debating if i should install lion on my macbook

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I am debating if i should install lion on my 2008 black macbook. it has snow leopard now and it had lion for a while then someone told me the battery charging issue could have been caused by lion so i put snow leopard on it again. now the battery has been replaced and the battery issues solved i am debating if i want to install lion again. macbook is a 2008 with a 2.4 ghz processor and 2 gb ram with a 250 gb hd.
 

pigoo3

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Do you have a specific reason(s) for installing Lion?

- Nick
 
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outside of the fact that it is newer not really because i was able to set up my icloud email on the apple mail program along with my gmail accounts
 

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If you don't have any strong reasons to upgrade the OS:

- want/need access to newer features
- hardware compatibility (printers, smartphones, iPads, etc.)
- software compatibility (newer versions)
- etc.

Then I would say that there's not a strong reason to upgrade at this time.

- Nick
 
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i wonder how long snow leopard will get security updates...course never had any issues running leopard on my ibook and i was using that up until i got the black macbook a couple weeks ago
 

pigoo3

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i wonder how long snow leopard will get security updates...course never had any issues running leopard on my ibook and i was using that up until i got the black macbook a couple weeks ago

You can certainly upgrade the OS as far as you want. I was simply looking at it from the purely logical view of "need". You of course do not want to upgrade past the point where some of your apps will become incompatible with the newer OS version...unless you don't mind purchasing newer versions of the apps.

I happen to own & use the exact same MacBook as you have (2.4ghz, 4gig ram)...except I have the white version. I have Lion installed on it...and it runs fine/great. I'm guessing I would still be running Snow Leopard on it (if it came that way when I bought it)...but it came with Lion installed...so I just left it that way.:)

- Nick
 
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good point. since i have lion on a dvd, I don't have to be in a hurry to upgrade the os yet. since i use the computer for storm chasing...getting weather forecast models and running live radar when out chasing tornadoes maybe i should make sure those programs will behave properly with lion first.
 

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...maybe i should make sure those programs will behave properly with lion first.

This is ALWAYS a great strategy!:) Unless purchasing newer versions of apps isn't a problem.

And of course if you are using VERY specialized apps (say for storm chasing)...those apps must be compatible with (or even available for) the newer OS version(s).

- Nick
 
C

chas_m

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Broadly speaking, if you have a machine that is a) eligible to run and b) has sufficient RAM capability to run the latest version of OS X, that is what you should be running. There are lots of security fixes and other under-the-hood updates in every release that make it worthwhile.

That said, if you're going to be replacing the machine in a few months (and I'd say you're overdue to do this, even if the machine is working perfectly) and you're able to do what you need to do in SL, you can feel free to stay where you are ... for a while.
 
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I really have no plans to replace this macbook anytime soon unless i find a deal i cannot refuse for either a macbook pro or macbook air
 
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chas_m

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Which is perfectly fine ... just bear in mind that as time goes on, more and more things on the Internet and software-wise will become unavailable to you (or unsafe to run, like Flash and Java). I don't know your needs so I'm not the person to judge when the time comes to replace that machine ... but the normal cycle is about five years for remaining "current" with software and such, and that's where you are.

Apple may continue Snow Leopard security updates for a while yet, but at some point they will stop ... and that is the point where you will want to either move up to (whatever the max OS version is for your machine) or look at what might be your next machine.
 
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anything is possible... i may find an awesome deal on a macbook air or macbook pro on craigslist tomorrow but probably not. I do know when it becomes time to replace this one it will only be with another apple laptop. I will never use a windows machine ever again
 

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