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Linux Journal: PowerBooks are the 'gold standard'

updated 12:20 pm EST, Fri March 19, 2004

PowerBooks for Linux users

Linux Journal says that PowerBooks are the and quotes Borland's CTO as saying "OS X is my favorite Linux distribution". The article says that "PowerBooks now are common as cameras in geek circles. For the past two years at O'Reilly's two big conferences, eTech and OSCon, PowerBooks have comprised about half the laptop population. At ApacheCon last Fall, they were in the majority. Witness this picture, taken at the hackathon that opened the show. There's no doubt that OS X PowerBooks are filling a gap left open by the lack of Linux laptops from major vendors. Most techies I know who use PowerBooks on the road have Linux servers at home."

by MacNN Staff

(26)

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jpellino
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 1999

0

03/19, 12:30pm | report spam | close Reply |
especially in light of...

the slashdot story on a new wintel bios that allows you to read your mail and pim stuff without a complete boot

makes osx on a laptop look light years ahead. I can have my panther ibook up and running from sleep before i can get my fingers to the keyboard

010111
Junior Member

Joined: Aug 2002

0

03/19, 12:52pm | report spam | close Reply |
Nonsense!

pure nonsense. everyone *knows* that AT MOST a mere 2% of the people at those conferences had Powerbooks. everyone else had PCs. i read enough columns on Forbes / Money / CNET / and by that Enderle guy to know that this is fact.

2%. no more than that.

trevc
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2000

0

03/19, 01:00pm | report spam | close Reply |
Linux API's

I really am not a programmer ... but when I heard a rumor that Apple was to put Linx API's into 10.4, I thought this could do nothing but good!

Is it feasible?/practicle?

JSD303
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2000

0

03/19, 01:08pm | report spam | close Reply |
SCO Legal is on the phone

After hearing Borland's CTO refer to OS X as "his favorite Linux" distro, SCO's Legal team filed a suit against Apple for ownership of the aforementioned OS and licensing fees for all its users.

hayesk
Professional Poster

Joined: Sep 1999

0

03/19, 01:18pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Linux APIs

What Linux APIs would they be? Maybe just a few compatibility translations. But MacOS X already has X-Windowing, and the full ANSI C/C++ libraries. Most open source Linux software already runs on MacOS X with a simple recompile, so I don't know what else would be needed.

jeffulri
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Joined: Mar 2004

0

03/19, 01:20pm | report spam | close Reply |
Since when...

is OS X/Darwin a distrobution of Linux? OS X/Darwin is a FreeDSB derivitave, thereby making it UNIX, not Linux. I seriously doubt that Borland's CTO said "OS X is my favorite Linux distribution." If he did, Borland needs to seriously rethink his position.

paulc
Junior Member

Joined: Aug 2000

0

03/19, 01:27pm | report spam | close Reply |
uh...

not his "position" but him!

CTO's are needed, not ones that say dumb things that any techie would laugh at. Of course, there IS the chance he was totally misquoted by some "journalist" who doesn't know squat about technology.

njfuzzy
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Apr 2001

0

03/19, 01:54pm | report spam | close Reply |
Maybe he was being cheeky

Jeez. Who says he has to think OS X is Linux to make that comment? Maybe his point was simply that it offers the best of the open-source *nix OS world, and he was being figurative.

elblanco
Registered User

Joined: Mar 2004

0

03/19, 01:57pm | report spam | close Reply |
just think

consider how prevalent apple's notebooks would be if they offered decent performance and battery life for their ridiculous price tags...apple has the weakest notebook offerings of anyone in the business.

chabig
Addicted to MacNN

Joined: Jun 1999

0

03/19, 02:07pm | report spam | close Reply |
You make me laugh...

"consider how prevalent apple's notebooks would be if they offered decent performance and battery life for their ridiculous price tags"

Hahahahaha. I can hardly stop laughing you are so funny! Powerbooks offer the most bang for the buck of any laptop. Just try to find a comparable Wintel machine for the same money. It's not easy.

elblanco
Registered User

Joined: Mar 2004

0

03/19, 02:09pm | report spam | close Reply |
are you kidding me?

centrino laptops run circles around powerbooks and the batteries last twice as long. do some homework

macbarry
Junior Member

Joined: Aug 2002

0

03/19, 02:15pm | report spam | close Reply |
So...

if they can "run circles around powerbooks and the batteries last twice as long" how come no one is touting centrino laptops as the "gold standard"?

hayesk
Professional Poster

Joined: Sep 1999

0

03/19, 02:28pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: are you kidding me?

Yes, and the Intel Pentium 4 gives you the "power of richer, more vibrant colours in Internet multimedia."

