no, you can get an Apple-legitimate Radeon 32MB for your Cube, same as the one in my PowerMac, excepting the addition of a little fan. Quiet one, though - should've ordered that Radeon when you got it...
that's not really fair, the Mac isn't REALLY 2 years behind in any realistic sense - the performance of that dual 1Ghz G4 would have been off the charts 2 years ago. Certainly, the Powermac is showing it's age (particularly that of it's mobo chipset) but I think that we're rapidly approaching a new mobo from Apple that will meet or beat the best PC configs. If you look back, you'll see that Apple's performance hikes tend to come in bigger steps, less often whereas the PC world gets a newer and faster chip every month or so. The Powermac definitely isn't out of contention yet, but the overhaul is due. FWIW, the article bears out my experiences quite closely as someone working in a cross platform environment.
I don't think it's really all that important - thus test shows up quite nicely that the G4 is currently pretty hamstrung by t's 133Mhz memory bus. I do video compression professionally using both Mac and PC workstations, but the Mac is currently one generation behind the PC in terms of performance owing to it's memory bus. We're betting that Apple will address this during the summer, and we'll add a new Mac workstation at THAT point. Whether it's a G4 or G5 that'll be powering it doesn't really matter that much - right now the Mac just needs more bandwidth. Set againstt all that is the simple fact that our existing G4 workstations have both 64bit PCI AND Gig Ethernet, so in some ways the Mac is still pretty quick. But, no doubt our fastest machine is our Athlon XP 2100+ - it's a screamer. Our 933 Mac gives around the same performance (generally) as our older 1.4 GHz T'bird. Still f**king fast by any reasonable measure, and amazing when doing it Altivec-style (you should see the Apple MPEG2 encodr go!).
Yep, Mac OS 7.6.1, to be precise. If you want to see Apple's commitment to older hardware, just go and download System 7.5.3 from their website for NOTHING.
I use Apple's MPEG1 decoder extensively, and it's one of the best implementations out there. As someone who also uses Windows 200, I can tell that Apple's MPEG1 playback is MILES better. pr0n ofte has crappy over length GOP structures, illegal VBV sizes and bad audio. I'd suspect the file rather than the player in this case.
another me too, I'm afraid. Napster brought a real renaissance of my music buying habits, but this has since tailed back off. Sure I could use Kazaa or Caraccho or Hotline or something, but it's not the same at all. I honestly believe that the record companies will NEVER accept this point of view, so we're pretty much wasting our time. A quick look at my iTunes window shows me a total of 1691 songs, exactly 22 of these were not ripped by me from legally bought discs. I may not be typical, as my home computer is still on dial-up, but I never did trust tracks ripped by others so I could never make do with a library largely made up of other people's crappy rips, I'd always prefer to roll my own...
the other way to look at this decision is to think "maybe Apple feel that they''ll have the hardware by 2003 that will make the IRIX and possibly even the Linux versions unneccesary". Apple has the ability to build a LOT of optimisation into it's software products - just look at the incredible speed of Apple's Altivec-charged software MPEG2 encoder. This is VERY bad news for SGI's movie business, Apple obviously aren't content to sit back and wait for discreet to develop for the Mac. Apple wants post - and it's going the right way about getting it.
yeah, that makes a lot of sense. DNA is gone so the principal of supporting original comedy production by BBC radio no longer applies. What are you gonna do next, chip down to the Broadcasting House and settle down for a free lunch? After all, you've paid for it.
why is that a shambles? the radio series is available on CD from the BBC - and has been for at least a decade. Do you feel that you have the right to go and steal the novels from the bookstore? Where the fuck do you think that DNA's publishers and producers of his various TV and radio series' get the fucking money to pay him? Shit, if you're not even prepared to pay for quality like the HHGTTG radio series, then you're just a theiving fucking parasite of others' hard work.
"YUV" can ONLY be applied to ANALOGUE component video, never digital. Sorry, I honestly thought that SV3.1 used a 4:2:2 sampling regime - it certainly LOOKS better than most 4:2:0 implementations. My mistake.
