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The Usefulness Equation
Calculating the Usefulness Equation
- 2008.08.11 - Tip Jar
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del.icio.usOn the low end of computing, there is always a battle to get the best value and longevity of use out of our systems. Value is sometimes a tricky calculation, as there is always the price-to-power ratio.
But there is also the other variable in that equation, longevity of use.
How long will you be able to allocate tasks to this machine, and how well will it perform them for you? This is especially apparent to all those that are considering purchasing desktops and laptops from the PowerPC era. When Apple announced that "Snow Leopard" (Mac OS X 10.6) would not support PPC, you can be sure it caused many people to pause on their newly acquired PowerBook G4s and Power Mac G5s.
Just like the "Tiger" era machines, these machines will dwell in the shadow of "Snow Leopard" machines while still doing what they used to do - and doing it well. I've even seen "Jaguar" and "Panther" machines living the dream of daily use.
It all depends on what you need done. I still keep my Power Mac 8600 running Mac OS 9.2.2 in active duty. It runs old versions of Photoshop, QuarkXPress, and Word. It also runs Debian "Etch" and a lightweight web server.
Here's the best way to calculate usefulness of a machine: Determine what tasks you need to perform. Determine the amount of money for the investment. Determine what will needed to bring the machine to the useable level (if anything). For example, when I chose to purchase my 12" PowerBook G4, I needed a very small, relatively cheap machine that was powerful enough for some remote terminal and writing.
I paid $450 for a 1.33 GHz PowerBook G4 with a bent bottom case, 1.25 GB of RAM, a new battery, and a 100 GB hard drive. Cosmetically, I didn't mine the bent bottom case, especially considering the good deal I got. It runs "Leopard" quite well and performs the tasks I need.
When "Snow Leopard" gets released, I know this computer will continue to perform it's allocated tasks very well.
This applies to machines as old as early PowerBooks and Power Macs. Don't forget to apply the "Old World" machine factor. What will be needed to be done to the machine to make it able to perform those tasks? For example, when I purchased my PowerBook 540c, I needed to buy a AAUI-to-10Base-T ethernet adapter for it to be able to join my network.
It's all relative to the machine.
Next time, we'll focus on Old World Macs - which
ones are worth it, and which ones aren't.
Recent Columns by Phil Herlihy
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 'Sawtooth' Power Mac G4, Aug. 1999 - Available in speeds from 350-500 MHz, 'Sawtooth' introduced AGP video to the Mac.
- Group of the Day: G4 List is for those using Power Mac G4s or G4 upgrades.
- November 22 in LEM history: 99: Gradebooks - 00: Leveraging Apple design - Quadra 630 to Power Mac 5200 - 02: Laptop or desktop? - 04: SuperDuper: Quick, easy, efficient backup - Cross-platform programming for the rest of us - 05: Mac video surveillance on the cheap - Which OS is best for my vintage Mac? - No 'best browser' for the Mac - Sorry state of browsers for classic Macs - 06: Core 2 means cooler running 'Books - 2.0 GHz G4 upgrade
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Recent Deals
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- Best Power Mac G3 and PCI Video Card Deals, 11.20. Used beige 300 MHz, $25; blue & white 350, $80; 400, $90; 450, $105; PCI video cards from $15; shipping additional.
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- More deals in our archive.
