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(pronounced /mæk əʊ ɛs tɛn/)

Seems like the last word is closer to 'ten' than X. Maybe I have the lingo wrong, so I did not change it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Geo8rge (talk • contribs) 19:34, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

Well yeah, "ten" is correct. That's why it's in the article. Wikipedia does get things right sometimes, you know... ;-) -/- Warren 01:29, 28 December 2007 (UTC)

X is roman numeral 10. My point is that people I talk to pronounce the X as the letter x, as in "ow es ex". Not a big point but it is an encyclopedia Geo8rge (talk) 00:33, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

I see your point, but I humbly suggest that you refer these people to the encyclopedia article, rather than expect the article to accommodate these people! MFNickster (talk) 02:06, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

And the article will now, right where it says it's pronounced "Mac O-S ten", refer you to a page on an Apple Web site where it says you're supposed to pronounce it "Mac O-S ten". The people Geo8rge talks to are not pronouncing it the way Apple says you're supposed to pronounce it, so the Wikipedia shouldn't say it's pronounced the way they pronounce it. Guy Harris (talk) 04:49, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

So should we say Jaguar or Jag-u-ar? Companies are constantly trying to force people to pronounce things a certain way. If marketing people (of which I am one) would get off their high horses and realize that when you name something ambiguously, people will say it different ways, then we would all have an easier time of it. But for a reference work (which I think Wikipedia is supposed to be) the usage is what is important, not the marketing crap. It is irrelevant what Apple says it should be, what should be reported in a reference work is what people call it. Both ways should be mentioned (then you can say that Apple prefers it this way). Where would the English language (or any language, for that matter, but this is the English section of Wikipedia) if Webster said, this is how it should be said, instead of reporting how people actually used the words. Thou wouldst still speak like unto this ungainly manner! -- Paul123 15 APR 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.106.3.58 (talk) 19:50, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

I don't think the article needs to tell people how to pronounce it. I do think it needs to include the information that the 'X' is in fact a Roman numeral 10. MFNickster (talk) 01:34, 16 April 2008 (UTC)

I have never for a moment begun to understand how this pronunciation thing is difficult or unclear for people. I've never once heard anyone say /ˈtʌɪt(ə)l ɪks/ or, when reading the time from a clock with Roman numerals, say "It's /ɛks/ o'clock." This is just not hard. There was Mac OS /eɪt/, then Mac OS /nʌɪn/, then Mac OS /tɛn/. No question. No lack of clarity. Nothing vague or obscure or esoteric. Every single one of the people who say "Mac OS /ɛks/" would never say "It's /ɛks/ o'clock." Since it is apparently so difficult for some people, though, I suggest it 'is' important to include both the pronunciation in the usual place and an explanation of why that pronunciation is correct somewhere in the article. Stephan Leeds (talk) 15:43, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

I always assumed that the X came from X-window, so I always pronounced it as "/ɪks/" and even believed that those guys that pronounced it as "ten" were wrong. Well, now I stand corrected.156.35.192.4 (talk) 10:02, 4 July 2008 (UTC)

if people (including myself, many people i know and the last Apple store 'genius' I talked to) want to pronounce it as "/ɛks/" it doesn't matter or make us wrong. Its not an issue. OS 7, OS 8 and OS 9 didn't use Roman numerals. NeXT, X-windows and Windows XP all use "/ɛks/" - hope everybody can see why many people don't think OS X is pronounced OS ten? 82.29.114.179 (talk) 22:34, 5 October 2008 (UTC)

lolz = Microsoft Windows 10p (probably have to be British to get that one) 82.29.114.179 (talk) 22:39, 5 October 2008 (UTC)

Apple calls it "Mac Oh Ess Ten." However anyone else pronounces it, who cares? It's irrelevant to the article. MFNickster (talk) 01:22, 6 October 2008 (UTC)

Question about a sentence in the lead

Unlike its predecessors, Mac OS X is a Unix-based operating system built on technology developed at NeXT through the second half of the 1980s until Apple purchased the company in early 1997.

Was the technology really developed at NeXT through the second half of the 1980s? Or should that be 1990s?

The other option seems suspect: that the technology ceased development in the late 1980s and sat dormant until 1997, at which point Apple builds its new operating system on it?

I don't know enough to confirm this or fix it. Thanks, WalterGR (talk | contributions) 09:52, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

I revised the sentence for clarity and moved it to the 'History' section, where it's probably more appropriate. MFNickster (talk) 23:07, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

MiB and KiB v.s. MB and KB

I note that this article uses “GB” to denote ‘gigabyte’, as in “the new Intel-powered iMacs have 2 GB of RAM”. Other articles on Wikipedia—like Itanium—use “GiB” (for “gibibyte”) instead of “GB” (for “gigabyte”). For authors interested in the terminology standards used on Wikipedia, debate and a vote is ongoing on Talk:MOSNUM regarding a proposal that would deprecate the use of computer terms like “kibibyte” (symbol “KiB”), “mebibyte” (symbol “MiB”), and kibibit (symbol “Kib”). It would no longer be permissible to use terminology like a “a SODIMM card with a capacity of two gibibytes (2 GiB) first became available…” and instead, the terminology currently used by manufacturers of computer equipment and general-circulation computer magazines (“two gigabytes, or 2 GB”) would be used. Voting on the proposal is ongoing here. Please carefully read the proposal before voting one way or the other on it. Greg L (my talk) 05:01, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Support life cycle

