>> I am not sure what you mean here, improved support for older graphics >> cards and SCSI devices seem to indicate they have kept up backwards >> compatibility. > > Neither. What I mean is that once they have a new OS version out, they > drop > support for older versions like a stone.
No, they still support older versions, System 8 - 10.2.2 is supported. > I understand they have ceased development for Classic Mac OS; OS X is > the > way of the future, and it has been on the market for well over a year. > Longer if you count the Public Beta. Its been two years, and they announced the migration plan and the timeline for dropping OS 9 development when 10.0 shipped. Its not like they didn't give tons of notice. > But Jaguar had been out a mere two months, and Apple decided that to > get up > to speed on java development (among other things), you'd have to pony > up or > be left behind. This is not a bad argument, it does seem kinda odd since they still release carbon lib and such for 8.6 you would think the same logic applies to 10.1.x right? You have a good point. >> Its great that you are developing JAVA apps, I like JAVA, or at least >> the idea >> of it. I also know little of it, but can't you simply download update >> packages >> for the version of JAVA you want to use to most OSes? I may be very >> wrong >> here, just say the word. But I am also curious, does JDK correspond >> with the >> version of JAVA you are using? If not, can you tell me what it means? > > Java Development Kit. JDK 1.4 is the development kit for Java 2 1.4. > > When OS X was released/announced, Apple promised to provide the best > platform for Java in the industry. They did, for a short while. Then > they > let it slip badly. Now that they've gotten back up to speed, they > decide > they will stop supporting an OS they were SELLING no less than two > months > earlier. This is not as good an argument, in fact it goes against the last thing you said. Above you stated that Apple moved forward their JAVA support and as far as I know they still support the newest and best there is. The claim that they stopped supporting 10.1.x is really over the top, your point that they have not released a JAVA support update is very good but not updating that one component goes a long way from dropping support for 10.1.x. >> I think you presume wrong, do you charge for your work? Do you charge >> for the new and improved versions? I suspect so. So does Apple. > > Actually, they don't. JDK is a free download for developers, like all > of > Apple's developer tools. > > Making the JDK work on OS 10 < Jaguar would cost them no more than a > recompile. I meant of the entire OS. There are many "free" items included in Mac OS X, look at CUPS for printing. Thing is that you aren't being asked to pay $129.00 for CUPS, or for JAVA, you are being asked to pay it for a massive OS update. The comparison you make sounds like a man who goes to buy a car, the man is buying the car because he wants one in a different color from what he has [important as it may be its not expensive, like JAVA is important but not expensive]. The man pays for the whole car although he was only buying it for the color. That decision is one he makes, the dealer wasn't selling the color, the dealer was selling the whole car, the reason that leads each of us to buy or not buy is not equivalent to the whole of the product being sold. > Sort of. They don't mind whether I use Mac OS or Windows. But when I do > decide to use Windows, they will indeed put a big box running it on my > desk. > At no charge to me. Well, couple things here. First is that its a complete wrong in my opinion that they do not support multiple platforms equally. I am familiar with this first hand. > They will not purchase a Mac OS for me (well, technically they already > did; > they bought this iBook I'm working on right now. But it's mine to > maintain. > Long story.). Sounds like a tooth and nail fight, I know the circumstance, those who keep fighting the good fight [for choice, no matter what your preference is] are deserving of great credit. > What I also mean by that, is that I put some serious effort into > working on > my preferred OS at a place where another OS is the de facto standard. > I get > by. I am the Macintosh Administrator at a college that is just starting to diversify from Windows only to Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. The faculty are generally not concerned with this but in the past six months more and more want a platform choice [once you see options you want to be able to consider them]. The administration as a whole is fine with multiple platforms but a couple key people like to fall back on "vetoes" like Macs cost more, our IT dept. can't support them [mine is a temp. job to determine if they need the position], Macs don't work with PCs. I have heard all the standard BS since I came here. They use circular logic, one day my boss the IT Director [former MS tech support ...] was speaking with a faculty member from the only Mac dept. on campus. The faculty member asks him why they refuse to have Macs around, there seems to be animosity towards them almost. The Director replies that we can't support them, we don't have the people or the knowledge. So the faculty member asks why we don't hire the people. The Director says because there is no need, we don't have any Macs to speak of. The conversation was actually 4-6 sentences total between the two men, the faculty member was so shocked by the foolishness of this that he stood there dumb struck. > Don't get me wrong, I like Jaguar, I think Apple are fully in their > right to > charge for it, and once they start offering it free to teachers here > like > they do in the US, I will probably get a copy, too (my girlfriend is a > teacher). But I will not let myself be forced into buying an OS when > the one > I am using is adequate. I don't think anyone will argue with that, I just don't think Apple is trying to force you into it. Its not like there is evidence that Apple is systematically cutting out JAVA users [or any other specific group] by denying them access to things they need in previous versions in order to force them into Mac OS X. People should not buy Jaguar because Apple says to, I think they should buy it because it is a very good product and worth the money. David -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
