Big and bloated
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| caitlyn Jul 10, 2012 10:10 AM EDT |
So... MacOS is big and bloated. If your Mac is more than a few years old you are unsupported and S.O.L. Why am I not surprised? It sounds just like Windows in that respect. Got an old Mac? You now have a good reason to try Linux :) |
| smallboxadmin Jul 10, 2012 11:14 AM EDT |
We just gave out a bunch of old iMacs that were replaced to some of the IT staff, so they could learn OS X. It made no sense since they couldn't even upgrade to Snow Leopard. Luckily my new Macbook, running Snow Leopard will be able to run Mountain Lion. @caitlyn, I won't mention the "your" instead of "you're" ;) |
| helios Jul 10, 2012 11:47 AM EDT |
@ smallboxadmin.... We're all allowed an occasional fox paws from time to time.... |
| caitlyn Jul 10, 2012 12:39 PM EDT |
Quoting:I won't mention the "your" instead of "you're" ;)Of course you did, and of course I know the difference between "you are" and the possessive. The only excuse I have is that I'm home sick today with a stomach bug. That's not much of an excuse :( |
| smallboxadmin Jul 10, 2012 1:13 PM EDT |
Quoting:...I'm home sick today with a stomach bug. Well, I won't attack someone when they're down, even though you still seem pretty feisty. Get better. |
| caitlyn Jul 10, 2012 3:33 PM EDT |
I hope I continue to make mistakes. I'm human, after all. The alternative to making mistakes is pretty awful and rather permanent. |
| dinotrac Jul 10, 2012 4:45 PM EDT |
@caitlyn -- So true for the rest of you. Don't let it get you down. You still can strive for Dino-dom. |
| vainrveenr Jul 11, 2012 11:45 AM EDT |
Quoting:We just gave out a bunch of old iMacs that were replaced to some of the IT staff, so they could learn OS X. Another choice for IT staff wishing to put iMacs to good use is to ether install Linux together with OS X in dual-boot mode or else to replace OS X entirely with Linux. The threads following the above commentator's LXer post of two months ago, OK - So what do I tell my Mac friend?, suggest various ways of accomplishing this. An informative comment from one of these threads: Quoting:The penguinppc.org 'Distributions' page found at http://penguinppc.org/about-2/distributions/ lists a number of Linux distros for different Mac hardware; both.for 32-bit and 64-bit PowerPC architectures. |
| Steven_Rosenber Jul 11, 2012 1:40 PM EDT |
Debian ran great on my 2000-era PowerPC Mac G4. It was an old workstation for a graphic designer, and I had a huge CRT monitor, which made the GNOME 2 desktop look great. No Flash, though. Nowadays Macs run Intel processors, so it must be a lot easier. |
| gus3 Jul 11, 2012 4:37 PM EDT |
Nah, a Gentoo update still takes forever and a day. |
| BernardSwiss Jul 11, 2012 6:18 PM EDT |
So, it's almost time to start looking for a really good deal on a used Mac, then? |
| caitlyn Jul 11, 2012 9:05 PM EDT |
Yep, Bernard, if you don't mind running Linux on it. Steven: there are still Linux distros that support and run well on G4 Macs :) |
| BernardSwiss Jul 11, 2012 11:29 PM EDT |
{sputter} ... if I don't mind running Linux on it !? I assumed that could be taken for granted. ;-) I can't imagine why a Linux user would want to buy hardware (even nice hardware) just to run an obsoleted proprietary OS on it. Of course, there might be some difference of opinion about whether it would be worth it, or at what price point it would be worth it. I don't know much about Apple hardware. |
| caitlyn Jul 12, 2012 4:31 AM EDT |
Quoting:{sputter} ... if I don't mind running Linux on it !?For you, yes, I'd assume you'd want Linux. For most members of the cult of Mac, definitely not. |
| helios Jul 12, 2012 12:13 PM EDT |
We were donated a 2006 IMac with a 24 inch screen, dual core at 2.4 gigs. It is an absolutely beautiful machine. Only trouble is it has a burned out video module in it. I am lucky enough to have a great volunteer who can replace stuff like this. Most people would just consider it a MB issue and toss it. Unfortunately, that Nvidia module costs 170.00 bucks. It still sits at his house awaiting repair....So the hardware might be great but like all things Apple it seems, you pay for the privilege of keeping it working. Kind of like owning a classic Harley....when you spend more time with a wrench in your hand than a throttle, it's time to reconsider your fandom. (fanism?) |
| jdixon Jul 12, 2012 12:19 PM EDT |
> Kind of like owning a classic Harley... From what I've heard, that's not limited to just classic Harley's. :( I was always a Honda person myself, back in the day. |
| helios Jul 12, 2012 12:26 PM EDT |