Hi. I'm having a hard time finding out how Apple supports OS X. I can see that Apple stops releasing new versions of each system about two years after they're introduced. Does that mean that it stops patching new security holes in those versions after that date, as well? I know that when Microsoft terminates support for a release, it stops patching security holes. Is it the same for Macs?--Awareshiftjk (talk) 09:25, 6 April 2008 (UTC)

I'm using Mac OS X Tiger. They stopped making new versions of that when they made the first new version of Leopard a couple months ago. However, there are still security updates that I see from time to time. For example, Security Update 2008-002 was released a couple weeks ago for both Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard. Maybe Apple only supports the two most recent versions? I don't know if there is a time-frame for support. I know Microsoft has support of Windows XP until 2014 (it was increased since not enough people were switching to Vista), and it would be interesting to see if Apple has something similar. Althepal (talk) 19:07, 6 April 2008 (UTC)

Criticisms

Criticism of Microsoft Windows, Criticism of Linux but there is no Criticism of Mac, since when did wikipedia give in to fan boys? Can someobody who knows more about Mac please create the article, a short list would be:

• Criticisms of the dock (ive read plenty of criticisms, and I have difficulty using it as effectively as a task bar)
• Criticisms of the finder Macintosh_Finder#Criticism
• Lack of languages
• Criticisms of security, or more to the point mac marketing their systems as virus free, but there have been a few mac viruses as well as their failure in hacking competition (only system to be exploited without 3rd party software) that say differently
• Pay for bug fixes (e.g their X server has bugs preventing the use of many FOSS programs, but to get bug fixes (not improvements), you have to buy the next version))

--82.35.192.193 (talk) 23:42, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

I'd add the fact that certain versions of OS X came with their firewall turned off, and the fact that Apple makes its users upgrade every two years.

What really pisses me off is the inability of certain people here to compromise. They can't have a separate article; they can't have criticism in the article; and they can't even link to criticism. That's some pretty obscene censorship. I'll just put it all back in this article. I know I'll be reverted, but obviously some Mac people here need to learn not to be offended by simple facts. Their trolling isn't confined to this site, of course. I'm not anti-Mac. Mac's have their advantages. But it seems that every time I try to have an open discussion about them, they start trolling me like mad. As a consequence, I think I've grown a bit anti-Mac user over the years. They're somewhat elitist. The real crusaders against the establishment aren't the rich Mac users who troll everyone. They're the people who have the courage to use and develop Linux. That's my two cents.--Knowhands enjoykeep (talk) 23:54, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

I appreciate your frustration, but I don't think the accusations of censorship are warranted. The main problem with the previous "criticism" section is that the critics don't seem to want to do the research to document their points. MFNickster (talk) 13:57, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

That's a lie. Most of the points were researched just to make you happy. You then moved the goal post and claimed that the sources were invalid. On another note, I am curious: Do you believe that the material that was removed is false? Are you saying that all Macs came with their firewall turned on? Do you believe that this passage is false:

OS X operating systems have beeen critcised for only offering limited choice of languages - about 20 - in which the interface can be viewed, Apple concentrating on providing only for languages of their most important markets. Rival system Windows is available in numerous languages including many lesser spoken ones.

You removed this passage because the site requires viewers to log-in. Books aren't immediately available to you, either, though. You see, until you stop feeding me all of this bullshit, how do you expect me to go on your little fools-errands? I suppose I could find another source just to show you how wrong you are, but I'm 99% certain -- no 100%, actually -- that you'll just make up another lie to remove the material. I'm not going to give in to your trolling. I know you certainly won't research it, since you don't want it there. Do you see how you this bullshit makes you look?--Knowhands enjoykeep (talk) 14:45, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, thanks for impugning my motives. Calling me a liar is dangerously close to a personal attack. As Warren pointed out, truth is not the criterion for inclusion BUT if you want to include this, use some quotes and make sure it is verifiable. You don't get to force your changes onto the article, there has to be consensus MFNickster (talk) 18:26, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

You gave no citations for the firewall criticism (and, frankly, it doesn't seem like all that damning a criticism -- basically, if true, I'd consider that a bug that was later fixed; but if you can find reliable sources for the criticism, then you could reasonably include it). As for the language criticism, being behind a paywall isn't a reason to reject a source. But it's not necessarily clear that the site you linked to ("Eurolang") qualifies as a reliable source according to wikipedia guidelines. Klausness (talk) 15:29, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Exactly. The criticisms are all couched in weasel words like "others have criticized". Who are these "others"? You need to include reliable sources for any criticisms that you add. Klausness (talk) 14:10, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Also, the reason there's no Criticism of Macintosh article isn't that wikipedia has somehow given in to fan boys. It's simply because no one has created such an article. So if it bothers you, go ahead and create the article (but make sure that all the criticisms in the article are properly sourced). Klausness (talk) 14:18, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Well the way all the other criticism pages were created was, through expansion of the criticisms on the product pages, till it warented its own page, however editors here are clearly hostile to any attempt of criticising their precious mac os x. When a user such as knowhands tries to ad them hurdels are put up by those that know about mac instead of helping people hinder, I have little intention of signing up just to make a page that somebody will mark for deletion anyway.--82.35.192.193 (talk) 23:42, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

