No, major OS releases used to cost money for a license. The same way a Windows 11 license costs money. Apple stopped charging for OS releases but Microsoft still does.
MacOS never had licenses, owning a mac was the license because you couldn’t run it on non-apple hardware* until they switched to Intel. I got OS8 from a copy of MacAddict.
* not counting Gil Amelio’s ill-fated hardware mac clone program
I have a vague memory of spending $30 for an upgrade to MacOS more than a decade ago. Then Apple stopped charging for them. So, this comic is pretty off base, but people love to bitch, so what can you do.
Yeah, the last time they charged was Snow Leopard in 2009. Everything has all been free since. Snow Leopard was really a dream to use, though. If paying $30 would get us back to that kind of luxury, I would gladly pay for the privilege.
Every 10.x version of OS X cost money up through 10.6, just like how every version of Windows has cost money unless you use one of the keygens Microsoft doesn’t care about.
7.1 was the first MacOS that apple charged for, nominally to cover the cost of the CDs. 7.1, 7.5 and 7.6 all cost $29, but you could get free installers from many of the Mac magazines.
8.0, 8.5 and 9.0 were $99
10.0 was $129
10.1 was free, but a lot of stores charged a handling fee. I remember picking up my copy from CompUSA for ten cents.
10.2 - 10.5 were $130 upgrades, but there were numerous ways to get it for free. I don’t think I ever actually paid for any of them.
They used to charge for the OS, which was changed/updated every year 2 years to a new version. I remember prices around 20-30, so it was still cheaper than windows
And that $30 was largely for the physical media, in a time before broadband distribution. Apple never had license keys, if you owned a mac you were licensed.
Yeah, the first Mac I bought I only ever bought Snow Leopard as an upgrade, skipped other versions and then upgraded to Mountain Lion or whatever was the first free version. That’s basically 30ish spent over the entire almost 20 years I’ve been using Macs on actual software.
The comic is kind of dumb because it’s Microsoft who’ve typically made tons of money on software licenses, everyone knows that Apple makes their money on hardware.
Oh God yes. I used a Mac for work back in the day and it seriously had everything it needed to get me to dump all other operating systems (it was basically Unix with a cohesive user interface), but they couldn’t stop stepping on their own dicks at every turn.
First they charged constantly for minor updates by calling them major revisions. And then they would come out with software fixes to programs and call that a major update and force you to pay an upgrade fee… except that “new version” required the new OS. And once you paid to update the program and the Os, you would find that several other programs you needed no longer fucking worked because you were running a version of the os that the software didn’t support when it was built (because it didn’t exist yet). At that point you got to roll the dice and see if the company that made that software was still around and bothered to update their software.
I loved that it never suffered from bit-rot like MS, but once you got a work flow working on it you didn’t dare ever change anything on that machine again.
First, because they always discontinue/remove/change APIs and stuff, apps need to be constantly updated (= pay subscription or buy new version every 2-3 years). You can’t just use something from 2008.
Second, because they set arbitrary minimum requirements, the average life of a Mac is in average 7 years from launch, then it stops getting updates.
Which means: $1200 for the laptop - $500 inflated resale value even after 7 years = $700/7 = $100 yearly “subscription” to use the latest version of MacOS
No. The OS license comes with the hardware that is bought. If your hardware supports the OS, you get the updates for free. There is no subscription needed to keep a Mac up to date.
And I like Windows Updates. They do actually add new features now.
Don’t understand why updates annoy people so much. Probably because they leave their PC running for days and keep putting them off until Windows literally forces you to restart your machine. But if you’re a normal person who shuts down their PC on a regular basis, the updates literally never bother you. They quietly download in the background and then install the next time you go to shut down your machine. You don’t even have to think about it.
Edit: If ads and AI are the reason why you hate Windows updates, consider installing O&O Shut Up 10 (it works in Win11 too). Or just switch to Linux.
They annoy me because Microsoft keeps cramming their updates full of invasive spyware/adware and “ai” features that I don’t want and have to jump through hoops to disable
O&O Shut Up 10 is the solution you’re looking for. Don’t like a new feature in Windows 11? Turn it off with a toggle switch.
Also consider MSEdgeRedirect to force Windows to open everything in your default browser instead of Edge, and StartAllBack to fully restore Start Menu functionality.
Imagine having to run three separate third-party applications just to stop your OS vendor from stealing your information, selling your data to third parties, removing control of your machine, and otherwise just pissing you off.
Do you have a habit of closing the update notifications? The more you tell Windows Update to fuck off, the more it’ll bother you. I literally never get those notifications anymore because I stopped ignoring them. It also helps to manually set your active hours if you haven’t already.
I just don’t trust major updates not to break something (with good reasons). I have to have a working pc, so I update when I have half an hour of free time to install and roll back if need be.
It used to annoy me because it would show me screens after updating asking if I want to enable targeted ads, buy office 365 or send MS my location data.
