Should I go w/ Panther? (MacOS x 10.3)

[BlueSkyJaunte]

I just got Panther ($19.95 + tax) via FedEx since I got a 15" PowerBook two weeks ago.

Should I install it?

I'm almost used to Jaguar already!

Plus I dont' want it to screw up everything I've installed.

I've read about some networking issues...anyone having difficulty hitting SMB shares?

[exc911ence]

How'd you get Panther for only $19.95? It sells for $179.99 up here!

[BlueSkyJaunte]

My PB came w/ Jaguar. I think any Mac sold after 10/1 (or maybe 9/1?) with 10.2 gets a "free" upgrade.

[nostatic]

I'd hold off for awhile. I've been having some minor issues on my Ti Book, most notably slow connection to one of my IMAP servers, and Mail has had a few hangs and unexpected quits. If I were you, I'd stick with 10.2.8 until 10.3.1 comes out.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Thanks for the tip.

Connecting reliably to SMB shares is vital for me, I don't need my connection(s) dropping unexpectedly.

[JavaBrewer]

What does a Panther "upgrade" buy you? Not trying to stir the pot again, just curious. I have a Linux machine that I like to continuely rebuild with new releases - but it's driven out of need to tinker - kinda like building models. My home PC is still running Win98 (worst WinOS ever) but it does all the tasks I ask of it and is pretty fast.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

I think Expose' is the big thing. It's a nifty tweak to the window manager that obviates virtual desktops.

[JavaBrewer]

You'd think they would offer that as a patch vs. a complete OS replacement. I saw the online demo of Expose - don't see the appeal but then maybe it's better in practice. Personally I don't dig all the fancy window movements, warping, fading, and stuff that Mac (and some extent XP) do. What's wrong with a simple ALT+TAB to scroll to your target application? There are loads of virtual desktop apps out there (I use goScreen) for when I am making presentations or teaching - to isolate audience from things they don't need to see.

Hey seriously best of luck with your Mac. Despite my digs against Mac I think OSX is worthy of all the praise it gets like a good KDE clone.

[nostatic]

there are a number of under the hood changes that make it not a simple patch. Actually the warping and fading is more of an XP thing. Expose is more than just eye candy...it is another way of interacting with our information. It is not really that related to virtual desktops. The new fast user switching is closer to vDesktops, but also has the advantage of individual user prefs/parameters.

That being said, the jury is out on the new Mail enhancements...threading bugs me somewhat. I still prefer a really fast and robust search capability.