Want to also report its working great. Another wonderful plugin to help my PB. Now I will try this on my Quad - then I should be able to play videos at 1080p like before.
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Is a PowerMac G5 Quad Usable as a daily driver in 2020?
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Leopard WebKit YouTube plays perfect for me (with the new polymer design) on just a 1.42ghz g4 at 360p, I just pause the video at the beginning and let it load all the way through. And I’ve seen the G5 quad play YouTube 1080p60 with no problems in Firefox 47 under lubuntu 16.04
You seem to be confused about the whole thing....
First make sure you have QuickTime 7.7 installed, then install the NinjaKit extension, then go to:
by sebaro ~ ViewTube
sebaro.pro
and click ViewTube to install the script.
Once you have a youtube clip loaded up, click on the 3 dots for options and set up as shown...
View attachment 918669
Dronecactcher, thank you very much for this.. So, now I have tenfivetube and viewtube. I wonder if anything else will come out for a third option.. I have coreplayer, is there a way to direct the video to coreplayer so it can play higher def?
There are quite a few options - a search for youtube on the forum will reveal them.
Whilst Coreplayer is the most efficient playback engine, it's also quite old now and struggles with some codecs - also it can't handle https streams.
Depends how many trade-offs you want to make and what you do.
Be aware that even early intel based Macs will have issues with some stuff today due to new instructions included in hardware for things like
AES encryption (for FileVault - which is a ~ 30x speed up at the same clock speed)
h.264 encoding in hardware (similar speed up to the above at same clock)
h.265 encoding in hardware (again... guess what? similar speed up at same clock)
a PPC Mac will have none of that, so even though the CPU is 2.2 Ghz and however many cores, it will be many, many times slower at all of the above things than an intel Mac - likely to the point where those things are very limited or unusably slow.
If you turn off/don't use those features, sure.
If you don't care about security updates, sure.
But suggesting that you give up security and all the above as a "daily driver"? I wouldn't recommend it, and it won't be pleasant for an "every day" device.
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If your lights dim when you turn on the equivalent of 2 incandescent light bulbs you really need to get your electrics checked out.
Be aware that even early intel based Macs will have issues with some stuff today due to new instructions included in hardware for things like
AES encryption (for FileVault - which is a ~ 30x speed up at the same clock speed)
h.264 encoding in hardware (similar speed up to the above at same clock)
h.265 encoding in hardware (again... guess what? similar speed up at same clock)
a PPC Mac will have none of that, so even though the CPU is 2.2 Ghz and however many cores, it will be many, many times slower at all of the above things than an intel Mac - likely to the point where those things are very limited or unusably slow.
If you turn off/don't use those features, sure.
If you don't care about security updates, sure.
But suggesting that you give up security and all the above as a "daily driver"? I wouldn't recommend it, and it won't be pleasant for an "every day" device.
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If your lights dim when you turn on the equivalent of 2 incandescent light bulbs you really need to get your electrics checked out.
I did it in 2013-2015ish at work(first with a dual core 2.0 and then a Quad), and eventually ran into a couple of issues:
1. When we switched over from our old Exchange server to Office365, I ran into a lot of issues with even reading email. I never could get Mail in 10.5.8 to work with Exchange in any form, but I started REALLY struggling even getting the web 365 client to work with any available browser. That may have changed-I haven't tried lately. BTW, Office365 also doesn't work with Mail in Mavericks.
2. For a while, I was fine using an Airport Extreme card that came from a later MBP via a PCIe adapter. It would connect to our 802.11x network fine. At one point, I got an email from someone at IT saying it was wreaking havoc on their router(I'd have to dig up the email to get the exact explanation). I called the person directly, he came over and messed with it for a half hour or so and got it to where it was no longer causing issues, but about 6 months later it started causing issues again and they just blocked the MAC address. I now have it wired, which was a bit inconvenient but not a huge deal now that it's done.
3. Because I have to be FERPA-compliant, we are required to use 256 bit encryption on anything with student records. FileVault in 10.7 and newer meets that standard, while older versions of File Vault don't.
