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Recycled Computing

To Hackintosh or Not to Hackintosh?

- 2009.12.03

Popularity: LEMLEMLEMLEM

Tweet this article. Short link: http://bit.ly/5lIyla

Should I make a HackBook to solve my Leopard jones?

I have a copy of Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" just lying around, and the monkey on my back is something fierce. I just have to install this on a computer so I can compare it with my faithful Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger", which is on my 10-year-old Pismo PowerBook.

Okay, there are some who would urge me to install a G4 processor on the Pismo and "force" an install of Leopard on the old girl. I'm not too sure that the Pismo is the best choice for Leopard, given the Pismo's primitive graphics capacity. Right now, I have to turn the display down to "thousands of colors" to make CoverFlow work in iTunes. Leopard, I feel, might tax the Pismo even more.

I could be wrong, but Tiger seems to be a better fit on the Pismo.

I could buy a new (or used) Intel-based iMac or MacBook. The problem here is that this would cost money, money that the Secretary of the Exchequer says we do not have. Christmas is coming, and even the dog is further up the Christmas list than I am.

I could see if we have an old G4 Mac desktop around the school that my boss is willing to retire to the "dustbin of history".

However, I am leaning towards making the jump to an Intel Max so I can use Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" in the future. This would bring me back to buying a new (or refurbished) MacBook.

Or...

(If you are Steve Jobs, please stop reading right now.)

Here's the thing - Dell makes a netbook that is mysteriously supported by OS X. I am referring to the Dell Mini 9 or it's business equivalent, the Dell Vostro A90. I know, that I missed my chance to pick up an A90 when Dell blew them out over the weekend, but they still have them in their refurbished department. That would be an outlay of $200 or so.

However, I would also need to pick up a larger solid state drive. Adding more RAM is something I could put off to the future.

Bottom line: I could probably do the hack for $450 or so, since I already own a copy of Tiger that I bought from Apple. But is it morally right to put an Apple OS on a Dell? Can I live with the thought of Steve Jobs' disappointment in a lifelong Apple user switching to hardware from the Dark Side? What will my children think?

Just imagine - I would have an OS X netbook. It would be cool to show off at a Mac show, if I ever went to one.

Get thee behind me, Satan! LEM

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