I didn't say the iMac experience was necessarily better, just that it wasn't directly comparable. And the pile of beige crapola is true - those massive PC-plus-scanner-plus-printer-plus-camera-plus-spea kers-plus-monitor deals always leave with an enormous amount of kit that looks apalling in a domestic setting, isn't generally very good and probably isn't what you'd buy given the choice. The same kind of thing happens with DVDs - you want to go and buy Robocop so you can watch Robocop. WHat you HAVE to buy is Robocop AND Robocop 2 AND loads of pointless extras which add NOTHING to the film that you paid for but DO detract from the available disc space and therefore potential quality of the main feature. Bundling, IMHO, demonstrates the dead hand of marketing at work and adds very little REAL value.
I'm using a PC right now (one that I built myself, actually) that has a 4-button-plus-scroll-wheel MS Intellimouse Explorer. I hate it, I really do. I find the scroll wheel to be a very clumsy and uncomfortable tool, the 3rd and 4th buttons are COMPLETELY useless and the whole mouse creaks when you squeeze it. I DO use the 2nd button (windows is designed that way) but I really, honestly prefer the Apple modifier keys approach. In my opinion, Apple should incorporate 2 scrollwheels into the top corners of their keyboards - that would be far superior to the wheel-on-mouse design. As to the taskbar, don't you find that the whole concept falls apart when you've got more than about 5 minimised windows? I use a 1280x1024 desktop on my Windows workstation and often find myself having to check through the taskbar to see what things actually are. Maybe it's just me, but most people who criticise the MacOS don't seem to use it much whereas most Mac users seem to use Windows a lot out of necessity. Who would you say is better able to judge their relative merits?
>MacOS 8 and 9 suck so hard. I don't know if the >retarded behaviour can be configured out, but the >defaults are ridiculous:
>- Can't have a few windows from one application >and a few from another at the top. If you have a >bunch of browser windows, clicking on one brings >them all to the top.
MacOS has various ways of hiding and showing certain windows, including "window shading" and "pop up" windows. You can also properly HIDE applications entirely if you'd like.
>- The Start menu is so much better for launching >programs. The idea of having to open folder after >folder of windows that stay open is worse than >the Win 3.1 Program Manager.
Merely holding the Option key will close the previous window automatically. You can combine this with tie window title bar hierarchy to move very swiftly and cleanly - much faster than Windows, in fact.
>- Apple made a conscious decision to avoid >2-button mice for so long. The context menu >right-click is so useful in windows. Yeah, yeah, >you can press the apple key to fake it, but that >is a pain.
Nope, you press the Control key to bring up contextual menus. Why is using click modifier keys such a pain? What are you doing with your other hand that doesn't involve the keyboard?
>- The lack of a taskbar (remember, we're talking >about OS 8 and 9 here) makes it hard to switch >between programs. The peice-of-junk menu at the >top right is no substitute.
MacOS has a device called the "application switcher" that tears off from that menu, and can be placed anywhere on the desktop as a floating palette.
>- Finder is much worse than Windows Explorer.
Finder is infinitely superior to Windows Explorer.
>- Applications that don't quit even after closing >all Windows is a weird feature. I can see how >sometimes it may be useful but most of the time >it just gets in the way. The OS even detects that >and pops up a dialog to ask you if you want to >close it. This is a sure sign of bad design
What do you know about design? Why shouldn't I be able to close all my windows in an app and then hit Command-N for a new window? Applications and windows are NOT the same thing. Microsoft's window-centric design is hugely frustrating and clutters your desktop with many menu bars. I use Win2K a work, and get along with it OK, but the OS9 FGinder is - to my way of working - about a thousand times more functional, flexible and fast.
what floppy? obviously you don't use a Mac, or you'd notice that there are many ways to remove disks; that the KEYBOARD has an eject key and that the trash icon turns into an eject icon as soon as you click and drag a mounted volume.
why do people do this price comparison crap EVERY TIME? It's caveat emptor out there, son. Companies are NOT obliged to give you best value - determining THAT is your perogative as a consumer. And, as any fool can see, a huge pile of beige crapola is NEVER going to be an equal proposition to an iMac - not to mention the difference when you turn it on.
yeah? they used to. What other MacOS system components don't they mention that you'll need? QuickTime is an integral part of the MacOS - MUST they mention it?
WMP for the Mac ABSOLUTELY DOES require QuickTime. In MacOSX, there is NO WAY of turning off QT AFAIK. Disabling QT in OS 9.2 is extremely ill-advised, but quite possible.
