To catch the Tiger by the tail, or not

[mollyringle]

O Mac Users,

I've been cruising along with OS 10.3.9 for a while now, with no particular problems. However, I'm starting to feel left in the dust by the software world, since it seems some apps (like Safari) are only bothering to provide updates for users with 10.4 and up. And now Leopard--will that be 10.5?--is on the horizon, making me feel ever more antiquated.

Trouble is, updating an entire OS has caused massive problems for me in the past. The blinking question mark of death at startup; that kind of thing. This, along with the unwillingness to cough up actual cash, is why I've shied away from Tiger so far. But maybe I'm being unreasonable. Have you updated to Tiger? Is it OK? If I jump straight to the latest version (10.4.7) will everything be smooth?

However, I'm certainly not going to be in the first pool of testers for Leopard. No, sir. Braver souls can try that.

Thank you,

M.

Comments

[ex-ellejohar635.livejournal.com]

I'll jump in, since you know I'm a die-hard Mac user.

It depends on a few factors whether you want to bump up to 10.4 or not. Things like your Mac's processor speed and RAM could influence your decision. If you've got an older Mac that runs just fine on 10.3.9, then you probably don't need to upgrade. However, if you want to ride the cutting edge of Mac OS, then you should update.

There are a number of updates made (obviously) in 10.4, but if all you're using your computer for is email, web, iTunes, and maybe (just maybe, being a writer and all) word processing, then you probably don't need to upgrade. However, if you like your machine to have all the bells and whistles it can get, then do it.

(Listen to me, I sound like a Libra! Do this, or don't. Whatever.)

I would say it's not important to update, especially if you've had issues with software updates in the past. The fact that all the new Macs are Intel based now, and 10.5 is soon on it's way, upgrading is almost nonsensical at this point. Stick with what you've got, and if you must upgrade, go all out and get a new Intel Mac with 10.5 on it when it's released next spring.

Cheers,
el jo

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yeah, this is the same pretty iMac you met a couple years ago, and it has survived the upgrade to this point just fine. I don't do anything too fancy, so probably I should just stay put.

Oof, forgot about the switch to Intel. Why must you confuse the issue, Apple? Why?

Ciao--
M

[dirae.livejournal.com]

I decided to just stay with 10.3.9 since it works fine for me without hogging my Powerbook's memory. I was offered a rogue copy of Tiger, but given my hard drive issues of the past (I am on my third hard drive--two went funky back to back in my first year of owning this machine), but did not want to risk anything with major changes. I'm planning on getting a Macbook eventually, so there isn't really a reason for me to waste the time, effort and risk with Tiger. Then again, I just have bad luck and nothing ever seems to go easy for me when it comes to things like this even though I have a "Mac Genius" or two at hand when I need them. :)

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

I hear you. If Cat is one of your Mac Genuises, he has probably already told you about my spectacularly weird crashes in the past. 10.3.9 has mostly avoided any weirdness, so I am reluctant to leave it and probably will not.

[dirae.livejournal.com]

If Cat is one of your Mac Genuises...

Welp, I meant Kevon offhand--but sure--Andrew can be a Mac Genius when need be; however, I've had issues that make him laugh nervously (sadistically?) which in itself is unnerving when one is throes of "Sad Mac-dom".

Essentially, the menfolk deal with the issues and I, a humble female, am the last in a daisychain of Mac-ness. I'm actually quite happy with a simple, clean, fast-working computer without all of the bells and whistles. Bells and whistles can screw you over, I've learned.

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

*nod* Same here; and that's my philosophy about cars, too. I don't want to tinker with how they work. I just want them to work.

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

I get a cold sweat just looking at that last paragraph. Flashbacks of total system collapse...eek! But thank you for the reminder--I'll come back and review it before I do anything rash. And since there isn't a lot of reason for me to upgrade, I probably won't anyway. I suppose the Intel thing means we'll all be left in the dust soon regardless, though?

[shebit.livejournal.com]

I'm worse off than you. I'm still on Jaguar (10.2.8) and when I tried to install Tiger the other week it wouldn't install, and I have no idea why. I want Tiger so that I can actually run new software - nothing remotely new will run on Jaguar.

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

I still have a PowerBook, 6 or 7 years old now, running OS 9. :) Since all I do is word processing on it, it works. But I don't dare try updating the poor thing. Problems would abound.

Hope yours sort out soon!

[shebit.livejournal.com]

Ok, you win. OS 9 - how horrible. I make a point of avoiding Classic mode because I really don't want to be using OS 9.

[elycia.livejournal.com]

I'm using 10.3.9 also, and I have no intention of upgrading until something I *really* need refuses to work. (And I, too, have kept one old computer running an old system--8.6 in my case--so I can run my older apps without hassle.)

Re Safari: You might consider switching to Firefox. I did six months or so ago, and I like it a lot better. You can customize it with all manner of plugins and extensions, and more sites are coded to work with it than Safari. I especially like an extension called "Session Saver" that remembers what windows I had open in the event of a crash, because I typically have at least twenty windows or tabs open at any given time.

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Cool, maybe I'll try that. I have Mozilla's Camino, which isn't bad, but people do seem to like Firefox better.