On 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.
