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How Much of A Change Between OS 8.6 and OS X?

cosmokanga2

cosmokanga2

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
I'm wondering how much of a change in user ability a senior would experience by changing from Mac OS 8.6 to OS X 10.5. He mainly uses it for internet browsing and some document work but he has been using 8.6 since it came out. Pretty basic stuff.

He is also wondering how difficult it would be to set up a new iMac? i.e. power plug-in, internet set-up, account set-up...

Finally, what type of system would he be using? He is using a really old iMac but he doesn't know what type. He also doesn't know what type of ports he has so how would he transfer files over?

Thanks for your help guy!
 
Oh, good gracious me. The ports could very well be legacy, and I'm sure the modern Mac to which you are upgrading wouldn't recognize it, anyway. CDs would be the best way to go about data migration.

Learning the new OS shouldn't be a problem, and neither should machine setup; he should be able to plug it in and it will work.

WOW. Still using 8.6... 😎 Kudos to him!
 
If he's using 8.6 on an iMac it narrows it down to the G3 400Mhz and earlier. After that OS 9 was preinstalled.

He's in for a shock.
 
Data migration from old iMacs is a huuuuge pita. They can't do target disk mode, they don't have wireless, they don't have autosensing ethernet ports (need a crossover cable or a hub), they don't have CD burners...
 
I agree with burning CD's of the files however if the older Mac has Firewire you can do Firewire Target Disk mode to transfer files as well.

Mac OS X has nearly the same functionality as OS 8.6. The only difference really would be the Dock and even 8.6 there was a task bar at the bottom for launching apps so the transition should be pretty easy.
 
Catfish_Man said:
Data migration from old iMacs is a huuuuge pita. They can't do target disk mode, they don't have wireless, they don't have autosensing ethernet ports (need a crossover cable or a hub), they don't have CD burners...
Click to expand...

That's not totally correct, iMacs have had Firewire since 1999 and those models shipped with Mac OS 8.6.
 
Thanks guys for the help!

He has major problems with it lately with it starting and crashing and he is really scared about moving to the new iMacs. He is not very computer savvy, so he likes everything written out step by step. Hence he get frustrated with there not being any paper manuals in the boxes anymore.

Other question. How hard would it be setting up a printer? When I mean simple, how step for step simple.

Thanks for the help!
 
The initial setup is going to be quite easy on the new iMac, so I wouldn't worry about that. And aside from a few things you have to be mindful of (such as the Dock), the interface shouldn't be too much of a change. There are hundreds of new features in OS X, but you don't need to know them all to get started. You only need to learn them if you want to use them. 🙂

The only problem I can see if transferring files. I'm pretty certain that the old programs running on OS 8.6 aren't going to run on the current version of OS X very well. What kind of documents does this person have (i.e. old MS Word files? MacWrite II? Claris Works? Something else?)
 
Setting up a print should be easy enough, plug in the USB port, maybe run the software from the CD(some work with out the CD installed)
 
scaredpoet said:
The only problem I can see if transferring files. I'm pretty certain that the old programs running on OS 8.6 aren't going to run on the current version of OS X very well. What kind of documents does this person have (i.e. old MS Word files? MacWrite II? Claris Works? Something else?)
Click to expand...

Sadly I don't know. He mentioned that he would have to get new software so I'm guessing an older program. From the sounds of it he doesn't do too much document work, mainly internet work.
 
nick9191 said:
This is irrelevant but why an iMac, tell him to get a mac mini and pick up a cheap screen.
Click to expand...

I have a Mac Mini (among other Macs). While it's nice and all, and I do recommend it for some instances, the OP's friend is probably going for absolute, 1-piece ease of use here, and clearly hasn't been "in the loop" on hardware for a long while. The iMac has faster processors and can pack more RAM. Considering it's unlikely he'll upgrade for more than a few years, he should probably get a top of the line iMac so that it has legs and can compete technologically for a while.

cosmokanga2 said:
Sadly I don't know. He mentioned that he would have to get new software so I'm guessing an older program. From the sounds of it he doesn't do too much document work, mainly internet work.
Click to expand...