Just because the TV commercial says so, doesn't make it true.

elblanco
Registered User

Joined: Mar 2004

0

03/19, 04:15pm | report spam | close Reply |
your right

you're absolutely right, a claim made in a commercial doesn't make something true. independent tests conducted by disinterested parties does. as far as the "gold standard" among laptops, did anyone notice that the centrino took the best portable cpu award from the same people that gave the best desktop cpu award to the g5

ultmast
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2004

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03/19, 05:00pm | report spam | close Reply |
Powerbooks

They are the gold standard because of the insane amount of things they can do, combined with the unmatched style and professional appearance.

They may be getting long in the tooth still using a G4, and it would not surprise me to find Centrino machines edging them out in several areas in terms of interger performance. BUT, it is still nigh impossible to find another laptop that can do all this machine does, for the same price point.

Consider what we're looking at here (17"):

Firewire 400 & 800
USB 2
Bluetooth
802.11g
S-video/Composite out
DVI for mirroring/dual-display
Gigibit Ethernet
56k modem
Type I&II PCMCIA slot
Microphone
Superdrive (slot-loading, no less)
Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor

All of this is built-in, NOT requiring the PC card slots or docking stations. To top it all off, this is under 7 lbs, under 1" thick, and doesn't burn your crotch.

And don't forget the best part, the "Gold Standard" part. It runs Mac OS X, can emulate Windows, and takes advantage of the large block of *nix/X11 apps. It's got a bash shell, runs Apache, and yet gets easily on a wireless network, doesn't get viruses, and watches your DVDs in 16:9 without letterboxes.

Eh. Like what you want, but I believe there's little doubt that the Powerbook is tops for functionality and productivity.

ultmast
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2004

0

03/19, 05:10pm | report spam | close Reply |
Borland's CTO

The full quote, which I think offers better context:
----------------------
I wince to repeat what Blake Stone, the CTO of Borland, said to me when he demonstrated how his 17" PowerBook got on the Net over Bluetooth using a Sony Ericsson cell phone as a bridge to T-Mobile's cell-based Internet service. He said, "OS X is my favorite Linux distribution."
----------------------

I think he quite obvious was speaking tongue-in-cheek. For him, Apple provides the underlying tech he prefers (*nix application support, bluetooth compatibility), with amazing ease of use and interoperability.

Funny quote, but I think he should call a spade a spade and just admit he's a mac fan ;)

slboett
Grizzled Veteran

Joined: May 1999

0

03/19, 05:10pm | report spam | close Reply |
PC trolls...

I guess I'd be all pissy too if I spent my money on an also-ran piece of plastic s***.
I have NEVER, and I mean NEVER seen anyone come into our offices and say how cool any of our new PC laptops (or desktops) are.
And then, when you fire one up, the OS is even more incredible.
Yeah, I'm not 100% compatible with th rest of the world - BFD. I'd rather have what I do (17" 1.33) than ANY PC laptop made...

SB

elblanco
Registered User

Joined: Mar 2004

0

03/19, 05:26pm | report spam | close Reply |
sad

ever notice how anytime anyone says something unfavorable about a product in apple's line up, their immediately assumed to be a "pc troll". it's a little disturbing actually. personally, i'm a long time mac user that isn't caught up in the whole cult thing, so i've got enough independent thought left to call a spade a spade. don't get me wrong, there are a lot of perks to owning a mac laptop, they just don't include performance or battery life. a 1.25 ghz powerbook will give you about 1.5 hours of dvd watching time. that leaves a little to be desired. i guess it's a little bit like the old laser disks, you had to flip the disk over about half way through the movie to watch the next half of it, except in this case you've got to put a new battery in your premium priced notebook. i've wanted a portable mac for a long time, and i don't mind spending a good chunk of change for one, but it's been a long time since i've seen a laptop from apple that was truly worth the price. i won't be able to justify the price unless there are some MAJOR improvements made to lineup

RIP
Registered User

Joined: Mar 2004

0

03/19, 05:37pm | report spam | close Reply |
I don't understand

why anyone would want to go through the pain of using Linux just to be OPEN with GNU when other solutions work so much better. h***, OS X is BSD. It's open source and yet you don't see me having to deal with these problems? Not only that, Linux is NOT new, so what makes the Linux Geeks think it's going to get better any time soon? The quote "OS X is my favorite Linux" says it all..

You know the old saying, you get what you pay for? I don't think Linux is that holly grail of being no cost and better than commercial.

I don't hate Linux, so don't get me wrong. When not thinking the geek way, I just don't GET it.

ultmast
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2004

0

03/19, 05:51pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: sad

I do believe only one person referred to him as a troll, and you have to admit, the comments made were not simple, objective, or even backed up with evidence.

I favor being able to provide evidence to support one's opinion, which I did, evidence that I feel provided quite a compelling argument in support of the conclusion that THIS THREAD is about.

