Mac OS 8 Notes
Mac OS 8 Installation and Use
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Copyright 1997 by Bill Fox
Last Updated: October 29, 1997
Mac OS 8 arrived at our offices on July 17th on a white CD entitled "Mac OS8". Since then, I have installed it on these computers:
- PowerMac 8500/120,
- PowerBook 3400/180,
- PowerBase 180,
- PowerMac 7100/80 and
- Quadra 605 (a 68K Mac).
Mac OS 8 can be ordered from Claris at 800/293-0617. The cost is $99 or $69 if upgrading from Mac OS 7.6 or $9.95 if Mac OS 7.6 was purchased after June 1st or if your computer purchase was after June 22nd and it qualifies for the Mac Up-to-Date Program. Applicable sales tax and a shipping and handling fee are added to these prices. Many retailers and catalog resellers sell the non-upgrade version of Mac OS 8 for roughly $75-85.
Index
Here's What You Get:
1) Mac OS 8, including The Mac OS Info Center, Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 and a .pdf of the Mac OS 8 Installation Manual which can be read by Acrobat. I suggest that the manual be printed out if possible to consult during the installation process.
2) A set of utlities including a new Disk First Aid 7.2.4, Drive Setup 1.3 and SimpleText 1.4 plus 5xxx/6xxx Tester 1.1, AppleShare 3.6.5 and DiskCopy 6.1.2.
3) A set of internet software including AOL 3.0, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.01, Castanet Tuner 1.0d and The PointCast Network.
With Mac OS 8 comes ten items: Runtime for Java, Personal Web Sharing, QuickDraw 3 D 1.5.1, OpenDoc, MacLink Plus 9.02b, Apple Location Manager, Cyberdog, QuickDraw GX, Text-toSpeech and Apple Remote Access.
My Installation Notes:
[8500/120 & 3400c] First, I read the two ReadMe files to ensure that the fewest possible number of problems (hopefully none) were encountered. This is a new operating system, not a simple upgrade so one needs to treat it appropriately. I made sure that the base extensions for the present system were selected and made sure RAM Doubler was off. (Note:Virtual Memory should be turned on in the Memory control panel if you have only 16 MB of RAM. I got an out of memory error on the 3400 with 16 MB RAM and had to go back and turn on VM to get the installation to work.) Then I shut down the computer and restarted it from the installation CD or diskette.
Clicking on the installer gives a screen that outlines the four steps: select the drive, read the notes presented, read the license and agree and hit install.
The Select Destination window has a checkbox to perform a clean install of the system. I did not do this, having clean-installed 7.6 and 7.6.1 recently.
The Install Software window lists the ten items noted above. Of them, I selected only MacLink Plus 9.02 and QuickDraw 3D 1.5.1 for the 8500 and additionally Location Manager for the 3400.
Pressing the Option button allows one to check or uncheck installation of the new hard disk driver. Since both the 8500 and 3400 have Apple drives, I checked install and got the new driver from Drive Setup 1.3.
Pressing the Customize button lists the ten items above plus Mac OS 8, Mac OS Info Center, Internet Access, Open Transport PPP 1.01 (you also get Open Transport 1.2). I selected Mac OS 8, Mac OS Info Center and Open Transport PPP in addition to MacLink Plus and QuickDraw 3D. Since my 8500 is set up on a network with direct internet access, I decided not to select Internet Access. I did not select it for the 3400 since it is already set up and I wasn't sure if I'd lose my current internet settings or not.
Hitting the Start caused a check of my hard drive and installation of the new driver. Then it gave the old familiar Installer window (yes, another one) and I had to hit the Install button. One is tempted to fiddle with the popup window saying easy install but don't. It will install just the software selected before. For each selection, a window came up and I had to press Install or Continue then Install. The installation process took right at 15 minutes, not counting running through the setup options.
Upon restarting, it saved any comments in the Info windows and rebuilt the desktop file. Then the Mac OS Setup Assistant opened, something that I did not expect. It asked the language (US--is that a language?), my name and company name, date and time stuff, geographic location, whether I wanted a simple finder with limited features (no), and then got to network settings. It asks for a computer name and password. I left the password blank and it sent me back to put one in, no way around it so I did hoping I wouldn't get locked out some time in the future when I had forgotten about this little gem. Then "no" to shared folders which were named for me anyway and network connection for the 8500's printer and direct connection for my 3400 printer. It gave me a selection of printers, none of which I have so I selected "Imagewriter". Finally, I got a summary "Conclusion" window and pressed the Show Details button to see a summary and then pressed Go Ahead and the details were entered. This is a nice feature for the real novice. I didn't discover a way around it even on my second attempt but there must be one.