If it's mainly internet work, then the migration shouldn't be too bad. Realistically though, I can't say for sure if his old documents stored on that old iMac will migrate easily. He will definitely have to buy new software, like MS Office, or iWork, if he wants to do any document writing. As for web stuff, there's Safari and FireFox, of which both are free, as is Mail and Thunderbird for e-mail use.
 
trainguy77 said:
Mac minis are bad value. The lowest end imac would probably be easier, and better for him.
Click to expand...
The iMacs are worse value, they havent been updated in nearly a year. He can pick up the top mac mini, with a cheap screen for about $899, the cheapest imac of identical specification (except with a graphics card) is $1199.
 
scaredpoet said:
I have a Mac Mini. While it's nice and all, and I do recommend it for light use for some instances, the OP's friend is probably going for absolute, 1-piece ease of use here, and clearly hasn't been "in the loop" on hardware for a long while. The iMac has faster processors and can pack more RAM. Considering it's unlikely he'll upgrade for more than a few years, he should probably get a top of the line iMac so that it has legs and can compete technologically for a while.
Click to expand...
Your recommending a $2300 computer for someone who types up documents and browses the Internet?
 
trainguy77 said:
Mac minis are bad value. The lowest end imac would probably be easier, and better for him.
Click to expand...

I'm partial to the iMac in this case for its simplicity (all-in-one, less cables), but I don't think it is of better value given the likely use of the machine.

I think it is likely that he's going to be frustrated by the changes, so you may want to ensure that he has some one to guide him initially through many of his common tasks. Also, it might be good to have him use a non-administrator account for his day-to-day work and leave the administrator account for when it is necessary. He can always give himself administrator privileges later on once he becomes accustomed (I set up my wife initially this way).

I think he'll be ok though -- the menu bar is still at the top!🙂
 
Catfish_Man said:
Data migration from old iMacs is a huuuuge pita. They can't do target disk mode, they don't have wireless, they don't have autosensing ethernet ports (need a crossover cable or a hub), they don't have CD burners...
Click to expand...
Are you sure about the ethernet? I'm fairly certain all old iMacs have autosensing (at least the 333Mhz did). I'll agree that it is a bit of a PITA though, and I'll have to go through it myself when I move my parents from the aforementioned 333Mhz iMac to their new Macbook. Luckily I have them on OS X already so it will be easier than OS8 or 9. Unfortunately I'm on the other side of the world so I have to do it remotely!

Good luck to the OP - I remember that sometimes even getting an old mac to talk to a new Mac can be a pain, as you need to make sure you can talk Appletalk over IP (rather than plain appletalk) etc, which may not be in 8.6? If there's not too much stuff, you might just want to use a USB flash drive to move the data, that should work in everything.
 
nick9191 said:
Your recommending a $2300 computer for someone who types up documents and browses the Internet?
Click to expand...

Do you mean £2300? The base model iMac in Canada is $1,299, while the only one near $2,300 is the 2.8Ghz 24", and I don't think that's what he's saying.
 
nick9191 said:
The iMacs are worse value, they havent been updated in nearly a year. He can pick up the top mac mini, with a cheap screen for about $899, the cheapest imac of identical specification (except with a graphics card) is $1199.
Click to expand...

Okay, you should read the OP's post before you post ridiculous stuff like this. He's needs a Mac for a senior that will be using it for basic web surfing and document writing. Why would he need the latest and greatest of the iMac? The current iMac as well as even the first Intel white model for him would suffice just fine. He's just moving from OS 8.6 to OS X.
You are speaking in terms of YOUR needs not the OP's.
 
For your information, a Mac Mini is not possible as they didn't have any at Best Buy and he wanted to buy a Mac then. Therefore he was going for an 20 inch iMac. He wanted something that would last him years, so an iMac it was.

Thanks for your help guys. I will talk to him about transferring files and hopefully make his life a lot easier for him.

Thanks again.
 
New OS's make things easier to use of course, why would they make them more difficult? Its much more difficult to get things done in 8.6, and slower, and just plain unpleasent
 
stainlessliquid said:
New OS's make things easier to use of course, why would they make them more difficult? Its much more difficult to get things done in 8.6, and slower, and just plain unpleasent
Click to expand...

Right, but he is probably very familiar with the old version. While OS X is better and easier, it is different.
 
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