Sorenson Video 3.1 (the current version) gives approximately the same results as the best MPEG1 encoders at around ONE THIRD the data rate. Sorenson Video 3.1 also has a sharper colour subsampling regime, and therefore portrays colour detail better at any given frame size. At higher data rates (say, over 1Mbit/sec) MPEG1 will close the gap somewhat as Sorenson Video's higher CPU load makes high rate files rather difficult to decode. Horses for courses, as ever with video encoding. But, make no mistake, SV 3.1 is an excellent state of the art codec whereas MPEG1 is a decade-plus old trail blazer, and the lingua franca of desktop video.
"I think you need t reality check man. nothiong beats a good book in terms of entertainment."
I disagree. Prolonged sexual intercourse while tripping on acid is infinitely more entertaining than reading a fucking book. Conversation is often more entertaining than reading a fucking book. Bookc CAN be excellent, but most aren't (I'm thinking Jeffrey Archer here), so let's not hold up book reading as some kind of higher spiritual experience. Coz that's nonsense.
no, your analogy is complete bollocks. Alternative remedies DO NOT work, and have much more to do with social engineering than medicine. Consult a medical doctor, if you have some doubts about their diagnosis - consult another. Just don't start taking "herbal" cures that do you more harm than good. Apple make personal computers, the fact that the rest of the consumer PC market uses a single platform is really not Apple's problem, they just get on with making personal computers. If you like their machines, buy one. If not, don't. Pretty easy, huh?
"Mac OS" and "Mac OS X" are OS names. "10.1.4" and "9.2.2" are version numbers. Got it? "
No, I don't get it. Calling it Mac OSX 10.1.4 implies that you're using version ten point on point four of OSX. You're not, you're using version 1.1.4 of OSX, although it would also be conceivable to understand it as version ten point one point four of the Mac OS. We know why Apple uses the X, but it would be more convenient if the seperated the version numbers more correctly.
Slashdot Mirror
no, you can get an Apple-legitimate Radeon 32MB for your Cube, same as the one in my PowerMac, excepting the addition of a little fan. Quiet one, though - should've ordered that Radeon when you got it...
that's not really fair, the Mac isn't REALLY 2 years behind in any realistic sense - the performance of that dual 1Ghz G4 would have been off the charts 2 years ago. Certainly, the Powermac is showing it's age (particularly that of it's mobo chipset) but I think that we're rapidly approaching a new mobo from Apple that will meet or beat the best PC configs. If you look back, you'll see that Apple's performance hikes tend to come in bigger steps, less often whereas the PC world gets a newer and faster chip every month or so. The Powermac definitely isn't out of contention yet, but the overhaul is due. FWIW, the article bears out my experiences quite closely as someone working in a cross platform environment.
I don't think it's really all that important - thus test shows up quite nicely that the G4 is currently pretty hamstrung by t's 133Mhz memory bus. I do video compression professionally using both Mac and PC workstations, but the Mac is currently one generation behind the PC in terms of performance owing to it's memory bus. We're betting that Apple will address this during the summer, and we'll add a new Mac workstation at THAT point. Whether it's a G4 or G5 that'll be powering it doesn't really matter that much - right now the Mac just needs more bandwidth. Set againstt all that is the simple fact that our existing G4 workstations have both 64bit PCI AND Gig Ethernet, so in some ways the Mac is still pretty quick. But, no doubt our fastest machine is our Athlon XP 2100+ - it's a screamer. Our 933 Mac gives around the same performance (generally) as our older 1.4 GHz T'bird. Still f**king fast by any reasonable measure, and amazing when doing it Altivec-style (you should see the Apple MPEG2 encodr go!).
Yep, Mac OS 7.6.1, to be precise. If you want to see Apple's commitment to older hardware, just go and download System 7.5.3 from their website for NOTHING.