I'm sorry your battery life isn't great, and it is a sore point for owners of 17" PBs, to be sure.

"...it's been a long time since i've seen a laptop from apple that was truly worth the price"

No. It's been a long time since you've seen a laptop from Apple that's worth the price to YOU.

From the ZDNet Editor's Choice review of the 17" PB:

"At 6.9 pounds and 1 inch thick, this PowerBook is the lightest fully loaded desktop-replacement notebook ever--certainly worth its high cost."

Professionals of all caliber absolutely love this notebook. They also get a ton of work done on it, because of it's amazing compatibility with the different platforms. It's a solid citizen on PC, Mac, and *nix networks, has great development tools, is unquestionably the best at video and sound production, and can get you online anywhere with bluetooth/802.11g/Gigabit Ethernet.

The only "MAJOR" improvements to this PB lineup could be better battery life and a faster processor. Aside from that, in all honesty, WTF else could you reasonably need added to it? Should it wash your car, put your kids to bed, and make love to your wife?

ultmast
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2004

0

03/19, 05:55pm | report spam | close Reply |
oops

"it's amazing compatibility"

should read:

"its amazing compatibility"

slboett
Grizzled Veteran

Joined: May 1999

0

03/19, 06:09pm | report spam | close Reply |
Battery life

I honestly don't think it's that bad at all...I do have two, just in case, but I rarely use the second one, except to rotate for longevity.
Back to my point, I have never ever heard anyone call a PC laptop cool.
I have never heard anyone say WOW! when looking at any version of Windows.
I do see/hear those things in regards to most of Apple's hardware - which is why so many PC users buy iPods.

SB

RIP
Registered User

Joined: Mar 2004

0

03/19, 06:11pm | report spam | close Reply |
re: oops

>"it's amazing compatibility"
>
>should read:
>
>"its amazing compatibility"

Somehow I doubt many even know the difference anymore..

I'm feeling pessimistic. Sorry.

asdfer
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Apr 2002

0

03/20, 12:14am | report spam | close Reply |
You guys are off a little

All of you talking about how great the Centrino chipset is, should realize most of the features of it were no available for linux users until last week I believe. So for people who want to use a decent laptop with all of the latest technologies (Firewire, wireless, etc..) and still use a unix type system, Powerbooks are the way to go. I too think it sucks about how much IBM supposedly supports linux yet you can barely get it to run on their laptops. I remember when Steve Jobs had a Thinkpad that ran OpenStep instead of MacOS (this was pre OS X)

tekgraf
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2003

0

03/20, 03:00am | report spam | close Reply |
centrino chips...

I've read that the centrino chips aren't necessarily good. In terms of fast processor speed. The processor's speed can be determined by whether or not the laptop is plugged in or not. If the laptop is plugged into a wall outlet, then the processor speeds is at it's optimun. If it's on battery power, then of course, the processor speed is slowed down. I haven't noticed whether or not that occcures with apple laptops or not.

michaelb
Mac Elite

Joined: Oct 2000

0

03/20, 03:46pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: centrino chips...

Yes, that's mostly correct.

I have a Centrino based laptop rated at 1 GHz. When I unplug it and use it away from the wall outlet, the rating as shown in XP's Start menu > Control Panel > System drops to 533 MHz.

It is possible to fiddle with XP Pro's power management to prevent this drop, but battery life drops off CONSIDERABLY.

XP Pro's power management is also a lot more technical and confusing than Panther's elegant 'Energy' panel, so I doubt many users really know what's going on anyway.

Anyway, the upshot is that sitting at the kitchen table, I have a 700 MHz G3 iBook that feels faster than a 1 GHz Centrino laptop. And the iBook lasts forever...

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Linux Journal: PowerBooks are the 'gold standard'

updated 12:20 pm EST, Fri March 19, 2004

PowerBooks for Linux users

especially in light of...

Nonsense!

Linux API's

SCO Legal is on the phone

Re: Linux APIs

Since when...

uh...

Maybe he was being cheeky

just think

You make me laugh...

are you kidding me?

So...

Re: are you kidding me?

your right

Powerbooks

Borland's CTO

PC trolls...

sad

I don't understand

Re: sad

oops

Battery life

re: oops

You guys are off a little

centrino chips...

Re: centrino chips...

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Linux Journal: PowerBooks are the 'gold standard'

updated 12:20 pm EST, Fri March 19, 2004

PowerBooks for Linux users

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especially in light of...

Nonsense!

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Re: Linux APIs

Since when...

uh...

Maybe he was being cheeky

just think

You make me laugh...

are you kidding me?

So...

Re: are you kidding me?

your right

Powerbooks

Borland's CTO

PC trolls...

sad

I don't understand

Re: sad

oops

Battery life

re: oops

You guys are off a little

centrino chips...

Re: centrino chips...

Login Here

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