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Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core 8GB kit $232 / 4GB kit $116 / 2GB kit $72. New Macbook 2GB DDR3-$65. HARD DRIVES available -- Free shipping / LIfetime warranty.
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
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Miscellaneous Ramblings
Short Takes
Charles Moore - 23 Sept. 1999 - Tip Jar
- Cinema Display DFP - DFI Confusion Correction
- Why Doesn't iBook Have A Sound-In Port?
- CD-R/RW Expansion Bay Drive For Wall Street PowerBooks
- Lombard SCSI Disk Mode Problems Discussed
- How To Beat The High Price Of Wall Street Internal Modems
- Trackpad Clicking Not Default-Enabled On iBook
- Miscellaneous Ramblings Mailbag
Cinema Display DFP - DFI Confusion Correction
Several readers wrote correcting the Short Take we ran last week about Apple Cinema Display support for DFP graphics cards.
From J.D. Mankovsky
Your web site talks refers to the Apple Cinema Display. A couple of "errors" that need to be corrected:
- The Digital Connector is called a DVI connector Digital Visual Interface (DVI) 24-pin connector with Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) not a DFP connector.
- The new 450 and 500 MHz G4s do not include a "dual" DVI + analog video card.
We will only ship the Cinema Display + G4 (450 or 500) "bundle" (October 1st is when we start taking orders) with the dual Analog + DVI video card.
Sincerely,
JD Mankovsky
Senior Systems Engineer
Apple Business Group
From Iain Bradbury
This email relates to the Cinema Display's compatibility with DFP equipped graphics cards as discussed on both MacFixIt and Low End Mac.
The Xclaim 3D Plus is DFP (Digital Flat Panel - 20-pin), but the new Rage 128 products in the Sawtooth are DVI (Digital Visual Interface - 24-pin).
The Cinema Display requires the following:
- Power Mac G4 computer with AGP 2X expansion slot and built-in USB
- Digital Visual Interface (DVI) 24-pin connector with Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58437)
ATI DVI equipped graphics cards are backwards-compatible with DFP monitors, but DFP equipped graphics cards will not support DVI monitors.
- ATI RAGE Fury Pro
- ATI, the leader in digital flat panel graphic accelerators, announces support for Intel's Digital Visual Interface
- ATI Xclaim 3D Plus
I hope this was helpful.
From Elizabeth Garcia
In regards to your recent article Apple's 22" LCD Cinema Display Support not Limited to Sawtooth G4s, the display in fact uses a DVI connector.
See Apple's spec page at <http://www.apple.com/displays/acd22/specs.html>.
DFP panels will work on the graphics card included with the 450 &500 MHz G4s (as defined by the DVI spec) with a simple adapter, but I would like to know if there are any other PCI graphics cards which have a DVI connector on them.
Why Doesn't iBook Have A Sound-In Port?
According to a report by MacWelt's Sebastian Hirsch and MacWeek's Matthew Rothenberg, Apple Vice President of Product Marketing Phil Schiller told MacWelt magazine at Paris Apple Expo that Apple decided to omit the microphone port from the iBook "to cut costs, since microphones do not yet play a major role in portable computers."
iBook users who want or need sound-in capability will be obliged to use third-party USB peripherals - at least for now. Schiller also hinted to MacWelt that future revisions of iBook might have a microphone port.
CD-R/RW Expansion Bay Drive For Wall Street PowerBooks
Japan Apple Watch reports that PowerYu is developing a CD-R/RW expansion bay device for the PowerBook G3 Series I and II (Wall Street).
Some photos of the prototype CD-R/RW drive may be viewed here and here.
JAW says that a Matsushita UJDA310L(ATAPI) drive is used with 4x write and 20x read speed. The drive is expected to ship in Japan around the end of October.
The new drive will be produced by Taxan, which is cooperating with PowerYu on the device's development. Taxan is a manufacturing subsidiary of Kaga Electronics, a specialist trading company dealing in the supply of electronic parts and devices.