4. Much of our stuff has gone web-based, and heaven help you navigating the myriad of what you'd need to get it to work. I was able to coax Blackboard into working for a while, but that one broke eventually. Things like timesheets are all done online now, and much of that is Flash and Java-heavy and just falls over. We use a 2FA system called Duo, and I've never had it cooperate in PPC Browsers either. Now that we've largely shifted to work from home, I seriously doubt that Teams would play at all given my experience with other Office365 products.
To point #4, there are some smart folks on this sub-forum who I'm sure could find work-arounds and hacks to make at least some of the above work. With that said, my experience with using many of these hacks over they years(not to discredit the folks who know and can make them happen) is that it's often a game of whack-a-mole where it can become a full time job just to keep stuff you need working.
That's my experience. I still have a couple of PPC Macs in my office, including a Quad. I have particular software that I use-sometimes occasionally, sometimes regularly, where either I can't afford a new version(Chemdraw) or there is no current alternative. PPC Macs still function for me at work, but I have a hard time dailying them.
1. When we switched over from our old Exchange server to Office365, I ran into a lot of issues with even reading email. I never could get Mail in 10.5.8 to work with Exchange in any form, but I started REALLY struggling even getting the web 365 client to work with any available browser. That may have changed-I haven't tried lately. BTW, Office365 also doesn't work with Mail in Mavericks.
2. For a while, I was fine using an Airport Extreme card that came from a later MBP via a PCIe adapter. It would connect to our 802.11x network fine. At one point, I got an email from someone at IT saying it was wreaking havoc on their router(I'd have to dig up the email to get the exact explanation). I called the person directly, he came over and messed with it for a half hour or so and got it to where it was no longer causing issues, but about 6 months later it started causing issues again and they just blocked the MAC address. I now have it wired, which was a bit inconvenient but not a huge deal now that it's done.
3. Because I have to be FERPA-compliant, we are required to use 256 bit encryption on anything with student records. FileVault in 10.7 and newer meets that standard, while older versions of File Vault don't.
4. Much of our stuff has gone web-based, and heaven help you navigating the myriad of what you'd need to get it to work. I was able to coax Blackboard into working for a while, but that one broke eventually. Things like timesheets are all done online now, and much of that is Flash and Java-heavy and just falls over. We use a 2FA system called Duo, and I've never had it cooperate in PPC Browsers either. Now that we've largely shifted to work from home, I seriously doubt that Teams would play at all given my experience with other Office365 products.
To point #4, there are some smart folks on this sub-forum who I'm sure could find work-arounds and hacks to make at least some of the above work. With that said, my experience with using many of these hacks over they years(not to discredit the folks who know and can make them happen) is that it's often a game of whack-a-mole where it can become a full time job just to keep stuff you need working.
That's my experience. I still have a couple of PPC Macs in my office, including a Quad. I have particular software that I use-sometimes occasionally, sometimes regularly, where either I can't afford a new version(Chemdraw) or there is no current alternative. PPC Macs still function for me at work, but I have a hard time dailying them.
I have a Dual 2.3 GHz PowerPC G5, 3GB DDR SDRAM, OS X 10.5.8 (M9748LL/A) (in my signature lol)
That has been sitting in a closet for the past 5 years. How ironic is it that I JUST pulled this out a few weeks ago and I now I see a handful of threads about these older PowerPCs? Too funny. I was getting ready to pull all my old pictures and audio files (and whatever other documents and stuff are on it) and then get rid of it. What could I even do with it still? Maybe install Linux and tool around? I'm always afraid I'm leaving myself open to hackers or viruses or something.
That has been sitting in a closet for the past 5 years. How ironic is it that I JUST pulled this out a few weeks ago and I now I see a handful of threads about these older PowerPCs? Too funny. I was getting ready to pull all my old pictures and audio files (and whatever other documents and stuff are on it) and then get rid of it. What could I even do with it still? Maybe install Linux and tool around? I'm always afraid I'm leaving myself open to hackers or viruses or something.
Well, Adobe CS4, QuarkXPress 8, Acrobat 9, Suitcase Fusion 3 and Office 2008 run on these Macs. Graphic Design, word processing, web design, stuff like that is all still doable.
