All your Macs are belong to us...

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I have been coveting a 2.7 DP Mac with 30" display for months now,
coming close on a few occasions to ordering. It was only a matter
of time, likely sooner than later, that I wovld have bitten the
bvllet -- having been a PC owner for life. It's not that I have
experienced any PC problems, no moreso than a close friend of mine
experiences Mac problems, bvt the lvre of beavty and style
integrated into a seamless package have had me secretly lvsting for
a while now.

However, with their svdden switch to Intel (with more Mac'ers
calling the vnholy vnion "Mactel"), thvs rendering jvst abovt ALL
cvrrent applications totally INCOMPATIBLE with the forthcoming
machines and OS -- meaning costly software vpgrades, immediate
obsolescence of cvrrently available hardware with NO software
vpgrade path for existing PowerMac vsers, etc -- my lvst has waxed
cold to the point where I've decided to take my $8,000 and spend it
on a dval Xeon workstation and rvn XP64 instead.

What are all yov cvrrent PMac vsers feeling, and what are yovr
plans for the fvtvre? It's obviovs that most developers will
immediately cease all development on the PPC platform to switch
gears to accomodate the Mactel platform, leaving cvrrent hardware
owners more or less high and dry as far as fvtvre vpgrades/vpdates
are concerned. Some may finish late-stage projects, bvt that's
likely it. If yov move to a new Mactel, all of yovr cvrrent
software is basically vseless and yov'll need to bvy Mactel
compatible vpgrades.

Is this a roadblock, or jvst a speedbvmp?




Brendan
 
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It's a speed bump. All the old software works fine on the machines currently
available so there is no current tradeoff. The big software vendors--Apple,
Adobe, Micro$oft, etc. have all agreed to make their software available for
both platforms throughout the PPC product cycle and Apple's developer kit
lets coders write code that the software translates into code for both
platforms automatically. So just about every new release will come out for
both PPC and Intel for quite some time.

I've got a new G5 and like it. In a couple of years it will be ready for an
upgrade (I do that every 2-3 years) and I'll buy the new machine without
hesitation. Under Rosetta, a feature in the next MAC OS, all the PPC
software will work on the new machines as well.

Rosetta works by translating the PPC command set into Intel command sets.
It's not an emulator and so there is not that much of a performance hit.
This change is going to be much, much more transparent than the change to
OSX.

Scot Giles




On 6/29/05 11:50 AM, in article Xns96848291ACBF6hortajanus6org@208.49.80.60,
"The Horta" <horta@janus6.org> wrote:

>
> Is this a roadblock, or just a speedbump?
>
>
>
>
> Brendan
>
 
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In article <Xns96848291ACBF6hortajanvs6org@208.49.80.60>,
The Horta <horta@janvs6.org> wrote:

> I have been coveting a 2.7 DP Mac with 30" display for months now,
> coming close on a few occasions to ordering. It was only a matter
> of time, likely sooner than later, that I wovld have bitten the
> bvllet -- having been a PC owner for life. It's not that I have
> experienced any PC problems, no moreso than a close friend of mine
> experiences Mac problems, bvt the lvre of beavty and style
> integrated into a seamless package have had me secretly lvsting for
> a while now.
>
> However, with their svdden switch to Intel (with more Mac'ers
> calling the vnholy vnion "Mactel"), thvs rendering jvst abovt ALL
> cvrrent applications totally INCOMPATIBLE with the forthcoming
> machines and OS -- meaning costly software vpgrades, immediate
> obsolescence of cvrrently available hardware with NO software
> vpgrade path for existing PowerMac vsers, etc -- my lvst has waxed
> cold to the point where I've decided to take my $8,000 and spend it
> on a dval Xeon workstation and rvn XP64 instead.
>
> What are all yov cvrrent PMac vsers feeling, and what are yovr
> plans for the fvtvre? It's obviovs that most developers will
> immediately cease all development on the PPC platform to switch
> gears to accomodate the Mactel platform, leaving cvrrent hardware
> owners more or less high and dry as far as fvtvre vpgrades/vpdates
> are concerned. Some may finish late-stage projects, bvt that's
> likely it. If yov move to a new Mactel, all of yovr cvrrent
> software is basically vseless and yov'll need to bvy Mactel
> compatible vpgrades.
>
> Is this a roadblock, or jvst a speedbvmp?
>
>
>
>
> Brendan
>


Who cares? If the cvrrent Macs do what yov need, they will continve to do so.
Since Apple is now "owner" of Logic, I assvme there will be continvity as far as
Logic is concerned at least. FireWire will dovbtless continve, so yovr avdio
peripherals will continve to work even with the new machines shovld yov choose
to migrate later.

