Can I Download MacOS X for Free?

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ceejay

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Hello Guys and Gals of Macintosh Universe.
I'm from the Philippines. And I'm excited to try using MacOS X! I don't have the budget to purchase one right now and besides it will take a long time to get here. Maybe by the time it get here, the FULL VERSION of the OS will be coming out!
I'm just wondering if I can download or someone with a good heart can give it to me for free? I just want to try it!
Well, thanks anyway. See ya guys.
 
It's a pitty you can't pay it because it is really cheap, even if it will only run six months. Probably, the final and commercial version will cost at least five to ten times more money.
Laurent
 
I think it's a shame that Apple lets pay it's users for a beta-version! Just like Microsoft, when the beta of Windows 2000 came out, it costed 50 dollars.

People who are beta-using software are helping the developers by testing and finding bugs... So we pay for helping Apple? A little weird... So my opinion is: Beta software always must be free and time-limited (that Mac OS X Public Beta already is)
 
I think it's a shame that Apple lets pay it's users for a beta-version! Just like Microsoft, when the beta of Windows 2000 came out, it costed 50 dollars.

People who are beta-using software are helping the developers by testing and finding bugs... So we pay for helping Apple? A little weird... So my opinion is: Beta software always must be free and time-limited (that Mac OS X Public Beta already is)
 
I think you're right! Apple should gave it for free!!!!
We're actually helping Apple to try this thing out, testing for bugs, etc. and we're the ones paying! Okay it's cheap, after six months...then what???
Sorry Guys!!!!! Just my point of view.
 
If it was free, I think more people would like to try/test it and report Bugs, etc. Who knows, even Windows users will also try it and maybe switch! Get my point?
 
I agree with you Ceejay!
I think Apple should gave the beta version for FREE! I think with that many mac users and even Win users can test it. What if your using your Mac at the office or for business, and problems/bugs come up? Then what? Can Apple help us solve our problem? I don't think so.
Maybe if you have 2 HardDrives or Partitions. I still agree, that all beta software must be free and can be use for 30-60 days trial. Just my own opinion, hope you all understand! Thanks.
 
Hello,

I totally agree with you: if it was free, anyone could install it and use it without a minimum of IT knowledge. MacOS is a great and powerfull operating system , Apple clearly wants that only "advanced" users test it (you know, very few people are familiar with linux stuff).

But, in an other way, I would agree with other people: 30$ is the maximum money I give for it (6 months of use).

Laurent
 
Beta software should be free. To echo what my friends and I have been saying since we got our copies, "That's why it's beta!" But a public beta is different. They have support (though be it, not much) on their website that costs money. Usually when you get a beta copy of something you don't even get any documentation. You're on your own. But Apple has taken the time to give us installation procedures and the like in a format that we can use. Now, they didn't have to do that. It's worth $30 to me. It saved my hard drive. Knowwaddimean?
 
Apple should make <b>everything</b> free! I want a cube! After all, that's a brand new product, and I'd be sure to help Apple get all the glitches out. Of course, I'd do this by posting online to random web forums about my problems instead of sending reports directly to Apple.

But it's new and has bugs! It should be free! Anything of value that <b>I</b> get from the product is irrelevant!

-pmb
 
As a Macintosh software support and testing analyst, I think that I can safely say that Apple was right to charge for the Beta. As I thing that it weeds out the people who just want to get something for nothing and considering the support that they offer with it, being much more than any other beta that I have seen. I have been workin with OS X since the first Developer Release and have been very encouraged with what I have seen, and how alike it is to Linux that I use on my own IBM. You can bet that I will buy the final release of OS X.

Keynone
 
Well, it works like this.
I want something done.
Can I get it done and also get paid somehow? If yes, I'll get it.
If not: Can I get it done for free? If yes, I'll get it.
If not: Can I get it done for money? If yes, I'll get it.
If not: Do I need to kill for it?

Apple pulled off the first one. They're in business to make money.


 
I think it's important to realize that there is a decent amount of carbonized software on the disk, too. The audio player aloe is better than some that you can buy for $50, and it doesn't go down from a glitchy MP3 or whatever. $30 is paltry compared to the types of info Apple provides with the disk. Imagine if you got only the disk, no install info. Would you pay $30 to just have the info on how to install without mucking up your system? I know I would. I'm a very seasoned Mac tech turned developer. I've done Tech support for the platform for quite awhile, and I must say I would've messed things up bad. Worth $30 for me.
 
I completely agree with MattOly. Apple has removed the free rider problem by charging for the beta. Normally, I would say that beta software should be free (for many of the same reasons that have been mentioned), but this is not a program that lets you surf the web or play solitaire, this is the OS we're talking about here. It is completely essential to the smooth operation of the computer. Apple has a very solid reputation for making computers that are not only reliable but easy to use. Witness the comments I've seen from many people who say things along the lines of, "My grandmother can use it to e-mail her grandchildren, but I can also open up a kernel." If it we're free, a large numer of people who are not the intended audience for beta software would use it. They would have problems. Witness the problem section of this site (presumably most of the people here are either knowledgeable or power users of their Macs). Now imagine the p.r. disaster when a bunch of people without the werewithal to either solve or deal with the bugs in beta software use OSX. Apple might stand to lose some of it's small (but growing, thankfully) market share that it has.
 
Sometimes the problem isn't price. It's availability. In some places you would gladly pay the double if you could get it! Even in European Union countries odd things happen. In Portugal the local IMC -- Independent Marketing Company -- has a poor imitation of an Apple Store. They still don't offer MacOS X PB. Not for free, not for $30, not for $100. But a portuguese reseller offers it in his website for around $42! How can it be? I am willing to campaign in favor of paying Apple $100 for the Beta if they kill the local IMC!
 
Sometimes the problem is price.
30$ is what????
a western child --nothing (dad get me this now)
a US IT. bod --a tea break
a EU engineer --less than an hours work
unemployed in UK -- 1/2 weeks benifit
a teacher in Ecuador --3 weeks work
in the philippines ---???
 
Charging for the public beta makes sense to me. I don't see it as paying for the software -- I see it as paying for the CD, documentation, packaging and web support.
 
i agree w/ mikec 100% it's all about separating the proverbial men and boys. mac would never have the time/enegery to support every average joe who can't get his clock to read digital. by paying $30 for the beta, we become players in the stepping stone of mac history instead of it being handed out like X hours of AOL.
 
I don't think it's bad that we have to pay for the beta. The money that we put into buying it will help pay for more development and engineering. I hear a lot of people saying all sorts of things need work and that there should be more engineers. The point is that people want something done, but they don't want to pay for it to be done. You can't get everything in the world for free. People won't just go out and work for years for no pay. I do realize that Apple has a lot of money, and can/does put a lot into research and development and engineering, but the extra money from X beta will surely help fund more development.

After all, Apple isn't saying "Here's beta software, It's not complete, but you HAVE to buy it because we want you to." It's the users choice ot buy the beta.
 
That's exactly what I meant, however you put it much more succinctly. I'm long winded. heh.
And as far as $30 and how relative it is... if you have the resources to have a machine capable of running OSX, chances are you've got the money to pony up for the disk. I mean, c'mon. That works out to a dollar a day for a month. Just get one less cup of coffee, get the next smallest size popcorn, catch the matinee show. Ya know? Not that I'm MoneyBags McGee, I'm not. I don't mean to dis those without the cash to make it. If you don't I truly feel sorry. But why would a teacher in Ecuador need OSX anyway?
 
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