[OS X TeX] Off topic: system stablitity

[Justin C. Walker]

Hi, George,

On Jun 21, 2009, at 08:15 , George Gratzer wrote:

> Even though I reinstalled the system with wipe disk, it is much more  
> unstable than ever before since the introduction of OS X. Now I work  
> with the Force Quit Application window open all the time.

As others have suggested, let us know the OS version and hardware  
platform you are using.  For most of us, Mac OS X is stable (certainly  
more so than Mac OS 8/9).  Hardware problems can cause the kind of  
instability you are seeing.  Also, if you have a bunch of 3rd-party  
apps or "widgets" of some sort, these can also cause instability,  
particularly if these were originally intended for an earlier version  
of Mac OS X than the one you are running now.

One thing you can easily check is the system logs.  Open the Console  
app (in /Applications/Utilities) and look at the system log for  
entries that show up around the time you see problems.  If there are  
error messages, you can search (e.g., via Google) for the message  
wording to find pointers to discussions on Apple Forums.

HTH

Justin

--
Justin C. Walker
Curmudgeon at Large
Director
Institute for the Enhancement of the Director's Income
--
Build a man a fire and he'll be warm
  for a night.
Set a man on fire and he'll be warm
  for the rest of his life.