I'm sorry you feel that way. I'll confess I am indeed a champion of OS X, but if such an article is created, I will not interfere. Rather, I would insist on a high quality, NPOV, and obsessive referencing (hard to do while staying neutral to competing third parties, i.e. Mac|Life and MacWorld).--HereToHelp ^{(talk to me)} 23:54, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

It's been discussed (Criticisms)

This has already been discussed, and there has already been consensus on a lack of a specific criticism section or article for Mac OS X. The reasons are simply that there are far fewer criticisms about OS X than other popular operating systems, so for the case of this operating system it makes most sense to simply integrate the criticism information where relevant (a preferable option to making separate sections or articles when the relevant info wouldn't be read where it makes sense, something being considered on the Vista article, by the way). Wikipedia doesn't make a page or section for one subject simply because one exists for similar subjects. Althepal (talk) 03:53, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

"...there are far fewer criticisms about OS X than other popular operating systems..."? I'm afraid that does really sound like fanboy POV stuff. I've been using OS X since version 10.0, and there's plenty that can be (and has been) criticized about it. I, for one, would welcome well-sourced criticisms, either in a section of this article or in a separate article. Klausness (talk) 05:22, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

I don't mean to defend OS X or anything, I'm just explaining a simple observation. How often have you seen news reports complaining about a bad feature in OS X? Or how many dependency problems do you have installing software in OS X compared to Linux? Not to say that OS X is perfect, and I can indeed count many issues with it or things in other operating systems which are better, but nevertheless seeing as the quantity of criticisms (at least among what is found on Wikipedia) on OS X is not sufficient for it to merit an article. If there are real, relevant, NPOV, sourced criticisms about OS X (any problems with security, GUI elements, whatever) out there, and they are found and sourced properly, and it amounts to being sufficient for its own article, then I wouldn't have a problem with it. The only concern I might have is if complaints by PC fans about POV things like "Mac isn't more secure than Windows" or silly stuff like "the shape of the Leopard folder icons look too outdated" would be included in order for the length of an article, and statements like that wouldn't fit in Wikipedia (not proven fact, out-of-the-blue opinion). Like I said, articles and sections for one operating system aren't basis or cause for similar articles and sections to be written for other operating systems. My point is simple and not a result of my personal OS preferences: A criticism article on Mac OS X should only be made due to its own merit (not the problems of other OSes). If there are problems with Mac, fine. But don't say that it needs a criticism section or article just because another OS does. Althepal (talk) 06:22, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

No, saying that there have been far fewer criticisms of OS X isn't a "fanboy POV". If Althepal were saying, "OS X has fewer criticisms because it's a better operating system", then yeah, that would be "fanboy POV".

You can measure it out the difference by looking at trade publications, web sites, and so on. Compared with Windows, the absolute number of criticisms is significantly smaller, because the absolute number of OS X users is significantly smaller, and the scope of the criticisms against OS X have not been as dramatic, either. There are free software advocates picketing Microsoft events with their BadVista and related campaigns. O'Reilly recently published a book called "Windows Vista Annoyances". I've even seen stories about Vista's problems on the front page of the BBC World News web site.

There's plenty that can be said about OS X (the pinstripe travesty, how badly Classic sucked, slow time to patch security holes, hardware vendor lock-in, cost, lack of support for older verions, lack of support for video cards not declared worthy by Apple, the monothestic developer environment, etc.etc.), but our problem is finding people who can be considered notable critics of these things so that we can cite them on Wikipedia. -/- Warren 07:24, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

there was a well sourced Criticism of the dock before, but it got removed. AFAICanTell it was removed on the grounds that windows had no similar section. my above criticisms plus the language one, if properly cited would at least warrant a section (perhaps the reverences should be built up here before transferring to the main page tho)--82.35.192.193 (talk) 04:00, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

That particular criticism got moved into Dock (computing), as it pertains to one aspect of the operating system, not the whole thing. That's the catch here -- if you want to see criticism in this specific article, it generally has to apply to all six releases of OS X (or, at the very least, cover more than one release), and it has to transcend a single component. -/- Warren 04:32, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

I think the layout of the Dock and Finder subheadings is a little awkward, maybe that could be improved? The Usability section is currently very non-specific. It needs to have some specific examples of criticisms. In response to 82.35.192.93, the Dock is not a Taskbar. The two are entirely different concepts. I do not think the Dock is brilliantly designed, but neither do I think that you are trying to use it appropriately. As for viruses, Mac OS X has had NO VIRUSES (Classic had about fifty), ever. There was one virus attempt, and it could perpetuate itself on the wireless intranet, but it just couldn't do anything else. The hacking section: Yes. I agree about that. But it's also fair to say that OS X has had very little attention at all from hackers, apart from in these competitions. You shouldn't use that as an example, though – that was a Safari bug, not an OS X bug. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Semicolons (talk • contribs) 18:04, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

There are no faults with OS X ;-D 82.29.114.179 (talk) 06:55, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

Lots of Criticism to Add

The latest censorship here by Mac users upset me so much that I took some really important time out of my day to research problems with Macs. Despite claims to the contrary, I didn't have to look far. I am sure that they will censor me again, but this time I will not give up without a hell of a fight.

