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i/s Back Issues

Volume 17

No. 3   January/February 2002

Tech Tips: Running Applications on MacOSX

This column presents answers to frequently asked technology questions. For more Q&As, check the IS Stock Answers database at http://hdstock.mit.edu/stockanswers/

At this time, Information Systems recommends that Macintosh users, including those purchasing new machines, continue to use Mac OS 9.x as their primary operating system. IS expects that Mac OS 9.x will remain a viable operating system for the foreseeable future. There are several reasons for this recommendation to stick with Mac OS 9.x, among them that:
MIT's centralized TSM backup service does not work with Mac OS X.
Not all supported applications have been thoroughly tested with Mac OS X. (For details about testing, see http://web.mit.edu/swrt/macosx/matrix.html)

Although Mac OS 9.x remains the supported operating system at this time, IS is continuing to evaluate what it will take to support Mac OS X at MIT in the future and will provide monthly updates on progress in that area. For the current update, see the box below.

The two Q&As that follow address concerns of Macintosh users who have both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X on their machines.

Q: I just bought a new Macintosh and when I turn it on it says that it's running Mac OS X. This looks nothing like the Mac OS I'm used to. How do I get back the old look and feel and the old functionality?

A: Apple's new operating system, Mac OS X (the Roman numeral X is pronounced "ten") looks and works much differently than Mac OS 9. Currently, all new Macintoshes ship with two operating systems, Mac OS X and Mac OS 9.2.2. Mac OS X starts by default. Almost all of your existing applications will run in Mac OS X's Classic environment. Classic is Apple's term for Mac OS 9 when it's running within Mac OS X. You can also boot directly into the Mac OS 9.2.2 and bypass Mac OS X altogether, if you don't wish to use the new operating system at this time. There are two ways to do this.

First Method

  1. Hold down the Option key and restart your computer.
    Result: After the restart, you will see a blue screen with icons representing every bootable operating system loaded on your Macintosh. The blue X represents Mac OS X. The yellow 9 represents Mac OS 9.
  2. Click the yellow 9 icon and then click the arrow button (or just press the Return key).

This method may not work for all Macintoshes, depending on the hardware configuration and disk partitioning. If it doesn't work, use the second method.

Second Method
If you have already stepped through the introduction application to set up Mac OS X, you can select your startup disk from the System Preferences application.

  1. Select System Preferences from under the Apple menu icon in the upper left hand corner of the screen.
  2. Click the Startup Disk icon, listed under the System category.
  3. Select the operating system you wish to use and click the Restart key in the lower corner.

Once you have selected the operating system, it will continue to load until you manually select the other one.

Q: I'm using a Macintosh with both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X loaded. Which files and folders do I have to keep to ensure both systems will run correctly?

A: Depending on whether you have booted into Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X, the file structure will look different. Mac OS X hides a lot of files from the user that Mac OS 9 does not.

When using Mac OS X, you need these Mac OS 9 folders:
Applications (Mac OS 9)
Documents (Depending on where you store your data, this folder may not be essential.)
System Folder

When using Mac OS 9, you need these Mac OS X files and folders:
Applications
automount
Library
System Folder
Users
mach
mach_kernel
mach.sym

Warning: Mac OS X does not allow the user to delete essential files or folders (like the System Folder) from the computer, whereas Mac OS 9 will let you delete any file or folder that is not in use.

--------

Support Status for Mac OS X at MIT: An Update

Information Systems and its IT colleagues are committed to Mac OS X and intend to roll out support in a thoughtful, phased approach. Early support will likely be for network connectivity, printing, and working in the Classic environment in Mac OS X. Later phases of support will encompass an integrated suite of applications and functionality. We are working to determine what the minimum combination of applications should be. A support announcement will need to consider vendor support statements, dependent application compatibility issues, local support for the desktop, infrastructure requirements, and support for any of the enterprise-wide applications.

IS support for Mac OS X at this time is limited to issuing hostnames and IP addresses for Mac OS X machines, and providing assistance with network connectivity for students living in residence halls.

If you need to use your computer for any MIT administrative tasks or rely on support from IS for the applications you use, we recommend that you do not transition to Mac OS X at this time.

For updates on the support status for Mac OS X, see http://web.mit.edu/ist/help/macos/macosx/


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