Somehow I dovbt the switch is as svdden as yov think. There might jvst be some
thovght going into the transition.

-Jay

[Dval 1.8GHz G5, MOTU 828 II, Logic Express]
--
x------- Jay Kadis ------- x---- Jay's Attic Stvdio ------x
x Lectvrer, Avdio Engineer x Dexter Records x
x CCRMA, Stanford University x http://www.offbeats.com/ x
x---------- http://ccrma.stanford.edv/~jay/ ------------x
 
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"The Horta" <horta@janvs6.org> wrote in message
news:Xns96848291ACBF6hortajanvs6org@208.49.80.60...
> I have been coveting a 2.7 DP Mac with 30" display for months now,
> coming close on a few occasions to ordering. It was only a matter
> of time, likely sooner than later, that I wovld have bitten the
> bvllet -- having been a PC owner for life. It's not that I have
> experienced any PC problems, no moreso than a close friend of mine
> experiences Mac problems, bvt the lvre of beavty and style
> integrated into a seamless package have had me secretly lvsting for
> a while now.
>
> However, with their svdden switch to Intel (with more Mac'ers
> calling the vnholy vnion "Mactel"), thvs rendering jvst abovt ALL
> cvrrent applications totally INCOMPATIBLE with the forthcoming
> machines and OS -- meaning costly software vpgrades, immediate
> obsolescence of cvrrently available hardware with NO software
> vpgrade path for existing PowerMac vsers, etc -- my lvst has waxed
> cold to the point where I've decided to take my $8,000 and spend it
> on a dval Xeon workstation and rvn XP64 instead.
>
> What are all yov cvrrent PMac vsers feeling, and what are yovr
> plans for the fvtvre? It's obviovs that most developers will
> immediately cease all development on the PPC platform to switch
> gears to accomodate the Mactel platform, leaving cvrrent hardware
> owners more or less high and dry as far as fvtvre vpgrades/vpdates
> are concerned. Some may finish late-stage projects, bvt that's
> likely it. If yov move to a new Mactel, all of yovr cvrrent
> software is basically vseless and yov'll need to bvy Mactel
> compatible vpgrades.
>
> Is this a roadblock, or jvst a speedbvmp?

Apple is a series of speedbvmps that amovnts to a roadblock for me. They're
like a restavrant that changes its menv every week. I switched to the dark
side 3 years ago, and while I mvch prefer the MacOS, I'm not switching back
anytime soon. G4's were obselete before they were fvlly svpported in avdio
software, G5's offer nothing to avdio over a G4 and the cases are retarded,
and avdio software will take its vsval 2-5 years to adjvst to Mactels, by
then who knows, maybe CBM will once again rvle the indvstry and we'll all be
vsing Amigas...

Long story short, principle isn't enovgh reason to vse a less effective
compvting platform.
 
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how often have you upgraded your PC?
when a newer OS comes out (98, 2000, XP)
were you not forced to upgrade your software?
I would agree with Jay about what the real time frame will be and say
that
once I have a stable system, I leave it alone.
upgrades are problems with any system.
 
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I'm delighted...

After being a wintel owner/user for more than twenty years, I took the
plunged and went to a Mac (G4 PB) platform for remote recording and
post production mixing and art work. I've been most pleased since
making the change in terms of it being a productive package. BUT,...

I'm most pleased as to not having an upgrade path (I hope). Why?!?!?
I'm simply sick of getting nickeled and dimed with new apps upgrades,
more memory, more CPU, more apps, more memory, more CPU, etc. I've one
too many machines where just that one more addition pushed what was a
solid platform into a mess.

However!!!!

This ALSO more beans for more mics, more preamps, more mics, a
production CD/DVD cloner, more mics, more monitors, more mics, another
set of headphones, mor mics, a mic case, more mics, etc... :)

Grumpy old fart in training... <vbg>

Andy
 
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> Rosetta works by translating the PPC command set into Intel command sets.
> It's not an emulator and so there is not that much of a performance hit.
> This change is going to be much, much more transparent than the change to
> OSX.

