Sleek new Mac system beast of many features

By ADAM GIFFORD

The latest version of the Macintosh operating system, OS X 10.2 - or Jaguar - is a significant upgrade, with more than 150 new features. But it also has that "when is the fix coming?" feel about it.

I used OS X 10.1 on an iMac for six months and found it a stable and reasonably fast operating system.

My first encounter with Jaguar was scary. After the full installation - one hour and 40 minutes of spinning disks - the menu bar flashed a couple of times and then nothing, just a pale green screen.

I reinstalled, with the same result, then rang for help.

This is where the Unix foundation of OS X came into its own. The diagnosis was that the system was probably trying to start up an application or extension, and hanging up when it couldn't do so.

The workaround was to go back in as the system administrator and fix it, or create a new user if that couldn't be done. That meant I could keep working and fix whatever problem there was with my old identity when I had the time.

To tell its users Jaguar is a really big change, Apple has replaced the "Happy Mac" icon at start-up with a corporate grey apple symbol. If you miss the smile, there are hacks around for getting it back. You probably won't need to reboot often enough for it to matter, and the start-up process seems faster than before.

Misplacing my old identity meant the Microsoft Entourage address book opened blank until I put a copy of its preferences file in the new user folder.

Word started crashing, after being reasonably sweet for months. The cause seems to be opening an email attachment with something funny in it, like macrons, or saving after cutting and pasting a large block of text. It probably means downloading a patch to fix it.

Apple has added some powerful new programs with the system, but users will want to compare them with their existing programs before switching.

If you buy this operating system on a new computer, the beefed-up Mail is probably the only email program you will need. It comes with junk mail filter, message threading capability and the ability to watch QuickTime movies in the email program. Great if you've got the bandwidth.

iChat, an instant messaging tool compatible with AOL Instant Messenger, satisfies those who want constant text-babble.

Until I can work out how to import my existing address files, I will reserve judgment on the new Address Book. Apple has gone for a linking approach: click on a web address and you will launch the website. Sync with your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. Drag and drop a picture of the person into the entry.

I downloaded a copy of the free iCal calendar application, and while it has some impressive features and a clean interface, it is not quite ready to replace Entourage.

Much of what Apple has done with Jaguar is under the skin. The Quartz compositing system delivers crisp graphics and fonts. People with G4 processors should notice faster window redraws and scrolling. The Quartz Extreme system makes use of the Mac's graphics card to render a lot of the onscreen graphics, freeing up the Power PC chip to do more operations in the same amount of time.

Unix developers now have additional tools to port Unix-based applications to Mac OS X.

Apple has included a virtual private network client so Mac users can work remotely on Windows-centric virtual private networks, increasing the options for those wanting to work from home.

Macs can also pretend to be Windows machines on a Windows-based network, so Windows users can connect to the Mac and use shared folders without needing additional software.

Apple says Jaguar is its most successful operating system release. The problem it has is that most Apple users have older machines which can't run OS X, or are satisfied with what they have.

If you are not on OS X yet, the leap is worth it for ease of use and increased compatibility. Just be careful you don't get bitten.