When will Apple eliminate Classic in OS X?

[Jimong5]

Originally posted by IJ Reilly


Right, and if I didn't install iPhoto, I could not run it -- which is quite a different statement then the one to which I was responding. Once again, this was: "OS X does not come with OS 9 in any form. All it comes with are the pieces that allow OS 9 to run as classic."

This is plainly incorrect. The Classic Environment for OS 10.2 is still a fully-bootable OS 9.2 (unless you own a 2003 Mac).

actually, if you bought a Jaguar Box, you would only get Jag. there is no 9 CD in it. And 2002 Macs dont even get a 9 disk, they have it on a restore CD

 

[Bear]

Originally posted by IJ Reilly


Right, and if I didn't install iPhoto, I could not run it -- which is quite a different statement then the one to which I was responding. Once again, this was: "OS X does not come with OS 9 in any form. All it comes with are the pieces that allow OS 9 to run as classic."

This is plainly incorrect. The Classic Environment for OS 10.2 is still a fully-bootable OS 9.2 (unless you own a 2003 Mac).

Nope, the classic environment is what runs inside OS X. When you boot OS 9, it's called OS 9.

OS X comes with the stubs to run OS 9 as classic. Those stubs include the Classic Prefs Pane and some additional software hooks.

If you install OS 9 on a machine with OS X, you get the Classic environment and if the machine is a model that can boot OS 9, you also get a bootable OS 9.

However, OS X itself does not come with OS 9 in any form. A Mac with OS X comes with OS 9 for Classic (and booting if the model supports that.)

 

[IJ Reilly]

Originally posted by Bear
However, OS X itself does not come with OS 9 in any form. A Mac with OS X comes with OS 9 for Classic (and booting if the model supports that.)

Boy, is that ever a distinction without a difference! I suggest that both of you try toggling that little widget on the Classic startup window, and tell me what you see. (Hint: it's exactly what you'll see if you boot that machine into OS9, including the all of the extensions you've selected or deslected.) But just keep telling yourself, "it's not OS 9 in any form -- it just looks the same, works the same, and boots the same."

As for the "no OS 9 CD" with 2002 Macs claim, this is not correct. Our 17" iMac came with an OS 9.2.2 install disk, which lo-and-behold, also happens to boot into OS 9.

 

[zach]

Originally posted by IJ Reilly


But there is a tremendous justification for retaining compatibility with legacy applications, which is why I believe the Classic Environment will be with us for a long time. Post 10.2 it just won't be called OS 9, and using it will become much more transparent to the user.

I agree with this and i think that apple will take it to the next step with classic, allowing it to start more quickly, and retain the os X interface. This would be nice, as i have many old os 9 programs that i like to run, so eliminating classic would not please me, although i hate it in its present incarnation (slow, unstable, and ugly).

 

[GeeYouEye]

Dropping classic, almost no matter how far in the future, is stupid. There's just too much invested in 9 programs to justify getting rid of it. I've still yet to see, for example, an OS X version of ResEdit.

 

[Bear]

Originally posted by IJ Reilly


Boy, is that ever a distinction without a difference! I suggest that both of you try toggling that little widget on the Classic startup window, and tell me what you see. (Hint: it's exactly what you'll see if you boot that machine into OS9, including the all of the extensions you've selected or deslected.) But just keep telling yourself, "it's not OS 9 in any form -- it just looks the same, works the same, and boots the same."

You missed the point. If you buy OS X, you don't get OS 9 or Classic.

You only get those bits if you buy a Mac.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Originally posted by Bear

You missed the point. If you buy OS X, you don't get OS 9 or Classic.

You only get those bits if you buy a Mac.

So what are you going to run it on, a PC? Describe for me a scenario where Classic would not be installed on a Mac, short of removing it.

BTW, I notice you've moved away from the claim that "A Mac with OS X comes with OS 9 for Classic," which in any case, contradicted your statement, "OS X itself does not come with OS 9 in any form."

I'll be darned if I know what your point is, anyway.