partitioning a drive and dual booting mac

[mac_girl]

Hi,

I kinda asked this before (but that was before I bought the powerbook) and after this I'm going to try and post on a mac os forum if you guys don't know but here goes...

I now have a ibook G4 PPC with 10.4.9 and
a powerbook G4 PPC with 10.3.9

but I also have the original discs for the powerbook that has 10.2.x

I want to install 10.2.9 to test my apps on (recompile on too then test) on one of them. I know I could wipe the 10.3.9 and install 10.2.9 but then I wouldn't have a 10.3.9.

So, I want to have all 10.2.9 and 10.3.9 and 10.4.9 and I don't really want to have to lose any of my stuff so I'd like to safely partition like GPARTED does on linux/MSW.

But I would be willing to wipe and start over if i could be sure I'd end up with what I wanted (all 3 10.2.9 + 10.3.9 + 10.4.9) but that would be the last option.

Also, I bought the powerbook used and even though it has 10.3.9 I only have the discs for 10.2.x (my ibook I bought new and I have the Tiger 10.4.x discs of course).

What about emulators or booting via USB pendrive?

If anybody understands what I just wrote and can help please thank you very much ^^'

One last question: say I do just wipe the 10.3.9 and install the 10.2.x and upgrade it to 10.2.9 and compile my stuff on it would it almost 99% work on 10.3.9 ? But then I would have a new problem of not having a 10.3.9... >_>

Thanks. :)

(I can compile my apps to work on 6+ versions of MS Windows and 5+ (and derivatives probably lots more) versions of linux and a version of freebsd but only on 3 versions of OS X (and I can't even firsthand test intel Tiger without going to a mac store) so I kind of want to get more mac versions.)

edit: nvm

I forgot I can't use my IDE on 10.2.x =/

[PowerMacX]

I haven't tried this, but if you already have a backup:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=89960

Also, according to the 2007 WWDC keynote, 67% of Mac OS X users are using Tiger, 23% Panther and the remaining %10 are using older versions. This numbers may of course vary depending on your target users. Also, remember that Leopard is coming in a few months, so I'd expect a percentage of previous versions would upgrade, either to Leopard or the then reduced in price Tiger.

[mac_girl]

Also, remember that Leopard is coming in a few months, so I'd expect a percentage of previous versions would upgrade, either to Leopard or the then reduced in price Tiger.

Oh god. Then I'll have to get a 10.5.x mac too :/

(And I still haven't gotten a Vista *sigh*)

Do you think that whatever we write that works as a universal binary in 10.4.9 will work in 10.5? I hope so. So also does this mean that they are not making PPCs anymore? and they will all be Intel based macs from now on?

[OneSadCookie]

The Omni Software Update Statistics (http://update.omnigroup.com/) show that 99% of *paying* customers are on Tiger. At this point, I really don't see the point in trying to support earlier OSes. I'd take 10.3.9 if I happened not to use any Tiger-specific APIs, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it.

"From now on" is a long time. Don't expect Apple to use x86 forever. In fact, now that they run on PowerPC, x86 and ARM, there's some speculation that they may just hop between architectures for individual hardware products whenever it looks like there's some compelling reason to do so. In any case, I wouldn't be relying on x86 being the future.

It's unusual for a Mac OS X upgrade to break programs written for an earlier version of the OS. Obviously poorly-written programs (buggy, or relying on undocumented behavior) may no longer work, but if you've written to the letter of the law, you should be fine.

[Bjoernke]

The Omni Software Update Statistics (http://update.omnigroup.com/) show that 99% of *paying* customers are on Tiger.

Many developers seem to think this is the case. However I'd argue that it mostly applies to already existing products. As you can see from the list below, omnigroup only sells ca 42% of it's current software for 10.3 users, therefore excluding them from showing up on their customer charts.


omniweb: 10.4
omniplan: 10.4
omnidazzle: 10.4
omnidisksweeper: 10.4
omnigraffle: 10.3
ommnioutliner: 10.3
omniprojectmeter: 10.3

do not qualify for buyer charts:

omnifocus: not aviable yet
omnidictionary: 10.3 (free)


Of course most of their 10.4 software has a 10.3 version also, but if you have bought that one earlier on, you can't buy an upgrade now, even if you want to. In the opposite direction is a pull on the numbers, from people who are happy with their versions, and wouldn't upgrade even if the could.
In addition, different Omnigroup software was bundled with Mac OS X during different times, possibly making people customers without showing up on their charts.

So for 10.4 software that has had no 10.3 version previously, you lose these 10.3 people:
subtract percentage of new buyers that have 10.3, and would like to buy.


Of note is, that for 10.4 versions that already have existing 10.3 products, you'll need to take these people into account too:
subtract percentage of people that have a previous version, but would buy an update if they could.

Obviously the percentage of buyers for 10.3 software is higher then Onmigroup knows, and it is higher again for software that is version 1.0.

I myself use 10.3 and am excluded from even trying around 4 to 5 kinds of productivity tools I'd be interested in.