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Facebook app that runs on PowerPC?

Jethryn Freyman

Jethryn Freyman

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Aug 9, 2007
2,329
3
Australia
So, I recently finally relented and got my own Facebook.

Problem is, it's agonizingly slow on my G5 tower. Actually, any content-heavy website is, which is kind of sad, since a website with a few pictures and some text shouldn't drag a computer to its' knees when it handle some pretty impressive other stunts.

Anyways, I was wondering if there were any apps out there, like the ones available on the App Store for Intel Macs, that would run on a PowerPC Mac and not cause me so much pain [I'm guessing that since they're not running on the website itself and therefore faster].

Anybody know?
 
Jethryn Freyman said:
So, I recently finally relented and got my own Facebook.

Problem is, it's agonizingly slow on my G5 tower. Actually, any content-heavy website is, which is kind of sad, since a website with a few pictures and some text shouldn't drag a computer to its' knees when it handle some pretty impressive other stunts.

Anyways, I was wondering if there were any apps out there, like the ones available on the App Store for Intel Macs, that would run on a PowerPC Mac and not cause me so much pain [I'm guessing that since they're not running on the website itself and therefore faster].

Anybody know?
Click to expand...

Have you tried a different browser for heavy content?
Not sure but the reason for it to be slow is probably flash, it just doesn't work well on PPC, the only thing you can do is to disable flash or use clicktoflash, it's sad but you won't get fast browsing without it or buy a new computer.
 
justperry said:
Have you tried a different browser for heavy content?
Not sure but the reason for it to be slow is probably flash, it just doesn't work well on PPC, the only thing you can do is to disable flash or use clicktoflash, it's sad but you won't get fast browsing without it or buy a new computer.
Click to expand...
Heh, I shudder to think of how slow it'd be if I had flash on; as it is, I've got ClickToFlash installed system-wide, and Flashblock on TenFourFox
 
It's down to Javascript. Everything FB does is based on JS. You can mitigate factors though.

I'm using BetterCache (TenFourFox and AuroraFox) and I have both FB and it's various server domains listed as always cached. That does a decent job of keeping the stuff that doesn't always change loaded which reduces drag on the system. I've also fooled around with the about:config javascript settings and I've got methodjit always turned off, javascript hardening turned off and strict javascript turned off. I also don't use the URL bar (I use CMD+L) so I've turned off the filtering in the url bar. I can't point to any specific setting that is the holy grail, but in general it seems to work.

You may want to get rid of FB's ads as this may be a drag too. You can use AdBlock, but there are other tricks too. I use Stylish and userstyles.org has a lot of FB styles. A lot of those styles include ad blocking. I'm using the Blacked Out Rounded Corners (No Ads) style which kills the ads and gives me a style I like. But if you are not into Stylish AdBlock will work just fine.

If it still bothers you, you might try Fluid. You can create a specific browser for FB using Fluid. It's webkit and it's fast, but any time you want to go to FB it's another app you have to open. Combined with GlimmerBlocker it may work ok although it's been my experience that GlimmerBlocker doesn't really work on FB.

There is also FMenu, which is a menu bar addon that tells you when you get FB notifications in your menu bar. You could also try Flock 2.6.1 which is the last version of Flock for PowerPC. Flock is (was) a social browser with all that inegration built in. You can also get your Newsfeed as RSS if you have an RSS reader.

None of the above is perfect and I can't say Flock or FMenu still work (have not tried them in quite a while). FB is always changing things so what works today breaks tomorrow.
 
eyoungren said:
It's down to Javascript. Everything FB does is based on JS. You can mitigate factors though.

I'm using BetterCache (TenFourFox and AuroraFox) and I have both FB and it's various server domains listed as always cached. That does a decent job of keeping the stuff that doesn't always change loaded which reduces drag on the system. I've also fooled around with the about:config javascript settings and I've got methodjit always turned off, javascript hardening turned off and strict javascript turned off. I also don't use the URL bar (I use CMD+L) so I've turned off the filtering in the url bar. I can't point to any specific setting that is the holy grail, but in general it seems to work.

You may want to get rid of FB's ads as this may be a drag too. You can use AdBlock, but there are other tricks too. I use Stylish and userstyles.org has a lot of FB styles. A lot of those styles include ad blocking. I'm using the Blacked Out Rounded Corners (No Ads) style which kills the ads and gives me a style I like. But if you are not into Stylish AdBlock will work just fine.

