[KLUG Advocacy] Apple using Intel chips ...

[Bruce Smith]

> > I tend to agree with you, but I also think there are some exceptions.
> >
> > I tried to find a DVD burner for my Powerbook and came up empty.
> 
> the PowerBook will take a standard slot-load optical drive. You might  
> even be able to find a dual-layer one that fits.

I want one that works, not just fits.  :-)

> > Then I found a company that sold replacement internal DVD drives for
> > Powerbooks, so I ordered one, removed about a thousand tiny screws  
> > on my
> > Powerbook, replaced the internal CDROM drive with the DVD drive.
> >
> > It's standard ATAPI, so no problem, right?  WRONG!!!  Mac OS-X  
> > (10.3 at
> > that time) didn't see the drive at all.  Since I had my Powerbook dual
> > booted, I booted Ubuntu Linux, and it found the drive without a  
> > problem.
> 
> Yeah, that is a problem, but it comes from Apple only supporting  
> their chosen hardware. Was it a Panasonic, Sony or maybe Fuji drive?  

Don't remember now.

> also, apps like Roxio's Toast add support for many more optical  
> drives (but that doesn't help if you can't read the disc in Finder).

It wasn't in finder, and it wasn't listed on the bus in the System
Profiler hardware list.

> > If OS-X had a workspace switcher, I'd be happy with the desktop.
> > If that latest Evolution ran, I'd be happy with the apps.
> 
> Have you checked out Gentoo MacOS and Fink? You might be able to get  
> Evolution running. There was an app that actually was a desktop  
> switcher for Panther. Not sure if it's 100% Tiger-compatible or not.  
> It did everything you'd expect it to do, all with nifty 3D- 
> accelerated transitions, a-la Exposé.

I found a 1.4 version of Evolution, but I didn't even try it.
I'm currently spoiled by version 2.2.1.

The new Mail.app on Tiger isn't bad, and will get me by for now.
(and is much improved with Tiger)

> > And I REALLY like the fact that ALL the hardware is fully supported.
> > It's really nice to just shut the lid and have it go to sleep, and  
> > power
> > management works, and have the sound works, and the internal modem  
> > work,
> > and the internal wireless network work, and the fancy touch-pad
> > scrolling works, and ...
> 
> Hence it "Just Works", which was the largest factor in me switching  
> completely from Linux to OS X. I didn't like spending time figuring  
> out why my video card wasn't loading 3D drivers. Manually editing  
> config files on a desktop should be for tweaks, if even that, not  
> getting your machine running properly.

That's much more of a concern for laptops IMO.  Desktops are easy, and
if something doesn't work, there is always the option of throwing a
little money at it and replacing a component.

> >> That's hard to do.  Is VMware seemless?  Is WINE seemless?  Not by a
> >> long shot.
> >
> > I think it can be done.  Maybe "seamless" isn't the correct word.  How
> > about a nice GUI installer (with a lot of usable defaults), and after
> > that Windows [apps] just run ...
> 
> It would be lovely to be able to run WIndoze apps on Mac OS X without  
> loading windows first. Right now there is the Darwine project, which  
> is mixing an x86 emulator with Wine, but it hasn't done much, yet. It  
> would be wonderful if there could just be a port of Wine to Mac OS X

I'm hoping that Apple will surprise us with something new and great,
when they come out with the new CPU's.

I was thinking of buying a Mac-mini for home before the CPU change
announcement, now I'm thinking I'll wait for x86, or a really good
clearance sale on the PPC stuff.  :-)   

What's everyone else thinking on that subject?  Seems like that kind of
thinking could really hurt Apple in the short term.  (as Cringley
mentioned in his article)

 - BS