My first G3 :D

[bunnspecial]

I'm typing this post from the Lombard, which arrived yesterday. The first thing I did was swap in a 60GB Toshiba HDD from a TiBook which had 10.4.11, 10.2.9, and 9.2.2 preinstalled.

OS 9.2.2 and Classilla performance are solid. I actually get much better results from the full desktop version of MacRumors than the mobile one Classilla defaults to. Can anyone tell me how to edit that preference so I can make Classilla default to the desktop version of a site?

The Keyboard takes some getting used to after working with the AluBook as it requires a bit more force to depress the keys. The palm rests are much more comfortable than the cold aluminum of later models (as I suspected).

The 'Book's screen is actually brighter than that of my 12" PBG4 of a few years later. The battery, of course, is totally shot and I'm currently debating the utility of shelling out for a new one.

Overall, the design is very good. It's really not just a typical-looking late 90s laptop; the minutiae of ergonomics and user experience are typical Apple. The swappable bays and easily upgradable CPU are features I pine for in modern notebooks.

I've seen the Lombard/Pismo written off as typical '90s "Black" laptops, but I do think you're right that they beat the heck out of other laptops of the era in terms of looks and utility.

Thinkpads and the like are solid but are utilitarian and not very ergonomic. The Lombard/Pismo and other PB G3s are solid pieces of equipment and pretty darn good looking too(upside down Apple and all). I get compliments on my Pismo every time I use it.

I've used the Yosemite background on my several of my Tiger computers. My Quicksilver is primarily used in Leopard and I use the default Yosemite background in it and one of the alternate ones for when I boot into Tiger. Yosemite has its faults, but I love the Wallpapers! It amazes me too how much Tiger and Yosemite look alike when the wallpapers are interchanged(I had the default Tiger wallpaper on my Macbook running Yosemite for a while).

Looks like you got a great computer-enjoy!

 

[weckart]

Thinkpads and the like are solid but are utilitarian and not very ergonomic. The Lombard/Pismo and other PB G3s are solid pieces of equipment and pretty darn good looking too(upside down Apple and all). I get compliments on my Pismo every time I use it.

While I agree wholeheartedly on the Bronze PBs, I must protest about the Thinkpads. Their decidely boxy, utilitarian look is part of their charm and their build quality (at least under IBM) is without question. They have genuine innovative design (liquid spillage drainage) and as far as ergonomics go, nothing but nothing beats a Thinkpad keyboard. Not even the Wallstreet's or that of the PB 1400 series.

 

[MagicBoy]

While I agree wholeheartedly on the Bronze PBs, I must protest about the Thinkpads. Their decidely boxy, utilitarian look is part of their charm and their build quality (at least under IBM) is without question. They have genuine innovative design (liquid spillage drainage) and as far as ergonomics go, nothing but nothing beats a Thinkpad keyboard. Not even the Wallstreet's or that of the PB 1400 series.

Agreed. The T40 and T60 series were a near masterpiece. I've been working with ThinkPads for well over ten years now.

The quality has dropped off under Lenovo, and they've trashed the keyboard layouts and installed the worlds worst trackpad on the latest machines. I'd still take a business ThinkPad over anything from Dell, HP etc though.

 

[weckart]

Odd. Over here, Pismos crop up all the time and are cheap to buy. Lombards and Wallstreets are rarer and fetch higher prices. I have my eye on a couple of Lombards right now as they are the only G3 PBs I don't have.

...and gotcha

 

[ptdebate]

...and gotcha

Nice one!

 

[ptdebate]

So--

Something odd I've noticed. The Lombard emits a high-pitched but very quiet buzz. I've posed the question on the LowEndMac facebook page and it was suggested that perhaps a capacitor is failing or there is an issue with the power supply. Again, the sound is very quiet but it's super high-pitched so I can still hear it even when music is playing. Thoughts?

 

[weckart]

Some Intel laptops suffered from CPU whine. Might be something similar as the symptoms match.

 

[JohnnyH1012]

So--

Something odd I've noticed. The Lombard emits a high-pitched but very quiet buzz. I've posed the question on the LowEndMac facebook page and it was suggested that perhaps a capacitor is failing or there is an issue with the power supply. Again, the sound is very quiet but it's super high-pitched so I can still hear it even when music is playing. Thoughts?

My iBook G3 600 Mhz has (well, had) the same issue. It's especially noticeable when it is sleeping.