Features

You'll find few more graphic markers of the end of an era than Apple CEO Steve Jobs' last rites for Mac OS 9. The eulogy for the operating system during the recent Worldwide Developers Conference, complete with on-stage coffin, was partly humourous and partly reverential. OS 9 is the ultimate form, after all, of the program code included in the first Mac from 1984. The future, though, belongs to Mac OS X.

Apple estimates that 23 million of the 25 million Mac users worldwide continue to run OS 9 or older editions, yet Apple and much of the software development and hardware manufacturing industries are now focused on OS X, the new generation of the famous operating system. For every user and business that relies on Macs and hasn't yet moved to OS X, the question is not if they should upgrade, but when.

The benefits of taking the plunge can be immediate: OS X is a highly stable performer, offering a near crash-free experience for many users. Technologies, such as the built-in Apache Web server, offer possibilities not readily available before on the Mac, and there's a growing crop of applications that run exclusively under the new operating system. Apple's policy of introducing important new software that runs only under OS X, such as iPhoto and the forthcoming iChat, is sure to be followed by other big names. Indeed, the latest Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer releases are designed specifically for OS X, and Microsoft has stated that future versions will be OS X-only. Nevertheless, the move

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isn't without its drawbacks, not least of which is the possible significant expense, along with initial confusion as you adjust to a new way of using your Mac.

Anyone with a few years of Mac ownership behind them has faced upgrading before. Previous transitions, such as the move from System 7 to Mac OS 8, were relatively straightforward. There were always new interface quirks to adjust to, but you could largely be sure your existing peripherals and applications would continue to work, perhaps with the help of a simple software patch. By contrast, switching to OS X is like crossing the Rubicon: because the operating system is now built on Unix, any software application or hardware driver must be rewritten by its developer. This means that before upgrading, you need to make sure all the equipment and applications you already use will function under the new regime. If an item doesn't work, you need to find an acceptable alternative.

To assess the potential cost of switching, make a list of the elements in your Mac setup - the computer models you own and their hardware specifications, the peripherals you use, how they connect to your Macs and the drivers they rely on, as well as the applications you use. The list will be long, and, if you're unlucky, every item on it may need to be upgraded or replaced. Few people can afford to simply toss out their existing setup and buy a brand-new system and applications on a whim, so switching to OS X will involve prioritising hardware and software purchases as part of your regular upgrade cycle.

Hardware concerns

The most fundamental requirement of migrating to OS X is that your Mac can run it. Apple's official minimum specification is any Mac model with a PowerPC G3 or G4 processor, 128Mb of RAM and a built-in USB connection port. It's technically possible to run OS X on older Macs - for example, via the shareware program XPostFacto. However, following that path is more an exercise in geekiness than a practical option.