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Does anyone here use pre-G3 laptops regularly?
- Thread starter princealfie
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Not really.
I recently picked up a 1400c, but it's got a G3 upgrade card...does that count?!
As for regularly? I've used it every day since, but I doubt it will take priority over my G4Ti, or my G5. It's fun, in the same way as driving a classic car on Sunday is fun....but it wouldn't replace my everyday machines.
I recently picked up a 1400c, but it's got a G3 upgrade card...does that count?!
As for regularly? I've used it every day since, but I doubt it will take priority over my G4Ti, or my G5. It's fun, in the same way as driving a classic car on Sunday is fun....but it wouldn't replace my everyday machines.
I've been using my PowerBook 3400c a ton lately. I've started playing with Strata's Vision 3D 4.0 to see what I could do with it.
At first I was just wanting to see how a paint scheme that I was considering for a model of the Enterprise would look, but then I got curious to see to what level of detail I could build something like this in Vision 3D.
And as I can really only do this in my spare time, the 3400c is perfect as I can have it with me at those few moments.
These are some of the experiments that I've rendered since I started playing with it.
Really, there isn't anything I can't do with my 3400c. Along with Vision 3D I have a number of other 3D apps on my system (Adobe Dimensions, Bryce 3D, PiXELS 3D Studio and Strata 3Dbase) running along side all my other graphics apps (which I mainly use for web stuff).
I'm always amazed at the fact that people forget that these older systems were professional systems used to create high quality work (that can rival the quality of stuff done on todays top systems). Most people's biggest mistakes with older systems is attempting to run newer versions of software titles than what was originally designed for the hardware.
I know I could run (and have copies of) much later software than I run on my 3400c. But I have a pretty good idea of what software will run at respectable speeds on a PowerPC 603e at 200 MHz with only 80 MB of memory. Apps like Photoshop 5.5, Illustrator 8.0, Flash 5.0, LiveMotion 1.0, GoLive 5.0, Acrobat 5.0.5, Premiere 5.1 and QuarkXPress 4.11 all run just fine on this system. The few things that, say... Photoshop 6.0.1 would add in the way of features just isn't worth the slow down I would see using it.
Keeping systems like these useful really isn't that hard... specially if you had used them back when they were the top of the line.
At first I was just wanting to see how a paint scheme that I was considering for a model of the Enterprise would look, but then I got curious to see to what level of detail I could build something like this in Vision 3D.
And as I can really only do this in my spare time, the 3400c is perfect as I can have it with me at those few moments.
These are some of the experiments that I've rendered since I started playing with it.
Really, there isn't anything I can't do with my 3400c. Along with Vision 3D I have a number of other 3D apps on my system (Adobe Dimensions, Bryce 3D, PiXELS 3D Studio and Strata 3Dbase) running along side all my other graphics apps (which I mainly use for web stuff).
I'm always amazed at the fact that people forget that these older systems were professional systems used to create high quality work (that can rival the quality of stuff done on todays top systems). Most people's biggest mistakes with older systems is attempting to run newer versions of software titles than what was originally designed for the hardware.
I know I could run (and have copies of) much later software than I run on my 3400c. But I have a pretty good idea of what software will run at respectable speeds on a PowerPC 603e at 200 MHz with only 80 MB of memory. Apps like Photoshop 5.5, Illustrator 8.0, Flash 5.0, LiveMotion 1.0, GoLive 5.0, Acrobat 5.0.5, Premiere 5.1 and QuarkXPress 4.11 all run just fine on this system. The few things that, say... Photoshop 6.0.1 would add in the way of features just isn't worth the slow down I would see using it.
Keeping systems like these useful really isn't that hard... specially if you had used them back when they were the top of the line.
Though the pismo isn't pre-G3 like the op mentions, they were a great laptop. My son got my PB 500 passed down to him and 6+ years later it's still serves his purposes as a sophomore at uni.
I fire up at least one of my pre G3 laptops every week just for fun. Using them to get my real everyday work done just gets frustrating, particularly connectivity I find. My life current runs on a PB G4
No pre G3 laptops here
I want one though, just don't know where to start, and don't want someone else's broken equipment !
I want one though, just don't know where to start, and don't want someone else's broken equipment !
His go to apps are Mac Office '04 for his papers and stuff, but he does a lot with GarageBand, iTunes, Keynote and PPt and video editing with FinalCut 3 (the cut off for under G4).