I began by searching for the word "Apple" in the Cert vulnerability database and got 258 hits. A search of "Mac OS X" revealed about 124. These are only the publicly-known vulnerabilities. To quote Macworld, "Sometimes holes are publicly acknowledged; other times only Apple knows about them." (Now watch the Mac users here claim that a database search is somehow original research. Boy, Mac users sure do love censorship, don't they?)

Here also are some Mac problems cataloged in "OS X First Aid," by Ted Landau in Macworld, May 2006, Vol. 23, Issue 5:

1. Rosetta Slowdowns All applications have to be rewritten to run natively on Intel processors. A program will likely have been updated to a Universal version, which means that it can run natively both on a PowerPC Mac and on a new Intel Mac. If a program hasn't been updated, OS X will attempt to launch it in a PowerPC-emulation environment called Rosetta. Most programs will run slower in Rosetta than on a comparable PowerPC Mac. (And there's no fix for this except an application update.)
2. Application Failures Some PowerPC programs won't launch on Intel Macs, even in Rosetta. A few launch successfully but some of their features won't work. At press time, this included important programs such as Microsoft's Virtual PC, and disk-repair programs such as Alsoft's DiskWarrior and Micromat's TechTool Pro (see "The Mac Medicine Cabinet"). You shouldn't even attempt to use a non-updated disk-repair program on an Intel Mac. Wait for the software company to release an Intel-compatible upgrade.
3. The Classic Vanishing Act The Classic environment no longer exists on Intel-based Macs; there is no Apple-supported way to run Classic programs anymore — period.
4. Drives That Won't Boot If you want to be able to boot from an external drive when you're using an Intel-based Mac, you should reformat the drive, using Disk Utility's Partition tab. Click on the Options button and select GUID Partition Scheme (see "Reformatting Required"). This option is available only when you run Disk Utility on an Intel-based Mac and when you select an external volume. You need to do this only if you want to be able to boot from the volume.
5. Plug-in Glitches When you're using the Safari Web browser, you may get an alert that says you need a plug-in file — even though you know you have the plug-in already. This is because Safari is running as a Universal program, but many plug-ins themselves are still PowerPC-only software. The best solution is to get an updated version of the plug-in you're having trouble with — which will hopefully be available by the time you read this. If one doesn't exist, here's a workaround

Here are some of the issues with OS 10.2 Jaguar cataloged in "Exterminate OS X Troubles" by Ted Landau in Macworld, Feb. 2003, Vol. 20, Issue 2:

Problem: Permissions Woes

If you've ever tried to open, copy, move, or delete a file in OS X but were unable because you didn't have "sufficient permission" or didn't "own" the file, welcome to the club. This is the most frequent source of frustration in OS X.

Problem: Login Crashes

If you've made it as far as the Login window, you may think you're past all the possible obstacles to a successful start. Not quite--you can still crash. The culprit may be a rogue item on the list in the Login Items pane in System Preferences. (These are the items you've set to launch automatically each time you log in.) This sort of problem is likeliest immediately after you update to a new version of OS X, causing a conflict between an existing login item and the update.

Problem: Printer-Driver Incompatibility

In Jaguar, Apple replaced OS X's entire printing architecture with the Unix-based printing architecture called CUPS, or Command Unix Printing Software (see "Jaguar's Printing Power," Secrets, elsewhere in this issue).

If you don't have printing problems, you may not notice the difference. OS X 10.2 still uses Print Center, and the user interface is very similar. But everything else is different.

The move to the new architecture remedied a number of printing problems that plagued OS X 10.1. Unfortunately, it also introduced some problems. Many printer drivers that worked in OS X 10.1 don't work in Jaguar. Symptoms vary from a simple failure to print a document to Print Center crashing each time you select a printer.

From "Prevent Mac Disasters," By Rob Griffiths, Macworld, Feb. 2005, Vol. 22, Issue 2:

REPAIR PERMISSIONS

WHY: OS X uses a permissions system to determine which programs and folders a user can access. Sometimes these permissions are mistakenly modified, and you can't access folders or programs. Repairing disk permissions restores the correct permissions, allowing access to folders and applications.

WHEN: Depending on your download habits, as often as once a week or even every day.

WHO: Anyone who regularly downloads and installs trialware and shareware

• Say your word processor tells you that it can't save the file you've been working on for an hour, that your e-mail program won't let you change its preferences, or that you can't even launch an application. These are all symptoms of permissions gone bad.

Different files and folders at different locations on your hard drive have different permissions (see "Who's in Charge?"). Although OS X's permissions system works well most of the time, default permissions can become corrupt. This happens most often after you install software that includes system-level components, or when you update the OS.

