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The purpose of this report is to give readers of the JLD Times some insight into the advantages and disadvantages of using the Macintosh’s new operating system OS X (read “OS Ten”) in day-to-day Japanese-to-English translation.
One of the most popular expressions among computer users these days seems to be “your mileage may vary.” This is especially true for OS X, it seems. Looking at a sampling of the comments on OS X that users have been making on the Internet, it appears that everyone’s experiences, both good and bad, are different from everyone else’s, and certainly they are often different from mine. Of course, this is only to be expected, since every user has a somewhat different hardware and software setup.
I started using OS X last summer and am currently using version 10.1. As of this writing, the latest version available is 10.1.4, but since I am doing rather well with 10.1, I have decided to wait for at least 10.2 before upgrading again. I am using a 1999-vintage iMac (333 Mhz) with 160 MB memory. Theoretically, for the best OS X performance, a later machine with more speed and memory is desirable, but for my relatively modest requirements (largely word-processing, e-mail, and Web searching with a 56K modem) this hardware seems to be sufficient.
Having used all of the Mac operating systems since the beginning, I would rate OS X, all and all, as by far the best one yet. Keep in mind, though, that it is very much a work in progress; considerable improvement is expected in the next year or two. (Of course, users can send their wish lists and gripes to Apple, but there is no guarantee that any particular individual’s desires will be gratified!)
The greatest advantage I have seen over previous operating systems, as far as day-by-day work is concerned, is stability. Version 10.0 was a bit shaky now and then, but 10.1 gives me no problems at all in that department.
Mac users who have worked with previous operating systems are all too familiar with the dread words “extension conflict.” Those little bits of software that loaded when you booted up, adding various functions to the basic system, were notorious for fighting with each other for memory space and causing unpredictable and often practically undiagnosable crashes and freezes when they did not play nicely together. But the good news in OS X is that they have been abolished; as a result, I have seen a perceptible increase in my productivity.
Most folks who have heard anything about OS X have probably heard that it is basically a Unix system with a graphical interface called Aqua (similar to but not entirely the same as the old Mac GUI) interposed between it and the user. This is an epoch-making change with a number of consequences. First, the way memory works is now completely different. OS X memory is “protected” and “pre-emptively multitasking,” meaning that each application runs within its own memory space and cannot raid another program’s space—another cause of maddening crashes in the past—and that the user can generally leave an application that has a long task to complete to do its work in the background, turning to other activities. Furthermore, virtual memory (using part of the hard disk as though it were random-access memory) works automatically, without the user having to pay any attention. Thus, no OS X application ever runs out of memory (as long as there is enough empty hard disk space), and the user no longer has to set the memory limits for each application in its information window.
Another consequence is that the user can side-step the GUI and operate the Mac as a Unix machine, using what is called the “Terminal.” So far, this has not really provided any practical advantages for me as a translator (and the fact that the Terminal does not recognize kanji and kana somewhat limits its use if you have files with Japanese names), but it potentially opens up a considerable part of the enormous storehouse of existing Unix software for porting to the Mac. It also allows very powerful access to the system for such tasks as troubleshooting and monitoring. For example, by simply typing “uptime” in the Terminal window, you can find out how long you have been running since the last reboot. Type “top” and you have a running display of all processes currently using the CPU, with the percentage of CPU time each is taking (“top -u” sorts them starting with the highest usage). If something funny seems to be going on, this will indicate whether one particular process (most of which operate “invisibly,” so that the user is not aware of them) is hogging most of the CPU activity. Another command will then “kill” the villain.
But perhaps the most important result of shifting the Mac to a Unix foundation, up to now, is that it was necessary for Apple to create a way of continuing to use the existing, pre-OS-X Mac applications. In other words, OS 9 had to be somehow grafted onto OS X. This was done by providing the so-called “Classic Environment,” which is simply OS 9 running as part of OS X. Thus, there are now three categories of Mac software: “Classic,” which is everything that was on the market before OS X, “Carbon,” which refers to old applications that have been modified somewhat so that they can run under OS X but cannot take advantage of the new features of the new system, and “Cocoa,” which designates applications written exclusively for OS X (either entirely new ones, or substantially rewritten old ones).
Because of the revolutionary change from the traditional Mac to the Unix system, it has taken some time to get true OS X software on the market. But this process is well underway: an OS X version of MS Office (which I have not used, but which has been very favorably received by Office fans) is now available, and there is also an OS X AppleWorks for those who do not need such a high-powered suite. Unfortunately, NisusWriter, which I use as my basic word processor, is not yet OS-X-compatible, but there is a rumor that it will be by the end of 2002. On the other hand, another application which I rely heavily on to convert files back and forth between Mac and Windows formats, MacLink Plus, has a very functional OS X version. There are a number of OS X browsers completely developed, including Explorer and Netscape (the latter of which I would not recommend, however), or in beta versions, including Opera and iCab. Several e-mail clients are also available. I find that the one included with OS X, Mail (sometimes referred to as “mail.app”) is quite sufficient for my needs.
