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Which OS is Your Main/Favorite One?


  • Total voters
    410

crewkid89

macrumors regular
Jun 16, 2011
242
24
United States

AmazingHenry

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 6, 2015
1,285
534
Central Michigan
This is one of the reasons:


It is very optimized. Before Coreplayer hack came out I think it was the only way to watch a 720p movie smoothly on G4s
MorphOS is pretty lightweight and fast, I guess that's a reason. I tried it out on my G5 and it was way faster than Leopard.
 

redheeler

macrumors G3
Oct 17, 2014
8,419
8,841
Colorado, USA
For those who chose MorphOS, I'm curious as to your reasoning. A while ago I discovered it's not free software, and the price, even after it was lowered, seems quite unreasonable.
 
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MikeatOSX

macrumors regular
Mar 26, 2007
157
28
Austria
That looks like a neat bit of history. Are you using purely out of interest, or is it doing work for you as well?
I'm using my old Macs with old software and my new Macs with new software. That's all.
Same thing with MorphOS, a very unusual OS.
 
Last edited:

ctmpkmlec4

macrumors 6502
Jul 4, 2014
373
40
Lyons, KS
In what ways is it worth it? I didn't get a lot of info from the website. What does it do that Mac OS X or *NIX type operating systems don't do.
For starters, it's currently maintained and stable. Additionally, it's lightweight; my G4 Mini is a speed demon. The value for me is that it keeps perfectly usable systems from the landfill, however this aspect may not appeal to you. While MorphOS isn't free, users have access to all future system updates for the single registration cost. Registering MorphOS supports a talented team of developers and provides compatibility with a plethora of Amiga software. And, new software for MorphOS is currently being developed. The biggest benefit is that using this operating system allows me to break free from the rapid product release cycles of the mainstream.
 
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belvdr

macrumors 603
Aug 15, 2005
5,945
1,372
For starters, it's currently maintained and stable. Additionally, it's lightweight; my G4 Mini is a speed demon. The value for me is that it keeps perfectly usable systems from the landfill, however this aspect may not appeal to you. While MorphOS isn't free, users have access to all future system updates for the single registration cost. Registering MorphOS supports a talented team of developers and provides compatibility with a plethora of Amiga software. And, new software for MorphOS is currently being developed. The biggest benefit is that using this operating system allows me to break free from the rapid product release cycles of the mainstream.

But it doesn't seem to add any capabilities the others can't do.
 

ctmpkmlec4

macrumors 6502
Jul 4, 2014
373
40
Lyons, KS
For those who chose MorphOS, I'm curious as to your reasoning. A while ago I discovered it's not free software, and the price, even after it was lowered, seems quite unreasonable.
And classifying five year-old (expensive) hardware as vintage isn't? It's all a matter of opinion, I guess. The platform has a small user base and the development team isn't expected to work for free. The registration fee is one-time. Prior to OS X Mountain Lion and Windows 10, how much and how often did you have to pay to keep your OS current?
[doublepost=1481222449][/doublepost]
But it doesn't seem to add any capabilities the others can't do.
What do you mean by others?
 

redheeler

macrumors G3
Oct 17, 2014
8,419
8,841
Colorado, USA
And classifying five year-old (expensive) hardware as vintage isn't? It's all a matter of opinion, I guess. The platform has a small user base and the development team isn't expected to work for free. The registration fee is one-time. Prior to OS X Mountain Lion and Windows 10, how much and how often did you have to pay to keep your OS current?
A couple points:
  • The registration fee is not one-time. I have a dozen Macs eligible for MorphOS, and if I pay that much for OS software, I'd like to have a go with it on those without paying again for every single one.
  • If the aim is to keep PowerPC Macs current in 2016, why should the price conform to 2012 standards? I don't expect the OS to be given away, simply made more reasonable with pricing. Even in 2012, OS X Mountain Lion was only priced at $20, and could be installed on unlimited Macs without having to pay each time.
[doublepost=1481223940][/doublepost]
  • MorphOS is meant as a hobbyist OS for older hardware, not a professional tool with the very latest features like MacOS or Windows, and as such its value is limited. I highly respect what the developers have done to make it possible, and would be willing to pay a reasonable price for it, but I cannot ignore this fact when I look at how it is priced.
 