To repair broken permissions, launch Disk Utility (Applications: Utilities), click on your startup disk, and then click on Repair Disk Permissions. (Don't bother running Verify Disk Permissions--it takes just as long as Repair Disk Permissions, and if it tells you that it found permissions errors, you'll then want to run Repair Disk Permissions anyway.)

This process can take as long as 15 minutes; while Repair Disk Permissions is working, you'll see messages about items it has corrected (see "Permissions Granted!"). When it's done, any permissions issues that affect system-level files and folders on your machine will have been resolved. (For an apparent exception, see "Even Perfect Disks Have Imperfect Permissions.")

Repair Disk Permissions uses internal data, as well as data in the top-level Library: Receipts folder, which keeps track of software you've installed. Never delete anything from this folder.

Your permissions-repair schedule should depend on how often you run installers. The more often you run installers, the more often you should run Repair Disk Permissions. I recommend that you repair permissions weekly if you download and install a few programs a week.

From "Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs on the Same Network," PC World; Dec. 2005, Vol. 23 Issue 12, pp. 180-182, 3p, 4c:

NETWORKING TIPS

Unfortunately, sharing files, printers, Internet connections, and other resources on machines running Windows, OS X, and Linux isn't always easy. The following tips will help you get these operating systems to play nicely with each other.

First, update your software. For example, early versions of Mac OS X (up to and including 10.2) let you connect to Windows files and printers, but only with major coaxing. Later versions of OS X use Windows' Server Message Block protocol to facilitate connecting to and sharing with non-Macintosh PCs. In several important ways, however, OS X's support for Windows' shared resources remains broken (find workarounds for OS X version 10.4.2--the most recent, at this writing--near the end of the next page).

From "Apple's 'Fraction of a Fraction'" by Tom Yager in Infoworld, (06-19-06), p. 18:

APPLE EXTENDED THE COURTESY OF MEETING WITH me one day after my column on the closing of the OS X x86 kernel source code was published online. To sum up Apple's objections, they felt I had given a year-old story a fresh coat of paint and sensationalized it for an audience that wasn't affected by it. Yet no story is more timely, or more broadly relevant, than this one.

The meeting started sliding downhill when Apple asked, "Has anybody ever written to you about this? How many people actually recompile their OS X kernels?" I do, for one. I rattled off some of those groups that value open source in its fullest sense. I included academia, high performance and high throughput computing experts, and shops that want to roll in system-level enhancements before Apple gets around to packaging them.

Apple pushed back, saying that as eclectic as my readership is, the subset I described is only a "fraction of a fraction" of the geeks (Apple's word) who are my regular readers. Issues that matter to so few, and to me, shouldn't be projected to a larger audience in 48-point type. I go on the defensive whenever a vendor suggests that any portion of my readership is an underclass because of its numbers. It is our fraction of a fraction that is the bellwether for the next leading edge. My readers don't gaze at my torch or carry others'. They're too busy lighting new ones.

It strikes me as odd that anyone at Apple could fail to connect with that ideal or see its economic practicality.

Before consummate wealth and success, Steve Jobs was the poster boy for that misunderstood fraction-of-a-fraction to which my erstwhile handlers referred. Jobs was odd man out for being inventive, curious, tenacious, fearless, opinionated. and insatiable. These ingredients make an innovator. Jobs built a company, then a culture, and then a product line that reflected the future he was certain would unfold, and he was determined to get there first. Jobs had the audacity to behave as though his dreams represented the certain future, and he was blessed with just enough money, patience, and raw materials (including open source) to prove his point. Those in his employ and the tiny fraction of computer owners who were Mac users thought that innovation was a hell of a fine foundation for a company. Financial analysts were unanimous in their judgment that innovation was a fine way to take a company to hell.

The Mac platform is an overflowing basket of raw materials for innovators and creators of all stripes. It's what Steve Jobs would fantasize about if he still worked out of his garage, and you can bet that he'd be livid to find that the vendor locked some portion of his chosen platform behind a gate without a word of notice or explanation.

I'm not so much concerned about the single issue of Apple's sandbagging its open source commitment for six months (and counting). The kernel will open up again, this tempest will fade away, and I'll be glad for it. What will continue to concern me so deeply is that Apple thought it would be OK, that nobody would notice or care, if it back-burnered its commitment to keep its open source Darwin OS in lockstep and binary compatibility with OS X. I noticed. My story got such wide attention because lots of people — whose numbers well exceed that fraction of a fraction who would tinker with or compile an OS kernel — understand why breaking a promise, and saying nothing about it, matters. It's not about code. It's about character.

From "Getting Better all the Time," Macworld; Feb. 2005, Vol. 22 Issue 2, p14-15, 2p, 2c:

4 Things to Remember When Updating

• Make sure your hard drive is in good shape. Boot from another drive or use your OS X Installer CD or DVD, and then run Disk Utility's Repair Disk Permissions feature. You can also use a third-party utility such as Alsoft's DiskWarrior (www.alsoft.com).

• Back up. It's rare that an update will result in a loss of data, but it has happened. A few years back, an iTunes installer had a bug that erased some users' hard drives. Be safe, not sorry.