Used to only happen after installing Windows but then then made it after every update…
It wastes electricity and heats up your house (so the A/C runs more often). Leaving my PC running 24/7 would cost me an extra $20-30/mo, for example, mostly from the A/C running all the time to keep the office cool.
If you have a proper NVME drive, boot times are a non-issue. Even if you’re still rocking a SATA drive, there’s always Sleep mode.
Honestly, there’s no real reason to leave your PC running all the time, unless you’re mining crypto, running a server/lab, or donating processing power to university research, and electricity is free for you. But even then you should be considerate and give your parents a break on their power bill.
Thanks, I see your point. My computers are usually doing something (running servers, long-running computations, backups, downloads, etc) or they are sleeping (ie, not running up the power bill). Boot time isn’t the tedious part of restarting, it’s restoring state that isn’t saved. Anyway, I always disable auto-updates because updates change things; I want to choose when things change.
I’m surprised your PC runs hot enough to cost you so much for A/C. I doubt my computers impact my power bill very much compared to appliances, heating, charging cars, etc.
macOS updates haven’t cost money since 2009
But… They did?! (Never had a mac)
No, major OS releases used to cost money for a license. The same way a Windows 11 license costs money. Apple stopped charging for OS releases but Microsoft still does.
But Lemmy assured me that Apple is BAD!
MacOS never had licenses, owning a mac was the license because you couldn’t run it on non-apple hardware* until they switched to Intel. I got OS8 from a copy of MacAddict.
* not counting Gil Amelio’s ill-fated hardware mac clone program
I have a vague memory of spending $30 for an upgrade to MacOS more than a decade ago. Then Apple stopped charging for them. So, this comic is pretty off base, but people love to bitch, so what can you do.
Yeah, the last time they charged was Snow Leopard in 2009. Everything has all been free since. Snow Leopard was really a dream to use, though. If paying $30 would get us back to that kind of luxury, I would gladly pay for the privilege.
Every 10.x version of OS X cost money up through 10.6, just like how every version of Windows has cost money unless you use one of the keygens Microsoft doesn’t care about.
7.1 was the first MacOS that apple charged for, nominally to cover the cost of the CDs. 7.1, 7.5 and 7.6 all cost $29, but you could get free installers from many of the Mac magazines.
8.0, 8.5 and 9.0 were $99
10.0 was $129
10.1 was free, but a lot of stores charged a handling fee. I remember picking up my copy from CompUSA for ten cents.
10.2 - 10.5 were $130 upgrades, but there were numerous ways to get it for free. I don’t think I ever actually paid for any of them.
10.6 and 10.7 were both $30
10.8 was $20
10.9 and later were all free
They used to charge for the OS, which was changed/updated every
year2 years to a new version. I remember prices around 20-30, so it was still cheaper than windowsAnd that $30 was largely for the physical media, in a time before broadband distribution. Apple never had license keys, if you owned a mac you were licensed.
It wasn’t updated every year. Major paid versions came out every 2 years or so. They became free when they started updating major versions annually
Thanks, I didn’t remember exactly
Yeah, the first Mac I bought I only ever bought Snow Leopard as an upgrade, skipped other versions and then upgraded to Mountain Lion or whatever was the first free version. That’s basically 30ish spent over the entire almost 20 years I’ve been using Macs on actual software.
The comic is kind of dumb because it’s Microsoft who’ve typically made tons of money on software licenses, everyone knows that Apple makes their money on hardware.
Oh God yes. I used a Mac for work back in the day and it seriously had everything it needed to get me to dump all other operating systems (it was basically Unix with a cohesive user interface), but they couldn’t stop stepping on their own dicks at every turn.
First they charged constantly for minor updates by calling them major revisions. And then they would come out with software fixes to programs and call that a major update and force you to pay an upgrade fee… except that “new version” required the new OS. And once you paid to update the program and the Os, you would find that several other programs you needed no longer fucking worked because you were running a version of the os that the software didn’t support when it was built (because it didn’t exist yet). At that point you got to roll the dice and see if the company that made that software was still around and bothered to update their software.
I loved that it never suffered from bit-rot like MS, but once you got a work flow working on it you didn’t dare ever change anything on that machine again.
Except they are tied to hardware so eventually you get no updates at all
which is also true for all the windows users who can’t update to 11 because their computers don’t meet the arbitrary requirements
Yes and no.
First, because they always discontinue/remove/change APIs and stuff, apps need to be constantly updated (= pay subscription or buy new version every 2-3 years). You can’t just use something from 2008.
Second, because they set arbitrary minimum requirements, the average life of a Mac is in average 7 years from launch, then it stops getting updates.
Which means: $1200 for the laptop - $500 inflated resale value even after 7 years = $700/7 = $100 yearly “subscription” to use the latest version of MacOS
That’s right, instead they moved them to service subscriptions which people pay for instead and then forget about. Evil
No. The OS license comes with the hardware that is bought. If your hardware supports the OS, you get the updates for free. There is no subscription needed to keep a Mac up to date.