As far as hackers or viruses…well do you frequent sketchy websites or have the habit of responding to random emails? If so, then I suppose if you did go online it could be risky. Of course, the fact that a majority of viruses are written for PC helps you out. While there are a few viruses for Intel Macs, how many do you imagine are out there specifically targeting Macs that are 14+ years old? And, while it's possible that a payload can be delivered via the web (again, from those sketchy websites you visit) what happens to your PowerPC Mac when it trys to execute Intel code? Hint: nothing.
Lastly, there is a modern and updated browser for PowerPC. It's called TenFourFox and there is plenty of development here on this site designed to make it faster. A good setup with uMatrix or NoScript can kill just about all of that nasty Javascript on the web that slows you down.
I think this hits the nail on the head.
If you use the Mac as a tool for some specific jobs - PPC can still be usable. The same software you used back in the day will still do the same things.
That means sure, it still works as a photo editor or whatever.
But as soon as you start trying to use online services or new media types - that's where you will run into trouble, because the internet (and the protocols in use on it) has moved on - A LOT - in the past 15-20 years.
Things like exchange web auto discovery for corporate or 365 (and other) e-mail services for example didn't even exist (or at least were extremely rare/not well supported at all) when PPC was discontinued.
If you're worried about security, Linux is a great alternative (if you're familiar with it). Posted from a Dual 2ghz G5 running Linux. 
If you're worried about security, Linux is a great alternative (if you're familiar with it). Posted from a Dual 2ghz G5 running Linux.
True, but if you're going to go down the linux path you can buy something far cheaper, smaller, better supported and faster to do that - that will run things like h.265 4k video, YouTube, etc.
I think most of us who run BSD or Linux on PPC Macs do it because we like them or find them interesting, not because it's the most practical. I use a titanium PowerBook as my primary work laptop. I have faster machines, but I don't like them so I use them much less frequently.
He already has the machine. No purchasing required. Also youtube is no problem in browser (i can stream 720p/1080p), or via multiple other methods. As @556fmjoe mentioned, it's more about being different, making ancient hardware still work for things people think they can't do any more, fun, and the love of the device. I have newer hardware, i just don't use them as much. They are boring.
Cheers
Just for clarity's sake here, foxPEP specifically not only makes the browser faster, but much more secure by disabling privacy-disrespecting services and features that are potential attack vectors for an attacker to exploit even while the user simply browses without downloading anything.
For instance; WebRTC, beacon, pings, predictor, and punycode are just a couple examples of what's modified to help protect the user environment from attack.
Making the Hardening Engine was a great decision.
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And that's fine.
But the question was whether it is usable as a daily driver. If you want a daily driver, presumably you want it to work with a minimum of fuss. That's what daily drivers do. Mucking about trying to fit square pegs into round holes is a hobby, and having a hobby is fine.
I mean, I get it.
I have "daily driver" cars and motorcycles but I also have a Suzuki RGV250 2 Stroke "race replica" sports bike (from 1991).
It's loud. It smells. It uses more fuel than my LS powered ute. It has a range of 100km to empty. it needs $50 worth of 2 stroke oil every 1000 km. It needs new piston rings every 10,000 km, and new pistons every 20,000.
And I LOVE IT TO DEATH. It is incredibly impractical, expensive to run, becoming rare and expensive to maintain. But it offers an experience you just can't get today.
But to use that as a "daily" would be nuts.
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If your needs are fairly simplistic (web browsing, listening to music, creating music, editing/creating video, light office stuff, image editing, downloading/watching videos, coding/development) like myself, then yes, it can be (and is) usable as a daily driver with little to no issue.
Cheers
Cheers
Everytime I want to install these and I know what they do, it always directs me to download intel firefox.. is there a separate link for the plugins ?
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You are referring to Phenix Linux ?
A lot of the progress on speeding up stuff comes from wholly shutting off both Flash and Java. On the whole, that’s not a bad thing. Flash has terrible security holes in any Leopard compatible version. Javascript can be enough of a pig that I kill it regularly when it’s bogging even my more modern Macs.
Flash should die a fast and painful death, but even in 2020 I quite literally can not access many critical things we use at work without it. The same goes for Java, and if it bogs a quad i7(or dual hex Xeon) running a current OS and browser, what hope fo our PPC macs with old OSs have?
