Speaking as a fellow Mac user, I think you’re overexaggerating the fears a bit. I’ve dinked with MacOS X several times already, and Apple has done a terrific job at keeping the UNIX plumbing hidden from the “casual” user (I know UNIX, and I had a hard time even finding it!). If anything, given the current MacOS setup with the System Folder and all the specialized crap in it (I’ve got over a hundred extensions and I don’t know what most of them are for!), MacOS X is easier to deal with in certain areas. The current MacOS X 10.0.4 is still best left for the experts, but I think when version 10.1 is released next month, it’ll be just fine for most folks.
My advice: if you haven’t already done so, go to a Mac computer store (especially one of those new Apple retail stores, if you’re lucky enough to have one close by) and play with MacOS X. It’s not as hairy as you’re thinking, and I promise you won’t need to get an Amiga disk image involved anywhere in the process.
rjung, I have 10.0.4 installed on my PowerBook and use it intermittently. I agree that it is easy enough to use in an “end user” sort of way, but I’m very uncomfortable with not knowing the general folder and file architecture of X. I would be in really bad shape if I had to know what the contents of the System/Library/Components folder need to consist of, or whether or not the Software Update features could be exhibiting a new bug as a result of something amiss in Core Services, or what the chmod file in the invisible bin directory does, or how to move the whole OS to a different hard drive with a different name and get it running there.
I would really like to get to the point that I can rebuild the folder hierarchy of the MacOS X operating system from scratch, and (as described) drop all the little files into the correct folders given the file names.
Do you have any recommendations to make regarding a good refernce manual for learning X on an “under-the-hood” basis? I have a BSD guide but it was most definitely not written for someone whose prior OS was Mac (all comparisons are to Microsoft operating systems or to other flavors of Unix). I glanced at one of those “Little OS X Something-or-Other Book” type things but the pages I turned to gave a description of the genii effect when you minimize a window and it slides into the Dock and explained how to use the “Set Up Printer” wizard…
Yea, I’m pretty sure I understand my computer. Its speach synthesizer is very lifelike. It plays a really good game of chess. But it keeps its eye on everything, keeps things running.
Of course there was that pesky problem with the AE-35 unit.
And I think, but I’m not sure, he can read our lips…
I put that little pointy thing on what I want and click. If I do something bad, it stops and won’t do anything. In that case I get a needle and push the top button by the cable thingies.
The computer turn’s itself off, then back on, and cusses at me. But it fixes itself. Love them macs.
So, what’s to know?
Peace,
mangeorge
Given a couple days to do research, an 80. Keep in mind, though, that 112 gigs of HD space will require a metric shitload of 8" floppies, so I’ll probably be at it for a month… sigh
I don’t think “MacOS X for Dummies” is out yet, though I hear O’Reily has a good book in the works. As for web sites, you may want to try some of these:
