Recycled Computing

Pismo Pink Screen of Death: Time to Rethink Things

- 2010.09.30

The old Pismo screenis showing the signs of developing the dreaded pink screen. Soon itwill be a pink zone of discomfort, restricting the use of my ancient,well loved laptop.

It's time for the Pismo to make use of the little known super powerthat a number of Mac laptops possess: Closed Lid Mode. Alert low-end Mac usersalready know about this, and with my screen going pink and my batteriesgoing dead, it was obvious to me that I would have to extend thePismo's usefulness by turning it into a desktop computer.

Closed Lid Mode - that's what the Apple Mothership calls it- is also useable on a PowerBook G4, MacBook Pro, MacBook, or MacBookAir. 'Books with built-in Bluetooth can also use Bluetooth connectionsfor the keyboard and mouse.

On the Pismo, you have to use a USB keyboard with a power button onthe keyboard to turn on a powered-down the Pismo, since the lid has tobe closed in order for Closed Lid Mode to function.

Early Apple USB keyboards, like this one from an iMac, have a powerbutton.

Pismo used in Closed Lid Mode Another nice feature of the Pismo is the VGA video-out. Thismeans that almost any external monitor with a VGA fitting can be used.(The Pismo only supports resolutions up to 1152 x 870 on an externaldisplay - and only up to 1024 x 768 when mirroring the LCD.)

I may be old fashioned, but it would be nice if Apple would pick avideo-out connector for its notebooks and stick with it, since Appleseems to stimulating an adapters market all by itself.*

I know if I want to, I could try to lay my hands on another Pismowith a better screen, but I would also have to pick up two newbatteries as well. Maybe it's just time to give up on the old girl, asI am using a 12" PowerBook G4 for my daily computing. I'm also planningon moving up to an Intel box in the near future.

What does this old Pismo do for me?

I guess that it is an icon of permanence in the ever-changing worldof computers. And that isn't a bad thing.

I do admit that at some point I'd like to attend an Apple Keynoteaddress and, waving my Pismo at Steve Jobs, I'd like to ask why Appledoesn't make computers like this anymore.

Then Steve Jobs would have me arrested. ;-)

* The PowerBook1400 (1997) was the first PowerBook to use VGA instead of Apple'sproprietary VID-14 connector, which had been introduced with thePowerBook 160 and 180 in 1992. Apple switched from VGA toDVI with the 2002TiBooks, including a DVI-to-VGA adapter with the 'Books. In 2009,Apple switched to its Mini DisplayPort, which requires separateadapters for DVI and VGA monitors.

Join us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Google+, or subscribe to our RSS news feed

Today's Links

Mac of the Day: Performa 5200, introduced 1995.04. The first PowerPC all-in-one was also one of the worst Macs ever made.

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Opinions expressed are those of their authors and may not reflect the opinion of Cobweb Publishing. Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all.
Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2016 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Low End Mac, LowEndMac, and lowendmac.com are trademarks of Cobweb Publishing Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad, iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, Mac Pro, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it, and we don't share the information we have with others. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Page not found | Low End Mac

Well this is somewhat embarrassing, isn’t it?

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching, or one of the links below, can help.

Well this is somewhat embarrassing, isn’t it?

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching, or one of the links below, can help.

Well this is somewhat embarrassing, isn’t it?

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for. Perhaps searching, or one of the links below, can help.

Recycled Computing

Pismo Pink Screen of Death: Time to Rethink Things

Today's Links

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Welcome Image and Text

Main menu

Welcome to Low End Mac

Navigation Bar

Well this is somewhat embarrassing, isn’t it?

Recent Posts

Most Used Categories

Archives

Tags

Welcome Image and Text

Main menu

Welcome to Low End Mac

Navigation Bar

Well this is somewhat embarrassing, isn’t it?

Recent Posts

Most Used Categories

Archives

Tags

Favorite Sites

Affiliates

Advertise

Welcome Image and Text

Main menu

Welcome to Low End Mac

Navigation Bar

Well this is somewhat embarrassing, isn’t it?

Recent Posts

Most Used Categories

Archives

Tags