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ctmpkmlec4

macrumors 6502
Jul 4, 2014
373
40
Lyons, KS
A couple points:
  • The registration fee is not one-time. I have a dozen Macs eligible for MorphOS, and if I pay that much for OS software, I'd like to have a go with it on those without paying again for every single one.
  • If the aim is to keep PowerPC Macs current in 2016, why should the price conform to 2012 standards? I don't expect the OS to be given away, simply made more reasonable with pricing. Even in 2012, OS X Mountain Lion was only priced at $20, and could be installed on unlimited Macs without having to pay each time.
[doublepost=1481223940][/doublepost]
  • MorphOS is meant as a hobbyist OS for older hardware, not a professional tool with the very latest features like MacOS or Windows, and as such its value is limited. I highly respect what the developers have done to make it possible, and would be willing to pay a reasonable price for it, but I cannot ignore this fact when I look at how it is priced.
You're right, I should clarify that this is per computer. Again, how is their model different than, say, Windows? You're free to try it out 30 minutes at a time and not shell out the money for a registration key. While I see your point of view, I argue that you're comparing apples (pun not intended) to oranges. Apple makes money on hardware, mostly iPhones. They can afford to give the OS away. How do you know that the cost of macOS or iOS isn't calculated into the price of respective Apple hardware. Perhaps "free" or "low cost" is an illusion. The MorphOS team funds their efforts through registrations. Sure, it may be a hobby, but that doesn't mean you can't use it productively. I don't think there is much point to arguing this further as I'm sure I won't convince you of its value. I am simply trying to make the argument that MorphOS is a viable alternative if you're wanting to prolong the use of PPC hardware and don't have hundreds, or thousands of dollars to blow every three years on a new Mac. As I said earlier, the advantage to me is stability and breaking free of rapid market cycle. And sure, I value the hobbyist aspect of it, too.
 

sawpits

macrumors regular
Feb 28, 2014
173
70
A couple points:
  • The registration fee is not one-time. I have a dozen Macs eligible for MorphOS, and if I pay that much for OS software, I'd like to have a go with it on those without paying again for every single one.
  • If the aim is to keep PowerPC Macs current in 2016, why should the price conform to 2012 standards? I don't expect the OS to be given away, simply made more reasonable with pricing. Even in 2012, OS X Mountain Lion was only priced at $20, and could be installed on unlimited Macs without having to pay each time.
[doublepost=1481223940][/doublepost]
  • MorphOS is meant as a hobbyist OS for older hardware, not a professional tool with the very latest features like MacOS or Windows, and as such its value is limited. I highly respect what the developers have done to make it possible, and would be willing to pay a reasonable price for it, but I cannot ignore this fact when I look at how it is priced.


Apple is an extremely wealthy company. This is done by a small cadre of people, who figure that the current price is a bargain for a modern OS. I swear, people are so spoiled.
 

redheeler

macrumors G3
Oct 17, 2014
8,419
8,841
Colorado, USA
How do you know that the cost of macOS or iOS isn't calculated into the price of respective Apple hardware. Perhaps "free" or "low cost" is an illusion.
I absolutely agree it's an illusion, I was simply responding to your using the cost of MacOS updates as a point of comparison. But you must also look at things from my perspective. I'm looking to get a decent value for money, and extend the life of multiple Macs in the process. Having to pay for each Mac makes the latter harder to do and significantly reduces the value for money. This seems to go against the entire goal of the OS.

Even if the price were to stay the same it is now, but be good for at least 5 different Macs, I could see it being worthwhile. Or a smaller per-Mac price like $20 which is only good for one installation, if that's all someone wants.
 

ctmpkmlec4

macrumors 6502
Jul 4, 2014
373
40
Lyons, KS
I absolutely agree it's an illusion, I was simply responding to your using the cost of MacOS updates as a point of comparison. But you must also look at things from my perspective. I'm looking to get a decent value for money, and extend the life of multiple Macs in the process. Having to pay for each Mac makes the latter harder to do and significantly reduces the value for money. This seems to go against the entire goal of the OS.

