derek, gwen, justin & sara tom in hong kong
July 11, 2002
Mac OS X: Good to Go!

Took Mac OS X out for a few spins over the past several months but was turned off by the unfamiliar user interface and presumed poor performance and compatibility issues with OS 9 applications. So I stuck with OS 9. Well now I've been using OS X for 3 days straight and am pleasantly surprised. All the OS 9 ("Classic") applications work flawlessly in OS X with no noticeable degradation in speed (amazing!) and I am now more comfortable finding my way around the new system. With the Classic environment running within OS X, it's like having 2 computers in 1!

There's one essential OS 9 utility I use that is keeping me from using OS X versions of all my applications: EZNote. EZNote allows me to instantly store, name, categorize, and retrieve text/notes from within any application using just a couple of keyboard shortcuts. I use it to store interesting or important tidbits of information that I glean mainly from within my email program, Eudora, or my Web browser, Internet Explorer. The info can be just a few paragraphs or an entire story or email... EZNote is fantastic! An OS X version of EZNote is supposedly in the works but until then, for compatibility, I'm using OS 9 versions of Eudora and Internet Explorer. Switching between OS 9 applications and OS X applications is totally transparent, which I find amazing.

The migration to OS X has prompted me to upgrade to OS X versions of the following applications:

I also researched (using VersionTracker.com) and then selected and installed these OS X applications that enhance the usability and enjoyment of the new system:I'm looking at using Tri-BACKUP to replace Connectix CopyAgent for quick, changes-only backups and Apple's iPhoto to replace Canon's ImageBrowser (their new OS X version seems a bit buggy). Will eventually upgrade to OS X versions of Timbuktu and Microsoft Office. Hmmm... I wonder if there'll be an OS X version of VNC.

Posted by derek at July 11, 2002 12:23 AM