Hence, any Mac user contemplating switching to OS X needs to research the Carbon/Cocoa availability situation very carefully for the applications she or he uses. The same is true for drivers for peripherals such as printers, disks, and scanners. Obviously, the more OS X versions available for your particular favorite software the better, though you can be fairly sure that your old applications will still work under the Classic Environment (some even better than before, in my experience). Of course, being a pre-X system, Classic will sometimes freeze or crash, but since it is now only a part of X, the whole machine does not freeze up. Any unsaved data will be lost, of course, but it is a simple matter to restart Classic and go back to work. And when everything is working properly, the user jumps back and forth completely seamlessly between applications running under the two systems.
Another new feature of OS X, which I appreciate in my daily work, is that since the screen display is based on Adobe Acrobat technology, any OS X application can very easily generate .pdf files; all one needs to do is to choose this output rather than ordinary printing when a document is printed. This means that I can immediately send completed jobs in a form that any recipient can open and print, a boon that any Mac user in a 95% Windows world can readily appreciate.
Times readers will be especially interested in Japanese support. Since I installed the regular English version of the system, I cannot comment on the Japanese version, but I can report that the Language Kits have been incorporated into the system in OS X, so one simply chooses which languages one is going to use during the installation process. After installation, the user can switch between languages essentially the same way as was done with earlier systems. (If you are already using OS 9 and have installed the JLK, the kit will continue to operate in the Classic Environment. If you are installing OS 9 together with OS X, be sure to install the JLK with it.) OS X applications also support Unicode.
Next, I will offer a few comments on lesser aspects of the OS X experience. Many Mac lovers have reacted rather violently to the new Aqua look—it seems that one either loves it or hates it. I find it rather attractive, though some windows take a little while to draw (partly because 1999 iMacs, like mine, have a graphics card not fully compatible with OS X, and partly due to imperfections of the present version of the system that Apple promises to fix soon).
Also, there is another new feature, the “Dock,” which some people also dislike, though I find it very convenient. Any application, folder, or file one frequently uses can be placed in the Dock (which lines up at the bottom of the screen or on the left or the right, and can be hidden, so that it only appears when the cursor is placed at that edge), and launched or opened with one click. Windows one is working in can also be “minimized,” so that they vanish onto the Dock, and then called back whenever one needs them again with a click. There are also various other operations one can perform with the Dock icons, such as quitting applications, opening folders, and even performing specific operations with some applications. I found that, once I got used to it, the Dock was a convenient time-saver for many practical tasks.
The question of getting used to OS X is in fact a very important one. A number of things that users were accustomed to doing with early systems are no longer available; others can be done, but in new ways that take some time to master; and there are also completely new capabilities. Thus, a new OS X user needs to allow a couple of weeks or so to progress along the learning curve.
For example, it was initially very frustrating for me, as for many users, just to find my way around the folder and file system. It seemed that nothing was where I expected it to be, and there were a confusing multiplicity of “Applications,” “Libraries,” “Fonts,” and other folders. Much of this is due, again, to the underlying Unix nature of the system. It is fundamentally a multi-user system, designed to allow a single administrator to set up several user accounts, each of which has its own “Applications” and other folders, but without privileges to get into other user’s accounts or operate the basic system unless the administrator gives permission. If, like me, you are the only user of your computer, this seems an unnecessary complication, but then, ever since I began working with a computer, there have been days when I wish I were back with my good old typewriter!
To help find one’s way through these disorienting aspects of the system, there are a growing number of books and Web sites. I will close by listing a few I have found particularly useful.
Mac OS X Unleashed, by John Ray and William C. Ray (published by Sams), is a 1400-page tome providing an especially thorough introduction to the Unix aspects of the system. Another rather comprehensive guide is Mac OS X: The Complete Reference, by Jesse Feiler (Osborne). I have not seen Mac OS X: The Missing Manual by David Pogue (O’Reilly), but others swear by it. Also, Macworld published a special OS X edition in April that has some useful introductory articles and two CD-ROMS of shareware and demo software.
Among the most informative Web sites I have found are http://www.maccentral.com, http://www.osxfaq.com, and http://www.macosxhints.com (from which one can download a relatively short, elementary-level “OS X Guidebook”). A convenient site for keeping track of which new OS X applications are appearing, and downloading many of them, is http://www.macosxapps.com. Finally, I know of two helpful email lists that facilitate the discussion of OS X problems and solutions. One is an offshoot of the Honyaku list, “honyaku_osx,” which can be found at yahoogroups.com, and the other is the “XList,” which is accessible at http://www.MacEvangeList.com/groups/. The honyaku_osx list, of course, is focused on Japanese/English translators’ concerns, and the much busier XList is aimed at all OS X users.
In summary, in the year since it first appeared, OS X has become a very stable and practical tool for Mac users who rely on their machines for a living, and the outlook is that it will become even more so in the next year or so when Apple releases improved versions and more and more compatible applications come out. I would suggest that users who have not yet made the leap give it serious consideration.
This article originally appeared in the JLD Times, the official newsletter of the Japanese Language Division of the American Translators Association. Recent issues of the JLD Times and other useful resources are available on the division's website.
Jon Johanning has been a Japanese-to-English translator for 22 years, specializing in chemistry, medicine, and related fields. He is a past administrator of the JLD and lives in Merion, PA, just outside Philadelphia. Besides tinkering with his iMac, he enjoys playing classical guitar and watching Six Feet Under.