Macopinion

The Road Warrior Mailbag - November 12, 2007

A Hurricane, Power Outages - More Reasons Why I'm A Consummate Notebook Fan
Pismo Optimum OS X Version
From The Archive: Apple Computer Aesthetics - The Never-Ending Debate

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A Hurricane, Power Outages - More Reasons Why I'm A Consummate Notebook Fan

From ncbill

Thanks for your article.

For those who need more power than a few extra batteries, you might consider buying or building something similar to what I use:

http://www.boatbandit.com/xantrex-xpowerpack-1500-portable-powerpack-6859.aspx

A local battery shop could build something similar to the above for a lower price.

Since you've already got a DC adapter, there's no need for an inverter - just the battery, battery case, charger, and 12 VDC cigarette outlet.

Here's one desktop computer user's "Super UPS" (probably overkill for your needs):

http://icrontic.com/articles/super_ups

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Hi ncbill;

Now *that's* a power pack!, and the price (with the discount on the Website) seems reasonable as well.

Thanks for the tip. I'll look into it.

Good article from the South African guy too.

Charles

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Pismo Optimum OS X Version

From John Black

Hey, Charles, I just read your Applelinks article, “Some Thoughts On Leopard And Optimum OS Versions For Older Hardware.” Very insightful as always.

I’ll chime in on favorite OS for my Pismo. It came from Wegener with 10.2.8. I never cared much for that version; it always seems a bit sluggish, I don’t like the visual experience, and it seemed to be a little buggy. I’ve since upgraded to 10.3.9 on this machine, while we run 10.4.10 on the G4 DA at home. For this 400MHz G3, 10.3.9 seems to be ideal. I have no plans to upgrade the processor, as I have no real need to do that. It’s perfectly adequate as is for the main things I use it for, which are web access (broadband, plenty fast), email, and word processing. With 512MB and a 5400RPM drive, it’s a pretty snappy little machine.

All the best to you under the Lord’s kind hand,

John Black

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Hi John;

I agree. Jaguar is a slug. In fact I never switched to OS X for production work until Panther come along, and I concur that OS 10.3.9 is probably the optimum performance OS X version for a 400 MHz Pismo, although I will add that I was pleasantly surprised at how lively Tiger was on my latest Pismo (500 MHz) before I upgraded to the 550 MHz G4 processor. It really was quite acceptable, and that was with 578 MB of RAM.

Charles

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From The Archive: Apple Computer Aesthetics - The Never-Ending Debate

This week's selection from The Road Warrior Archive was originally published on September 7, 1999, and is a discussion about Apple hardware aesthetics, particularly referencing the then brand-new clamshell iBook.

Re-reading the article eight years later, my assessments would pretty much remain the same. The clamshell iBook's looks did grow on me, especially after the Graphite, Indigo, and especially the Key Lime (my favorite of all) were subsequently introduced. I also grew to like the styling of the Lombard, and it's spittin' image successor the Pismo, better than I originally did.

CM

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From The Archive: Apple Computer Aesthetics - The Never-Ending Debate [Originally Published September 7, 1999]

Arguing about aesthetics is essentially futile. While there is such a thing as objective beauty, there is also a strong "eye of the beholder" element as well. Nevertheless, debate over aesthetic virtues and vices is an entertaining diversion, which is, I guess, why we continue to engage in it with such relish.

I haven't heard any negative criticism of the new "Graphite and Silver" color scheme of the new G4 PowerMacs yet. The consensus among those I've discussed it with so far is that the G4s look great. I certainly think so, although I was never particularly grabbed by the blue & white motif of their Yosemite predecessors. Color really does make a difference.

On the other hand, debate still rages over the appearance of the new iBook. Personally, I've warmed considerably to iBook's styling and color scheme. I wasn't blown away by the first publicity shots Apple released, but having now seen iBook from several different aspects, I have to agree that it is an arresting and attractive design visually. Here again, color is key. I don't think the iBook's form factor would elicit many oohs and ahs if it were liveried in traditional PowerBook grey or black.

I find the Tangerine version especially fetching, although oddly enough I was never that taken with the Tangerine iMac. Perhaps Tangerine is a color best suited to accent duty, rather than being the main event.

It will remain to be seen how the iBook's color and styling wears aesthetically. Sometimes things that really grab you at first tend to not have a long-half life. Personally, the first time I saw the 500 Series PowerBooks on the cover of MacWorld back in 1994, I thought they were spectacular-looking. Of course, I always thought the original, square-cornered, 100 Series 'Books were plain ugly, so the swoopy curviness of the "BlackBird" 500s was a definite improvement.

However, that first impression was the high point of my aesthetic appreciation of the 500 machines. I found that once the initial novelty wore off, the 500s looks grew less pleasing. It was a great PowerBook in its day functionally, but not my cup of tea in the looks department. I can say the same thing about the WallStreet. My first look in MacWorld's introductory spread was the height of my appreciation for its looks. I own a WallStreet, and I think that it is probably the best all-round PowerBook model Apple has built so far, but I'm not especially thrilled with its styling. Of course, I acknowledge that thousands (millions?) disagree with my aesthetic assessment.

Pretty much the opposite dynamic obtains for me with the PowerBook 5300. When I first saw a pre-production photo of the 5300, I wondered if the styling department had just given up and gone home. It seemed like a nondescript and generic rectangular box. However, unlike the more voluptuous and curvilinear 500 Series BlackBirds and G3 WallStreets, the 5300's form factor grew on me. I bought one, and have looked at it almost every day for the past three years, and I still like its understated looks as much as I ever did. The PowerBook 1400 has also worn well with me aesthetically.

Among desktop Macs, the original compact Macs have stood the test of time and familiarity well, and I think their simple but elegant lines are still extremely clean and attractive. Other desktop Macs that I particularly like the looks of are the slim, "pizza box," desktop machines, and some of the Mac IIs, notably the IIfx and the IIsi form factors. Oddly, while the original small Macs are still my favorite desktop Mac design aesthetically, none of the other Mac all-in-ones appeal to me except for perhaps the big G3 AIO education box that preceded the iMac. As for the iMac itself, it's cool, but not pretty, if you get the distinction. Another Mac that I own but have never liked much aesthetically is the all-in-one desktop 500 series -- mine being the first iteration -- an LC 520.

Apple's mini-tower styling was pretty plain-vanilla (except perhaps for the 4000 and 6000 series 603e based machines, until the blue & white G3 came along.

It's interesting that I don't find the PB 3400 series, whose case is essentially a "stretch" version of 5300 that I liked so well, and which even uses many of the same plastic case components, nearly as attractive. Obviously, small changes in relative proportions make a significant aesthetic difference. While the 5300 looks trim and clean-cut, the 3400 seems angular and somewhat ungainly, albeit in a purposeful way. I don't find it ugly, but it's no beauty either.

Lombard is essentially a WallStreet after a trip to the fat farm looks-wise, and to my eyes the thinner form factor is a definite aesthetic improvement, although I'm still not terribly smitten with its WallStreet-derived lines. I do like the "bronze" translucent keyboard, however.

Which brings us back to iBook. It's too early to tell if it will continue to grow on me like the 5300 did, or whether I'll tire of it like I did with WallStreet and the 500s. The fact that I didn't glom on to its looks at first may augur well for its staying power. I guess its a bit like music. Often a catchy piece of music that takes one's fancy on first hearing often quickly becomes tiresome upon repetition, while a more subtle song or score will grow on you.

Of course, there's nothing subtle about the iBook!

*** cmoore@macopinion.com

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