Or to anyone who pays any attention at all to computers-and-society issues. I've corresponded with the man for years, but I didn't even know about BoingBoing until this past Christmas.
Discounting this because it's on BoingBoing would be like discounting a comment about free software from RMS because it showed up on BoingBoing. The fact that it's on BoingBoing is completely irrelevant - consider the source, not the medium.
The prescott from intel draws more power than the G5.
For a notebook, that's damning with faint praise. Consider this comment from a review of the ASUS l5GA barebones notebook:
The ASUS L5GA is a barebones laptop, so you will need to install the CPU, memory, and hard drive. For the CPU you can use any Pentium IV 800MHZ front side bus processor. This includes processors built on the Northwood, Prescott, an Extreme Edition core. However, at this time will Northwood cores are still available. I recommend them over the Prescott cores due to the additional heat Prescotts generate and the additional price premium for performance that is roughly equivalent to Northwoods.
There has been precisely one 64-bit system that was designed from the ground up for a 64-bit environment. I was using it back when Apple was still fiddling around with the 68000-PPC transition.
And even there you could easily mix and match 32- and 64- bit applications. ANd the only applications that needed to be 64 bit, well, they were doing things that were so far from what anyone's doing on desktops it's not funny.
Every other platform is a 32/64 bit medley, and there's still a tiny fractin of applications... a decade later... that really need to be in 64-bit mode on Tru64.
So.
The 64-bitness of the G5 means absolutely nothing, at this point, and for the anticipated product lifespan of any product Apple's going to be using the dual G4 in. Hell, Apple still doesn't have a G5 that provides more than 32-bits worth of RAM per processor.
You know what I think, I think Apple will call the dual G4 a G5 on the basis of its memory architecture. And on the basis of it kicking the butt of any single-CPU G5 boxes...
And more expensive. And would eat more precious space in the chassis.
Are you sure we're both talking about the new dual-core G4 *chip* from Freescale? The MPC8641D is in the same package as the single-core MPC8641, and I doubt it's more expensive or larger than a G5 and the cooling system THAT bad boy would need to avoid melting the Powerbook's guts...
A dual-core G4 would be cooler and clock-for-clock faster than the G5. Apple would be nuts to put a case-melting G5 in a PB before they take advantage of the new dual-core G4...
I think you mean "this is the flaming grail-shaped beacon of computing". And by "flaming" I mean "this will bake your lap from a foor away".
Apple would be nuts to go with a PB G5 before releasing one using the dual-core G4... which would be both cooler and clock-for-clock more powerful than a G5.
They realise it. That's why OS X has 2- and 3- button support out of the box. The availability of cheap high-quality multi-button USB mice from the PC world lets them get away with pretending that the one-button mouse isn't a problem, and not including a mouse with the Mini is another way to dodge the bullet.
I haven't worked on nuke plants, but I do work in the industry.
We don't get to dictate network layout to customers, of course, but we recommend and usually provide a separate firewall, independent of any corporate firewall, between the power systems LAN and the rest of the corporate network.
I've got a 256M XServe at work, and it swaps way too much. It feels like I'm using Windows or something... if I wanted to put up with that shiznat I'd have bought an eMachine.
Sorry, the Red Hat kool-aid is incompatible with the Apple kool-aid. Luckily the Apple kool-aid does almost everything the Red Hat kool-aid does, except run on Wintel kool-aid hardware. And the Mac Mini is soooooo cute.
You can't buy a comparable PC to a Mac mini for any amount of money, even if you give up the cute little box.
Because you can't run Mac OS on a PC.
People keep thinking of Apple as a hardware company. They're not. They're a software company that bundles hardware with their software. People pay a premium for tha hardware because that's what it takes to get the software.
You can't duplicate the Mac Mini by putting the Cappucino in a pretty box, any more than you can duplicate the iMac by putting a PC in a fruity case.
If you don't want the software, you will never understand why people buy Macs.
