I ordered an iBook this Saturday and hope for it to arrive within the next week or two. System 7.x is the version of Mac OS I have the most experience with so OS X will be a bit new to me, so some of my questions may seem a bit too elementary. I have a few questions about software and what to expect from it:
1. Is OS X as easy to use as System 7 was? This may seem like a really dumb question but the fact that OS X is Unix-based with essentially a shell on top of it, I am concerned that a lot of stuff may be more complicated. I'm by no means a computer novice and am not afraid of CLI's, just that I don't care for them much except in a few cases.
2. How well integrated is the X11 windowing system in OS X? I run a lot of programs in Windows that were ported from X11 environments that take advantage of the Windows-native windowing system but from what I have read, most OS X ports require a separate installation of an X11 system to run, rather than using it's native windowing system. I run programs like gVIM, the GIMP, and Gaim. I'd like for stuff like clipboard copy and paste to work like it does in these programs in Windows (gVIM is a native Windows port, Gaim and GIMP run on GTK+ for Windows).
3. How well does OS X play with Windows file and printer sharing? I want my iBook to be able to use a shared folder on one of my desktop drives and to be able to use my old HP LaserJet 4L printer at home. Does OS X even have drivers for old HP LaserJet printers?
4. Can I turn off unneccessary fluff in OS X? In Windows I have inane stuff like the theme engine service turned off as well as other default services to save memory and CPU time. From what I have read, stuff like the dashboard and spotlight wouldn't be a whole lot of use to me and I'd like to be able to turn off stuff that I don't want or need. I'll have 512MB of RAM in my iBook and I hope that is enough to run programs like Opera and iTunes (like I do on Windows) without watching the hard drive thrash due to having to use the paging file constantly.
I appreciate your time in answering this stuff and your patience with a Mac (at least OS X) newbie.
1. Is OS X as easy to use as System 7 was? This may seem like a really dumb question but the fact that OS X is Unix-based with essentially a shell on top of it, I am concerned that a lot of stuff may be more complicated. I'm by no means a computer novice and am not afraid of CLI's, just that I don't care for them much except in a few cases.
2. How well integrated is the X11 windowing system in OS X? I run a lot of programs in Windows that were ported from X11 environments that take advantage of the Windows-native windowing system but from what I have read, most OS X ports require a separate installation of an X11 system to run, rather than using it's native windowing system. I run programs like gVIM, the GIMP, and Gaim. I'd like for stuff like clipboard copy and paste to work like it does in these programs in Windows (gVIM is a native Windows port, Gaim and GIMP run on GTK+ for Windows).
3. How well does OS X play with Windows file and printer sharing? I want my iBook to be able to use a shared folder on one of my desktop drives and to be able to use my old HP LaserJet 4L printer at home. Does OS X even have drivers for old HP LaserJet printers?
4. Can I turn off unneccessary fluff in OS X? In Windows I have inane stuff like the theme engine service turned off as well as other default services to save memory and CPU time. From what I have read, stuff like the dashboard and spotlight wouldn't be a whole lot of use to me and I'd like to be able to turn off stuff that I don't want or need. I'll have 512MB of RAM in my iBook and I hope that is enough to run programs like Opera and iTunes (like I do on Windows) without watching the hard drive thrash due to having to use the paging file constantly.
I appreciate your time in answering this stuff and your patience with a Mac (at least OS X) newbie.