[KLUG Advocacy] the new macs

[Adam Williams]

> >>>check out Apple.com. dual 2Ghz 64-bit IBM-powered monsters they are
> >>>going to be shipping, starting september. Also, OS X 10.3, Panther,
> >>>will be out in september. :) www.apple.com to see a side-view of one,
> >>>click on it for the specs.
> >>I looked at these, basically you are buying a stripped down RS/6000 
> >>(now
> >>called P* series) in a swanky "post-modern" (never understood that
> >>adjective in this context) case.  These babies should FLY!  IDE drives
> >>attached to something like this just turns the stomach, but Oh well.
> >It'll get fixed at some point, that;'s my bet. Apple has shown a 
> >tendency to go SCSI, and I bet they will again here, once/when it ships hot, and 
> >the user base demands it (explicitly or implicitly).
> it's serial ATA, 150 meg/sec. isn't that fast enough for desktop use? 

Use of one of these boxes as a "desktop" is ludicrous,  and the HD
performance doesn't matter one bit.  I assume that these are targeted at
the "workstation" market, where there is ALOT more to I/O than brute bus
speed - latency, CPU utilization, operation reordering, error sensing
and correction, smart block reallocation.  'Best Buy' harddrives don't
do well at all in these catagories.

> One thing I've noticed is that they've only got 2 internal HD bays, 

Make me think Apple thinks of these as "desktops".  Rather suprising.

> instead of the 4 that the Power Mac G4 had. I wonder when G5 XServes 
> are coming out? :)

The 1U XServe I saw only had two drive bays.  I'd be curious how many of
those they've actually sold - why wouldn't a business just buy a real
(black & boxy) PowerPC server box (aka RS/6000) for barely more money? 
It was fun to watch these things trounce some Dell boxes in a
performance run off (Can I say "Duh?!") but I just don't see the market
except in pure Mac shops.

> >> Maybe you can give us a demo?  Still have open dates in 2003. :)
> > A good idea! These things have to be seen and played with to be
> > appreciated.
> If only I had the means to get one.... But I will be getting Panther 
> for my iBook. it won't be as pretty as it would be on a G5 (some 
> effects might not be smooth), but, yeah, I'll do a demo. It would have 
> to be in December, is the 16th still open?

Yes it is.  Would you like to officially reserve it?

> > And the more Linux and OS-X are around in similar environments, the 
> > more
> > applications will converge (like Open Office).
> Open Office runs pretty well on apple's X11 (which is another thing 
> included in Panther).  It's annoying how OpenOffice can't even use "PC" 
> truetype fonts that are installed in Jaguar (or "JagWire" according to 
> Steve Jobs). I like on SuSE, when I install the fonts, after SuSEConfig 
> runs, that my fonts are available in every application, including OO, I 
> don't have to config OO to look where the fonts are or anything, it 
> just works.

The font problem is kind of surprising since Apple is *THE* font crazed
platform.  Maybe since X11 is now bundled they will have fixed this?