X class for beginners in the fall term. Courses for the fall term will be listed on the training Web site beginning on September 20.

If you would like further information or need assistance, please call TASC.