With the expansion bay he's able to use an XCarét 30g HD, plus an external LaCie HD. It's all slower, but he's cool within his budget and all. Since the pismo has ethernet and FW, he's good for that. There is a PCI slot for an airport card, but he goes without wireless.
No pre G3 laptops here
I want one though, just don't know where to start, and don't want someone else's broken equipment !
ebay!
All that on a PowerBook 500???
Joking aside (since I assume you meant a 500mhz PowerBook G3)... that isn't really that amazing. Everyone should know a 500mhz G3 is perfectly capable of doing all the things you listed. Also, an XCarét 30gb expansion bay hard drive would be, like, more expensive than just getting an actual hard drive and installing it. Why wouldn't you just go that route (out of curiosity)? Pismos are super easy to take apart.
Ya. I should have put 500mhz in the short hand. The expansion bay HD was a gift back in mid '00, so for HD space and portability it served its purpose without any cash outlay or going in to the machine though it is easy to access. Aside from him using an external HD (LaCie 250 gb) for all his music and production stuff (an incredible amount), the next outlay of $ will be to get him into a new machine. He's been good with maintenance on it. Just hoping it will last him another year or two. The pismo has been a good workhorse.
My school has a Powerbook 1400? I think that's what it is. It's black, and the thing that bothers me is its arrow keys are in a straight line.
I use it about once a week at the end of my comp. class just to have fun for 5 min.
I use it about once a week at the end of my comp. class just to have fun for 5 min.
Powerbook 3400c here still. Runs well but I just need to get some wireless on it. Oooh yeah I also have an old 145b in a lego case for no reason.
I Love Old Tech
My main computer is a 500mhz PISMO, I use it everyday, and quite extensively on the road and at home. I am in my last year of college, and so far the PISMO has done the trick, most kids on my campus have new, fancy macs. The PISMO is always a great conversation starter, as there are so many new users out there and most of them have never seen or heard of a PISMO...Plus the Upside down glowing apple is pretty cool looking if you ask me!
I run the latest version of Tiger, I have an airport card installed (I cannot remember the last time I used ethernet) Upgraded to 1gig of ram, 80 gig 5400rpm HD, an 8x dual layer superdrive, a USB 2.0 PCI card for the matching black iPod....It is still a pretty sweet machine. at home it is always hooked up to an external display, it can do dual desktop at 1600x1200 despite the 8MB of vram. This machine is the most well built powerbook apple ever made, it is a month away from its 7 year birthday, and is going strong, how many computers, let alone laptops can say that? Though I do hope to upgrade when I can afford it, as I find myself needing to run programs with higher requirements; but the pismo will always be my favorite portable, easy to upgrade, it can run dual batteries, I am going to miss the expansion bays, and the curvy nature of the PISMO, it is far sexier than the new minimalist, unhuman friendly pro books that apple has now...plus I still burn dvds faster than a macbook!
(If anyone has a digitalhipps keyborg they are willing to part with please let me know, I have been looking for one for quite some time. Thanks.)
My main computer is a 500mhz PISMO, I use it everyday, and quite extensively on the road and at home. I am in my last year of college, and so far the PISMO has done the trick, most kids on my campus have new, fancy macs. The PISMO is always a great conversation starter, as there are so many new users out there and most of them have never seen or heard of a PISMO...Plus the Upside down glowing apple is pretty cool looking if you ask me!
I run the latest version of Tiger, I have an airport card installed (I cannot remember the last time I used ethernet) Upgraded to 1gig of ram, 80 gig 5400rpm HD, an 8x dual layer superdrive, a USB 2.0 PCI card for the matching black iPod....It is still a pretty sweet machine. at home it is always hooked up to an external display, it can do dual desktop at 1600x1200 despite the 8MB of vram. This machine is the most well built powerbook apple ever made, it is a month away from its 7 year birthday, and is going strong, how many computers, let alone laptops can say that? Though I do hope to upgrade when I can afford it, as I find myself needing to run programs with higher requirements; but the pismo will always be my favorite portable, easy to upgrade, it can run dual batteries, I am going to miss the expansion bays, and the curvy nature of the PISMO, it is far sexier than the new minimalist, unhuman friendly pro books that apple has now...plus I still burn dvds faster than a macbook!
(If anyone has a digitalhipps keyborg they are willing to part with please let me know, I have been looking for one for quite some time. Thanks.)
your pismo sounds about like mine. i have a 500mhz/1gig ram/60gig 7200rpm drive/3 batteries/airport card/epansion bay hd 12gig/ cdrw-dvd combo drive