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Now that it's 2015, how do you plan to use PPC Macs?

TBerk said:
Traditionally, (all last Century and everything) I'd use a util to split the large file into 1.44M sized .arj or .zip files, spanning as many diskettes as required, and reassemble the on the target computer.

Two things; I'm replying prior to actually reading the whole thread's responses, and I'd need to recollect, search for an actual name of said util- I remember doing it, I forget with what on a Mac platform.

(and then there is the 21st Century Sneaker-Net version where an external USB hard drive serves to get the job done, when possible...)

Performa 5215CD. OK, It looks like USB is out, but there should be a CD (700M) and a SCSI port; I think I have a DB-25 SCSI Ext Drive in a milk crate somewhere, doesn't everybody?
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That would be a helpful utility! By the way, I already can print from the Performa. I am trying to load this driver onto a Macintosh Classic II. I have an external HD I could use, but it never mounted on the desktop of one of my other Macs... I will test it on the Performa and Classic, but if it still won't mount, then that is outta the question.
 
TBerk said:
Ah, I'll keep looking...

PS- I found this: Performa Exploded Diagram.
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/lovemacs_2322_1834107549
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Alright--

Cool diagram; I found a service guide for it as well, just in case. Oh, and I found out that it doesn't matter whether or not the SCSI drive mounts onto the Classic II's desktop, as I have no way to plug the SCSI drive into a modern Mac, which is where I have that downloaded file. I wonder if I can somehow access the driver on the Performa... it works well with the printer, so I am assuming the driver it uses is somewhere on the system. Other than that, I probably need some kind of application, like you mentioned.
 
I made the switch two years ago when I retired my PowerMac G4 and bought a brand new Mac Pro. The fact of the matter is, for internet surfing and basic tasks the Power Mac G4 (even upgraded to 1.4Ghz) is not much faster than my 1.6Ghz Atom netbook running Ubuntu - an OS that is still being currently updated. My Mac Pro is so much faster I can't afford to stick with PPC. It's also about a million times quieter (though it sucks quite a bit more juice).

I'd probably still be using my PowerBook G4 but after the backlight died for the second time and the optical drive gave out I gave up on it. A shame because I loved that machine. Maybe I'l get around to fixing it some day.

My Power Mac G4 still runs great though, and I use it occasionally to handle legacy files and putz around in OS 9 or early OS X apps. It's one of the best computers I've ever owned and I intend to keep it running indefinitely.
 
Watt said:
I use my iBook and PowerBook for distraction-free writing.
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I agree with you, in school I get easily distracted while using my iPad, but my iBook doesn't really have anything to distract me with, so I feel inclined to actually take notes...
 
Gamer9430 said:
I agree with you, in school I get easily distracted while using my iPad, but my iBook doesn't really have anything to distract me with, so I feel inclined to actually take notes...
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Same here. Sometimes it's best to sit down at a machine that's less capable; I don't get distracted all the time, but sometimes I get off-track, and it definitely helps to be using a simple machine, on which you wouldn't bother loading something like a heavy website.

The other benefit is a comfy keyboard to type on! (PowerBook or iBook). Believe it or not, I also really enjoy the Apple Pro keyboard w/ solid foot (the one that came out in 2003, after the white Pro keyboard w/ adjustable foot). Just like the black Pro keyboard, it seems like every one of these things types differently from each other. I own several, and some are nice and some are OKAY. I have used certain ones that had really stiff keys, and I have used certain ones with a pretty nice feel to them. All-in-all, the keys on these keyboards are stiffer than those on the adjustable-foot Pro keyboards (both black & white), but they still offer a fun typing experience. I use a bluetooth one on my main PowerPC Mac---my iSight iMac G5.

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Gamer9430 said:
I agree with you, in school I get easily distracted while using my iPad, but my iBook doesn't really have anything to distract me with, so I feel inclined to actually take notes...
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Do you get the same questions from other students that I do?

"Whoa, is that--like--a very old MacBook?" xD
 
PowerMac G4 MDD said:
Same here. Sometimes it's best to sit down at a machine that's less capable; I don't get distracted all the time, but sometimes I get off-track, and it definitely helps to be using a simple machine, on which you wouldn't bother loading something like a heavy website.

