Patrick
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Reged: 05/16/03
Posts: 6788
Loc: Franklin, Ohio
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Is it worth upgrading to Leopard on my Intel MacBook? ...currently running Tiger.
Patrick
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Tom L
Reged: 01/07/04
Posts: 29817
Loc: Sunny Oregon
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If you do backups, Time Machine is really nice. I did find that it takes longer (and longer) to load Leopard but not too bad. I think it was worth it.
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Tom 
Tele Vue 102mm f/8.6 on an EzTouch
Vixen 80mm f/5 A80SSWT on a grab-n-go mount
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Markovich
super member
Reged: 05/22/07
Posts: 105
Loc: Central Ohio
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I found Leopard to offer some nice touches, but only now is it as stable as Tiger was. I loved Tiger, but eventually did upgrade to Leopard. My new 24"iMac came with it obviously, so I just bit the bullet and upgraded my MacBook as well. Tiger just looked good and was rock solid.
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"The secret to flying is to throw yourself at the ground...and miss!"
Douglas Adams
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Macro
super member
Reged: 03/07/08
Posts: 184
Loc: Ky
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I've used leopard and was awesome! Nice features. I don't know how it would work with astronomy software since I was only using the mac for a couple of weeks.
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ClownFish
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Reged: 04/26/05
Posts: 5600
Loc: Islamabad, Pakistan
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I really enjoy it. I would do the upgrade.
PS: I just ordered my lovely wife a new Macbook. Now I need to sell her G4 iBook on eBay!
CF
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Learn all about POLAR ALIGNMENT with my Drift Method Tutorial and simulator!! Or visit my Foreign Service Blog!
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cbwerner
sage
Reged: 08/27/05
Posts: 495
Loc: Richmond, VA
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Quote:
If you do backups, Time Machine is really nice. I did find that it takes longer (and longer) to load Leopard but not too bad. I think it was worth it.
Wow - even now since it's been about a year since getting my first Mac (with Leopard), I'm still amazed by how fast it starts.
But I'll echo the kudos for Time Machine - it's my favorite part and has saved my sorry hide more than once.
But the real question is - what do you feel like you're missing? If Time Machine isn't worth $129 and Tiger is working fine, there's a very good argument to not fix what is not broken.
Not that I'd ever take that advice - I'm a hopeless early adopter. 
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Chris Werner
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Ragaisis
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Reged: 05/16/08
Posts: 76
Loc: Mequon, WI
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[quoteBut the real question is - what do you feel like you're missing? If Time Machine isn't worth $129 and Tiger is working fine, there's a very good argument to not fix what is not broken.
Here's the real reason to upgrade and it has nothing to do with the new applications that Leopard provides... When you upgrade you are taking advantage of not only the system stability enhancements that come with an OS upgrade (and, yes, there are arguments that an OS upgrade introduces more stability problems than provides stability enhancements), but you also set yourself up for any future enhancements to speed, stability, security, etc. You only get those if you are running the latest version of the OS. Otherwise, you're cutting yourself off from that sort of support, albeit with the full understanding that you are happy with your current system configuration. But there will be no upgrades to that. You're locked in time.
Some people are happy with that decision. And that's great. If you love the way your system works and don't feel that it can operate any better, then by all means don't do the upgrade. But if you want to plan for future tweaks in performance, reliability, and features, you're gonna need to do the upgrade. That's what Apple is coding their enhancements to, and it is what you need to have in place to take advantage of anything that Apple will hand you down the pike.
But pay $129? Well, if you're willing to wait, I'm sure that you'll find it on eBay for significantly less. 
Chris
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Televue TV85 APO
Vortex Razor 8x42
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cbwerner
sage
Reged: 08/27/05
Posts: 495
Loc: Richmond, VA
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Good points, and now that I think about it, the next iteration of OSX, Snow Leopard, is supposed to be coming out early next year. While it probably will have some feature improvements, Apple is billing it as a major enhancement to coding efficiency and stability. It seems as if they are pausing to get things straight for another foray into new capabilities with future versions. For example, they are apparently focusing on optimizing usage of multiple core processors.
But, for people with PowerPC Macs, Snow Leopard will be dropping legacy support for those systems. (edit as I realized you have an Intel PowerBook)
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Chris Werner
Edited by cbwerner (08/13/08 10:52 AM)
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bicparker
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/07/05
Posts: 1437
Loc: Plano, TX
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Quote:
Is it worth upgrading to Leopard on my Intel MacBook? ...currently running Tiger.
Patrick
Patrick,
In making a decision, I would look at not only the feature set of Leopard but also the applications you use. Some of the newer applications or the more recent upgrades require Leopard (Bento, and some of the upgrades from the Omni Group come to mind). If you are going to be using those applications, then I would seriously consider the upgrade. If you are happy where you are and don't foresee any other reasons to upgrade, I would stay where you are with Tiger.
The biggest upgrade features in Leopard, in my opinion, are behind the scenes in its internal architecture. For instance, Leopard expands upon the Core Library model considerably and also contains some significant code optimizations. Additionally, it has added several "hooks" for the expanding Apple ecosystem of hardware and software (iPhone, iTunes, AppleTV, Leopard Server, et al, Final Cut Pro, Time Capsule, Extreme Base Station, et al). Apple's view of their operating system is that it is a core "cog" in this larger machine.
So, if you have bought into that ecosystem, Leopard makes more and more sense. If you use your laptop in a more conventional sense as your standalone computing system, then sticking with Tiger for now is a just fine. The fact that you have an Intel MacBook gives you options for the future when you are ready to make that move.
In my particular case, I use use Bento, Aperture, several of the Omni Group apps, Apple TV, the iPhone, Time Machine, and our home has a network of Apple desktops and laptops. So the Leopard upgrade made perfect sense here. However, if I was just using my MBP and had no dependent applications, I would probably just stick with Leopard.