Lombard SCSI Disk Mode Problems
Discussed
MacFixIt is running a forum thread on problems some PowerBook G3 Series III users are experiencing in attempting to connect their Lombard's to other Macs in SCSI Disk Mode. Apparently in some cases the PowerBook's volume refuses to mount on the other Mac's Finder.
How To Beat The High Price Of WallStreet Internal Modems
The PowerBook Zone says that owners of some early WallStreet PowerBooks that shipped without internal modems can simply buy one of the internal modems made for the Blue & White PowerMac G3s, strip off the metal cage on the modem, and install the modem in their WallStreet. This modem can be had for $89 at some outlets, which makes it a cheap 56k modem solution, and both you PC Card slots remain free. Using this modem could save you more than $100 compared to the price of the standard WallStreet modem module.
Trackpad Clicking Not Default-Enabled On iBook
Apple has posted a TIL article (#58446) about the iBook's trackpad clicking not being enabled by default. The article includes instructions for newbies on how to activate trackpad clicking.
Miscellaneous Ramblings Mailbag
From Reg Lee
One note to add - my pet peeve about iCab. More often than not iCab does not allow using the spacebar or other keys for scrolling or paging up and down. I constantly create new windows when I surf, especially when reading the news, and having to click inside each one before I can scroll is a bothersome extra step. iCab's cmd-shift-click (open link in new window behind current window) would be a truly great feature which no other browser has if not for this problem.
From Danny
You keep saying The PowerBook Guy is "expecting a batch of 250 MHz" daughtercards. Wouldn't that be the used ones which people traded in on the 292's he sold last month??? Please keep it real, sponsor or no!
To the best of my knowledge, the 250's he will be selling are new, but I wouldn't state categorically that your surmise is mistaken. I'm sure the 292s weren't trade-ins, and I don't think he got his good reputation by pulling shady deals. These end-of-lines tend to be sold in batches.
Charles
From Peter Tamas:
So...
Ever heard of an upgrade that would forget about the ROMs and just set up the machine as a CHRP box (i.e. run LinuxPPC) and then run Mac OS in an emulation shell for the necessary Mac applications but spend most of its time as a screaming Linux notebook?
No. Have you?
I'm intrigued.
Charles
Any idea who I could poke to see if such a beast exists anywhere on anybody's maybe list?
I'll contact the usual suspects.
Charles Moore has been a freelance journalist since 1987 and writing for Mac websites since May 1998. His The Road Warrior column is a regular feature on MacOpinion, and he is a news editor and columnist at Applelinks.com.
Recent Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Apple Could Buy Dell, and Linux Is No Threat to Mac OS X, 12.01. Apple has the cash to buy Dell outright, and the idea has some merit. Also, why Linux still isn't ready to displace the Mac OS.
- Another Way to Run WeatherBug, Aspire One Runs OS X, 17" MacBook Pro Hi-res Display, and More, 11.25. Also finding that 'just right' notebook computer, car, or truck.
- 3 WeatherBug Options for Apple Users, 11.19. Have instant access to current local weather conditions with a Dashboard widget, iPhone app, or Firefox plugin.
- Love My Refurb MacBook Pro, Eudora Forever, and the Lightest AA Batteries, 11.18. Also questions about nVidia GeForce 8600 problems in earlier MacBook Pro models and importing Eudora mailboxes into Eudora successors.
- More in the Miscellaneous Ramblings index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 14" iBook G3/600 MHz, Jan. 2002 - The first 14" iBook ran at a comfortable 600 MHz.
- Group of the Day: Mac OS 9 List covers Mac OS 9 as both a freestanding OS and as Classic mode in OS X.
- December 1 in LEM history: 99: Monitor dot pitch - 00: Macs for new users - Everybody wants to use iMacs - Career options - 03: Pfinder: Panther-like Finder for legacy Macs - 04: Why I use an eMac, iBook, and Power Mac - ThinkFree Office - MacLink Plus 15 - 05: PowerBook 190 still a great laptop - Eudora, the Mac's most powerful email client - 06: Core 2 'Books cooler and faster
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- The Very Best Macs: Sometimes Apple Just Nails It, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 12.01. Apple has produced lots of good Macs, a few dogs, and some 'best of breed' models that stand apart from the pack.
