Product Reviews

The Mac OS is the heart of your Mac. So when Apple releases an OS upgrade, most people feel torn. Should they download or buy the latest release to get the new features and bug fixes, or should they hang on and let others find the problems that might lie beneath the surface?

First of all, Apple has made it clear that, while there are new features in Mac OS 9.1, it's designed mainly to fix bugs and improve general performance and stability. So if you're expecting a host of new things to play with, you'll be disappointed. Of course, bug fixes and other improvements are very important, so you shouldn't ignore this release. And if you plan to use some of Apple's new software such as iDVD, you'll simply have to run Mac OS 9.1.

There's a new built-in FireWire driver that helps to mount FireWire drives when their own driver isn't installed. The 'unexpected sleep' problem some users have experienced with G4 Cubes may be cured by the new Power Button Sleep option in the Energy Saver control panel.

Despite the focus on bugs and performance, some interface enhancements have been slipped in: the new Window menu in the Finder, which lists all open Finder windows, is a real boon, as is the new keyboard shortcut for emptying the Trash. And, finally, the performance in general has been enhanced, both for the OS itself and some applications as well.

Get organised

In readiness for Mac OS X, thisOS release gently suggests some application and document organisational schemes. Virtually all applications supplied with this OS are now placed in the Applications folder.

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The Utilities folder, previously placed at the top level of the hard disk, is now found in the Applications folder as well. The only exceptions to the rule seem to be some of the utilities found in the Apple menu, such as Apple System Profiler and Stickies.

The Documents folder also plays a more central part with Mac OS 9.1. The installation logs are placed there, as are other documents created automatically by Mac OS 9.1-aware software. This organisation scheme isn't enforced at all - users can still put applications and documents where they wish as long as the software in question doesn't have its own restrictions - but it's a good first step towards Mac OS X's true multi-user-friendly filing approach.

Need a fix

As with any major software release, upgrading to Mac OS 9.1 won't necessarily be trouble-free. Software that performs 'under the hood' tricks may not work properly until updated. Key examples of this are Suitcase 9.0.1, Spell Catcher 8.1.2, Virus Barrier 1.5 and some recent versions of Adobe Type Manager. However, Mac OS 9.1 offers some definite benefits: some software works more smoothly in 9.1 than in previous versions, and it does fix bugs present in Mac OS 9.0 and 9.0.4.

This version of the Mac OS doesn't work directly with the Mac OS X Public Beta release. If you install Mac OS 9.1, then Mac OS X Public Beta's Classic environment will no longer function. But as the final release of Mac OS X, which will work with Mac OS 9.1, is scheduled to be out by the end of March, this isn't likely to pose problems for long. If you want to run both on your Mac, make sure Mac OS X has a properly set up Classic installation on the same drive and put Mac OS 9.1 on a separate volume. This, along with Mac OS 9.1's enhanced Startup Disk control panel, should be enough to keep things working smoothly.

By now any glitches between Mac OS 9.1 and key third-party software should be known and fixed. Check with the makers of any crucial software before you update your system to Mac OS 9.1. Once it checks out, you should give this upgrade serious consideration.

NEEDS Any PowerPC -based Mac 32Mb RAM; free update from Mac OS 9.1