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Bic Parker
17.5" f/5 dob
10" f/10 SCT
5" f/8 refractor
80mm f/6 refractor
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Plus a few others out of the rotation
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Patrick
Postmaster
Reged: 05/16/03
Posts: 6788
Loc: Franklin, Ohio
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Thanks for all the replys! One feature I'm wondering about is how Parallels will run with Leopard. Right now, I can't run Direct X programs in Windows XP. If I upgrade will I be able to do that?
Patrick
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Discovery 10" f/6 Split Tube Dob
Celestron C6 SCT
Denk Binoviewers
AT66ED Refractor
Oberwerk Ultra 15x70 Binocular
475B Geared Tripod & 501HDV Head
Oberwerk 9x60 Binocular
Celestron Regal 8x42 Binocular
Canon 30D DSLR
Mini EQ1
My Astronomy Pages
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ennbr
member
Reged: 05/22/08
Posts: 14
Loc: New Jersey
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Quote:
Thanks for all the replys! One feature I'm wondering about is how Parallels will run with Leopard. Right now, I can't run Direct X programs in Windows XP. If I upgrade will I be able to do that?
Patrick
The latest version of Parrallels works just fine with Leopard. They have had at least three updates to support bug fixes in the last year most for Leopard.
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Bruce
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Markovich
super member
Reged: 05/22/07
Posts: 105
Loc: Central Ohio
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I also run Parallels with Leopard with no issues.
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"The secret to flying is to throw yourself at the ground...and miss!"
Douglas Adams
Obsession 15" with Swayze mirror
Celestron Nexstar 5i
Celestron Ultima C8 PEC
Orion Starblast
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Patrick
Postmaster
Reged: 05/16/03
Posts: 6788
Loc: Franklin, Ohio
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Yes, but does it work with Direct X programs? Tiger and Parallels does not seem to support Direct X stuff (maybe I'm not up to date?).
Patrick
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Discovery 10" f/6 Split Tube Dob
Celestron C6 SCT
Denk Binoviewers
AT66ED Refractor
Oberwerk Ultra 15x70 Binocular
475B Geared Tripod & 501HDV Head
Oberwerk 9x60 Binocular
Celestron Regal 8x42 Binocular
Canon 30D DSLR
Mini EQ1
My Astronomy Pages
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bicparker
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/07/05
Posts: 1437
Loc: Plano, TX
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Direct X also does not run under MS's RDC (Remote Desktop) tool for the Mac (i.e., running a remote Vista host in a window on your Mac).
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Bic Parker
17.5" f/5 dob
10" f/10 SCT
5" f/8 refractor
80mm f/6 refractor
66mm f/6 refractor
Plus a few others out of the rotation
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cbwerner
sage
Reged: 08/27/05
Posts: 495
Loc: Richmond, VA
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I was able to run DirectX with VMWare Fusion on my iMac, but it did have some glitches.
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Chris Werner
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ClownFish
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/26/05
Posts: 5600
Loc: Islamabad, Pakistan
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With all the updates to Parallels and VMWare, is there a reason to us Bootcamp anymore? Does Bootcamp offer a large speed boost, or much better compatibility?
Your thoughts?
CF
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Learn all about POLAR ALIGNMENT with my Drift Method Tutorial and simulator!! Or visit my Foreign Service Blog!
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cbwerner
sage
Reged: 08/27/05
Posts: 495
Loc: Richmond, VA
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For my money, the only advantage is that it's free (pun intended ;-) ). But, it should require less RAM, but since Leopard needs much less RAM than Windows, I doubt that is the operative issue.
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Chris Werner
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Ragaisis
member
Reged: 05/16/08
Posts: 76
Loc: Mequon, WI
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Quote:
With all the updates to Parallels and VMWare, is there a reason to us Bootcamp anymore? Does Bootcamp offer a large speed boost, or much better compatibility?
From my understanding, even though Parallels and VMWare run great (and I run Parallels, myself), you are STILL running in emulation. When you run Bootcamp, you're doing the real deal. You've replaced your Mac with a PC. And there is no "Macness" to work with until you reboot.
All in all, I'd rather run an emulation window. It's the best of both worlds. But if something just won't function under that, chances are that Bootcamp will take care of that problem.
Just my addle-pated thoughts,
Chris
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Televue TV85 APO
Vortex Razor 8x42
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cbwerner
sage
Reged: 08/27/05
Posts: 495
Loc: Richmond, VA
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That's a good point. The virtual machine gets you 98% fo the way there, but you still find some isolated things that don't work just right.
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Chris Werner
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ClownFish
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/26/05
Posts: 5600
Loc: Islamabad, Pakistan
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Not to hijack patrick -but one more...
What about Windows gaming on an Intel Mac? Do the virtual options work with most PC games, or are there still serious issues with graphic demanding PC games? I want the best of both worlds, PC gaming and everything else under Leopard.
CF
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Learn all about POLAR ALIGNMENT with my Drift Method Tutorial and simulator!! Or visit my Foreign Service Blog!
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cbwerner
sage
Reged: 08/27/05
Posts: 495
Loc: Richmond, VA
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Clownfish,
I ran Neverwinter Nights 2 in the virtual machine with only a couple of small glitches. Some older games that I tried to replay seemed to have more problems. As I recall, the NWN2 issues were on the order of small annoyances, but I can't remember the details.
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Chris Werner
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phanfave
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/21/06
Posts: 1266
Loc: Pioneer Valley
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In a short answer... Yes. As long as your machgine can handle it and any Macbook should be able to.
Sean
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SV70ED, SV102ABV, C8
Vixen Sphinx & Super Polaris, SV M1
Denkmeier II
Meade DSI II Pro
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