All the Snow Leopard hate is hype, right?

[Grimmeh]

I've been lurking the forums for a long time, since before Snow Leopard become major. I've noticed a lot of people here stating how "Snow Leopard is Apple's Vista." Is it me, but I've only seen a few hundred, maybe a thousand, complaints about issues with Snow Leopard and people hating it.

I have a MacBook Pro 13" and did an upgrade to Snow Leopard and have had no issues. Few times Exposé does its quirk and Safari has beach balled a handful of times. However, it's just fine, far surpasses Windows XP, Vista, and 7.

Of the tens (or hundreds?) millions of copies people are using (or, should I say, have bought), are these few people on the forums just the few unlucky ones, or is it really a widespread problem?

 

[HLdan]

I have a MacBook Pro 13" and did an upgrade to Snow Leopard and have had no issues......

Basically you just answered your own thread question. This is why when I buy a new Mac or new Mac software, I just buy it and use it, I'll find out for myself what doesn't work. This forum scares people away and many of the MR members intentionally want to rain on Apple's parade and lose them customers just because of their bad experience.

Same here, no issues with SL but if I had read this forum before hand I wouldn't have had the pleasure of installing it.

Have you also noticed that people that have recently bought Macs with SL preinstalled haven't been here complaining? It's generally those geeks that install way too many haxies, browser extensions and Growl that screwup their system and then they blame SL, rather than taking responsibility.

 

[Corrosive vinyl]

In a way, yes and no. I bought a Macbook Pro with 10.5.7 on it, and switched over in a few days time because I did not like it very much, and thought that it was kind of bloated.

I installed 10.6 from the pop in dvd provided. I upgraded just fine and am now on 10.6.1 and working perfectly. Remember, before you restart when running software update, make sure that you run disk permission repair just in case. No funky behavior attributed to 10.6 so far

That being said, make sure that your system is stable and doesn't have any odd glitches, which might make it 'freak out' after installing something new.

 

[Grimmeh]

It's generally those geeks that install way too many haxies, browser extensions and Growl that screwup their system and then they blame SL, rather than taking responsibility.

I've been thinking the same. Too many of them have a Windows mentality and can't accept OS X for what it is and that there's no need to go an extra mile, since you're already at max level.

I never understood why people were going bonkers over "clean" installs. Seems like those people have the most problems.

 

[Richard1028]

You will seldom here from people that have no problems and why would you? The product is just doing for them what Apple said it would do.

I'm also sure there are some who do run into SL's quirks but just live with them like anything else in life.

I never understood why people were going bonkers over "clean" installs. Seems like those people have the most problems.

Not by my reckoning. Even though I just upgraded (with little fanfare), I read that a clean install typically rectifies a lot.

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

Basically you just answered your own thread question. This is why when I buy a new Mac or new Mac software, I just buy it and use it, I'll find out for myself what doesn't work. This forum scares people away and many of the MR members intentionally want to rain on Apple's parade and lose them customers just because of their bad experience.

Same here, no issues with SL but if I had read this forum before hand I wouldn't have had the pleasure of installing it.

Have you also noticed that people that have recently bought Macs with SL preinstalled haven't been here complaining? It's generally those geeks that install way too many haxies, browser extensions and Growl that screwup their system and then they blame SL, rather than taking responsibility.

Growl isn't a hack. I use that to notify me of any updates to my school club's Dropbox folder.

 

[vohdoun]

Growl isn't a hack. I use that to notify me of any updates to my school club's Dropbox folder.

Indeed. It's a very handy app.

 

[sputacus]

I haven't had a single issue with any OSX update or upgrade since I received my MBP, even though there are always some who posts about how the update/upgrade destroyed their Mac (or at least some feature of it). Like another before wrote, when the updates and upgrades are release, I just do them. Following the updates, I at least run permissions or run the full daily-weekly-monthly scripts (which include permissions).

To keep my system running like new, I do the following once a month and after completing a major update/upgrade:

1. clone my system onto an external hard drive (I use SuperDuper).
2. erase / reformat my internal hard drive.
3. restore ("re-clone") my system to my internal HD from the clone.
4. use DiskWarrior (or Tech Tool Pro 5) to rebuild the directory, check files/folders, and repair permissions.

My system continues to run like new, with the improved performance from SL - and I just did the simple SL upgrade on the day it was released.

 

[Grimmeh]

I haven't had a single issue with any OSX update or upgrade since I received my MBP, even though there are always some who posts about how the update/upgrade destroyed their Mac (or at least some feature of it). Like another before wrote, when the updates and upgrades are release, I just do them. Following the updates, I at least run permissions or run the full daily-weekly-monthly scripts (which include permissions).

To keep my system running like new, I do the following once a month and after completing a major update/upgrade:

1. clone my system onto an external hard drive (I use SuperDuper).
2. erase / reformat my internal hard drive.
3. restore ("re-clone") my system to my internal HD from the clone.
4. use DiskWarrior (or Tech Tool Pro 5) to rebuild the directory, check files/folders, and repair permissions.

My system continues to run like new, with the improved performance from SL - and I just did the simple SL upgrade on the day it was released.