I restarted again after resetting my conrol panel and extensions to the custom set that I wanted. I encountered only two problems.
First, I ended up with both sets of extensions for QuickDraw 3D 1.5.1 and 1.5 in my system folder, the latter in the Extensions (Disabled) folder and had to delete the older set manually. Of course, this is because QD 3D is not in the Mac OS 7.6 Base Set. This happened with MacLink Plus as well as other things that were installed as updates when the older items had been disabled before installation of Mac OS 8. I was hoping that Extensions Manager had been extended to the control strip modules but no luck. So I had several minutes of manually removing outdated extensions and unwanted control strip modules. I also had to toss an unwanted desktop printer icon on the 3400.
The second occurred when I enabled all of the extensions and control panels that I have to see if there were any conflicts. When the finder appeared on both computers (8500 and 3400), the desktop icons kept cycling on and off, i.e. they disappeared right after appearing. This continued for several cycles until a freeze happened. I traced this to an apparent conflict with AliasMenu, a third party extension that I have but do not use as I prefer the Apple Menu. Disabling AliasMenu ended this problem. My usage time has been limited but so far I haven't found any other problems. There are a number of incompatibilities that have been widely reported, including StuffIt Deluxe, Norton Utilities 3.5 and Speed Doubler. I turned off Virtual Memory and so far I've had no problems with RAM Doubler 2.01--fingers are crossed (I've used RD 2.01 for several months now with no problems).
[Quadra 605] While installing Mac OS 8 on my Quadra 605 with a MicroNet CD-650, an old 2x CD ROM drive, I could not get the Q605 to startup from the CD ROM drive no matter what I did. I just got a black screen with a sad mac icon--hadn't seen one of those in years. So I set Extensions Manager to the base 7.6.1 set plus the MicroNet driver, restarted with the hard drive and inserted the CD and clicked on the installer. No problem until I came to the hard disk check. It said I had hard disk problems that couldn't be fixed because it was the startup device. I quit, ran Norton Disk Doctor 3.2, restarted from the hard drive, inserted the CD and clicked the installer and everything installed without a hitch. Mac OS 8 runs fine on the Q605 with 20 MB of physical RAM and RAM Doubler 2.01.
[PowerBase 180 and PowerMac 7100/80] I installed Mac OS 8 on my PowerComputing PowerBase 180 and Apple 7100/80. Neither installation worked "normally". The PB 180 had to be booted off the hard drive like the Quadra 605 [Reason: Third party CD-ROM]. The 71000/80 needed the shift key held down to turn off extensions during the boot up [Reason: AppleTalk turned off]. Otherwise, Mac OS 8 installed with no problems. This installation quirk for some computers is the biggest "miss" so far in the Mac OS 8 release. Fortunately, the "hits" are legion!
The handling time of some ordinary floppy disk operations by Mac OS 8 is significantly slower than by Mac OS 7.6.1. I opened a 40-file folder on a full HD diskette. Mac OS 7.6.1 took about 1 second for both computers but with 8.0 it took 6 seconds for each. The latter operation took 8 seconds on a PowerBook 3400/180 with Mac OS 8.
Main Feature Descriptions
MOSIC is a new feature of Mac OS 8. The installation places a blue icon of a "beachball" with an "i" on it on your desktop. When you double-click the icon, a Netscape 3.01 browser opens (I'll have to check to see if my usual browser can be selected and save some disk space). The window gives you three choices: "Show Me What I Can Do", "Help Me Solve a Problem" and "Help Me Explore the Internet". The first leads you to three articles on Mac OS 8 on your hard drive and four on the internet. The second gives you five troubleshooting resources, four of which are located on the internet. The third is just what it sounds like, five articles on using the internet, one of which is on your hard drive. Apple is really going all out to make things easier for users. This is very welcome since the Mac OS has become pretty complex for us typical Mac users during the past couple of years.
