Apple has posted OS X 10.2.8 (for non G5 computers.) This will be the final 10.2 update before Panther (10.3) arrives in the next few months.
But I'm advising people to wait on installing this one as their seems to be some problems with loss of network connectivity for some people. Always safer to let others go first.
The 10.2.8 update was pulled a day after it was released, but has now been re-released as 10.2.8 build 6R73 (aka, the 10.2.8 build that *does not* render your machine FUBAR.)
Still, I don't see any real reason to take a chance with this one either. You're going to be installing Panther soon enough anyway. This whole .2.8 thing just doesn't have a good feeling to it if you ask me.
I'm thinking 10.3 in 2 to 3 weeks. I am very excited. I am a total dork.
Will 10.3 require a low level re-format? ...er..is that the term I'm after? I mean do we gotta save all files and programs we want to keep onto disk and put 'em back on after installation?
No, you can install 10.3 right over 10.2.
Theoretically you should back up important files before doing this. But then again, you should have important files backed up anyway (although, yeah, I know most people do not.)
On the other hand I will probably do a "clean install", meaning I will dump my data to one of the towers in the office, erase my hard drive, and then install 10.3. I don't do this with smaller upgrades, but I feel more confident installing large updates this way. Like getting a clean slate to start with. I don't really have any scientific data showing that this is necessary, but I know a lot of people do it this way.
Just for the record, a low level format is: "the process of outlining the positions of the tracks and sectors on the hard disk, and writing the control structures that define where the tracks and sectors are." On modern hard drives this is never necessary (well, it's done at the factory before they ship the drive, but it's not meant to be done after this.)
But there is erasing, and then there is erasing. If you initialize (format) a drive you are erasing all the data. Except not really. You are actually just erasing the table of contents for the drive (this is why it only takes a second.) The data is all still there, but the computer can no longer see it, and will start writing new data over the top.
But there is another initialization option called "zero fill" which does the same thing, and then also writes zeros over the entire drive, thus actually erasing all the data. On a large drive this can take a long time. And super resource powerful people can still recover data from such a drive. Super paranoid people do multiple pass zero fills.
None of that is important though. I'd say back up your important data, and just install 10.3 over the top. Should be fine.
Ellen Fleiss has some thoughts on this.
I do back up my data regularly, but not the progs I've downloaded (pro-tools for example) The only time I've installed system software was in the case of having to do a low level reformat, well, PowerComputing insisted I needed to do one anyway. I still run the original OS's on all my old computers,so assuming I ever do upgrade this will be a first.
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But I'm advising people to wait on installing this one as their seems to be some problems with loss of network connectivity for some people. Always safer to let others go first.
- jim 9-23-2003 8:43 pm
The 10.2.8 update was pulled a day after it was released, but has now been re-released as 10.2.8 build 6R73 (aka, the 10.2.8 build that *does not* render your machine FUBAR.)
Still, I don't see any real reason to take a chance with this one either. You're going to be installing Panther soon enough anyway. This whole .2.8 thing just doesn't have a good feeling to it if you ask me.
I'm thinking 10.3 in 2 to 3 weeks. I am very excited. I am a total dork.
- jim 10-06-2003 7:24 pm
Will 10.3 require a low level re-format? ...er..is that the term I'm after? I mean do we gotta save all files and programs we want to keep onto disk and put 'em back on after installation?
- steve 10-09-2003 4:29 pm
No, you can install 10.3 right over 10.2.
Theoretically you should back up important files before doing this. But then again, you should have important files backed up anyway (although, yeah, I know most people do not.)
On the other hand I will probably do a "clean install", meaning I will dump my data to one of the towers in the office, erase my hard drive, and then install 10.3. I don't do this with smaller upgrades, but I feel more confident installing large updates this way. Like getting a clean slate to start with. I don't really have any scientific data showing that this is necessary, but I know a lot of people do it this way.
Just for the record, a low level format is: "the process of outlining the positions of the tracks and sectors on the hard disk, and writing the control structures that define where the tracks and sectors are." On modern hard drives this is never necessary (well, it's done at the factory before they ship the drive, but it's not meant to be done after this.)
But there is erasing, and then there is erasing. If you initialize (format) a drive you are erasing all the data. Except not really. You are actually just erasing the table of contents for the drive (this is why it only takes a second.) The data is all still there, but the computer can no longer see it, and will start writing new data over the top.
But there is another initialization option called "zero fill" which does the same thing, and then also writes zeros over the entire drive, thus actually erasing all the data. On a large drive this can take a long time. And super resource powerful people can still recover data from such a drive. Super paranoid people do multiple pass zero fills.
None of that is important though. I'd say back up your important data, and just install 10.3 over the top. Should be fine.
- jim 10-09-2003 5:44 pm
Ellen Fleiss has some thoughts on this.
- tom moody 10-09-2003 8:19 pm
I do back up my data regularly, but not the progs I've downloaded (pro-tools for example) The only time I've installed system software was in the case of having to do a low level reformat, well, PowerComputing insisted I needed to do one anyway. I still run the original OS's on all my old computers,so assuming I ever do upgrade this will be a first.
- steve 10-09-2003 9:12 pm