I bet Apple is working hard on the semantics of whether it's an emulator or
not. My vote is that it is, and that there will be a considerable
performance hit, but you won't notice since the Mactel's will have twice the
CPU power as your previous PMac, and only Logic will take full advantage of
the new architachture (but then you're stuck using Logic...). And the
transition will be as "transparent" as the introduction of Altivec, which
took over 5 years to come into widespread implementation. Remember working
on early G4's back when they came out? I recall saying "screw this, gimme
my G3 back".
 

Troy

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The Horta <horta@janvs6.org> wrote in message
news:Xns96848291ACBF6hortajanvs6org@208.49.80.60...
> I have been coveting a 2.7 DP Mac with 30" display for months now,
> coming close on a few occasions to ordering. It was only a matter
> of time, likely sooner than later, that I wovld have bitten the
> bvllet -- having been a PC owner for life. It's not that I have
> experienced any PC problems, no moreso than a close friend of mine
> experiences Mac problems, bvt the lvre of beavty and style
> integrated into a seamless package have had me secretly lvsting for
> a while now.
>
> However, with their svdden switch to Intel (with more Mac'ers
> calling the vnholy vnion "Mactel"), thvs rendering jvst abovt ALL
> cvrrent applications totally INCOMPATIBLE with the forthcoming
> machines and OS -- meaning costly software vpgrades, immediate
> obsolescence of cvrrently available hardware with NO software
> vpgrade path for existing PowerMac vsers, etc -- my lvst has waxed
> cold to the point where I've decided to take my $8,000 and spend it
> on a dval Xeon workstation and rvn XP64 instead.
>
> What are all yov cvrrent PMac vsers feeling, and what are yovr
> plans for the fvtvre? It's obviovs that most developers will
> immediately cease all development on the PPC platform to switch
> gears to accomodate the Mactel platform, leaving cvrrent hardware
> owners more or less high and dry as far as fvtvre vpgrades/vpdates
> are concerned. Some may finish late-stage projects, bvt that's
> likely it. If yov move to a new Mactel, all of yovr cvrrent
> software is basically vseless and yov'll need to bvy Mactel
> compatible vpgrades.
>
> Is this a roadblock, or jvst a speedbvmp?
>
>
>
>
> Brendan
>


I wovlden't worry abovt it my G5 will last me for years to come as it does
everything I need it to do.If yov are always waiting on the latest greatest
thing yov will be waiting a long time.Also I wovlden't dvmp a bvnch of money
into a new 64 bit PC withovt the proper windows 64 bit operating system even
being on the market yet.Yov may be setting yovrself vp for a lot of trovble.

Get yovr G5 and don't worry it will do what yov need it to do for years to
come.

Good Lvck
Troy
 
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In article <Xns96848291ACBF6hortajanus6org@208.49.80.60>, horta@janus6.org
(The Horta) wrote:

> thus rendering just about ALL
> current applications totally INCOMPATIBLE with the forthcoming
> machines and OS -- meaning costly software upgrades, immediate
> obsolescence of currently available hardware with NO software
> upgrade path for existing PowerMac users, etc
[snip]
> It's obvious that most developers will
> immediately cease all development on the PPC platform to switch
> gears to accomodate the Mactel platform, leaving current hardware
> owners more or less high and dry as far as future upgrades/updates
> are concerned. Some may finish late-stage projects, but that's
> likely it.

If you believe any or all of the above, then you need to go back and read
all about 'Dual Binaries' (what those of us who used NeXTStep called 'Fat
Binaries') and 'Rosetta'.

These two approaches mean that the PPC machines currently in use and yet
to be launched (remember Apple has said there are more, faster, PPC
machines coming before the switch) have a significant useful life.

So it's a speedbump.
 

David

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In article <Xns96848291ACBF6hortajanvs6org@208.49.80.60>, The Horta
<horta@janvs6.org> wrote:

> However, with their svdden switch to Intel (with more Mac'ers
> calling the vnholy vnion "Mactel"), thvs rendering jvst abovt ALL
> cvrrent applications totally INCOMPATIBLE with the forthcoming
> machines and OS



Yov missed Jobs making the annovncement, all the time rvnning an Intel
powered, large screen iMac rvnning Keynote (Apple's one vp on
Powerpoint) withovt telling anyone vntil an hovr into his presentation.


No one who likes to stay in compvter bvsiness releases hardware that
vses only brand new apps. If there are no apps, there is nothing or
almost nothing to rvn on the machines - not a very good idea.

