This paper for senior financial and creative managers reviews migration to the new Macintosh operating system in a creative and production environment. Any organization currently using the Macintosh platform for creation and production of client and consumer deliverables needs to make management decisions on the timing and execution of the migration to Mac OS X.

This paper begins with basic migration concepts and the uniqueness of Mac OS X. Second, there is a high level review of how these features relate to the demanding requirements of creative development and delivery. Finally, I outline key application and staff strategies that will assure a successful migration. Technical information required to actually implement the migration is available at the Apple Mac OS X web site and atParallel Software.


Basic Migration Concepts

Mac OS X (the X means ten) is a brand new, sophisticated desktop and workgroup server operating system, not an upgrade. Since it is a new operating system, everything associated with it must migrate together. This includes all applications, training materials, peripheral device software and networking.

A new operating system also means that the integrity of all aspects of the delivery process must be tested and verified. All font management, all color management, all recovery of archival files, all rendering, all workflow and all application integration must be tested and verified.

Typically, migration takes place in the midst of normal creative and production activities. For Mac OS X, all training needs to be accomplished early enough for all to become familiar with the new systems before the final transition to the new environment.

For someone using a Macintosh for routine administration, Internet and e-mail and internally oriented graphics, getting accustomed to Mac OS X takes a few hours. The actual transfer from the old Macintosh system to the new takes about fifteen minutes and can be easily managed by a casual Macintosh user.

In a creative and production environment with client deliverables, the migration process is far more complex and challenging. The key to success is not the individual desktop environment but the integrated workflow across many desktops using many applications. This complexity requires a migration plan and project that should take about six months from initial commitment to completion. This paper will review the reasons for this careful and extensive commitment to the migration process.

An Overview of Mac OS X

Mac OS X is based on Unix. To the technical support staff, it is a Unix workstation. All of its networking and application integration requirements are Unix based. This means that technical integration is much easier than with non-Unix based desktop systems.

Mac OS X uses its Unix core (Darwin) to deliver very powerful desktop capabilities that significantly improve the efficiency of the computer: preemptive multitasking, protected memory, dynamic memory allocation, symmetric multi-processing. To the user these mean no crashes, no memory errors, instant response to user request and very fast processing of large graphic content.

For the organization Mac OS X brings two key benefits:

1. As a Unix workstation it fits in easily with other Unix services. The same staff that maintains other Unix services can maintain the Mac OS X networking and integration requirements. If there is not currently a Unix environment then this new Unix based Mac environment can be set up and maintained using Unix systems administration skills. This greatly increases the available pool of competent technical staff and support resources.
   
   
2. The improved stability, responsiveness and speed of the new system will improve productivity. System related disruptions will be significantly reduced thereby improving the organization’s ability to deliver high quality on time. This is particularly critical in a deadline driven environment.
   

For the user Mac OS X brings ease of navigation to the Unix desktop:

1. The proprietary OS X interface (Aqua) gives every desktop user easy access to Unix for the first time. Aqua is a dynamic interface that uses many different means to deliver ease of navigation and ease of access to applications. Graphics and animation are used extensively to convey important information thus improving the ability of the user to respond quickly.
   
   
2. Users may choose between the dynamic and bright Aqua look and feel or a more subdued interface called Graphite. The Graphite environment is the choice of experienced designers and production staff who need to concentrate on design, fonts and color.
   

With Mac OS X’s two primary components, Aqua and Darwin:

1. Desktop users enjoy a friendly and dynamic interface (Aqua) with an intuitive and responsive experience. Almost all desktop requirements can be handled by the end user using the friendly Aqua tools. This significantly reduces the need for end user support and technical staff.
   
   
2. Technically qualified staff can service a Macintosh running Mac OS X as a Unix workstation. As such it is installed and managed as a Unix workstation. This capability extends to the ability to bypass the Aqua interface and work directly with the Unix operating system (Darwin) and with Unix applications.
   

Uniqueness of Mac OS X Application Environment

Mac OS X is capable of running multiple application environments simultaneously. This is both a huge benefit because it makes migration easier, and a potential challenge because the integration of workflow and applications running across environments must be carefully evaluated and tested, In an administrative environment without demanding workflow these challenges might not be significant. In a production environment they are critical.