I was referring to iCloud and other apple services which so apple uses instead of the is payment to make money.
And if your hardware doesn’t support it, then OCLP is your friend.
Or Mint.
Microsoft does this too.
Also Ubuntu does this now.
And I like Windows Updates. They do actually add new features now.
Don’t understand why updates annoy people so much. Probably because they leave their PC running for days and keep putting them off until Windows literally forces you to restart your machine. But if you’re a normal person who shuts down their PC on a regular basis, the updates literally never bother you. They quietly download in the background and then install the next time you go to shut down your machine. You don’t even have to think about it.
Edit: If ads and AI are the reason why you hate Windows updates, consider installing O&O Shut Up 10 (it works in Win11 too). Or just switch to Linux.
They annoy me because Microsoft keeps cramming their updates full of invasive spyware/adware and “ai” features that I don’t want and have to jump through hoops to disable
O&O Shut Up 10 is the solution you’re looking for. Don’t like a new feature in Windows 11? Turn it off with a toggle switch.
Also consider MSEdgeRedirect to force Windows to open everything in your default browser instead of Edge, and StartAllBack to fully restore Start Menu functionality.
Imagine having to run three separate third-party applications just to stop your OS vendor from stealing your information, selling your data to third parties, removing control of your machine, and otherwise just pissing you off.
This post brought to you by GNU/Linux gang
Imagine having to run dozens of separate modules just to get Linux to work.
It’s your OS; you’re allowed to customize it with 3rd party tools as you see fit. What a strange hill to die on.
You’re allowed to as long as you’re not violating the ToS/EULA you signed ;D
Sounds like you’re the one dying in a hill buddy.
Is it really your OS if you can’t read the source?
That’s just not true. I never had a habit of having my pc run 24/7, and windows updates bothered me immensely since win 7
Do you have a habit of closing the update notifications? The more you tell Windows Update to fuck off, the more it’ll bother you. I literally never get those notifications anymore because I stopped ignoring them. It also helps to manually set your active hours if you haven’t already.
I just don’t trust major updates not to break something (with good reasons). I have to have a working pc, so I update when I have half an hour of free time to install and roll back if need be.
Well there you go.
“there you go” as in “thank you for explaining why a forced unexpected update from your os in the middle of your work could bother you”?
you’re welcome
Look, I’m not saying I agree with it, I’m just explaining why Windows keeps bothering you, and what you need to do to stop it.
The problem since has been solved, I was replying to your initial position of it never bothering normal people, which is incorrect
I haven’t paid attention to what changes between updates. What kind of features do they add?
I mean, that’s a legitimate way of using your computer. I’m sure you can see how that’s incredibly annoying.
After taking away many of them in the first place…
then I have to spend time undoing those shitty new bloated features, reset default applications. too much useless ai bloat too.
This keeps coming up a lot, so see my edit. There are no ads or AI in my copy of Windows 11.
I use: https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/winutil but it’s still extra work we shouldn’t be forced to endure
also I use Linux, I just game on a windows partition
Which games?
primarily path of exile and all the accompanying third party applications that seem to only exist on windows.
It used to annoy me because it would show me screens after updating asking if I want to enable targeted ads, buy office 365 or send MS my location data.
Used to only happen after installing Windows but then then made it after every update…
Check out my response to the first person who replied to me. There is an easy fix for that.
Doesn’t annoy me any more, Windows free for two years now.
I had someone refuse to install windows updates because “spyware”, also refuses to use linux… 🧐
lol I hope they get a virus.
Wait, why are “normal” persons shutting down their computer on a regular basis? I tend to avoid shutting down because restarts are a tad tedious.
It wastes electricity and heats up your house (so the A/C runs more often). Leaving my PC running 24/7 would cost me an extra $20-30/mo, for example, mostly from the A/C running all the time to keep the office cool.
If you have a proper NVME drive, boot times are a non-issue. Even if you’re still rocking a SATA drive, there’s always Sleep mode.
Honestly, there’s no real reason to leave your PC running all the time, unless you’re mining crypto, running a server/lab, or donating processing power to university research, and electricity is free for you. But even then you should be considerate and give your parents a break on their power bill.
You mentioned sleep mode yourself. Do you not see the contradiction there?
Thanks, I see your point. My computers are usually doing something (running servers, long-running computations, backups, downloads, etc) or they are sleeping (ie, not running up the power bill). Boot time isn’t the tedious part of restarting, it’s restoring state that isn’t saved. Anyway, I always disable auto-updates because updates change things; I want to choose when things change.
I’m surprised your PC runs hot enough to cost you so much for A/C. I doubt my computers impact my power bill very much compared to appliances, heating, charging cars, etc.
Sleep mode is a thing. My PC gulps down a massive 1.8W when napping.
I said that already.
Now they only require you to upgrade your hardware, like windows.