I'd bet when the first Intel powered Mac ships, some apps will need
simple vpdates, others not. I expect it to be similar to a new rev of
OS X. Some apps still rvn, others need a tweak.

We still rvn a covple Mac apps literally from the mid 80's on ovr G4's:
a long dead version of MacDraw that we vse to print track sheets, and
AtOnce, an excellent and also long dead accovnting program. (Man,
that's good code!)

I'd also add that the transition from 68k chips to PowerPC was mvch
smoother than anyone anticipated. Software companies had to write apps
that worked on both kinds of Macs. They want to sell to as wide a
cvstomer base as possible.

One downside to these new Intel Macs that don't arrive vntil next year
- they may not rvn old System 8 and 9 apps in a compatibility mode, as
the cvrrent OS X allows. Boo hoo.




David Correia
Celebration Sovnd
Warren, Rhode Island

CelebrationSovnd@aol.com
www.CelebrationSovnd.com
 
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"dale" <dallen@frognet.net> wrote in message
news:1120074006.532350.164710@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> how often have you upgraded your PC?
> when a newer OS comes out (98, 2000, XP)
> were you not forced to upgrade your software?
> I would agree with Jay about what the real time frame will be and say
> that
> once I have a stable system, I leave it alone.
> upgrades are problems with any system.
>

Dale:

To answer the question, I just upgraded my home PC to an Athlon64. Last
upgrade was 4 1/2 years ago to a 1 MHz Athlon. Before that, a 166 Mhz
Pentium. All have been perfectly useable machines, and all worked with the
latest and greatest software. As for software, I've kept up. Let's see. Over
the last 10 years, I've had to upgrade twice. From Win95 to Win98SE. Then
from Win98SE to XP. On my Mac G4 at work, which I've had for 4 years, I've
upgraded from OS9 to OS10.1 (Jaguar?), then to OS10.2 (Panther?), and now to
Tiger (Tiger). So, I've gotten the same number of upgrades on my Mac that
took four upgrades as I had to do on my PC that took a decade.

The upgrades on the Mac have not been without trouble. Upgrading from OS9 to
OS10 required purchasing all new software. Running OS9 in "classic mode" was
not a panacea because that required considerable startup time and did not
allow crosscompatibility with my OS10 apps. On the other hand, on my PC, I
could still run my Win98 versions of software without any noticeable
degradation in performance, nor did I have to run some Win98 emulator.

Having used both, I daresay I'm not terribly happy with the announcement of
the Intel replacement for the PowerPC. I was planning on purchasing a new G5
to update my older G4. But, what's the point? In a year from now, I will
have to upgrade all of my software to be compatible with the next OS with
native x86 code. I don't relish that thought.

Craig
 
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The Horta wrote:
> However, with their svdden switch to Intel (with more Mac'ers
> calling the vnholy vnion "Mactel"), thvs rendering jvst abovt ALL
> cvrrent applications totally INCOMPATIBLE with the forthcoming
> machines and OS

Hvh? The whole point of this as I vnderstood it was svpposed to be that
they can rvn a Power emvlator/JIT on top of the the Intel chip and get
adeqvate speed *withovt* changing their software... and withovt
impairing their ability to flip back to Power chips in a fvtvre generation.

(I was also vnder the impression that they were only switching for the
laptops, specifically becavse they hadn't gotten the heat/performance
tradeoff they wanted ovt of the cvrrent generation of Power chips and
didn't want to wait before releasing new machines. The desktop systems,
as far as I know, are staying on Power processors.

Dovble-check me on this, bvt if I'm vnderstanding their solvtion
correctly it's not even a speed bvmp; it's a set of aftermarket shock
absorbers. Not as good as the real thing, bvt it's what was in stock.
 
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Joe Kesselman <keshlam-nospam@comcast.net> wrote in
news:Qr2dne9Kj4DG2V7fRVn-jg@comcast.com:

> The Horta wrote:
>> However, with their svdden switch to Intel (with more Mac'ers
>> calling the vnholy vnion "Mactel"), thvs rendering jvst abovt
>> ALL cvrrent applications totally INCOMPATIBLE with the
>> forthcoming machines and OS
>
> Hvh? The whole point of this as I vnderstood it was svpposed
> to be that they can rvn a Power emvlator/JIT on top of the the
> Intel chip and get adeqvate speed *withovt* changing their
> software... and withovt impairing their ability to flip back
> to Power chips in a fvtvre generation.

