[Macworld]

Post your comments for Eddy Winner: AppleJack 1.5 here

[bynkii]

" And because it’s available before OS X loads, AppleJack works even when a problem keeps you from booting into OS X."
No, OS X has still loaded, it's just a very minimal load. But the kernel, and enough Unix for the command line are there. If you really couldn't boot OS X at all, then you wouldn't be able to use Single User Mode or AppleJack

[MorrisTheCat]

No offense, but that seems really nitpicky. When the average non uber geek user thinks of OS X, they do not think of the Unix core and kernel, they think of the GUI. In that respect, the wording in this entry isn't wrong, just not as clarified as it could be. From a purely technical standpoint, you're correct of course. But an app like AppleJack doesn't actually target people like you who know whats going on under the hood.

[bynkii]

MorrisTheCat said:

No offense, but that seems really nitpicky. When the average non uber geek user thinks of OS X, they do not think of the Unix core and kernel, they think of the GUI. In that respect, the wording in this entry isn't wrong, just not as clarified as it could be. From a purely technical standpoint, you're correct of course. But an app like AppleJack doesn't actually target people like you who know whats going on under the hood.

Accuracy is not nitpicky, and it's FAR more important for people who don't know better. I can overlook it personally, because I do know better. However, someone who doesn't is going to rightly assume that statement is correct, even though it is not.

As well, a LOT of IT administrators use AppleJack, so it's not just for n00bs.

However, the idea that technical accuracy doesn't matter if you're talking to non-technical people is bad. It creates incorrect assumptions that can lead to bad actions.

[macjournals]

That it targets people who may not understand is all the more reason to be accurate, especially when the fix is simple: "Since it's available even without the graphical user interface," or "Since it's available even when booting in single-user mode as troubleshooting often requires."

Implying that third-party code can load before the operating system (it doesn't) makes things worse by confusing people with troubled systems when they need to know precisely what's going on. Bynkii's right.

[Dan Frakes]

bynkii said:

" And because it’s available before OS X loads, AppleJack works even when a problem keeps you from booting into OS X."

No, OS X has still loaded, it's just a very minimal load. But the kernel, and enough Unix for the command line are there. If you really couldn't boot OS X at all, then you wouldn't be able to use Single User Mode or AppleJack

Bynkii's right. "Before OS X loads" was shorthand for "before the graphical user interface most people consider to be OS X loads," but it's technically incorrect. We've updated the article accordingly.