The Finder can now chew gum and walk at the same time. I copied stuff and searched through folders and checked menus at the same time. There were some minimal hesitations but I could do it ... er, I mean the Finder could do it. This will be a big help even if it is not perfectly smooth.
You have the option of clicking and holding to navigate through menus as Mac OS's have always done. Or you can one-click a menu and it opens and stays open until you click away from it just like Windows does. The one-click is really handy and you can navigate through sub-menus simply by moving the pointer.
If you click and hold on a file, you can drag it in top of a folder and if you continue to hold the mouse button down then after a short wait the folder automatically opens. As long as you keep holding the button down, you can continue to do this as deep into the hierarchical files as you like, deposit the file by releasing the button and everything closes back up to where you originally started. This saves the clicking on folders within folders to place a file and then having a bunch folder windows to click on again to close. This is a neat feature but care is needed since if you don't have a steady finger or have a heavy mouse button spring and accidently stop holding, you can place the file in the wrong folder. Everything springs back but window of the folder where you deposited the file is still open.
The Copy window has several delightful and useful new features in Mac OS 8. It shows the remaining time to finish in seconds and has an expansion triangle that when clicked shows the file name, the names of the two volumes involved in the copy procedure and the kbs transferred of the whole kbs to be copied.
This control panel replaces the Desktop Patterns Control Panel and, of course, it allows pictures as well as patterns as the desktop background. I am not a desktop picture fan but I do like the new "Copland Blue" pattern.
This control panel atop the Apple Menu has been redesigned although it provides the same information as the former one did. In the upper left corner is a picture of a sector of the earth from outer space overlaid with the Apple Logo and "Mac OS Computer". The Mac OS logo is in the upper right--it looks like a button but isn't.
It is very similar to Aaron or the Apple Grayscale of Kaleidoscope but seemingly better. The 3-D effect seems to be a bit more detailed. Especially noticeable is the diskette icon.
Hits and Misses--Opinion
PowerBase Issues--How Did Mac OS 8 Do?
Here's a rack up of how Mac OS 8 handles the issues carried on Macs Only!'s PowerComputing PowerBase Issues Page:
Troubleshooting Installation
Starting Up With Mac OS 8 CD Causes System Error--Apple CD-ROM Drive: This problem, first carried on Macs Only! (7/20), with Apple-brand CD-ROM drives is caused by AppleTalk being turned off according to Apple. I have confirmed this on an 8500/120, 7100/80 and 3400/180. Turning AppleTalk on (it must be in the control panels folder) and then restarting while holding down the "c" key allows the Mac OS 8 CD to load normally as the startup disk and to perform a normal installation.
Unable to Startup With Mac OS 8 CD--Non-Apple CD-ROM Drive: Startup from hard drive, load Mac OS 8 CD and click installer, do not update hard drive drivers if asked, if a message appears saying the hard drive needs repairs then quit and run Disk First Aid or Norton Disk Doctor on hard drive and start over, if no hard drive problem message then continue with the installation. An alternative is to make a Disk Tools diskette with a smaller, earlier System version and add the CD-ROM drive's extension. Startup from this diskette, load the Mac OS 8 CD and install being sure to not install new hard disk drivers if asked.
Troubleshooting Use
During the first two weeks that Mac OS 8 was out, Macs Only! covered in real time every issue and incompatibility that arose. The only incompatibility among the software that I tested were AliasMenu and TechTool 1.14's System Analizer (Zap PRAM and Rebuild Desktop work). It is expected that any application that works with the Finder, which is brand new, will have compatibility problems. Among the software that I have used extensively over the past 6 weeks without problems are: WordPerfect 3.5.3/3.5.4, ClarisWorks (word processor only) 4.05, Microsoft Office v4.2.1c (including Word and Excel), Quicken 7, cc:Mail 6.0, cc:Mail Mobile 2.03, Eudora Light 3.1, Netscape's Navigator 3.01 and Communicator 4.01, FileMaker Pro 3.04, and CompuServe's MacCIM 2.44 and CS 3.01. The Mac OS 8 is very stable--crashes are mostly a thing of the past.
The new Apple CD-ROM v5.4 extension curiously recognizes my 2-year old MicroNet 2x CD-650 Advantage CD-ROM drive (maybe it's an Apple in disguise?). This is the only third party drive that I am aware of that works with the new extension. Solution: Install Apple CD-ROM v5.3.1 that came with Mac OS 7.6 works with many 3rd party CD-ROM drives or stick with the driver that came with your drive.