I was always a Honda person myself, back in the day. So was I. I owned twin 1984 Honda 650 Nighthawks. Sleek, small enough to handle, big enough to go the distance and fast enough to make you suck up seat uhpolstery. They were relatively cheap to maintain even under "classic" status. I've owned one Harley in my life. It was a "classic" 1960 panhead and I think I exceeded the market value in parts purchases 19 months into ownership. Funny thing is, when I sold it, I not only recouped my purchase price...but almost two-thirds of the outlay in parts costs. Harley owners will pay through the nose for the privilege of having a running bike....and the parallels between Mac Users and them seem on par. |
| jdixon Jul 12, 2012 12:36 PM EDT |
> I owned twin 1984 Honda 650 Nighthawks. I owned what I believe was their predecessor, the Honda CB400T Hawk. Until I took the forks out and bounced off the hood of an oncoming vehicle at an intersection one day, :( It's top end was only about 80mph, but it made it fun getting there, and you could almost lay it on it's side and bring it back up. It was a great bike. http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/CB400T.htm for those interested. The listed 110mph is definitely exaggerated. |
| lcafiero Jul 12, 2012 1:16 PM EDT |
Of course this comes as no surprise: I remember about five or six years ago the upgraded predatory cat du jour OS would not run on a Bondi iMac I had, and it annoyed me greatly. So caitlyn's suggestion of installing Linux on a Mac is a good one (pity only a few distros -- Debian and Fedora come immediately to mind, and Fedora just rejoined the party -- have a PowerPC version for those reeeealy old Macs that run Linux just fine). |
| Steven_Rosenber Jul 12, 2012 2:30 PM EDT |
I had a sweet G5 that was pretty darn pricey in its day. Something on the MB went bad, and it wouldn't boot. Not worth saving/repairing, so I e-wasted it. |
| gus3 Jul 12, 2012 3:56 PM EDT |
1987 Honda Civic CRX that had 82K miles on it when I got it. I put 200K miles more on it before it finally rusted out from road salt. And the only major (non-maintenance) repair it ever needed was a fuel pump relay. Driving cross-country, with half my worldly possessions in it, I got 46 miles per gallon. I still miss it, two years later. |
| helios Jul 12, 2012 4:01 PM EDT |
Not worth saving/repairing, so I e-wasted it. Same thing with the IMac I talked about above but luckily we have a Mac/Apple hardware engineer in the house that volunteers to fix all things Mac and he's worked miracles. Trouble is, the cost of the part itself is almost past the benefit of putting the computer back into service. The 24 inch screen itself is immaculate. I had a chance to see it prior to said part pooping on itself. If it wasn't such a gorgeous machine, I wouldn't bother....it's just a shame the integrated parts for this repair are so expensive. If I had to pay labor on top of the parts cost, it would have already been e-wasted. |
| jsusanka Jul 12, 2012 4:15 PM EDT |
"So... MacOS is big and bloated. If your Mac is more than a few years old you are unsupported and S.O.L. Why am I not surprised? It sounds just like Windows in that respect. Got an old Mac? You now have a good reason to try Linux :)" apple has been this for years - still have a tangerine imac that hasn't been able to run osx for years but still works and still runs linux nicely with kids games etc. it is ashamed because apple seemed to make pretty decent hardware and I loved the powerpc chips was disappointed when they went to intel. but what do I know.. |
| gus3 Jul 12, 2012 4:51 PM EDT |
Power processors may be good hardware, but remember Linus' comment about their memory management: "This can be used to scare small children." |
| BernardSwiss Jul 12, 2012 6:49 PM EDT |
So maybe I shouldn't bother; I actually got I pretty good price on a fairly recent used ThinkPad. But I would still love to have something really light and portable, with a long-lasting battery and a good non-reflective screen. |
| theboomboomcars Jul 12, 2012 9:48 PM EDT |
Archlinux also has a ppc variant, although updates for that on a g4 may take a while if you need to build any packages. |
| smallboxadmin Jul 12, 2012 11:42 PM EDT |
Quoting:Another choice for IT staff wishing to put iMacs to good use is to ether install Linux together with OS X in dual-boot mode... The point was that the staff were supposed to learn more about OS X to support our Mac users, but the older iMacs won't run Lion or Mountain Lion. That being said, I will be installing Linux with a Lion theme on my iMac. |
| Steven_Rosenber Jul 13, 2012 3:14 PM EDT |
I figure that Apple gives its users a five-year life on its hardware before the software stops being updated. Does that sound about right? |
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