• Take it slow. Although you may be tempted to install every update immediately, sometimes it's better to be patient. When an update is released, consider holding off for a few days and keeping an eye on Web sites such as MacFixIt.com (full disclosure--I work there, too) and MacInTouch.com, to see if other people experience problems.

• Repair disk permissions. After you've finished installing and restarted your Mac (if necessary), run Disk Utility's RepairDisk Permission function on the updated drive to make sure all system files have the correct privileges. (If you're a power user who's changed permissions on system-level files, you may want to skip this step, or at least make a note to change back those settings afterwards.)

I searched EBSCO's MAS Ultra for these articles. They were all at the top of the search results! That was fucking easy. What do you guys mean that there isn't any criticism of Macs? You just needed to search the internet, that's all.

Of course, criticism of the Dock, Cheetah 10.0, and language support will also have to be merged into the entry.--Knowhands enjoykeep (talk) 04:09, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

First of all, continuing to accuse other editors of censorship, and of saying things they haven't said, when no such things have happened, isn't going to endear yourself to anybody. If you want to have a positive experience with editing Wikipedia, I suggest an immediate change in your approach and behaviour.

Second, I find it telling that, given all your research here, you weren't able to produce sources for the two pieces of criticism that you tried to edit-war into the article last month.

Third, Wikipedia isn't an instruction manual or help guide for OS X. See WP:NOTGUIDE. A large part of your above text reads like a help guide or suggestions (especially the Repair Permissions, backup and "take it slow" stuff), as opposed to criticism.

Fourth, criticism of Rosetta goes in Rosetta (binary translation software), as it does not cover all releases of OS X. Criticism of the new print subsystem in 10.2 probably goes in Mac OS X v10.2, since it's not clear that changing print architectures is a significant enough criticism to warrant discussing it in this article. Windows 95, Windows 2000 and Windows Vista introduced new print architectures which broke some old printer drivers, but you don't see that mentioned in Microsoft Windows, do you? Bugs in Safari, if significant, belong in the Safari (web browser) article. Criticism of source-code releases of Darwin, or lack thereof, go in Darwin (operating system). As for the rest (Login failures, etc.), any argument along the lines of "OS X might crash if you're using incompatible or damaged software" doesn't belong here. You may as well be arguing that the BMW Z3 article should state that putting diesel fuel into the Z3 will damage the car.

Out of all your examples, the only thing that may constitute valid criticism is the notion that newer versions of OS X should continue to run software written for older versions of the operating system without issue. But even then, there's a problem -- every release of operating system has the exact same problem, and nobody is stupid enough to make a claim that their operating system will be able to run all older software forever without a recompile. -/- Warren 05:29, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Trying to censor an educational site is not looked on favorably by me. I'm not going to be happy watching you remove criticism from this entry while many of you add it to Windows entries. As a Mac user, you know about many of the flaws of the system, so you should be adding them yourself. If you are going to be so biased, I suggest you not edit on Wikipedia.

Windows 95, Windows 2000 and Windows Vista introduced new print architectures which broke some old printer drivers, but you don't see that mentioned in Microsoft Windows, do you?

Mac OS X is a version of the Macintosh operating system, just like Windows 2000 or Vista.

Every type of criticism you can find in the Windows XP article should be included in this one. Without a link to Rosetta, how are users supposed to find out about the problems. Those articles I cited referred to the problems as "OS X First Aid," "Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs on the Same Network," and "Mac Disasters," so whether you have a personal preference of calling them version issues is your own problem.--Knowhands enjoykeep (talk) 14:57, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

It isn't censorship -- it's out of scope for Wikipedia. WP:NOT, which is official policy, is clear about this. Also, per WP:SYN, which is also official policy, you can't simply take the existence of troubleshooting guides and use that as a rationale for writing criticism sections. That's not how we do things on Wikipedia. If you continue to edit in a fashion which contravenes these or other Wikipedia policies, you will be stopped. I've given you plenty of things that you can write about in terms of criticism, but you've instead chosen to repeatedly add text into the article that you cannot provide a reliable, verifiable source for. STOP IT. Follow Wikipedia's content policies, or LEAVE. -/- Warren 16:10, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

You aren't a reliable source. Whatever you want to call them, they're problems. If you don't like to call them criticism, then I can rename the subsection to "Flaws." Your fellow Mac fans at Macworld, no less, admit as much.--Knowhands enjoykeep (talk) 16:15, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

You aren't a reliable source. The question isn't whether Warren is a reliable source. The question is whether you can find relibale sources (in the sense of Wikipedia:Reliable sources) for the criticisms that you want to include. Some of the things you quote at length above are from relibale sources, but they're mostly trubleshooting tips (which are not appropriate for wikipedia) or bugs that relate to specific versions of OS X (which might be appropriate for one of the version-specific articles, but not for the general article). If you can find reliable sources for criticisms of OS X in general (rather than specific versions), then those criticisms would be appropriate for inclusion here. Klausness (talk) 16:34, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Then most of the criticism of Windows XP should also be removed, since it is mostly specific to individual service packs. Please do that, now. Each service pack is actually a new version of Windows. For example, Windows XP service pack two is version 5.1.2.--Knowhands enjoykeep (talk) 17:07, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