There are five application environments that can all run at the same time. Thus a user may switch back and forth among all five. They are:

1. Cocoa: Native Mac OS X applications that make full use of Mac OS X. These high performance applications only run in Mac OS X.
   
   
2. Carbon: Older Mac applications that have been modified to run in Mac OS X using the Aqua interface. These applications also run under the older Mac operating system. They are a short cut for getting applications on Mac OS X.
   
   
3. Classic: These are applications from the older Mac operating system that cannot use sophisticated Mac OS X features. They run in Mac OS X with the look and feel, performance and limitations of the legacy Mac environment.
   
   
4. Darwin: This is the native Unix environment. It looks and acts like a conventional Unix environment and will run Unix applications using a Unix interface. Darwin is usually only used by experienced Unix users and technical support staff.
   
   
5. Windows (Virtual PC): Windows can be run in emulation. Virtual PC is adequate for occasional use of administrative applications and for verifying that documents will display properly in a Windows environment.

All of these can be running simultaneously. An experienced user can quickly flip among all five. A more detailed explanation is available in the appendix.

The Challenge

Creative and production workflow is a highly integrated process involving many applications and devices. Years of effort have gone into developing and maturing this highly productive environment. Success requires a tight knit team experienced in using dozens of applications that work with high accuracy with dozens of devices.

Every font, every color, every image, every bit of copy, every animation, every scanner, tablet, camera, printer and display all have to work together with high accuracy to provide quality client deliverables. The migration to Mac OS X impacts every step in the process. Organizations need a methodical and careful plan developed and executed to assure that production continues without pause while the migration is taking place.

The urgency to develop a migration plan and process is driven by the ongoing migration of applications to more competent and capable versions. Most software companies support the two most recent versions of their applications. Thus to continue to use a supported application requires that upgrades occur no later than the end of life of the previous version. Otherwise deliverables become dependent on obsolete and unsupported applications.

With Mac OS X there will be a time during which software developers will continue to support all three Macintosh environments: Classic, Carbon and Cocoa. But within the next year support will end for the older Classic applications. That means that any creative and production process still using the older applications will no longer be supported.

More significantly, as developers release mature Mac OS X applications, they will have capabilities not available in older versions. Backward integration may no longer be possible. Printers, prepress and post production houses will begin to commit to drivers and controllers written specifically for Mac OS X. No longer will jobs based on older applications be able to go to production in houses using newer Mac OS X only versions.

Thus migration planning is imperative if deliverables are to be maintained during the transition to Mac OS X.

Migration Planning Elements

1. Test integration of each application with the operating system. Does the application work with all of the operating systems extensions and device drivers? Does it manage fonts and color accurately, and print and display correctly?
   
   
2. Test integration of the application with the application plug-ins and extensions. Many applications used in creative and production work use third party extensions and plug-ins that support specific tasks. These extensions and plug-ins may not be developed in step with upgrades of the major applications. Thus it is probable that the main application will be upgraded successfully to Mac OS X while critical supporting applications may be delayed.
   
   
3. Test integration of all applications with a workflow process that can replicate or improve the existing workflow. This means verifying that all of these new Mac OS X applications pass images and documents along the workflow process while maintaining the integrity of deliverables.
   
   
4. Provide transition training for the professional creative and production staff to assure that they are competent users of the new operating system and applications prior to migration.
   
   
5. Provide administrative training to assure that the staff can efficiently continue to manage administrative tasks.
   

Because each organization has its own workflow, there is no off-the-shelf solution that will shortcut this process. Each of these five areas requires unique preparation and testing.

Migration Alerts

Macintosh environments are often maintained by creative and production staff with minimal dedicated technical support. Therefore senior management needs to be sensitive to two key areas of risk during the migration.

1. Existing staff available to prepare for the migration is likely to be limited. Steps need to be taken to assure that all issues in your organization are thoughtfully and carefully reviewed, prepared and tested. This may require outside assistance so that ongoing deliverable commitments can be met while also meeting migration requirements.
   
