YES ! /ubbthreads/http://forums.macg.co/vbulletin/images/smiliesold/laugh.gif
MACFIXIT :
Giving Mac OS 9 the Boot
To the chagrin of some, and delight of others, Apple has announced that all Macs shipping after January 1, 2003 will no longer have the capability to boot in Mac OS 9.
MacFixIt has received hundreds of sharply opinionated letters on the issue, and the consensus does not seem to point in a clear direction. Many users are so infuriated by the decision that they have vowed to never purchase another piece of Apple hardware, while an equally proportioned group is so enthused by Apples decision to drop dead weight that they are planning to employ significant measures to better embrace Mac OS X. Still another camp views the move as a necessary evil.
Incompatible Hardware and Applications
The members of the Mac community most displeased by Apples announcement are those who still routinely use applications that are simply incompatible with Classic mode, and must be run on a system booted in OS 9 to function properly.
Music production seems to be an area of primary concern, as support of MTP serial midi interfaces, VST plug-ins, and a number of core audio drivers for sound interfaces are not yet usable under a system booted in Mac OS X.
A lack of compatible imaging devices also represents a threat to Mac OS Xs independent viability. Greg Norman writes:
In three words: Large Format Printers. What good is a $3,500 to $6,000 printer if it will only run in OS9. Neither Epson or HP has announced they will make drivers for OSX for there large format printers.
Frank Lazar adds:
In DTP we depend on a variety of high-end devices mainly scanners, calibration devices, and printers from companies such as Heisenberg and Gretag, devices which access hardware in a way that can't be done in Classic. Apple has failed entirely to the point of not even appearing to make an effort to win these companies to the fold. Apple does not have the lever of market dominance to enforce compliance by numbers alone as Microsoft does. There's also the Quark factor to consider especially with InDesign having failed miserably in its opportunity to present itself as Quark's successor.
Another arena where OS X offerings are lackluster lies in disk repair utilities. Lawrence Rhodes writes:
It's not crazy for Apple to discontinue boot support for MacOS 9, but I do think it's a little early. OS X has still not regained the reliable functionality of its predecessor, especially in the Finder and desktop manipulation. Currently, the best disk repair tool (DiskWarrior) only works in OS 9.
[...]
I have no intention of giving up the ability to boot in OS9, since I have a number of OS9 applications which most definitely will not be upgraded to OSX and which will not run in Classic. These apps are very important to me. So, unless Apple changes its mind, I will have to keep using my present computers for the protracted future and will not upgrade to newer ones after 2003.
Leaving Legacy Behind
Presumably, Apples primary motivation for disabling OS 9 boot capacity is to push developers into Mac OS X production via brute force. However, eliminating the need to support legacy elements of the OS 9 and therefore offering relief to overworked engineers both at Apple and third party developers was another major priority.
Should Apple choose to embrace any or all of the initiatives it is currently rumored to be dabbling with IEEE 1394b (FireWire 2), USB 2.0, 802.11g wireless networking, 3GI0 providing drivers and support for Mac OS 9 would render dramatically higher-cost, and longer-timeline development cycles.
Tom Ritch writes Dropping OS 9 support at the stated time could well be to eliminate the development effort required for backwards compatibility of the new hardware with the outdated system.
Pio Diaz adds I really think that we should try to move on to a new world of better applications, better system performance, and a more reliable system. Those who are fighting and defending OS9 might have forgotten all the crashes, the memory glitches, the Sad Macs, the bombs, and all that. I operate 2 Macs in a 99.9 percent Windows environment and I have had no more problems than regular day-to-day problems that will always exist. We Mac users have to be less exigent with Apple. Apple is just a computer manufacturer, that also makes software, but not our problem solver.
Some users compared Apples legacy support favorably to Microsofts, opining that the company has provided ample time for its customers to move forward. Chris OConner writes:
A 2 year transition is long enough. We can't expect Apple to make every piece of hardware it has ever developed or has yet to develop compatible with everything. No one is forcing OS 9 users to give up what they have, they simply can't take advantage of new hardware or new apps that won't be available for the older OS. Apple certainly has done more than its competitors to keep older systems viable but it has to draw the line somewhere.
Familiarity Factor
Many publishing firms, digital video houses and service bureaus have significant investments in Mac OS 9 applications and compatible hardware, meaning equally massive investments have been, and will continue to be required in order to totally adopt Mac OS X.
Aside from the extreme cost, many users simply find Mac OS 9 comfortable, and are staunchly opposed to having an operating system choice forced upon them. David Hannon writes:
Apple is alienating and dividing its users. There are many private individuals, and large publishing companies, who will never switch to OS X because of the costs involved in upgrading all their software. Add to that the cost of the learning curve to understand the intricacies of the new operating system, and it will never be worth it to them. If Apple abandons OS 9 they will see millions moving to dreaded Windows machines because it is a known standard. They wont be adopting OS X as Apple hopes.
History of Success
The decision to disable Mac OS 9 booting looks risky at first glance, but those who have discounted or doubted Apple in the past have generally found themselves eating crow. The company successfully dropped the floppy drive from its entire product line-up a concept viewed as borderline insanity when it was first introduced with the initial iMac in 1998.
Apple also successfully transitioned to a completely new processor architecture, the PowerPC, and moved its low-speed I/O scheme from serial ports to USB. Each of these business decisions was harshly criticized at its inception, but later lauded by the Mac community and imitated in the world of Windows.
