1 stars (OS X is flawed for server work) - I love OS X but what do you buy a server for?... to centralize tasks such as web hosting and databases. This article:
http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2520
points out how OS X is horribly crippled to handle such server tasks when compared to Linux running on a G5 or an AMD chip. The article is very fair and every effort was made to figure out what went wrong and the conclusion was that OS X has very poor threading functionality - something critical server applications like mysql and apache under heavy load.
The Linux running on the G5 is upwards of 1000% faster than OS 10.4. Given the cost of Linux I'm not sure what would prompt me to purchase this server OS for 10 times worse performance on the same Apple hardware. I also find it ironic that Apple has touted the benefits of a single company making hardware and OS for years and this is the result. Embarassing.
1 stars (Be Careful Before You Upgrade) - I thought for the first time that I'd stay on the cuttng edge of Mac OS. Little did I know that under Tiger all of my applications would crash more often and run more slowly. I also didn't know that Symantec wouldn't support Tiger, so that my old versions of Norton Utilities and Norton Antivirus no longer work while Symantec does not plan to sell versions that do work on Tiger.
Both my classic applications and my OS X applications run slower and crash more often. I really regret upgrading. Sure, the widgets function is nice, but not worth the trouble Tiger has caused me.
5 stars (Great update to the OS system) - With the exception of one (big) negative, this has been a terrific upgrade. There is no doubt that this is an 'optimized' system, as my Mac G4 is blazing through things faster than ever. Standards like iPhoto and iTunes still put Apple on the cutting edge, but new features like Safari and the Dashboard/Widgets are great for making your life easier. So, what was the one big negative, you wonder? When I upgraded, my modem driver went AWOL. For four long weeks I was without internet access! Apple engineers worked hard to solve the problem (which was very rare, but I was not the only person to suffer from it), and Apple Tech Support people were fabulous about keeping me posted as to what was happening during my long wait (via phone since I didn't have email). Happily my 'puter is now fully up and running due to an upgrade sent from Apple, direct. Despite this *big* hassle, I have to say that I really like Tiger and I would definitely recommend it to fellow Mac users. The speed and ease of the operating system make it worth the money. |
