In a move that echoes Microsoft's recent decision to stop selling operating system upgrades, Apple Computer has also announced that it will no longer sell individual upgrades in the future.

Apple users who want to upgrade their operating systems can either purchase the new OS or buy a three-year support agreement.

Here's a look at the costs of the two options.

Buying a license for the newest Mac OS, OSX 10.2, will cost $59. Buying a three-year service agreement for the same OS costs $87. The media costs another $15 and documentation is another $20.

The Computing Infrastructure Support (CIS) Department currently has about 70 licenses for the three-year support agreement, including media, and interested employees can buy them on site for $102. For details, contact the Help Desk at X4357.

Apple has gradually been changing the way it sells OS licenses, according to CIS staff. With OS9, the Lab was able to purchase a site license to support an unspecified number of users. With the release of OSX, however, the Lab was required to specify the number of users.