That hardly seems like it helps. Delete everything, start fresh, then throw back all the old garbage?How would that accomplish anything?

 

[sputacus]

That hardly seems like it helps. Delete everything, start fresh, then throw back all the old garbage?How would that accomplish anything?

For one thing, there is NO garbage on my computer - I don't install the 3rd party hacks and tweeks onto my MBP!!! My computer was running great with 10.5.8 and it continues to run great with 10.6.1.

With any major change to a system, there will be some fragmentation of files (yes, large Mac files do fragment) and the directory. The best way I've found to de-fragment and to optimize free space is to clone my system onto an external, reformat the internal, and re-clone from the external. While still running from the external, further optimization is achieve by rebuilding the directory using programs like DiskWarrior or Tech Tool Pro 5.

When my MBP appeared to be running a little slower/sluggish when it was 3 months old, someone recommended the above procedure. I did it and my system returned to performing like new. I now do this every month for general maintenance. My system continues to run like new, even better after the SL upgrade. To this day, I have yet to complain about an adverse result of doing a OSX update or upgrade. I don't know how much of that is attributed to my maintanence routine or just due to the fact that I don't install 3rd party hacks, but I am convince that that this routine has kept my system running with the same snap that it had when I bought it, even through all the updates and upgrades.

 

[HLdan]

Growl isn't a hack. I use that to notify me of any updates to my school club's Dropbox folder.

Where the hell in my post did I say that Growl was a hack? I'm thoroughly sick of people misquoting me. Read my post again PLEASE????
Also, Growl was in fact an issue with SL, if it's been updated, great, but don't defend something that wasn't working with SL from the beginning.

 

[vohdoun]

Also, Growl was in fact an issue with SL, if it's been updated, great, but don't defend something that wasn't working with SL from the beginning.

Yes but the hillside is nearly all covered in heavenly scented marigolds and daffodils.

 

[Richard1028]

To keep my system running like new, I do the following once a month and after completing a major update/upgrade:

I guess I'm kind of lost on your process.

1. clone my system onto an external hard drive (I use SuperDuper).

Got it.

2. erase / reformat my internal hard drive.

Still with you here.

3. restore ("re-clone") my system to my internal HD from the clone.

This part I don't understand. You do realize you're just doing a byte for byte restore back to your internal drive, right? Nothing is gained.

 

[Grimmeh]

This part I don't understand. You do realize you're just doing a byte for byte restore back to your internal drive, right? Nothing is gained.

That's what I didn't get either. You could just try defragmenting instead of doing all that crap…

Also, being on an SSD means I no longer have that issue. But I won't rub it in.

 

[sputacus]

This part I don't understand. You do realize you're just doing a byte for byte restore back to your internal drive, right? Nothing is gained.

Yes I do realize that!

As I said earlier, my system has remain solid from 10.5.6 (when I bought it) through 10.6.1 - in other words, I don't have a problem or issue with the byte for byte that I'm cloning back onto my internal drive. What I'm talking about is how the bytes are arranged onto my hard drive. Without going into a long explanation, I found that periodic re-cloning of my system with the same SOLID install that it is currently running on, followed by the rebuilding the system directory and permissions repair provides my system the degree of file optimization and de-fragmentation that keeps it running like new - THAT IS MY GAIN. I learned of this from reading the Mac-Forums board about 6 months ago when my 3 month old system began be sluggish at time. I saw immediate results after the first time I tried it. So I routinely do this once per month - thus far it has kept my MBP running like new.

Of course, if my system had a major problem (like some of the ones being blamed on SL in this forum), I wouldn't re-clone the problematic install back onto my internal drive (it wouldn't fix anything) - I will find and eliminate the problem first!

 

[Grimmeh]

Wouldn't it be easier and faster to run a defragmentation utility?

 

[sputacus]

Wouldn't it be easier and faster to run a defragmentation utility?

I tried the de-fragmentation utility built into Tech Tool 5 a couple of times - it took 3+ hours to complete, and my system actually ran slower for awhile after it was completed. I also have iDefrag, but I've never used it for defragging (so I can't speak of how it performs) - I like to use it's graphical and statistical data for before / after comparisons when I re-clone. I always keep a (SuperDuper) clone of my system. When I want to re-clone my hard drive for optimization purposes, it takes about 15 minutes to update the clone to my internal HD's present state, 75 minutes to erase and re-clone my internal, less than 10 minutes to rebuild the directory, check files and repair permissions with DiskWarrior (or Tech Tool Pro 5). So the whole process is less than 2 hours. And the result is a system that runs at least as fast - most times a little faster - as before (depending on the degree of fragmentation prior to recloning).

I guess my point for bringing this up is that some of the complaints I've heard about SL is that it made some systems run SLOWER - maybe the process I described could fix it.

 

[317342]

I think a lot of it is hype, but I have noticed little glitches here/there (small stuff)...overall it runs beautifully and glad we upgraded. I installed it on all 3 of our Macs (two laptops, one iMac)....SL works fine on all of them, fast too.

