Is it worth it to upgrade to Mountain Lion, or even Lion?

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I have a 2008 MacBook (not the aluminum one) and it has Snow Leopard on it. But I have a bunch of PowerPC programs and games I still use daily, many of the bad reviews on 10.7 Lion say that it deleted the PowerPC Programs!? I don't want to lose my PowerPC programs! I use them! Will they no longer work at all? Or can I just reinstall them and continue using them? Or do I lose all my PowerPC Apps completely? Or has this been fixed in Mountain Lion?

It also said on Lion if they had a second partition for Windows, it would be deleted. I don't know how long it would be before I am able to upgrade (money wise because I have some other programs I need to purchase soon, and I also want to upgrade my MacBook to 6GB RAM [it has 2GB] so it might be a while before I get the money) and I am planning on installing Windows XP on a second partition after I learn more about how it works, and I'm not sure if they have fixed that issue in Mountain Lion or not.

And I know I won't be able to use AirPlay, but oh well. That doesn't bother me.

So is it worth it to upgrade to Mountain Lion? Or should I wait till the bugs get worked out? Or should I just stick with Snow Leopard, because I'm perfectly happy with it as it is?
 

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If not being able to run PowerPC application is a deal-breaker for you, then you should avoid Lion and Mountain Lion until you find suitable replacements for those applications that will run under Lion and ML..

I don't have multiple partitions on my HD so I can't speak about what would happen to a bootcamp installation of Windows if you were to upgrade OS X. My guess is nothing, but don't take my word for it.

Looks like you might not be a good candidate for upgrading to Lion or Mountain Lion right now. Know that Mountain Lion does have stringer hardware requirements than Lion did to even get installing. Lion was happy with any Intel machine that had a Core2Duo processor..but with ML being fully 64-bit, the pool of acceptable hardware gets a little smaller..
 
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If you are happy with what you have and it gets the job done then put upgrading out of your mind I say...

There is some nice new features.. especially with icloud if you have other macs or Apple devices but nothing really revolutionary in terms of productivity on a single mac.

Unless of course being able to tweet a photo straight from preview trumps being able to use all your old power pc apps.......
 
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Well there are also programs in the Mac App Store that require at least Lion to run. Like iMovie 11', I do a good bit of video editing, and I don't have $300 for Final Cut, so I use iMovie, I used to edit on my Apple iBook G4 which had iMovie HD 4 or 6? (I can't remember which) But this MacBook has iMovie 09 and I HATE it! It makes editing very difficult! It took me 45 minutes just to figure out how to add a title! (because I was trying to add it to the video clip on the bottom because thats where the timeline used to be, when I really needed to add the clip to the top section, and put the title on that clip) and I hate that the timeline is gone. I was going to purchase iMovie 11 in the Mac App Store but it told me i need 10.7 Lion to run it. So I started looking into Lion and saw all the issues with PowerPC Apps and BootCamp and am now hesitating on if I should or not.

Mountain Lion came out either today or yesterday, and I was hoping maybe it would allow me to use my PowerPC apps and stuff. But all the negative reviews on it are complaining about not having AirPlay. So I didn't know if PowerPC Apps could be used again or if they still couldn't so I figured I'd be best to come here.

I guess I could deal with the crappy iMovie 09, it still works good, I just have to learn to how to use it all over again.

But I have no clue if my MacBook is 64-bit or not, how can I check?
 
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If your macbook is upgradable to 6 GB of ram then you're 64 bit.

As for the upgrading.. looks like you might have to make a decision between your legacy apps and the newer apps.. technology is a heartbreaker that way sometimes!
 

Raz0rEdge

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PowerPC support is gone from OS X, that happened in Lion and continues with Mountain Lion and every OS from now on..
 
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but with ML being fully 64-bit, the pool of acceptable hardware gets a little smaller..

does the 64-bit mean the graphics display card? I'm not exactly bright with these technical details, but in the hardware details of my MacBook Pro it shows a "pixel depth" of 32bit, does that mean my mac's not compatible with ML?? I got my mac about a year ago, which I think is supposed to be fine for ML, so never bothered to check this. Processor's 2GHz Intel Core i7, if u need it

I too really felt tempted to update to ML from SL,but don't really have any real need for it. Switched from iPhone to Android a few months ago, so that cancels out all the awesome syncing options

Also heard that the old free version of Carbon Copy Cloner doesn't have a ML license or something, does that mean if I backup my Mac using the old version of CCC and then upgraded to ML I wouldn't be able to restore the backup using the old version of CCC?

and has anyone seen any battery issues after upgrading to ML? I kinda depend on the long battery of my Mac, so any battery drain wouldn't really be worth upgrading to ML
 
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I have a 2008 MacBook (not the aluminum one) and it has Snow Leopard on it. But I have a bunch of PowerPC programs and games I still use daily, many of the bad reviews on 10.7 Lion say that it deleted the PowerPC Programs!? I don't want to lose my PowerPC programs! I use them! Will they no longer work at all? Or can I just reinstall them and continue using them? Or do I lose all my PowerPC Apps completely? Or has this been fixed in Mountain Lion?

It also said on Lion if they had a second partition for Windows, it would be deleted. I don't know how long it would be before I am able to upgrade (money wise because I have some other programs I need to purchase soon, and I also want to upgrade my MacBook to 6GB RAM [it has 2GB] so it might be a while before I get the money) and I am planning on installing Windows XP on a second partition after I learn more about how it works, and I'm not sure if they have fixed that issue in Mountain Lion or not.

And I know I won't be able to use AirPlay, but oh well. That doesn't bother me.

