What if Apple had announced it will stop making OSes?
- Thread starter UNIX X11
- Start date
RacerX
Old Rhapsody User
There are people still using Mac OS 9 three years after Apple stopped development of it (I still have an 8.6 system that I use semi-daily). There are people still using OPENSTEP which Apple stopped developing in 1997 (not counting the Y2K patches put out in 1999 for OPENSTEP 4.2 and NEXTSTEP 3.3). There are still people using Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98.
Mac OS X v10.3.2 could easily last for years, much like Apple's hardware (I still use a Quadra 950 for burning CDs and doing some page layout and it is more than 10 years old). And I'm still using a 10 year old SGI Indy daily with no dire need of buying a newer system (it is the only hardware I own that can capture full size/full frame rate video without any problems).
I always find it funny that people would stop using something that is discontinued before they would have stopped using it if it hadn't been discontinued. When Adobe discontinued LiveMotion people started making plans to buy Flash. Why? If LiveMotion was good enough before, why stop using it before it has reached the end of it's usefulness.
To the topic at hand, I don't know. It depends on what is out there 5 to 10 years from now. Right now I'm having a hard time justifying upgrading from 10.2 as it does everything I want from an operating system... and I already have a copy of 10.3!
Mac OS X v10.3.2 could easily last for years, much like Apple's hardware (I still use a Quadra 950 for burning CDs and doing some page layout and it is more than 10 years old). And I'm still using a 10 year old SGI Indy daily with no dire need of buying a newer system (it is the only hardware I own that can capture full size/full frame rate video without any problems).
I always find it funny that people would stop using something that is discontinued before they would have stopped using it if it hadn't been discontinued. When Adobe discontinued LiveMotion people started making plans to buy Flash. Why? If LiveMotion was good enough before, why stop using it before it has reached the end of it's usefulness.
To the topic at hand, I don't know. It depends on what is out there 5 to 10 years from now. Right now I'm having a hard time justifying upgrading from 10.2 as it does everything I want from an operating system... and I already have a copy of 10.3!
RacerX
Old Rhapsody User
It sounds like a question someone would have asked about using a Newton.
What would I do if Apple stopped making Newtons? Would I buy a Palm or Window CE device?
As Apple stopped development of the Newton in 1998, and I'm still using my Newton in 2003/2004 (yes, it connects with my Mac perfectly even through Mac OS X 10.2.6), it tells you how long I can keep advance technology serving me.
Though I am thinking of getting a MessagePad 2100 to replace my MessagePad 120 this next year... it would still be using a Newton!
What would I do if Apple stopped making Newtons? Would I buy a Palm or Window CE device?
As Apple stopped development of the Newton in 1998, and I'm still using my Newton in 2003/2004 (yes, it connects with my Mac perfectly even through Mac OS X 10.2.6), it tells you how long I can keep advance technology serving me.
Though I am thinking of getting a MessagePad 2100 to replace my MessagePad 120 this next year... it would still be using a Newton!
Arden
Where mah "any" keys at?
We likes the precious... which in this case is a Tungsten E. Great little PDA.
I would keep on truckin' in whatever my computer was running at the time and write a crapload of nasty letters/emails to Apple asking and complaining about why they're not making OS's anymore.
Oh, and you have to be a "donating member" to make polls.
I would keep on truckin' in whatever my computer was running at the time and write a crapload of nasty letters/emails to Apple asking and complaining about why they're not making OS's anymore.
Oh, and you have to be a "donating member" to make polls.
AdmiralAK
Simply Daemonic
Interesting question
First off I am with RacerX on this, in addition to openstep and nextstep:
Amiga died in the early 90s (1992?) People still use AmigaOS 3.1. "recently" Amiga inc was formed and amigaOS 3.5 and 3.9 came out, although this still runs on hardware that was made in the late 80s
People still use Atari STs with Calamus software for DTP, atari exited the computer business in the late 80s as far as I know.
I own and use an Apple Newton 2100 with OS 2.1, it still kicks arse
BeOS died a while back, people hacked the Personal Edition (freely available) to create distributions that run on modern hardware so people still use BeOS. YellowTab was also created from the DANO base (now owned by palm).
MacOS 9 dead? I still have it loaded on several machines at work since my dept doesn't have the dough for licenses, and it is not mission critical to have OS X on those machines. as a matter of fact I had loaded OS X on one of them but scanners would not work, so I removed it and used OS 9 where there are drivers for the old scanners that we use.
Given the nature of the MacOS now it can last for a long long time. If at some point both my hardware and software gave way and I could not get another macos x machine up and running I would probably custom build a linux machine (or a BSD machine) and have it setup in a multiboot environment with other OSes (YellowTab, Syllable, maybe longhorn too ..if it is out by them HAHAHAHA )
Personally I do not want to give up my G3 since I have played with the firmware of the DVD to allow it to play other region DVDs, it all else gives way I use it as my DVD player
First off I am with RacerX on this, in addition to openstep and nextstep:
Amiga died in the early 90s (1992?) People still use AmigaOS 3.1. "recently" Amiga inc was formed and amigaOS 3.5 and 3.9 came out, although this still runs on hardware that was made in the late 80s
People still use Atari STs with Calamus software for DTP, atari exited the computer business in the late 80s as far as I know.
I own and use an Apple Newton 2100 with OS 2.1, it still kicks arse
BeOS died a while back, people hacked the Personal Edition (freely available) to create distributions that run on modern hardware so people still use BeOS. YellowTab was also created from the DANO base (now owned by palm).
MacOS 9 dead? I still have it loaded on several machines at work since my dept doesn't have the dough for licenses, and it is not mission critical to have OS X on those machines. as a matter of fact I had loaded OS X on one of them but scanners would not work, so I removed it and used OS 9 where there are drivers for the old scanners that we use.
Given the nature of the MacOS now it can last for a long long time. If at some point both my hardware and software gave way and I could not get another macos x machine up and running I would probably custom build a linux machine (or a BSD machine) and have it setup in a multiboot environment with other OSes (YellowTab, Syllable, maybe longhorn too ..if it is out by them HAHAHAHA
)Personally I do not want to give up my G3 since I have played with the firmware of the DVD to allow it to play other region DVDs, it all else gives way I use it as my DVD player