K-Squared Ramblings » Tiger

Tiger Has Arrived!

Kelson — Mon, 09 May 2005 20:14:19 +0000

It took four extra days due to the UPS snafu—and would have taken longer if the regular carrier hadn’t been on the route. (They changed the suite number. I know I didn’t enter it in wrong, because when I talked with them on the phone Friday afternoon, they told me they had changed it.)

Anyway, I opened up the box to take a look, and aside from a sticker on the box and a 1-paragraph license addendum, I don’t see anything else to indicate how the 5-license pack differs from the standard 1-license pack. I guess they figure on voluntary compliance rather than messing around with license keys. (Keep in mind I’ve never actually installed Mac OS X before. Katie’s upgraded her computer a couple of times, but the laptop came with Panther pre-installed.)

On the plus side, we already know 10 days’ worth of pitfalls to watch out for before upgrading…whenever we have the time to do it.

Anyway, off to lunch and then back to work.

How do you pronounce UPS?

Kelson — Fri, 06 May 2005 05:40:48 +0000

I’m going to have to stop using Amazon’s super-saver free shipping. It doesn’t let you choose the carrier (which, I’m sure, is part of why it’s free). For whatever reason, Amazon shipped part of my latest order by Priority Mail and part of it by UPS. Random paperback novel? Arrived safely in a locked mailbox three days ago. Mac OS X Tiger? UPS left a notice on the door today indicating that they need someone to sign for it in person, and they’ll try again during work hours tomorrow.

*Sigh*

Either that, or I’m just going to have to start asking Amazon to ship things to the office instead. As it is, I’ve asked UPS to redirect this package, but if their website is to be believed, they won’t be able to do so until Monday. So much for using Saturday to upgrade.

Tiger Incompatibilities

Kelson — Tue, 03 May 2005 21:12:51 +0000

eWeek: Tiger Bugs Break Networking Software. Apparently a lot of third-party VPNs and other networking programs don’t work with the Mac OS X update. Some are due to changes in the way the OS works, and some are apparently due to bugs in the OS.

So…did no one bother to test their software with the betas? Sure, you expect some things to break with any upgrade, but I can’t imagine these were all due to last-minute changes.

IE/Mac Dead?

Kelson — Mon, 02 May 2005 16:57:56 +0000

It’s been anticipated since Apple first announced Safari, but it’s still a minor shock to see it actually happen. Daring Fireball reports that Internet Explorer is no longer included with Mac OS X Tiger.

You can still download it from Microsoft, but given that they dissolved the development team a few years ago, there’s not much point except for site testing.

(The one I can’t figure out is why they’ve apparently left out StuffIt Expander as well.)

Surviror: Mac OS X

Kelson — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 05:33:13 +0000

In checking my pre-order status for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, I noticed this customer recommendation:

I assumed it was yet another book about the OS timed to come out just as people would be interested. No, it’s the 1982 rock album by Survivor, featuring the well-known Rocky III theme…which has now lodged itself firmly in my head.

Uncaging the Tiger

Kelson — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 00:39:45 +0000

Mac OS X Tiger will be released on April 29. Not suprisingly,
you have to hunt around a bit to find the version number. Only once on the main page does it mention it’s really Mac OS X 10.4. Yep, those numbers are going to get harder and harder to see, folks. But what happens when they run out of cats?

Interesting cost comparison: the 5-system “Family Pack,” which can be used for both upgrades and fresh installs, costs $199. That’s only $70 more than a one-system package. It’s also the same as a one-system full install of Windows XP Home or two copies of the Windows XP Home Upgrade. And while Microsoft does offer additional licenses, the only pricing references I can find are three years old and only a $10 discount per extra system.

Of course, you also have to take into account Apple’s faster release cycle (IIRC this is the third version of Mac OS released since Windows XP shipped), though that’s slowing down.