Should I switch to OS X Leopard from Tiger?

So, you didn’t go right out and buy Leopard the day it hit the shelves; don’t feel bad, you won’t be shunned by the Mac community quite yet. Here are a few thoughts as to whether you should switch over to Leopard yet or not.

First, it should be observed that, just as with any new operating systems, there are bugs to be worked out. Undoubtedly, Apple will be releasing 10.5.1 in short order, but at this current juncture in time, you get the most basic form of Leopard, and it isn’t completely perfect.

Additionally, there have been quite a few issues regarding the security of Leopard. Those too will be fixed with a patch soon, but for now, it isn’t in tip top shape.

Secondly, for those completely accustomed to Tiger, you won’t be gaining that much with Leopard. Sure, it is an advancement of good proportion, but excluding the proper integration of core 2 duo processors, some flash, the zfs file system, and a few other niceties, the rules of modern operating systems aren’t being broken and rewritten.

I also know many members of the Mac community are users of Quicksilver. If you are a quicksilver user, all the bells and whistles of Finder navigation kind of drift by the wayside. Though the features are great, if you’re a keystroke-oriented individual, lots of the flash is lost.

That being said, Leopard really is amazing. Users who can should definitely upgrade; though I feel like waiting until it is patched a first time might be the best move.

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