The only issue I've had w/ the upgrade was my address book (shared w/ wife through MobileMe) got corrupted both on my MBP and iMac....strange, restored it from MobileMe and it's been fine ever since. I understand they're fixing a lot of Address Book 'glitches' in 10.6.2 which is coming down the pipe soon.

One thing I cannot emphasize enough about SL is the speed. I never thought Leopard was slow to begin with....always thought it was fast, but SL really cooks.

 

[J&JPolangin]

...but SL really cooks.

...what's faster about it?

 

[MisterMe]

Yes I do realize that!

As I said earlier, my system has remain solid from 10.5.6 (when I bought it) through 10.6.1 - in other words, I don't have a problem or issue with the byte for byte that I'm cloning back onto my internal drive. What I'm talking about is how the bytes are arranged onto my hard drive. Without going into a long explanation, I found that periodic re-cloning of my system with the same SOLID install that it is currently running on, followed by the rebuilding the system directory and permissions repair provides my system the degree of file optimization and de-fragmentation that keeps it running like new - THAT IS MY GAIN. I learned of this from reading the Mac-Forums board about 6 months ago when my 3 month old system began be sluggish at time. I saw immediate results after the first time I tried it. So I routinely do this once per month - thus far it has kept my MBP running like new.

...

This is called the "Placebo Effect." Bear in mind, placebos don't work. I have been a Mac user for more than 20 years. Having actually benchmarked Mac before and after defrags, the differences in performance were in the noise.

If you maintain 10% of your hard drive as free space and don't suffer any power outages while your system is running, then your Mac will hum like a bee for years with no user maintenance at all. When you do have a problem, its most likely cause will be a failing hard drive, which user maintenance can neither fix nor forestall, or a dying PRAM battery, which needs to be replaced after several years.

 

[Kristenn]

Been great for me. Much faster and clearer looking than leopard. I just did have my first Kernel Panic but... I think it could have happened on leopard or tiger. The only thing I don't like is the dictionary. It no longer automatically looks up a word for me in pages when I right click. Whats up with that??

 

[mrchinchilla]

It installed just fine for me, apart from the first install declared it failed.
I just had to clean out the disk drive. It had gotten dirty.
I've had no real problems ever installing OS X, apart from Jaguar froze on blue screen which I managed to fix by reinstalling. Oh, and a Leopard reinstall froze once. But apart from that, no problems. Snow Leopard has been very good so far. Still p•ssed about PPC being dropped, though.

 

[kate-willbury]

1) without tweeks/hacks, mac osx is pretty much useless. no way would i use my macbook if i couldn't install growl/witch/quickgold/etc

2) installed snow leopard on my 1+ year macbook on top of leopard, and it worked fine. installed snow leopard on my friends brand new macbook with complete and utter failure.

3) windows vista has worked perfectly for me for over 2 years now. its hard to beat down bad press. i'm sure many people are running snow leopard just fine, but its obviously not a perfect upgrade and is clearly running poorly amidst a good sized amount of dissatisifed customers.

 

[sputacus]

This is called the "Placebo Effect." Bear in mind, placebos don't work. I have been a Mac user for more than 20 years. Having actually benchmarked Mac before and after defrags, the differences in performance were in the noise.

Hahahaha...man, I don't care if you have used a zillion mac's in those 20 years - you haven't used this one!!! What I described has been my experience with THIS mac!!! It hasn't had the sluggishness that it started to have a few months ago since I started to routinely do this. And I got this from reading the recommendations of others - so I'm definitely not the only one who have seen the results. I'll settle for this so-called "noise" any day - it's comparable to the "noise" it had when I bought it!!!

So, is the increased performance I saw when I upgraded to SL also a "placebo?"

 

[Rampant.A.I.]

It's not the issues that are hype as much as it is Apple being Apple, and using their paying consumers as beta testers.

The issues I've had are stupid little things--like Safari no longer being able to do anything reliably for any length of time without crashing--that should have been worked out before the OS was released to the general public.

I suspect that I'm having less issues than others are because I'm on a brand new MBP, and that the folks who are having the most problems are using older machines.

I don't mean to point fingers or anything, but I believe there is that element of consumers who will run out and upgrade to the most recent OS, even if they'd be better off sticking with Leopard if they don't have a brand new Mac, and then complain about how much Snow Leopard sucks.

I ran the Mac OS X beta on a Powerbook G3. It wasn't great, and System 9 would've served me better, and I had some issues. I suspect something similar is going on in the extreme cases right now.

Should Apple have thoroughly tested and refined the OS before releasing it? Heck yeah they should've. They also only charged us $30.00 though.

Out of curiosity, what did the last Windows update cost?

This is called the "Placebo Effect." Bear in mind, placebos don't work. I have been a Mac user for more than 20 years. Having actually benchmarked Mac before and after defrags, the differences in performance were in the noise.

If you maintain 10% of your hard drive as free space and don't suffer any power outages while your system is running, then your Mac will hum like a bee for years with no user maintenance at all. When you do have a problem, its most likely cause will be a failing hard drive, which user maintenance can neither fix nor forestall, or a dying PRAM battery, which needs to be replaced after several years.

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you've never owned an Apple laptop.