No, the analogous situation for Windows would be Windows NT vs. Windows 2000 vs. Windows XP vs. Vista. They're all built on the same core technology (unlike Windows 98 and earlier), but they're different enough to all have their own articles. The same thing is true for the different versions of OS X. The 10.x version numbers are just about marketing. The equivalent of windows service packs are the third digit releases (e.g. 10.4.1, 10.4.2, etc.). Klausness (talk) 17:33, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Knowhands enjoykeep, you obviously don't know much about Mac OS X, Wikipedia standards, and POV rules. First of all, Mac OS X is a group of operating systems (so far, 6 different ones), just like Microsoft Windows is a group of operating systems (also six major ones). Mac OS had a similar name, but it is separate (the Mac OS Classic group of OSes, System 1 through System 9, compared to the OS X group, Mac OS X v10.0 though Mac OS X v10.5.) Since it is not a specific OS, you can't write criticisms on its article which only relate to one version (like Panther), which is the exact same reason Microsoft Windows, with all its flaws, doesn't have a criticism section in its article. Second of all, Wikipedia standards about criticisms state that they have be be complained about as significant by a reputable source, not just listed as a flaw. The exact same standards apply to Windows and Mac articles. Finally, the types of things you complain about here are nothing compared to what is really complained about in, say, the Vista article. For example, you would have to say Vista breaks compatibility with Windows 95 software or that Vista requires disk defragmentation. No, instead you see real things, like the fact that Vista was incompatible with almost all new hardware when it came to market and is still to bloated to be installed on the vast majority of computers, or that UAC was specifically made to be overly-annoying. Or, made by real critics, people complained about XP's making it very easy to install viruses, or that Windows XP's activation could be time consuming or not always work right. To try to force a criticism section, which is simply a group of relatively minor flaws, into an article about a group of operating systems is just childish. And by the way, nobody said Mac OS X doesn't have security holes... ALL operating systems have these problems which are discovered and fixed. Mac OS X is just more secure in other, more common areas like with viruses or spyware. Oh, and just another note of proving how ignorant you are of OS X... you are just letting the name fool you. Every version is prefixed with "10" but it's not the same OS... it's the same type of OS. Windows service packs are comparable to updates like Mac OS X 10.5.1 to 10.5.2. Althepal (talk) 17:19, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

No, instead you see real things, like the fact that Vista was incompatible with almost all new hardware when it came to market and is still to bloated to be installed on the vast majority of computers, or that UAC was specifically made to be overly-annoying.

You have no idea what you're talking about. I dual-boot Vista with XP and it works with all of my hardware. Some of it is 10 years old. Microsoft wrote patches specific to my hardware so that it wouldn't crash. Vista has sophisticated automatic diagnostics that told me what I needed to install. It's slightly slower but works fine.

People complained about XP's making it very easy to install viruses, or that Windows XP's activation could be time consuming or not always work right.

I have installed Windows XP dozens of times on different comptuers. Each time activation took about five seconds. Now I can tell that you know almost nothing about Windows. Yet, I noticed you've been adding criticism to Windows articles, including this image. Perhaps you have the two of us mixed up when it comes to POV. If you think that complete system breakdowns, having to pay for new hardware just to keep using Mac OS X, and major security vulnerabilities are "minor flaws," then you've got some serious issues with bias. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you worked for Apple.

Mac OS X is not a group of operating systems. They are minor revisions of the the same system. Also, most of the criticism I have found applies to multiple versions of Mac OS X. For example, Rosetta isn't just used in Jaguar. I am not an expert in Mac OS X because I don't use it. I think it's a piece of crap and that anyone who pays for it is a sucker. I've certainly used it and read about it. That's all that counts.--Knowhands enjoykeep (talk) 17:43, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Mac OS X is not a group of operating systems. They are minor revisions of the the same system. Sorry, but you're just mistaken there. As I mentioned above, the difference between 10.4 and 10.5 is like the difference between Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Both are based on the same core technology, but they're definitely major OS revisions. That's why there are separate articles for Windows 2000 and Windows XP, and that's why there are different articles for Tiger (10.4) and Leopard (10.5).

I've certainly used it and read about it. That's all that counts. Sorry, no. In fact, that's completely irrelevant for wikipedia. The content you add has to be based on reliable sources, not your own personal experience. Wikipedia policy is very clear about this. If you don't like it, you're free to try to get wikipedia policy changed. Klausness (talk) 18:16, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

section break

Knowhands enjoykeep: I've used Windows (95, ME, XP) as my primary OS since the mid-90s. I still use XP a lot, and I'm an XP power-user, and I known what I'm talking about. And I've used Vista, too. Last year I tried a Mac and have been very impressed (so I made OS X my primary OS, XP secondary). You know what, maybe you've never had problems, but that doesn't mean nobody had problems. I've never had problems with Rosetta, for example, but I HAVE had problems with XP activation, and I know lots of people who got viruses. Stop letting your sheer hatred for Mac ("I think it's a piece of crap and anyone who pays for it is a sucker.") blind you to the neutrality of the articles. I can tell you straight off that I can be much more productive on my Mac system than my Windows one simply because OS X excels is GUI simplicity, lack of a need for anti-virus software, and I'm sure it will always work (one time I turned on my XP machine and it just stopped working and said that there was a non-existent hardware change and I needed to re-activate yet I had already used the activation key the maximum amount of times... yeah, no problems there). Althepal (talk) 18:25, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

