You asked: "So, G-Group: Why are you (still) PowerPC-based Mac users?"
Here is a short answer in the form of an exaggerated metaphorical question. If you needed a car just to use for grocery shopping and your choiice was a new Mercedes for out-of-your-pocket $50,000.00 or a 1950 Ford running almost like new for about out-of-pocket $100.00 and the Ford coming with a long term almost free 'contract' to furnish labor and parts for pennies on the dollar, which would you choose? I need need a computer for my offline business, legal and personal needs. I use EXCEL (v 2.2) and WORD (v. 4.0) on a IIci I've been using since roughly 1990 having replaced an SE30 at that time. I suits my needs fine. I'm using a DP 533 G4 DA for everything else. It suits my needs fine. I've lot of spares for both. I understand that you are making argument to support a desire for the latest CPU and that is fine. Don't you think that a reasonable and compelling argument could be made to support that it would be a sharper and more worthwhile perspective to not intercede and either replace or interchange 'want' for 'need' when determining what is desirable in a CPU? E.G. These versions of OS and supporting application software are stable, are fairly bug free and easily support a host of 'needs': OS 6.0.8 (IIci); OS 9.2 (7300, G3, G4), OS 10.4.11 (G3, G4 and 7300 using XPostFacto). Mel --- On Thu, 1/21/10, Mac User #330250 <macuser330...@gmx.net> wrote: From: Mac User #330250 <macuser330...@gmx.net> Subject: Why are you (still) using PowerPC-based Macs? To: g3-5-list@googlegroups.com Date: Thursday, January 21, 2010, 12:08 PM Hello fellows of the G-Group! I was just thinking about the future. I've just made an old G3 B&W working again (it was wasting space and picking up dust for about two years or more) and it is now in my office. I've installed Tiger and it is just okay working with it, in other words: it is slow. Where was I? Ah, thinking about the future... Apparently Apple has finally dropped all support for Tiger. That was forseeable, it doesn't come as a surprise. I am wondering: I read so many postings here about people buying or working with Power Macs and G3/G4-Laptops. As operating system you're all running Mac OS X, some are still on Mac OS (which I call "Classic", because I've joined the Mac world two years ago so the term seems fit to me). But why? (Why Power Macs _and_ why Mac OS X?) All newer software will be for Mac OS X/Intel very soon. Some of you may be using Leopard already, but it is now also just a question of time when it will be dropped as well. And this is dropping PowerPC support alltogether. If Apple does as they always do, Leopard support will be dropped with the release of the successor of Snow Leopard. Since Snow Leopard is already 6 months out, PowerPC users are safe for another two years or so. But that will be it. Dead for good. No more. The end. So why bother with the G3-G5 anyhow? On the other hand you can all convert to Linux. Linux was and will be running on PowerPC for at least another decade (-- my personal opinion). So if Mac OS X is now longer an option, you can always go the Linux way. But as I think of it, you will all be very unhappy with Linux. Mac OS X is really the best when it comes to being user friendly and easy to use for everyone (beginners but also experts; and geeks off course). I'm now in this situation. My G3 B&W runs Tiger. I use it in my office for writing documents (Word 2004, OpenOffice.org Writer 3.1.1 and Bean), for making spreadsheet calculations (Excel 2004 and OpenOffice.org Calc 3.1.1) _and_ for surfing in the world wide web. And the last part is the problem. With Tiger no longer being supported the recently discovered security flaws are no longer being fixed. Surfing the internet will become more dangerous. Newer browsers will be (Snow)Leopard-only. Tiger support will be dropped in the forseeable future. Using old browsers (with ahellofalot unfixed security flaws not yet discovered) will also make the situation worse. (Like running Panther and being bound to use Firefox version 2.0, which is not a good idea if you ask me.) So: why bother with Gs? I've read, I think it was the Geekbench homepage, that the switch to Intel was a boost in performance to the Mac world. And I agree. Intel Macs are just... well, Macs! It doesn't make a difference if the hardware is PowerPC or Intel x86 -- as long as the operating system doesn't show any difference at all -- which it doesn't. Work on an Intel Mac and you won't notice anything, except that it is faster than any Power Mac you've ever used. Period. To clarify one thing: I'm only having Power Macs standing around at home and the one in my office. I got them as presents since they were no longer used in the company of a friend. So he thought I could use them still, which I do by the way. Just one I bought myself: a Late 2005 G5 with 2.0 GHz Dual-Core. It is nice, but really Leopard isn't using all its power (like 64-bit). _But_ my perspective was always to run Linux on it, just like I did -and do- with all my x86-PCs. So for me it was mainly a new experience and to see if I could manage a difference hardware architecture with Linux. I've also entered the world of Mac OS X -- which is a great OS by the way -- and got stuck with using Tiger daily on my G3 B&W. I love it. Something different for a change. So, G-Group: Why are you (still) PowerPC-based Mac users? Cheers, Andreas aka Mac User #330250 (and: Linux User #330250, Windows User #330250) -- You received this message because you are a member of G-Group, a group for those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to g3-5-list@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list
-- You received this message because you are a member of G-Group, a group for those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to g3-5-list@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list