- Will Snow Leopard Support Some PowerPC Macs?, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 11.26. It just doesn't make sense that Apple would ship a new OS that won't support Macs sold less than three years ago.
- From Ubuntu to OS X, Picking the Right Mac, an Aluminum Mouse Pad, and More, Mac News Review, 11.26. Also changes in Apple culture, OWC rebates on Hitachi drives, Clone X clones OS X, and LaCie SilverKeeper updated for OS X 10.5.5.
- Apple Retail Will Break Records This Christmas, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 11.26. "Despite all the economic problems, Apple Retail can look forward to another successful quarter with sales maybe breaking through $2 billion...."
- iPhone 2.2 Software Update Released and Jailbroken, Advent Calendars for Your iPhone, and More, iNews Review, 11.26. Also making Street View work on the iPod touch, BlackBerry Storm questions answered, Microsoft's forthcoming phone, eco-friendly cases, and more.
- MacBook Slowdown without Battery, DisplayLink and DRM, 256 GB SSD, MagSafe Solutions, and More, The 'Book Review, 11.26. Also Mac netbook prospects, laptop cooling table with 2 fans, solar notebook bag, hard shell cases for unibody 'Books, bargain 'Books from $500 to $2,299, and more.
- Old Macs in the New Economy, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 11.25. "We are the kings of making our computers last, last, and last some more."
- Virtualization Shootout: VirtualBox 2 vs. VMWare Fusion 2, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 11.25. VirtualBox is aimed at a different audience than Fusion and Parallels. While it works well, the typical desktop user will probably prefer Fusion.
- Software to Keep Your MacBook Cool, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 11.25. Heat is the enemy of long hardware life. Two programs to keep your MacBook running cooler.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best iPod nano Deals, 12.01. Refurb 3G/4 GB, $79; new, $105; refurb 8 GB, $99; new, $115; 3G/8 GB, $134; 16 GB, $174. Prices include ground shipping.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 12.01. Used 1.5 GHz SuperDrive, $481/C$599 plus shipping.
- Best Mac Pro Deals, 12.01. Used 3.0 GHz 4-core, $2,102; new 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 a/r; 8-core, $2,515 a/r; 3.0 $3,320 a/r; 3.2, $4,099 a/r.
- Best MacBook Deals, 11.26. Used 1.83 GHz, $595; 2.0 SD, $660; refurb 2.1 GHz, $949; 2.4, $999; black, $1,099; new 2.1, $869 after rebate; 2.4, $1,150 a/r; black, $1,194 a/r; more.
- Best iPod touch Deals, 11.26. Used 1G/8 GB, $160; refurb, $179; new, $198; used 16, $200; refurb, $219; refurb 32, $319; new, $340; 2G/8 GB, $219; 16, $289; 32, $379.
- Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 11.26. Used 1.6 GHz single, $450; 1.8, $499; dual, $600, 2.0, $800; 2.3, $816; dual-core, $1,000; 2.5 dual, $1,000; 2.7, $1,050; 2.5 Quad, $1,400.
- Best MacBook Deals, 11.26. Used 1.83 GHz, $595; 2.0 SD, $660; refurb 2.1 GHz, $949; 2.4, $999; black, $1,099; new 2.1, $869 after rebate; 2.4, $1,150 a/r; black, $1,194 a/r; more.
- Best Mac mini Deals, 11.25. Used 1.42 GHz G4 Combo, $429; 1.66 GHz Core Duo, $449; 1.83, SuperDrive $629; new 1.83 Core 2 Combo, $570 shipped; 2.0 SD, $760 shipped.
- Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.25. Used 1.67 GHz SuperDrive, $539; hi-res, $800. Shipping additional.
- Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 11.25. Refurb 500 GB Time Capsule, $249; new, $281; refurb 1 TB, $419; new, $462; AirPort Extreme Base Station, $159; Express, $60.
- More deals in our archive.
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