Even if the price were to stay the same it is now, but be good for at least 5 different Macs, I could see it being worthwhile. Or a smaller per-Mac price like $20 which is only good for one installation, if that's all someone wants.
I'm totally trying to see your perspective. However, I don't understand where you're coming up with a $20 one time expense to have the most modern OS for all your PowerPC Macs. In the PowerPC era, a single user license from Apple was around $100 per machine. Of course, you could opt for the family license (5 machines) for additional cost.
[doublepost=1481227183][/doublepost]
Any of the other operating systems listed. I was curious (as was the other poster) if it added anything the other operating systems did not.
Gotcha. I just wanted to make sure you weren't referring to any specific ones. I think I've answered this question, but it's clear that any answer I may provide is subjective. Best I can tell you is download the .iso and try it out.
 

redheeler

macrumors G3
Oct 17, 2014
8,419
8,841
Colorado, USA
I'm totally trying to see your perspective. However, I don't understand where you're coming up with a $20 one time expense to have the most modern OS for all your PowerPC Macs. In the PowerPC era, a single user license from Apple was around $100 per machine. Of course, you could opt for the family license (5 machines) for additional cost.
It was pretty well-known at the time that a single-user installer was not actually locked to a single Mac like MorphOS is. This was a profit-grabbing strategy which luckily stopped after Snow Leopard, and I no more condone it than I do the current pricing of MorphOS.

Arguably, the most modern OS available for PowerPC Macs is not MorphOS, rather the several PPC-compiled Linux distributions that are available free of charge. Keep in mind I'm not suggesting these should be viewed as a substitute for MorphOS or that it should be made free of charge as well, but Linux should not be discounted as a viable life-extending option for PowerPC Macs.
[doublepost=1481227901][/doublepost]Not only that, but although Mac OS X Leopard is very old now, it's still one of if not the most usable OS for a PowerPC Mac. Thanks to the TenFourFox project, and dozens of abandonware apps available, its usability is often underestimated as well.
 

ctmpkmlec4

macrumors 6502
Jul 4, 2014
373
40
Lyons, KS
It was pretty well-known at the time that a single-user installer was not actually locked to a single Mac like MorphOS is. This was a profit-grabbing strategy which luckily stopped after Snow Leopard, and I no more condone it than I do the current pricing of MorphOS.

Arguably, the most modern OS available for PowerPC Macs is not MorphOS, rather the several PPC-compiled Linux distributions that are available free of charge. Keep in mind I'm not suggesting these should be viewed as a substitute for MorphOS or that it should be made free of charge as well, but Linux should not be discounted as a viable life-extending option for PowerPC Macs.
[doublepost=1481227901][/doublepost]Not only that, but although Mac OS X Leopard is very old now, it's still one of if not the most usable OS for a PowerPC Mac. Thanks to the TenFourFox project, and dozens of abandonware apps available, its usability is often underestimated as well.
Using a single license disc on more than one CPU was technically illegal. Not condemning you as I may be guilty myself.

I am a huge fan of Linux and open source. However, my experience with installing on a G4 or G5 is that the system can be finicky. Graphics acceleration or audio may not work without modifying config files or searching for a needed software package. And, to a layperson, the installation process itself may be confusing. I tried Linux before finding MorphOS.

Yes, Leopard is still usable and TenFourFox is a godsend. But, the core of the operating system hasn't been updated in at least five years. Again, I keep presenting that MorphOS is currently maintained, stable, and fast. Also, the installer is easy understand, takes less than 5 minutes to complete on my Mac Mini, and everything works without the need for me to edit config files if I don't want to. There's also a ton of abandonware available thanks to Amiga compatibility in addition to current development projects. Anyway, I don't wholly disagree with you. I'm telling you this is another option that I and others find valuable and there is no harm in me suggesting it.
 

redheeler

macrumors G3
Oct 17, 2014
8,419
8,841
Colorado, USA
Using a single license disc on more than one CPU was technically illegal. Not condemning you as I may be guilty myself.

I am a huge fan of Linux and open source. However, my experience with installing on a G4 or G5 is that the system can be finicky. Graphics acceleration or audio may not work without modifying config files or searching for a needed software package. And, to a layperson, the installation process itself may be confusing. I tried Linux before finding MorphOS.