If it still bothers you, you might try Fluid. You can create a specific browser for FB using Fluid. It's webkit and it's fast, but any time you want to go to FB it's another app you have to open. Combined with GlimmerBlocker it may work ok although it's been my experience that GlimmerBlocker doesn't really work on FB.

There is also FMenu, which is a menu bar addon that tells you when you get FB notifications in your menu bar. You could also try Flock 2.6.1 which is the last version of Flock for PowerPC. Flock is (was) a social browser with all that inegration built in. You can also get your Newsfeed as RSS if you have an RSS reader.

None of the above is perfect and I can't say Flock or FMenu still work (have not tried them in quite a while). FB is always changing things so what works today breaks tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Fluid is Fat? I have a license for it but never put it on the PM because I assumed it was Intel only..Fluid is great because it sandboxes FB is something I want sandboxed.
 
GermanyChris said:
Fluid is Fat? I have a license for it but never put it on the PM because I assumed it was Intel only..Fluid is great because it sandboxes FB is something I want sandboxed.
Click to expand...

When it was originally introduced it was universal. I had to track it down but I have the latest that will run on PowerPC.
 
Jessica Lares said:
REALLY?! I've been looking for that for agesssss. I have a license too.
Click to expand...
I'm not all that familiar with Fluid, but in looking for it it's my understanding that version 1 and above are Intel only and paid. Version 0.9.6 is the last version I found that works on PowerPC Mac. I don't know if that was advertised or not, but I downloaded version 1 something and got the prohibitory sign. 0.9.6 opened and ran. I think the versions under 1 are (were) beta and therefore free (IDK).

Anyway, do a Google search for Fluid 0.9.6 and you'll find it. I just checked a download from Tucows (which came up first) and it worked. Don't recall where it was I got it the last time.
 
See my post above yours. But if you can't find it that way, let me know and I'll just stick it in my Dropbox Public folder.
 
Yoono, which is a now defunct extension for Firefox also had a stand alone app. Yoono was a social plugin that included other sites as well as FB. I had the stand alone app, but not sure where I put it.

The app was relied heavily on Flash though.
 
Jethryn Freyman said:
Holy mother of god, Facebook.app from Fluid is like lightning.

Fluid.app 0.9.6 Universal Binary for Mac OS X [free]:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/agk5yl

<3<3<3
Click to expand...

Just quit it every once in a while as it tends to stall out over time. Also, you can use userstyles with it too if interested. userstyles.org includes their styles in alternate JS code. You can use the Fluid app (the one you just made) to call that code as user javascript. Everything else loads first and the style applies last, but it works. If you use any of the FB styles from userstyles.org that kill FB ads then this might work for you if you don't want ads in the app.

Oh yeah. It also allows you to specify the user agent in preferences. So, if FB doesn't work right with any of the default ones you can enter your own. I have my Fluid FB app set as TenFourFox.
 
eyoungren said:
Oh yeah. It also allows you to specify the user agent in preferences. So, if FB doesn't work right with any of the default ones you can enter your own. I have my Fluid FB app set as TenFourFox.
Click to expand...

Hi Erik.

Thanks for your posts about Fluid. It's amazing how fast it is.

When I went to the drop-down menu for user agent, TFF was not among the choices. Do you know how to make TFF the default browser in this case?

Thanks again.
 
skateny said:
Hi Erik.

Thanks for your posts about Fluid. It's amazing how fast it is.

When I went to the drop-down menu for user agent, TFF was not among the choices. Do you know how to make TFF the default browser in this case?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

No problem!

As to the User Agent, it's under Other. See the attached pic. What I did was I used TFF, went to Google and did a search for "What's My User Agent." There are a number of sites that will show the UA string to you. Just go to one, then select the string in it's entirety, copy it and then past that string into the Other box in the Fluid app you have for FB. That's it.

If anyone is wondering why this pic shows a back blackground instead of FB blue and white, this is because I use a userstyle from userstyles.org inside the Fluid app. I'm using it as userscript.js.
 

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eyoungren said:
No problem!

As to the User Agent, it's under Other. See the attached pic. What I did was I used TFF, went to Google and did a search for "What's My User Agent." There are a number of sites that will show the UA string to you. Just go to one, then select the string in it's entirety, copy it and then past that string into the Other box in the Fluid app you have for FB. That's it.

If anyone is wondering why this pic shows a back blackground instead of FB blue and white, this is because I use a userstyle from userstyles.org inside the Fluid app. I'm using it as userscript.js.
Click to expand...

Very nice. Thanks.
 
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