The other benefit is a comfy keyboard to type on! (PowerBook or iBook). Believe it or not, I also really enjoy the Apple Pro keyboard w/ solid foot (the one that came out in 2003, after the white Pro keyboard w/ adjustable foot). Just like the black Pro keyboard, it seems like every one of these things types differently from each other. I own several, and some are nice and some are OKAY. I have used certain ones that had really stiff keys, and I have used certain ones with a pretty nice feel to them. All-in-all, the keys on these keyboards are stiffer than those on the adjustable-foot Pro keyboards (both black & white), but they still offer a fun typing experience. I use a bluetooth one on my main PowerPC Mac---my iSight iMac G5.

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Do you get the same questions from other students that I do?

"Whoa, is that--like--a very old MacBook?" xD
Click to expand...

Every single day...
 
Cory5412 said:
It's really interesting to see the number of posts here that talk about PowerPC as though staying the PPC course is an ideological posiiton that's important to prove a point.

Just out of curiosity, to whom are you proving the point? It seems like doing this is really just tightening the noose around your own ability to get things done in a reasonable manner…
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Speaking only for myself, but I think others here might agree…

It's become an idealogical position because my choice has been attacked. I choose, either through desire or lack of finances to continue with PowerPC Macs. For other people, my decision is illogical and unsustainable. They leave their Intel forums here on MR to come into our threads and personally inform us that we are all wrong.

The only way to rectify the situation in their eyes is for us to junk our old Macs and rush out and buy a brand new Mac. Then and only then will we be given any respect.

These people purposely go out of their way to come in here and blast us. We do not go to the Intel sections and lay into the Intel owners about their choices. I choose to own a PowerPC Mac. Why is that any business of theirs and why is my choice inferior or any less valuable? My choice does not affect their finances. It does not affect their use of their own computers. Yet, it is a personal crusade for these people.

My PowerPC Macs work for the purposes I have them for. They do the job and I throw money at them because I want to. I don't care whether that makes any financial sense or if that can be justified or not on someone's accounting sheets. I do it because I enjoy the feeling these machines give me and I like making these old machines perform. I'm a tinkerer.

Many of us also own Intel Macs, but we all have our own reasons for continuing to own and purchasing PowerPC Macs. Some time very soon I will own my first Intel Mac and it will be put to a specific purpose and the PowerPC Mac it replaces will have another purpose. I don't think it is tightening the noose around my ability to get things done by using PowerPC. My time schedule is not bound by anyone else's standards. If my own Macs complete things within my schedule why does that matter to anyone else?

As to whom we are proving the point to, it is those people that say only Intel Macs are capable. I deny that attitude every time I sit down at my PowerPC Macs. I don't understand why I have to adhere to this attitude when I have perfectly capable Macs that are not Intel. But those people seem to think I have to for some reason.
 
Eloquently stated! I might add myself that what kind/year model of Mac you need is very much determined by what you do. If you're a writer, buying a brand new MBPr is pretty indulgent if you ask me, or perhaps indicates that you're very wealthy.

If you're a video editor or animator, you should absolutely buy the most powerful mac you can reasonably afford--even if it means taking out a loan to do so--because cutting edge processing power is critical to maintaining an efficient workflow.

There's a range of potential applications for these machines in between these two examples.

The existence of a PowerPC community in 2015 demonstrates that there are plenty of ways to save money on useful computer hardware, assuming that you don't absolutely need the highest processing power money can afford.
 
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I'm not on a crusade or anything like that. I use PPC Macs for two reasons:

1. Most of the time, they can get what I need to done as efficiently as my Intel Macs at least in my specific use cases, and sometimes more efficiently. My 15" Powerbook and dual-screen G5 are good examples of the "more efficient" part, as I'm not doing anything processor intensive and screen real estate(compared to my 13" MBP) makes work a lot more efficient. I can't afford the Intel Macs that would allow me a similar set up.

2. I like playing with old Macs, both repairing them and squeezing as much out as I can.

If I see an opportunity to efficiently incorporate PPC into my workflow, I generally will do it.

By the way, I have three Intel Macs, and probably my most used Mac is my MBP just for basic, day in and day out web browsing and the like.
 
Picked up a used Powerbook Al 15" for $5 yesterday off of CL. Yes, $5. Sure, it has some small scratches and dings, but otherwise it works perfectly. RAM is also maxed and the HDD updated to something more modern. Overall i'd say it was a steal, even if browsing the web is generally slow.

I plan to use it to take with me on site at work rather than having to use their own terrible PC laptops. For simply writing down data in a text file, it works just as well as anything else out there!
 
2016 and I'm still exclusively PowerPC...I can still do everything I need to with my Quad and Powerbooks :)
This is my second Quad and it makes me think my first one was defective, as this one is stupid fast and is virtually silent - even when playing 1080P Flash Youtubes...
 
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