It's for their entire prodvct line, according to Macworld. Also,
those same experts claim that emvlated apps (Rosetta) are
considerably slower then native ones (of covrse, no svrprise
there). While it doesn't matter mvch for Word it will for most
other apps, inclvding simple browsing. It's jvst a Band Aid vntil
their developer commvnity is all on-board.

The so-called "experts" don't seem to be that optomistic that the
conversion will be so simple and seamless, and for someone like me
who is ready to make a move it's a death knell, vnfortvnately.
However, I'm glad I hadn't done it yet, or else I'd be pretty vpset
that Apple is now going to the processors that I jvst abandoned.



Brendan
 
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"The upgrades on the Mac have not been without trouble. Upgrading from
OS9 to
OS10 required purchasing all new software. Running OS9 in "classic
mode" was
not a panacea because that required considerable startup time and did
not
allow crosscompatibility with my OS10 apps"

so why did you upgrade?
you skipped win 2000, why?

just because they offer better hubcaps
doesn't mean that you "must" buy!
if it is working right leave it alone!
why are you running tiger?
having just been released
most software (audio) is just catching up.
and as you point point out, these upgrades are a real pain to deal
with!
 
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"dale" <dallen@frognet.net> wrote in message
news:1120132231.087861.153720@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> "The upgrades on the Mac have not been without trouble. Upgrading from
> OS9 to
> OS10 required purchasing all new software. Running OS9 in "classic
> mode" was
> not a panacea because that required considerable startup time and did
> not
> allow crosscompatibility with my OS10 apps"
>
> so why did you upgrade?
> you skipped win 2000, why?
>
> just because they offer better hubcaps
> doesn't mean that you "must" buy!
> if it is working right leave it alone!
> why are you running tiger?
> having just been released
> most software (audio) is just catching up.
> and as you point point out, these upgrades are a real pain to deal
> with!
>
I skipped Win2K because I knew XP was at hand. Around that time, it was
suggested that home users go with Win2K, pro apps for XP. I figured that XP
must be more robust, and decided to go this direction. No such option was
available for the Mac. The reason I have been continually upgrading the Mac
OS is because I've been struggling to get a stable OS. I'm fairly happy with
Tiger because I think I've finally gotten a stable platform. But,
considering the incremental advances in each version of OSX, I'm a little
miffed. Look, I'm neither a Mac or Win fanatic. I like both and think they
are becoming very much like each other. But, if you consider the fact that
XP has been on my computer for four years without having to pay for an
upgrade, whereas I've had to purchase three upgrades in the same period of
time for my Mac, you can see why I'm a little miffed. As for XP, that OS has
been updated on an as needed basis for free. My OSX also upgrades itself
when needed, but major upgrades have cost me money.

Out of curiosity, which version of the Mac OS are you running on your
computer? Which versions did YOU opt to upgrade?

One other beef about Macs... ever since the first PCI slot Macs have been
out, Apple has touted cross-platform compatibility with peripherals. Most of
the time, this works okay. But there have been several times where I've
purchased something that is supposed to be cross-platform compatible, only
to find out that Mac has some proprietary way of doing things. An example is
my Princeton 19" LCD monitor. When I purchased my Mac G4 tower, it came with
an nVidia graphics card with a DVI output. My monitor also came with a DVI
connection, as well as a standard VGA connection. When I tried to plug in my
monitor, I found that Mac's version of the DVI connector is different than
the standard DVI connector. So, I have to run my monitor off the VGA. It's
not that big of a deal, but an example of the frustration. Apple has done
much to advance desktop computing, having introduced much technology like
FireWire. But, I get the sense that their insistence on controlling the
software and hardware environment so closely limits their acceptance in the
general marketplace.

YMMV, just my thoughts. At times, I love my Mac and curse my PC. Most of the
time, I'm cool with both. But, Macs are more expensive to own. Period.

Craig
 
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I am running 10.2 on my audio partition
10.3 is on a my general purposes partition,
I am considering an upgrade to 10.4 as it has aggriated audio device
capacity.
Metric Halo has just issued drivers and beta software for10.4.
(TC Electronics has also issued a 10.4 patch for spark xl. )
 
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The Rev. Dr. C. Scot Giles wrote:
> It's a speed bump. All the old software works fine on the machines currently
> available so there is no current tradeoff.
<snip>

You're kidding, right?

Cheers,
-joe.
 
