Excluding OS X?

This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on September 28, 2003). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.

So I’m in the midst of getting my new machine all configured the way I like it, installing software, drivers, etc. I use a Microsoft Office Keyboard (that’s discontinued), so I hit Microsoft’s keyboard pages to download the software. As I was working my way through the download process (verify system requirements, choose your product, choose your OS, choose your language, and download), I was presented with these choices when choosing my operating system:

Mac OS 10.1 - 10.2.x (excluding OS X)

Anybody want to take a stab at explaining to me just what operating system Microsoft thinks I’m running on my Mac that has a version number equal to or greater than 10.0, and yet excludes OS X?

5 thoughts on “Excluding OS X?”

  1. Actually, looking at it again, I’m going to guess that they meant that the software only works on OS X v10.1 or greater, and will not work on v10.0. However, if that’s what they meant, it’s incredibly poorly worded!

  2. i think your new interpretation is probably correct. i agree, very sloppy on Microsoft’s part. that must confuse everyone who goes there.

  3. I see it clearly reading it will work with 10.1 or 10.2 but not 10. Maybe its easier for me to see because A. I’m a MS user and B. I’m not a computer expert? They wrote it for idiots like me.

  4. The only problem, Tim, is that all versions of OS X are referred to as OS X with specific versions called 10.0, 10.1, and 10.2. Microsoft is mixing the naming conventions on this page and that’s where the confusion comes in.

    That said, authgeek’s interpretation seems to be pretty accurate.

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