So is it worth it to upgrade to Mountain Lion? Or should I wait till the bugs get worked out? Or should I just stick with Snow Leopard, because I'm perfectly happy with it as it is?

DO NOT UPGRADE. I am in a similar boat and will not be upgrading anytime soon. My only worry is that if Apple tries and forces me to go to ML to sync with my iPhone and iPod. If they do that I will scream and yell.
 

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does the 64-bit mean the graphics display card? I'm not exactly bright with these technical details, but in the hardware details of my MacBook Pro it shows a "pixel depth" of 32bit, does that mean my mac's not compatible with ML?? I got my mac about a year ago, which I think is supposed to be fine for ML, so never bothered to check this. Processor's 2GHz Intel Core i7, if u need it

I too really felt tempted to update to ML from SL,but don't really have any real need for it. Switched from iPhone to Android a few months ago, so that cancels out all the awesome syncing options

Also heard that the old free version of Carbon Copy Cloner doesn't have a ML license or something, does that mean if I backup my Mac using the old version of CCC and then upgraded to ML I wouldn't be able to restore the backup using the old version of CCC?

and has anyone seen any battery issues after upgrading to ML? I kinda depend on the long battery of my Mac, so any battery drain wouldn't really be worth upgrading to ML

Nope, the graphics 32bit is BPP (or Bits Per Pixel) which indicates how many colors can be displayed on the screen. When I say 64-bit, I'm referring specifically to the processor only and your year old MBP is fully 64-bit complaint and capable of running both Lion and Mountain Lion.

CCC did go commercial as of their ML release, so you can download and use the previous versions for free, but if you want to run CCC under ML, you will need the commercial copy.

I don't have a MBP, so I can't comment on the battery life..
 

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@TrevWonders Don't upgrade past 10.6.8 if you depend upon those Power PC programs and are not ready to replace them. Neither Lion or or Mountain Lion will run them. They are not deleted but attempting to run them brings up a warning that they are not supported under that OS.

The only solution at this time AFAIK would be to create two partitions one with Snow Leopard and one with either Lion or Mountain Lion.
 
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Might just wait awhile for any bug fixes,etc
I'll probably use the trial version just to restore the hard disk if I upgrade
Thanks for the reply :eek:)
 
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DO NOT UPGRADE. I am in a similar boat and will not be upgrading anytime soon. My only worry is that if Apple tries and forces me to go to ML to sync with my iPhone and iPod. If they do that I will scream and yell.

Do that in a small enclosed space, like a bathroom with tiled walls. It will make you feel even better, and won't bother others.
 
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Timely thread, I'm currently running the most current version of SL and want to know how long Apple continues to support an OS? I wasn't interested in Lion and right now I don't see any need for ML.

I'm sure at some point Apple will cease supporting an older OS', but what are we talking about in terms of years or versions? I have an 18 month old iMac and even having this discussion is bothersome.

Thanks

Tom
 
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Timely thread, I'm currently running the most current version of SL and want to know how long Apple continues to support an OS? I wasn't interested in Lion and right now I don't see any need for ML.

I'm sure at some point Apple will cease supporting an older OS', but what are we talking about in terms of years or versions? I have an 18 month old iMac and even having this discussion is bothersome.

Thanks

Tom

Haven't been with Apple computers that long, but I will say that Apple is just like any other Tech company. The latest and greatest items will be pushed and it appears with Apple the magic number seems to be two. After two years, it seems Apple stops giving most active support for its products (at least in the Mac area). They (Apple) want you to keep up with their latest and greatest. After all, it is a company that exists to make a profit. I think the bottom line is this, if you are happy with what you are working with, that is great. If not upgrade to the latest and greatest. Mountain Lion is very nice (the whole user interface with a more iOS experience), but if Snow Leopard is what your currently operate and you can't afford to get a newer Mac to ride "The latest and greatest", then I would say be happy that everything you have works to your liking. The best and most important thing is that you currently are happy with what you have.

Paul
 
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Timely thread, I'm currently running the most current version of SL and want to know how long Apple continues to support an OS? I wasn't interested in Lion and right now I don't see any need for ML.

I'm sure at some point Apple will cease supporting an older OS', but what are we talking about in terms of years or versions? I have an 18 month old iMac and even having this discussion is bothersome.

Thanks

Tom

If I'm not mistaken, they are already starting to drop support because in the Mac App Store, some apps require at least 10.7.4 (Lion) to install! I tried to purchase iMovie in the Mac App Store and it told me I needed at least 10.7.4 Lion to get it. So I'm stuck with stupid iMovie 09 which is a pain to edit on, which is the only reason I was even considering upgrading.
 

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Power PC support is history. It's antique and been dead for years. Sorry, it will never return. Things are moving forward and all 64-Bit.

Another thing you said was you heard Lion deleted your Power PC Apps. Not true. It deletes nothing. They just will not run.

I have not seen Lion zap any Windows Bootcamp install either, but since I use PC hardware for Windows, it's been a while since I tried it.
 
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Something I read said that it will still run apps that are for both PowerPC and Intel based Macs? How do I tell which Apps are meant for both and WILL still run? (Most of the apps I use on my Intel Mac are ones I also used on my PowerPC Mac, so I don't know if they are PowerPC only, or if they're made for both and will still run on Lion? How can I tell?)
 
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I checked and the majority of my apps say "Universal" when I click "Get Info" there was only a few that said "PowerPC", so if I do upgrade to Lion or Mountain Lion (which I will have to eventually because they will soon drop all support for Snow Leopard) then will those "Universal" apps still run?
 

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