Slow Performance in Mac OS X

[dixiechicken]

I thought I'd start this topic here.

From time to time in the DP-thread there's been "rantings" about abysmal performance in DP on Mac OS-X.

I found these links on the internernet that might explain this experience for
some users.
http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2520&p=1
and
http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2436

The articles are long technical and pretty thorough, but offer some interesting
insights into why performance may be lacking in OS-X.

I'll grant that running DP-4.x on a G5 is not the same as running a G5
as a serverkonfiguration with the Appache webserver & MySQL database.
But still....

Cheers: Dixiechicken

[Shooshie]

Very interesting stuff, dixiechicken. Thanks for the links. I wonder what's in our future?


Shooshie

[zerosin]

The OS X GUI is thicker than dried molasses on an Alaskan sidewalk -- in the shade.

I wish there were a high performance 4 bit color kind of GUI/OS flavor to allow the apps to get more brain time back. Do I really care about drop shadows and glossy colored buttons for tracking. Not really.

[dixiechicken]

Zerosin!

I see your point, however I like millon colour gui:s with dropdown shadows and 3D-effects.

Apart from the OS-X GUI impact on performance, I believe there is a far
worse problem - and thats inconsistency.

Mac OS-X seems to have copied the "redmond" concept of changes of display
& colors, icons title bars etc. Just for the sake of change.

Fancy GUI:s are supposed to help users accomplish their daily tasks.
The gui should provide users with easy to understand logical visual
cues - this is an art & difficult to boot.

The old "Inside Macintosh" programming books started every chapter on
the various mac toolboxes/managers with a detailed discussion
on the interface design priciples & philosophy.

Cheers: Dixiechicken

[zerosin]

I get your point too. I am a visual person and certainly appreciate the nice look of OS X. I just whish there was a bare bones interface to switch too when needed. But I guess that's how Apple gently directs you to the latest hardware which they just happen to be able to sell you.

Certainly developers are guilty of released-too-soon software related issues. I guess that's part of the bigger, faster, NOW world that we're faced with. I still use an old Ensoniq ESQ1 and ASR-10 and still have an old Beige G4 upgraded G3 running OS 9 and Reason and guess what, it works. I have new stuff too, but its not the heart of my creative machine. The old hat is the one that feels the most comfortable and leaves my mind free to create, rather than troubleshoot.

I try to keep my clients away from the bleeding edge too. They call it bleeding for a reason.

[Frodo]

It's true that it's important to optimize one's machine's settings and preferences for the best performance.

But since this thread started almost 6 years ago, much has happened for the better. Software and hardware have been updated significantly since 2005.

Tiger compatibility for DP didn't arrive until 2006. That means DP users were most likely still using Panther at the time this thread began. Since then Panther, Tiger, Leopard, and now Snow Leopard have pretty much run their courses as have the various versions of DP which were in use during that time... and since.

Good advice is always welcome, but in this case it would seem essential that some nod be given to how OSX and DAW software have evolved.

[zandurian]

it would seem essential that some nod be given to how OSX and DAW software have evolved.

Here's my nod:

Actually - I just upgraded to an intel and it was a breeze to install all the new stuff. Current OS X is amazing and blazing. So, a hardy "Amen!".

*choir sings*

[Frodo]

Ah, it seems that the recent post I was responding to has been deleted.

Note to self: always embed a quote just in case.