If you're a power user, then you shouldn't have to use Mac OS X. If you're experienced, then you can easily disinfect your computer and fix bugs. Almost all of the bugs and viruses I've had in Windows were my fault, anyway. I've hardened my XP installation to the point that viruses can't really infect it, either. For example, the Internet Explorer instance I'm using right now is running at a low privilege level. As for productivity, you can be just as productive in Windows as on a Mac. It's the user — not the software — that matters. Instead of buying third-party apps like Quicksilver, you can use built-in Windows features like keyboard shortcuts for links. As me how if you want to know. Apple's main selling point has always been ease-of-use, even though learning a completely-new operating system is never easy. The only people who actually need to use Macs are in the publishing and movie industries. I guess Macs handle fonts better and Final Cut renders movies better, and that's pretty much it. All the other important apps have been ported to Windows. I also boot Linux, and that gives me all the flexibility I'll ever need. The only people it seems who actually buy Macs have a lot of money they need to get rid of. Money isn't an issue for them. Cost was an issue for me, and I built my computer from parts and got all of my software for free. That saved me quite a bit of money.--Knowhands enjoykeep (talk) 19:07, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Both of you please stop discussing your personal opinions and experiences of Windows/Mac. Neither are relevant. AlistairMcMillan (talk) 19:13, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Knowhands enjoykeep, please stop focusing on me as an individual and pushing your opinions onto me. My Windows computer is probably the most secure and stable Windows XP computer in my neighborhood (I do regular maintenance, use the best security software, and use safe web browsing techniques, for example), but that doesn't mean I can't like Mac better. And I'm plenty productive in Windows, I just like Mac better. Stop with your personal opinions and stuff ("lot of money they need to get rid of") as that just makes you less credible. Macs are powerful computers, and hardware-wise they are the best of the best. They have similar specs as more expensive PCs, but they have the best hardware that lasts the longest (internal serge protectors and high-quality monitors, for example). As far as software is concerned, iWork and Mac OS X is a fraction of the cost of Office or Windows. And when it comes to system reliability, each user themself can decide what they think is a waste of money. But if I were you, I'd stop writing stuff here. You're just making yourself look like an annoying Mac-hating crybaby, when you're really just trying to improve the article with good faith and a little ignorance. Althepal (talk) 20:02, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

If I'm anoying or a crybaby, it's a small price to pay for doing the right thing. It's far better than tearing pages out of an encyclopedia because they upset me. (That's kind of pathetic if you ask me.) I don't "hate" Mac OS X. I hate the bias of this article. It pisses me off and I'm not afraid of you or anyone else. I don't care if you or anyone else doesn't like me. I'm here to do the right thing and I don't think you can stop me from doing that.--Knowhands enjoykeep (talk) 20:11, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Let me repeat what AlistairMcMillan said: Both of you please stop discussing your personal opinions and experiences of Windows/Mac. Neither are relevant. Klausness (talk) 20:23, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Right. Sorry. (Just kind of hard to ignore near personal attacks.) I just want to reiterate: this article is not biased simply because you don't understand the operating system or Wikipedia standards. People who are on this page are pretty neutral and strive to make the article so. Assume good faith. About the criticism section restored to the article, it doesn't belong because it is specific to the dock (individual versions of os x, already listed in the dock article, no matter how superficial the criticisms are), and because the language thing is pretty insignificant (limited language support is a significant OS flaw? does it apply equally to all versions of os x?) Althepal (talk) 20:35, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Sorry but I'm going to have to disagree with you. The Dock criticism DOES belong in this article. The Dock is a feature of every version of Mac OS X and it has been extensively criticised from the very first public releases of Mac OS X. And please understand, you don't hear much basic criticism of the dock these days because it hasn't changed that much and everyone has already made the criticisms. Quoting Siracusa: "This isn't talked about much these days, but all the old power-user complaints about the Dock still have merit..."[1] AlistairMcMillan (talk) 21:12, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Criticism of the dock does belong in the article about the dock. I don't think anybody's going to disagree with that. I think that the text we put in this article should be a brief summation of that criticism. Of course, we've tried that (and just about everything from having the full criticism to nothing at all), but we've yet to find a compromise that makes everyone happy. -/- Warren 21:40, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, what happened to the note in the text, where it mentions the dock as a feature of OS X (as well as for Finder), I put a brief summary of the criticism there. I can understand mentioning criticism, but doesn't it belong where the dock is mentioned? Anyway, I understand about the Dock criticism in the Mac OS X article, but what about that language? Wouldn't something more general like "limited language support" be reasonable? Again, if different versions of OS X have different language support, something like that belongs only in the appropriate version's article. If all versions of OS X have the same number of language support, list them here and note that it is more limited than for Linux or Windows. There isn't enough general OS X criticism around for a special section. Althepal (talk) 23:31, 6 May 2008 (UTC)