If you do want the software, you will never understand why people keep ricing-up their PCs and sticking the same lousy software inside them.
Now now, they've typically only been twice the price of hardware-comparable PCs. This one's maybe 30-50% more, which is pretty remarkable for Apple.
(I want the choice between *nix and Windows, something an Apple can't provide)
No, Apple provides a compromise between UNIX and Windows, that's nearly as good as the best of UNIX and far beyond the best of Windows. I'll take a loaf and a half instead of a choice of two half-loaves, but maybe you like rebooting into the alternate OS more than I do...
I disagree that the G4/1.25 is "only good for... little functions", but that's beside the point. And people don't spend extra for Macs because of the hardware, they spend extra because of the software...
But, anyway, what do you want to bet that Apple doesn't come out with a "Media Center" edition of the Mac mini within a year?
all women are irrational, inflexible bitches who don't understand the value of money and will use any thriftiness as grounds for divorce
No, because an irrational inflexible b-word who doesn't understand how to get along with his wife is almost certainly playing tag with the divorce fairy elsewhere in his relationship as well.
Slashdot Mirror
Doctorow is mainly know to BoingBoing readers
Or to anyone who pays any attention at all to computers-and-society issues. I've corresponded with the man for years, but I didn't even know about BoingBoing until this past Christmas.
Discounting this because it's on BoingBoing would be like discounting a comment about free software from RMS because it showed up on BoingBoing. The fact that it's on BoingBoing is completely irrelevant - consider the source, not the medium.
In this corner: the author of "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom", a crusader for online freedom, and respected onine journalist.
In this corner, the man who invented <blink>.
Who are you gonna trust?
Cory Doctorow isn't exactly a random luser, he's a well-known commentator and online journalist.
The prescott from intel draws more power than the G5.
For a notebook, that's damning with faint praise. Consider this comment from a review of the ASUS l5GA barebones notebook:
The ASUS L5GA is a barebones laptop, so you will need to install the CPU, memory, and hard drive. For the CPU you can use any Pentium IV 800MHZ front side bus processor. This includes processors built on the Northwood, Prescott, an Extreme Edition core. However, at this time will Northwood cores are still available. I recommend them over the Prescott cores due to the additional heat Prescotts generate and the additional price premium for performance that is roughly equivalent to Northwoods.
There has been precisely one 64-bit system that was designed from the ground up for a 64-bit environment. I was using it back when Apple was still fiddling around with the 68000-PPC transition.
And even there you could easily mix and match 32- and 64- bit applications. ANd the only applications that needed to be 64 bit, well, they were doing things that were so far from what anyone's doing on desktops it's not funny.
Every other platform is a 32/64 bit medley, and there's still a tiny fractin of applications... a decade later... that really need to be in 64-bit mode on Tru64.
So.
The 64-bitness of the G5 means absolutely nothing, at this point, and for the anticipated product lifespan of any product Apple's going to be using the dual G4 in. Hell, Apple still doesn't have a G5 that provides more than 32-bits worth of RAM per processor.
You know what I think, I think Apple will call the dual G4 a G5 on the basis of its memory architecture. And on the basis of it kicking the butt of any single-CPU G5 boxes...
Should read, "WiFi to save wireless users $12B", or "WiFi to get up to $12B slice of wireless pie".
Not making as much revenue as predicted is not a "cost".
How many fucking times are you going to post this?
Once for each time I get an error back from my proxy saying it didn't get posted. Plus one.
Boy, you have a low frigging redundancy threshold. What happens to your brain when Slashdot posts a whole story twice, not just a followup.
at the same clock speed, what does the G5 offer over the G4?
A longer pipeline (remember the megahertz myth?) and arguably less performance.
a G5 powerbook is inevitable
Along with a backpack to carry the battery in?
And more expensive. And would eat more precious space in the chassis.
Are you sure we're both talking about the new dual-core G4 *chip* from Freescale? The MPC8641D is in the same package as the single-core MPC8641, and I doubt it's more expensive or larger than a G5 and the cooling system THAT bad boy would need to avoid melting the Powerbook's guts...
