Product Description

Code-named "Jaguar," the next major release of Mac OS X will delight you with the innovation, elegance and ease of use you've come to expect from Apple.The initial release of Mac OS X gave you the power of UNIX with the simplicity of Macintosh. But it merely paved the way for the next generation of hardware and software offerings from Apple and third parties.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4183 in Software
• Color: 1-user
• Brand: Apple
• Model: M8712LL/A
• Released on: 2002-08-23
• Platform: Mac
• Format: CD-ROM
• Original language: English

Amazon.com Product Description
Referred to by its code name, Jaguar, Mac OS X 10.2 contains more than 150 new features and provides significant enhancements to its modern, Unix-based foundation. From AOL-compatible instant messaging to advanced junk mail filtering and a revolutionary Web search tool, Jaguar is as innovative as the computers that run it.

With iChat, the AOL-compatible instant messenger, you can chat with your AOL and Mac.com buddies through a fun, easy-to-use interface. Sherlock 3, the new Web search tool, delivers stock quotes, maps, restaurants, and more without a browser. QuickTime 6 supports MPEG-4, the new worldwide standard for playing and viewing pro-quality audio and video over the Internet. This new version also includes Rendezvous, a revolutionary networking technology that lets you link computers and devices instantly without any configuration.

Another cool new feature is Inkwell, which lets you write on a graphics tablet, and Jaguar turns your handwriting into typed text at the cursor in any application. And with new compatibility built into Mac OS X 10.2, sharing files, using Windows documents, and connecting to a Windows network have never been easier. And it easily runs Microsoft Office. For business users, Jaguar comes with Active Directory interoperability, and with a PPTP-based VPN (virtual private network) client that allows Mac users to connect remotely to Windows corporate networks.

Jaguar's complete suite of professional-quality developer tools now features GCC 3.1, which radically improves C++ build times and standards compliance. The updated Interface Builder makes it easier to group, lock, and drag Aqua controls between windows for rapid user-interface creation. And, perhaps best of all, these professional tools are still included with every copy of Jaguar, empowering Java, C, and AppleScript Studio developers to do their best work on the Macintosh platform.

Customer Reviews

Best Client OS I've Used
Pros:
- Improved performance (nearly matches the lightweight Mac OS Classic)
- Feature-laden Finder
- Rock-solid UNIX stability
- Stunning Aqua UI, easy to use
- Great network support (especially in regards to Windows)
- Improved font rendering engine (not as fuzzy looking as before)
- Great assortment of free iApps (iChat, iMovie, iPhoto, and iTunes -- soon iCal and iSync)
- Virtually every applets have undergone upgrades (e.g., Address Book, Calculator, Mail, Sherlock, Terminal)
- Rapidly increasing number of native OS X applications
- Super easy upgrade from OS X 10.1 (but I recommend clean install for "freshness")

Cons:
- Internet Explorer is embarrassingly buggy and limited (upcoming Internet Explorer 6.0 should remedy most of its shortcomings)
- Limited customization (e.g., mouse pointer, color, limited number of "themes")
- Still buggy (I found several iChat, Finder, and Mail bugs after weeks of use; soon-to-be-released 10.2.1 free patch should fix most of these)
- Incompatibility with some 10.1 applications
- Skimpy manual
- Slow help engine
- Some free iApps or applets need more features (i.e., you cannot edit photos with iPhotos)

I've switched to Mac platform nearly a year ago, courtesy of Apple PowerBook G4 667 MHz (Gigabit) and Mac OS X 10.1. I've been computing under Microsoft platform for over 17 years, starting with PC-DOS 3.1 in 1995, Windows 2.0 in 1987, and continuing with most iteration of Windows ever since. I've also used various flavors of UNIX (Solaris, AIX, Linux), but mostly for academic and professional reasons.

For an OS only 3 years of age, the Mac OS X is surprisingly mature and complete. For most number of users (including Windows "switchers"), Mac OS X is highly capable. Just throw in few productivity applications (e.g., Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office v.X, Quicken) and download some freeware (e.g., Mozilla), you have nearly full-featured system.

Dare I say it? The Mac OS X is the best client operating system there is. Yes, it is not YET as polished and matured as older systems such Windows XP and Mac OS Classic, but on the plus side, it has little or none of the "old operating system" baggage. Mac OS Classic compatibility box is kept separate (so much that it no longer comes bundled with OS X), with modern Cocoa and traditional Carbon APIs to attract large number of developers (there are now more developers writing Mac software than ever before).

Although OS X takes a lot longer to boot than Windows XP, its rock solid foundation makes it a moot advantage. I've experienced some crashes under 10.1, but none with 10.2. My PowerBook frequently felt sluggish under 10.1, but with 10.2, it is quite speedy (still not as fast as my IBM ThinkPad with 1.6 GHz Pentium 4-m processor, however).

I highly recommend OS X to power users willing to explore new OS, students (particularly graphics and engineering students), or basic users looking for stable and easy to use platform.

Recent upgrade was well worth it.
I've been working with OS X for several months now. MY resistance to upgrading to Jaguar (OS X.2) was based primarily on the fact that I bought a new iMac last year and didn't want to shell out more money for the new OS. Finally, I gave in. And it was worth the time and effort.

Jaguar has a cleaner, faster interface to work in. Start-up is much faster. It's a more stable system than OS X (which is saying something, because OS X was already the most stable Mac OS).

The Mail client is also improved immensely over the previous version.

Jaguar includes iChat (instant messaging software), Mail, Address Book, and downloads are available for iSync (basically allows you to port your info from home to work and back seamlessly), iCal (scheduling software), and the new Safari web browser. (A warning though, at this writing Safari is still in Beta testing and definitely needs refining before going live.)

Put this together with the iLife software package (iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD), and you've got yourself one great computer system.

As usual, Apple is letting third parties write their manuals. You'll have to buy those separately if you want them. However, this time they've included an interactive "Getting Started" CD which will get the novice up and running in Jaguar without too much stress.

A New Perspective on Mac OS
I am a recent switcher to the Macintosh platform, I, like many of the reviewers, have used Microsoft and various other OS. I have used MS OS since DOS. I must say that Jaguar is a beautiful OS, and to add to the beauty is the UNIX core that lies underneath. However it is a bit sluggish even on G4 machines, when compared to Apples previous OS9. I have an 800 MHz Titanium PowerBook with 512MB of RAM. The CPU get eaten up by intense applications, moreso than it did when using OS9 with those same applications. For everyday users this is not a concern, but for people working on grpahics and computer media, sluggish performance is unbearable. I do however love the fact that it is almost fully customizable.

PROS:

Astonishing Looks
Exceedingly stable (compared to Windows OS)
Excellent Memory Management
Infinitely cutomizable
Good selection of third party software for graphic designers
Nice Apple Apps for the so called "digital hub"
iTunes especially stands out with MP3 fanatics (light years ahead of Winamp for Windows)
Seamless integration with both Apple and Windows networks.

CONS:

Somewhat sluggish performance compared to OS9 (due mostly to the Astonishing Looks above)
Being codenamed "Jaguar"