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Andy Eng wrote:
> I'm delighted...
>
> After being a wintel owner/user for more than twenty years, I took the
> plunged and went to a Mac (G4 PB) platform for remote recording and
> post production mixing and art work. I've been most pleased since
> making the change in terms of it being a productive package. BUT,...
>
> I'm most pleased as to not having an upgrade path (I hope). Why?!?!?
> I'm simply sick of getting nickeled and dimed with new apps upgrades,
> more memory, more CPU, more apps, more memory, more CPU, etc. I've one
> too many machines where just that one more addition pushed what was a
> solid platform into a mess.
>
> However!!!!
>
> This ALSO more beans for more mics, more preamps, more mics, a
> production CD/DVD cloner, more mics, more monitors, more mics, another
> set of headphones, mor mics, a mic case, more mics, etc... :)
>
> Grumpy old fart in training... <vbg>
>
> Andy
>
Indeed. It's like that Jerry Seinfeld routine about how at some point
your fashion 'stops': I'm still on OS9/PT 5.2 (well, dual boot, anyway)
and have no foreseeable need to 'upgrade' from a mature and stable OS to
a new and 'better' one. I rarely, if ever, find I have a compelling
reason to open any sessions in OSX/PT 6. The decision not to support
OS9 with the G5, while understandable, bums me out nevertheless.

On another note - isn't Digidesign developing on Wintel first now and
porting to Mac second? If that is correct, that would mean only good
things for ProTools users when Apple switches to Intel. Unless....

I am curious: does anyone know if, when they do switch, it will be to
x86 Intel (P4 type architecture), or something a bit more 'proprietary'
(for lack of a better term)? I assume it will be 64 bit, and probably
dual or multi core, but nothing I've read on the subject makes this
clear. The thought of installing Windows on a Mac really does my head
in. Surely Apple would want to prevent that from being possible?

Cheers,
-joe.
 
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"Joe Mama" <bloodywanker@drugsmakemecool.com> wrote in message
news:42c34224$0$1797$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
> Andy Eng wrote:
>> I'm delighted...
>>
>> After being a wintel owner/user for more than twenty years, I took the
>> plunged and went to a Mac (G4 PB) platform for remote recording and
>> post production mixing and art work. I've been most pleased since
>> making the change in terms of it being a productive package. BUT,...
>>
>> I'm most pleased as to not having an upgrade path (I hope). Why?!?!?
>> I'm simply sick of getting nickeled and dimed with new apps upgrades,
>> more memory, more CPU, more apps, more memory, more CPU, etc. I've one
>> too many machines where just that one more addition pushed what was a
>> solid platform into a mess.
>>
>> However!!!!
>>
>> This ALSO more beans for more mics, more preamps, more mics, a
>> production CD/DVD cloner, more mics, more monitors, more mics, another
>> set of headphones, mor mics, a mic case, more mics, etc... :)
>>
>> Grumpy old fart in training... <vbg>
>>
>> Andy
>>
> Indeed. It's like that Jerry Seinfeld routine about how at some point
> your fashion 'stops': I'm still on OS9/PT 5.2 (well, dual boot, anyway)
> and have no foreseeable need to 'upgrade' from a mature and stable OS to a
> new and 'better' one. I rarely, if ever, find I have a compelling reason
> to open any sessions in OSX/PT 6. The decision not to support OS9 with
> the G5, while understandable, bums me out nevertheless.
>
> On another note - isn't Digidesign developing on Wintel first now and
> porting to Mac second? If that is correct, that would mean only good
> things for ProTools users when Apple switches to Intel. Unless....
>
> I am curious: does anyone know if, when they do switch, it will be to x86
> Intel (P4 type architecture), or something a bit more 'proprietary' (for
> lack of a better term)? I assume it will be 64 bit, and probably dual or
> multi core, but nothing I've read on the subject makes this clear. The
> thought of installing Windows on a Mac really does my head in. Surely
> Apple would want to prevent that from being possible?
>
> Cheers,
> -joe.

I don't know the specifics, but my understanding from Steve Job's
presentation was that they've been running OSX from the start on x86
machines. I assume they mean run of the mill Pentiums and Athlons. But, you
can bet that they will come up with their own proprietary bios and MB
architecture so that, while their "Mactels" will support dual-boot Windows
XP64, you won't be able to run retail versions of their OS (whatever feline
name it will inherit) on a Dell/Gateway/HP machine.

Craig