I’m not saying don’t try it-you should! Try the work-arounds for some services too that are developed and freely shared here and elsewhere. Just bear in mind that you may still come up short on a lot.
BTW, you’ll find a lot of discussion on “security through obscurity.” I think there’s some merit to that, but I still don’t trust my bank account to it. Now that I’m on furlough from work, I’m sure as heck not filling out unemployment on a PPC Mac(even though my state’s ancient system lists FF19 as a minimum supported browser and complains when I use current Safari).
Flash should die a fast and painful death, but even in 2020 I quite literally can not access many critical things we use at work without it. The same goes for Java, and if it bogs a quad i7(or dual hex Xeon) running a current OS and browser, what hope fo our PPC macs with old OSs have?
I’m not saying don’t try it-you should! Try the work-arounds for some services too that are developed and freely shared here and elsewhere. Just bear in mind that you may still come up short on a lot.
BTW, you’ll find a lot of discussion on “security through obscurity.” I think there’s some merit to that, but I still don’t trust my bank account to it. Now that I’m on furlough from work, I’m sure as heck not filling out unemployment on a PPC Mac(even though my state’s ancient system lists FF19 as a minimum supported browser and complains when I use current Safari).
Or this: https://github.com/JustOff/ca-archive/blob/master/README.md for thousands of legacy add-ons.
Cheers
No, not Fienix specifically. Any Linux/BSD (Ubuntu, Debian, Gentoo, Void, Adelie, MintPPC, Fienix, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, NetBSD, etc).
Cheers
Ok, so I downloaded ubuntu lastest version and I still get a black screen ater the bootstrap loads up. The graphics card I have in my system is an nvidia geforece 6600 256MB - Hwo do I get Ubuntu to install on the G5 Quad ?
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I used tenfourfox on my Pismo to file unemployment before. it was fun, and it worked.
I've written often on here of my 1970 MGB, which I love dearly.
It's a heap of fun to drive-there's nothing like going for a cruise on a nice evening with the top down, or going out for a spin on a twisty road. I love tinkering with it too, and have dug pretty deep into it myself. When I need it to, it can also hold its own with traffic at 70-80 and do it all day, but it's also scary when your eyes are level with the the lugnuts of the vehicle in the next lane.
Heck, it's even saved my butt a few time. Back in the fall, for example, I'd noticed the battery on my daily getting flaky, but it was a nice week and I'd driven the MG to work every day as well as for my general running around town. This particular week, I was going out of town that weekend(and going to be gone for the next week), and one morning I needed to drive a town over to meet my parents and pick up something. It was a quick dash up and back the interstate, so I figured I'd take my regular car-only to find the battery completely dead. I went over to the MG, ran my errand, got back, went to NAPA to get a new battery, and finally got around to swapping it about 9:00 that night.
With that said, though, it's an old car and I know its limitations. It doesn't handle stop and go traffic well and the temperature gauge often climbs uncomfortably high. There's minimal insulation on the floor and around the transmission tunnel and no A/C, so it can get hot in warm weather. I've had more than once where I had to pull over and tap a carb float bowl to unstick a float, or had to pop the distributor cap and file the points just to get home. Starting even on a brisk morning can be fun, between the molasses in the crank case and getting the carbs to vaporize enough fuel to fire.
Then, there's also the fact that sometimes it bites me unexpectedly. I took it into the shop last month for a transmission swap(standard 4 spd for 4spd/OD) that should have been a quick job. They get around to it and call me-"Can you come in and look at this?" I go in and the heads off the engine with a big crack between two combustion chambers, and the rings so sloppy that the pistons can be rocked in the bores. They ask me what I wanted to do..."Yeah, just strip it down-let's bore it and do everything else we need to do while it's apart-call me when the shop tells you what size overbore and I'll get pistons." Stopped back and asked them to pull the cam so I could send it off for a regrind-they messed with it a few minutes and said "it's not wanting to come-can you come back tomorrow?" Come back the next day and it won't clear one of the rods-seems it's twisted and a couple of the lobes are so beat up that it's basically past being reground. So, a new cam is on order, I'm waiting on piston sizes to order them, and I'm waiting on someone to do a street port and polish on a head for me.