Yes, Leopard is still usable and TenFourFox is a godsend. But, the core of the operating system hasn't been updated in at least five years. Again, I keep presenting that MorphOS is currently maintained, stable, and fast. Also, the installer is easy understand, takes less than 5 minutes to complete on my Mac Mini, and everything works without the need for me to edit config files if I don't want to. There's also a ton of abandonware available thanks to Amiga compatibility in addition to current development projects. Anyway, I don't wholly disagree with you. I'm telling you this is another option that I and others find valuable and there is no harm in me suggesting it.
I certainly can't disagree with you here; although MorphOS has its own downsides, like apparent incompatibility with late 2005 Power Mac G5s including G5 Quad, which is the system I'd be most interested in trying it on. My argument is simply that the per-Mac price is too steep, and you're free to disagree with me here.
 

ctmpkmlec4

macrumors 6502
Jul 4, 2014
373
40
Lyons, KS
I certainly can't disagree with you here; although MorphOS has its own downsides, like apparent incompatibility with late 2005 Power Mac G5s including G5 Quad, which is the system I'd be most interested in trying it on. My argument is simply that the per-Mac price is too steep, and you're free to disagree with me here.
Yes, I wish the later G5s were supported. For me, I'd have interest in MorphOS running on an iMac G5. I'm curious to see what's in the 3.10 update.
 

Bug-Creator

macrumors 68000
May 30, 2011
1,762
4,686
Germany
Only 2 iMac ever ran MorphOS (yes 2 not 2 versions). one sits unused in my bedroom:p

While it would be neat in terms of space and (relativly) low power consumption, I just don't see my downgrading to that screen after running the PMacG5 on a 27" Dell. Even the 22" Studio connected to G4 is to be prefered.

As for the PCIe PMac, I might be tempted by a DualCore 2.3GHz replacing the DualCPU 2.3GHz (no love for LCS).
 
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ctmpkmlec4

macrumors 6502
Jul 4, 2014
373
40
Lyons, KS
Only 2 iMac ever ran MorphOS (yes 2 not 2 versions). one sits unused in my bedroom:p

While it would be neat in terms of space and (relativly) low power consumption, I just don't see my downgrading to that screen after running the PMacG5 on a 27" Dell. Even the 22" Studio connected to G4 is to be prefered.

As for the PCIe PMac, I might be tempted by a DualCore 2.3GHz replacing the DualCPU 2.3GHz (no love for LCS).
I'm not a fan of the LCS machines either. They're a neat piece of engineering, but maintenance or repair of the cooling system is a bit of a chore. I have two dual-core G5's: 2.0 and 2.3. The fans don't kick on nearly as much as my DP 2.5 (LCS). As I think about it, weren't DP 2.3 G5's air-cooled?

Good point about screen real estate as being a drawback of the iMac G5. I was hooked on the idea of the smaller footprint of an all-in-one. I think small screen size is why I haven't registered my eMac 1.42. Would it perform any better than a Mac Mini with the same CPU speed? A G5 seems like it would be overkill for MorphOS. Is there an ideal Mac for MorphOS?
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,806
26,899
I'm about to add a poll asking which one you use. It'll have to be a bit shortened because there's a limit on how many responses you can have on a poll.
[doublepost=1480638743][/doublepost]Also, I'll let you select either 1 or 2 different operating systems, as you may use 2 of them.
I was going to vote…then I realized you included OS9 with OS X.

I don't care for OS9 at all. I worked in OS9 for three years and even had it on my TiBook for awhile, but once OS X came around I killed it on all my Macs except those not capable of running it. I much prefer System 7 over OS 8/9.

So, since the options in the poll are limited it appears I cannot cast a vote (honestly at least).

In any case, you already know which version of OS X I prefer (although Panther is a close second).
 

Bug-Creator

macrumors 68000
May 30, 2011
1,762
4,686
Germany
Kronos, is that you?

No it's me !!

Good point about screen real estate as being a drawback of the iMac G5.

Screen real estate is an issue compared to the 27" Dell, but the 22" Apple has a lower res compared to the iMac but the panel inside is much better.

As I think about it, weren't DP 2.3 G5's air-cooled?

All G5 <= 2.3GHz aircooled (AGP or PCIe)
All G5 >= 2.5GHz LCS (AGP 2.5/2.7 and PCIe 2.5 quad)
 
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