I use Apple's MPEG1 decoder extensively, and it's one of the best implementations out there. As someone who also uses Windows 200, I can tell that Apple's MPEG1 playback is MILES better. pr0n ofte has crappy over length GOP structures, illegal VBV sizes and bad audio. I'd suspect the file rather than the player in this case.
another me too, I'm afraid. Napster brought a real renaissance of my music buying habits, but this has since tailed back off. Sure I could use Kazaa or Caraccho or Hotline or something, but it's not the same at all. I honestly believe that the record companies will NEVER accept this point of view, so we're pretty much wasting our time. A quick look at my iTunes window shows me a total of 1691 songs, exactly 22 of these were not ripped by me from legally bought discs. I may not be typical, as my home computer is still on dial-up, but I never did trust tracks ripped by others so I could never make do with a library largely made up of other people's crappy rips, I'd always prefer to roll my own...
the other way to look at this decision is to think "maybe Apple feel that they''ll have the hardware by 2003 that will make the IRIX and possibly even the Linux versions unneccesary". Apple has the ability to build a LOT of optimisation into it's software products - just look at the incredible speed of Apple's Altivec-charged software MPEG2 encoder. This is VERY bad news for SGI's movie business, Apple obviously aren't content to sit back and wait for discreet to develop for the Mac. Apple wants post - and it's going the right way about getting it.
yeah, that makes a lot of sense. DNA is gone so the principal of supporting original comedy production by BBC radio no longer applies. What are you gonna do next, chip down to the Broadcasting House and settle down for a free lunch? After all, you've paid for it.
why is that a shambles? the radio series is available on CD from the BBC - and has been for at least a decade. Do you feel that you have the right to go and steal the novels from the bookstore? Where the fuck do you think that DNA's publishers and producers of his various TV and radio series' get the fucking money to pay him? Shit, if you're not even prepared to pay for quality like the HHGTTG radio series, then you're just a theiving fucking parasite of others' hard work.
"YUV" can ONLY be applied to ANALOGUE component video, never digital. Sorry, I honestly thought that SV3.1 used a 4:2:2 sampling regime - it certainly LOOKS better than most 4:2:0 implementations. My mistake.
I didn't say the iMac experience was necessarily better, just that it wasn't directly comparable. And the pile of beige crapola is true - those massive PC-plus-scanner-plus-printer-plus-camera-plus-spea kers-plus-monitor deals always leave with an enormous amount of kit that looks apalling in a domestic setting, isn't generally very good and probably isn't what you'd buy given the choice. The same kind of thing happens with DVDs - you want to go and buy Robocop so you can watch Robocop. WHat you HAVE to buy is Robocop AND Robocop 2 AND loads of pointless extras which add NOTHING to the film that you paid for but DO detract from the available disc space and therefore potential quality of the main feature. Bundling, IMHO, demonstrates the dead hand of marketing at work and adds very little REAL value.
I'm using a PC right now (one that I built myself, actually) that has a 4-button-plus-scroll-wheel MS Intellimouse Explorer. I hate it, I really do. I find the scroll wheel to be a very clumsy and uncomfortable tool, the 3rd and 4th buttons are COMPLETELY useless and the whole mouse creaks when you squeeze it. I DO use the 2nd button (windows is designed that way) but I really, honestly prefer the Apple modifier keys approach. In my opinion, Apple should incorporate 2 scrollwheels into the top corners of their keyboards - that would be far superior to the wheel-on-mouse design. As to the taskbar, don't you find that the whole concept falls apart when you've got more than about 5 minimised windows? I use a 1280x1024 desktop on my Windows workstation and often find myself having to check through the taskbar to see what things actually are. Maybe it's just me, but most people who criticise the MacOS don't seem to use it much whereas most Mac users seem to use Windows a lot out of necessity. Who would you say is better able to judge their relative merits?
>MacOS 8 and 9 suck so hard. I don't know if the >retarded behaviour can be configured out, but the >defaults are ridiculous:
>- Can't have a few windows from one application >and a few from another at the top. If you have a >bunch of browser windows, clicking on one brings >them all to the top.
MacOS has various ways of hiding and showing certain windows, including "window shading" and "pop up" windows. You can also properly HIDE applications entirely if you'd like.
>- The Start menu is so much better for launching >programs. The idea of having to open folder after >folder of windows that stay open is worse than >the Win 3.1 Program Manager.
Merely holding the Option key will close the previous window automatically. You can combine this with tie window title bar hierarchy to move very swiftly and cleanly - much faster than Windows, in fact.
>- Apple made a conscious decision to avoid >2-button mice for so long. The context menu >right-click is so useful in windows. Yeah, yeah, >you can press the apple key to fake it, but that >is a pain.