PowerBook 3400/180 Internal Modem: Mac OS 8 does not fix the problem Macs Only! reported on earlier with the PowerBook 3400 internal modem's apparent inability to use Apple Modem Tool v1.5.6 with cc:Mail Mobile or CompuServe's MacCIM 2.4x, the only two applications I use that need this part of the Communication ToolBox. I didn't expect that it would since the Apple Modem Tool was not updated. The internal modem works fine with the new Open Transport 1.2 and OT/PPP 1.01 for PPP connections. The US Robotics Megahertz CruiseCard PC card modem works fine for Apple Modem Tool connections.
RAM Doubler/Disabled Floppy Drive, not?: I received several emails and it was widely mentioned in the press and on the web that using RAM Doubler 2.01 disabled the floppy drive. One reader said this happened on his PowerCenter 150, on a friend's computer and that it was carried in an Austin, TX, newspaper as a problem at many Mac sites. Several reports indicated Connectix confirmed this problem. However, I have been unable to duplicate this on any of my computers. Solution: Use RD 2.01 and if you have this problem, try deleting RD 2.01 and re-installing it--this worked for one reader.
Warning! Reader Tom Brown ended up with SCSI Manager v4.3 in his system folder after installing Mac OS 8. Since SCSI Manager is now integrated into the system file, this cause a conflict and crash.
Warning! ObjectSupportLib is now integrated in the system file. However, older installers of some applications that need it install it in your extensions folder.
Finder Bug: Reader Thomas Schmitt found a bug in Mac OS 8. To repeat it, make a window into a popup window using the View menu, control-click an icon and either select Duplicate or Make Alias--freezes the Finder every time.
There were many software incompatibilities reported during the first two weeks, several of the notable ones are Speed Doubler, StuffIt Deluxe 4.0 and most of the Now Utilities. Apple posted TechNote 1102. This TechNote has a wealth of information about Mac OS 8. Apple also has a special page devoted to late breaking problems. In addition, Ted Landau's MacFixIt Troubleshooting Mac OS 8 Page is currently the most complete and detailed compilation of usage problems, incompatibilities and solutions so I suggest that you visit this page if you are having usage problems not mentioned here.
In the unlikely event that you cannot find an answer on MacFixit or from Apple, you are welcome to e-mail me.
Pre-Release Information
I have been waiting for Copland with its neat-looking, PowerPC-native Finder, multi-threading and protected memory for several years. While the Mac OS 8 will not be Copland, it will be a big chunk of it. Here's what's new in Mac OS 8 according to Apple's Developer News #61:
Apple's version of the PointCast Network will include a channel designated solely for Apple. This channel will notify users about Apple-related news such as:
Printing from Word 6.01a and Wordperfect 3.5.3 on an Epson Stylus Color 500 worked fine on both computers. However, on the PowerBase 180 I had to set AppleTalk to the modem port as Mac OS 8's Chooser said AppleTalk was active even though it wasn't. Thankfully, there was no resulting interference with modem operations. This just continues the serial port communication problems experienced by many Macs/clones with the Alchemy motherboard (6360's, 6400's, PowerBases and possibly C500's from UMAX).
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The hits really outweigh the misses.
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[Update] Apple released an unsupported new internal modem driver and ethernet driver that has eliminated this problem--look in the Unsupported folder on Apple's servers."One of the largest areas of innovation in Mac OS 8 is that of the human interface. By advancing the human interface in Mac OS 8, Apple intends to maintain its industry leadership in graphical user interfaces and offer a human interface that is more powerful and easier to use than those of competing platforms. Here are some of the new human-interface features you'll see in Mac OS 8:
In addition, The Apple Business Bulletin (6/20) reported that Mac OS 8 will include internet push technology:
Mac OS 8 also contains a number of other improvements:
"The Marimba Castanet Tuner and the PointCast Network complement Mac OS 8's outstanding Internet integration which includes:
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Marimba products enable the creation, distribution, and management of network applications within enterprise businesses and across the Internet.
Copyright © 1997 by Bill Fox
All rights reserved--no commercial use permitted without my expressed permission.
Of course . . . . . . and I am proud to be an Evangelista! . . .
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