   
2. Creative and production staff and technical support staff are often only familiar with their part of the overall process. From an individual’s perspective, migration to Mac OS X may appear to be fairly simple. However, upgrading any individual desktop computer and its applications is only a fragment of the process. The real challenge is to keep the focus on beginning-to-end workflow integration.
   

Senior management must focus on the integration of the entire process to assure that there is no disruption in deliverables. It is possible that there is no single subordinate manager who oversees and understands the entire process. Thus delegation without oversight could result in successful migration of only components of the workflow.

Have a Migration Expert Map your Process

Clearly, the interrelationship of all applications, extensions, plug-ins and devices is very complex and unique to your organization. A methodical process, developed by an experienced consultant or senior manager knowledgeable about migration sequences, will verify that this new Unix based operating system will continue to provide outstanding deliverables along with the benefits of Mac OS X.

APPENDIX (DETAILS OF MAC OS X APPLICATION ENVIRONMENTS)

Cocoa

The core application environment is Cocoa. These applications are native to Mac OS X and will only run in Mac OS X under Aqua. They are largely developed in Java and can make full use of all of the advanced technical and user features of Aqua and Mac OS X. They are also developed in the most efficient application development environment available on any computer platform. This allows developers, including in-house developers doing custom development, to develop new applications in a fraction of the time required using more conventional means. The Cocoa development environment is particularly efficient at using scripting to integrate complex workflow requirements across multiple applications and systems.

Carbon

Carbon applications are legacy Macintosh applications that have been modified to make use of the Aqua interface and most of the advanced features of Mac OS X. The advantage of Carbon is that Carbon applications will run successfully on both the older Mac operating system and on Mac OS X. For the developer this means quickly getting an application to Mac OS X without extensive reprogramming while maintaining the availability of the same application for older Macintosh computers.

The disadvantage of the Carbon approach is that these applications are hybrids and as such cannot make full use of the Mac OS X environment.

Carbon applications are also by intention automatically created as legacy applications. As soon as it is economically feasible most developers will upgrade these applications to Cocoa and they will then no longer be available to older Macintosh computers. This is a critical point of risk as it may then be possible to have a production workflow process that uses applications that can no longer work together.

The way to casually tell the difference between a Cocoa application and a Carbon application is to attempt to launch both while running the older Mac operating system. The Carbon application will run without problems while the Cocoa application will not run and will only display an error message.

Classic

The Classic environment is a special application within Mac OS X that supports legacy or Classic Macintosh applications. These applications cannot run directly under Mac OS X and cannot make use of any of the advanced features of Mac OS X. They run like and look like older applications. They use the old Classic Mac interface.

The Classic environment is started automatically whenever a Classic application is launched. One of the challenges of migrating is that applications automatically launch into their proper environment. Thus conflicts may not become apparent until the applications are launched.

Darwin

Darwin is the core Unix operating system for Mac OS X. It is open source and based on FreeBSD. FreeBSD is open source Unix based on the University of California, Berkeley BSD Unix. This means that the core operating system for Mac OS X is very well tested and mature. It is free and is available to anyone who knows how to use it. Darwin information and development is shared widely through the open source community.

Darwin also supports most Unix applications that have had a simple port to Darwin. They run as Unix applications using a Unix interface. The Aqua interface is not used In this environment.

The primary advantage to Darwin is that experienced technical and graphical systems users can use standard Unix applications that are not yet available in Mac OS X. Examples would be enterprise applications such as finance and accounting applications and very high performance graphical and animation applications

Windows using Virtual PC

This emulation environment is sufficiently powerful to support occasional use of Windows administrative applications such as word processing, e-mail and basic Internet browsing. It is mostly used for confirming that cross platform documents developed on the Mac will properly display on a Windows machine. The primary example is web page development and testing.

A unique feature of Virtual PC is its ability to simultaneously run multiple versions of Windows. Thus web pages can be tested in Windows 95,98, 2000 and XP all at the same time on a single Mac OS X computer.

An important feature of Windows under Virtual PC is that it uses the Macintosh printers, networking and peripherals. Thus this Windows environment looks like any other Mac OS X workstation, a Unix workstation.