A dual-core G4 would be cooler and clock-for-clock faster than the G5. Apple would be nuts to put a case-melting G5 in a PB before they take advantage of the new dual-core G4...
This is the holy grail of computing
I think you mean "this is the flaming grail-shaped beacon of computing". And by "flaming" I mean "this will bake your lap from a foor away".
Apple would be nuts to go with a PB G5 before releasing one using the dual-core G4... which would be both cooler and clock-for-clock more powerful than a G5.
what, do they just not realise it or something?
They realise it. That's why OS X has 2- and 3- button support out of the box. The availability of cheap high-quality multi-button USB mice from the PC world lets them get away with pretending that the one-button mouse isn't a problem, and not including a mouse with the Mini is another way to dodge the bullet.
I haven't worked on nuke plants, but I do work in the industry.
We don't get to dictate network layout to customers, of course, but we recommend and usually provide a separate firewall, independent of any corporate firewall, between the power systems LAN and the rest of the corporate network.
If you plug a USB keyboard and mouse into an Xbox, however, (almost) no licensed games will attempt to read them.
Well, damn, those games wouldn't even RUN on my Mac mini!
I've got a 256M XServe at work, and it swaps way too much. It feels like I'm using Windows or something... if I wanted to put up with that shiznat I'd have bought an eMachine.
Now if they bundled a mouse and keyboard with the Xbox version, it would *almost* replace my windows box.
:)
Apple didn't include a mouse and keyboard with the Mac Mini that they bundled with my copy of OS X and iLife 5. I still managed to deal with it.
MS should look into making a reduced "Gamers" edition of Windows.
:)
They have two: Xbox and XP Home. They even bundle a computer with the Xbox version.
I say it's good.
You're obviously not in IT... if you were you'd be screaming. Restricted security updates means more virus seeds and faster virus distribution.
At this rate, I'll be jumping ship to a Mac Mini any day now just to get spun up.
What's holding you back? Go for it! Just remember to get the 512M upgrade - Apple should be ashamed for even offering a 256M option.
Sorry, the Red Hat kool-aid is incompatible with the Apple kool-aid. Luckily the Apple kool-aid does almost everything the Red Hat kool-aid does, except run on Wintel kool-aid hardware. And the Mac Mini is soooooo cute.
Heh. That was my first thought when I saw the article.
You can't buy a comparable PC to a Mac mini for any amount of money, even if you give up the cute little box.
Because you can't run Mac OS on a PC.
People keep thinking of Apple as a hardware company. They're not. They're a software company that bundles hardware with their software. People pay a premium for tha hardware because that's what it takes to get the software.
You can't duplicate the Mac Mini by putting the Cappucino in a pretty box, any more than you can duplicate the iMac by putting a PC in a fruity case.
If you don't want the software, you will never understand why people buy Macs.
If you do want the software, you will never understand why people keep ricing-up their PCs and sticking the same lousy software inside them.
Now now, they've typically only been twice the price of hardware-comparable PCs. This one's maybe 30-50% more, which is pretty remarkable for Apple.
(I want the choice between *nix and Windows, something an Apple can't provide)
No, Apple provides a compromise between UNIX and Windows, that's nearly as good as the best of UNIX and far beyond the best of Windows. I'll take a loaf and a half instead of a choice of two half-loaves, but maybe you like rebooting into the alternate OS more than I do...
I disagree that the G4/1.25 is "only good for ... little functions", but that's beside the point. And people don't spend extra for Macs because of the hardware, they spend extra because of the software...
But, anyway, what do you want to bet that Apple doesn't come out with a "Media Center" edition of the Mac mini within a year?
all women are irrational, inflexible bitches who don't understand the value of money and will use any thriftiness as grounds for divorce
No, because an irrational inflexible b-word who doesn't understand how to get along with his wife is almost certainly playing tag with the divorce fairy elsewhere in his relationship as well.