Nope, you press the Control key to bring up contextual menus. Why is using click modifier keys such a pain? What are you doing with your other hand that doesn't involve the keyboard?
>- The lack of a taskbar (remember, we're talking >about OS 8 and 9 here) makes it hard to switch >between programs. The peice-of-junk menu at the >top right is no substitute.
MacOS has a device called the "application switcher" that tears off from that menu, and can be placed anywhere on the desktop as a floating palette.
>- Finder is much worse than Windows Explorer.
Finder is infinitely superior to Windows Explorer.
>- Applications that don't quit even after closing >all Windows is a weird feature. I can see how >sometimes it may be useful but most of the time >it just gets in the way. The OS even detects that >and pops up a dialog to ask you if you want to >close it. This is a sure sign of bad design
What do you know about design? Why shouldn't I be able to close all my windows in an app and then hit Command-N for a new window? Applications and windows are NOT the same thing. Microsoft's window-centric design is hugely frustrating and clutters your desktop with many menu bars. I use Win2K a work, and get along with it OK, but the OS9 FGinder is - to my way of working - about a thousand times more functional, flexible and fast.
what floppy? obviously you don't use a Mac, or you'd notice that there are many ways to remove disks; that the KEYBOARD has an eject key and that the trash icon turns into an eject icon as soon as you click and drag a mounted volume.
what is this "Apple RAM" of which you speak? My last FOUR Macs came with clearly labelled Micron RAM modules. Leave it out with the FUD, please.
why do people do this price comparison crap EVERY TIME? It's caveat emptor out there, son. Companies are NOT obliged to give you best value - determining THAT is your perogative as a consumer. And, as any fool can see, a huge pile of beige crapola is NEVER going to be an equal proposition to an iMac - not to mention the difference when you turn it on.
man, that's harsh. I'd much rather watch the naked Wozniak and Jobs show that that coked up burger-fiend, Ballmer.
yeah? they used to. What other MacOS system components don't they mention that you'll need? QuickTime is an integral part of the MacOS - MUST they mention it?
funny, I never noticed IBM installing MacOS on THEIR PowerPC workstations...
WMP for the Mac ABSOLUTELY DOES require QuickTime. In MacOSX, there is NO WAY of turning off QT AFAIK. Disabling QT in OS 9.2 is extremely ill-advised, but quite possible.
Sorenson Video 3.1 (the current version) gives approximately the same results as the best MPEG1 encoders at around ONE THIRD the data rate. Sorenson Video 3.1 also has a sharper colour subsampling regime, and therefore portrays colour detail better at any given frame size. At higher data rates (say, over 1Mbit/sec) MPEG1 will close the gap somewhat as Sorenson Video's higher CPU load makes high rate files rather difficult to decode. Horses for courses, as ever with video encoding. But, make no mistake, SV 3.1 is an excellent state of the art codec whereas MPEG1 is a decade-plus old trail blazer, and the lingua franca of desktop video.
"I think you need t reality check man. nothiong beats a good book in terms of entertainment."
I disagree. Prolonged sexual intercourse while tripping on acid is infinitely more entertaining than reading a fucking book. Conversation is often more entertaining than reading a fucking book. Bookc CAN be excellent, but most aren't (I'm thinking Jeffrey Archer here), so let's not hold up book reading as some kind of higher spiritual experience. Coz that's nonsense.
no, your analogy is complete bollocks. Alternative remedies DO NOT work, and have much more to do with social engineering than medicine. Consult a medical doctor, if you have some doubts about their diagnosis - consult another. Just don't start taking "herbal" cures that do you more harm than good. Apple make personal computers, the fact that the rest of the consumer PC market uses a single platform is really not Apple's problem, they just get on with making personal computers. If you like their machines, buy one. If not, don't. Pretty easy, huh?
"Mac OS" and "Mac OS X" are OS names. "10.1.4" and "9.2.2" are version numbers. Got it? "
No, I don't get it. Calling it Mac OSX 10.1.4 implies that you're using version ten point on point four of OSX. You're not, you're using version 1.1.4 of OSX, although it would also be conceivable to understand it as version ten point one point four of the Mac OS. We know why Apple uses the X, but it would be more convenient if the seperated the version numbers more correctly.
my mate Tim Burgess worked on HHGTTG as well! although he didn't do much, I think he drew the Babelfish graphic sequence. Cool, eh?