Anyone still use a PowerPC mac as their daily machine?

[Appleuser201]

Anyone out there still own and use a PowerPC Mac as their main daily driver? While PowerPC macs haven't been made since 2006, they still are to me personally a TRUE macintosh and not associated with that intel windows garbage. I know the PowerMac g5 machines are actually still decent in performance in 2018 (on the internet using TenFourFox), but also curious if someone still uses an iMac G3 or iBook G4 everyday. Thanks!

 

[bobesch]

"Main daily driver ...?" No. But within a melange of old & new Macs plus WinServer-Environment.
The unique tasks for PPC:
- 12" iBookG4(1.2MHz) & PowerBookG4 (1.5GHz) /w Office'04/'08/Preview as beamer-companion on meetings
- 12" PowerBookG4 (1.5GHz) as my Fax-machine at home
- miniG4 as my Fax-machine at the office
- G3/G4: native os9/Classic for legacy applications
- all: ScreenSharing/FileSharing/webDAV for connected computing / steering server or newer macs, edit Office-documents/PDF/pictures. IMAP-email. With iOS/iFiles connectivity/file-exchange PPC<>Cloud.
"variatio delectat ...!"

 

[mmphosis]

Everyday by a third -- the PowerBook G4 is my "third" monitor / keyboard and mouse/trackpad as my daily machine(s). It is great to have another machine running completely separate with a PowerPC CPU. No Intel ME compromised hardware on PowerPC Macs. Right now, I've got Terminal open with top running, and it shows a total of 34 processes on the PowerBook! Over on the other 2/3 daily machine running Xubuntu, I run:

# ps aux | wc

and the total is currently 175 processes! Not that these processes in linux are all running, but I think things are often simpler, easier, and more reliable and secure on the 1/3 daily machine: the PowerBook G4. I run TenFourFox7450, sometimes Roccat LepWK. On Monday, I was cropping, rotating, and saving an image using "ImageMagick (display Q16)" which would have been way easier and faster if I had brought the PowerBook and used Preview to do the same thing. It is very rare that I would play videos on the PowerBook G4, unless I was to play a DVD (remember those?) The 2/3 (Intel ME) machine doesn't have a CD/DVD drive, and ethernet is through a USB3 adapter, as well as an octopus of cables for monitors, keyboards, mice, etc. Intel machines are getting dated, and we haven't seen a significant breakthrough in speed in a decade, and as I will keep repeating Intel ME (Management Engine) is a way in which the Intel CPU may allow an outside party complete control of an Intel PC.

 

[AphoticD]

Not as a main daily driver, but much of my work in programming and web development is done on my little PowerBook G4 12” 1.5GHz.

It rides with me most days as it is (relatively) small and light.

It runs an extremely lightweight system with an optimized Tiger on an SSD.

I run the old MAMP stack, which although it is not up to date, it is still compatible with 99% of my PHP and MySQL scripts, which work seamlessly for local testing between my little G4 and my web host.

I run Xcode 2.5 on Tiger which as I’ve mentioned on other posts before, allows me a decent level of compatibility with Xcode 8, 9 and now 10 (Mojave). I can write, test and compile many programs written in C and a massive amount of Objective-C code can be written to be cross-compatible between these platforms.

I never have to worry about the OS doing major battery draining background tasks, software updates or iCloud syncing without my consent.

I can (still) easily tether the PowerBook G4 to my iPhone (6) over WiFi without any workarounds to get my little ‘book online anywhere I go.

On the subject, battery life is good and I often carry a spare charged battery to swap out in the middle of the day.

It looks great (in my opinion), typing is comfortable and if something terrible were to happen and it was damaged or stolen, the cost of replacement is extremely low (I have a few ‘spares’ anyway).

I can’t imagine anyone carting their brand new MBP around could say the same and keep a straight face.

I could certainly just use Intel Macs If I wanted to, but I love the PowerPCs. They have a different vibe to the newer Intels

These Retro Machines have heart and soul.

 

[eyoungren]

Anyone out there still own and use a PowerPC Mac as their main daily driver? While PowerPC macs haven't been made since 2006, they still are to me personally a TRUE macintosh and not associated with that intel windows garbage. I know the PowerMac g5 machines are actually still decent in performance in 2018 (on the internet using TenFourFox), but also curious if someone still uses an iMac G3 or iBook G4 everyday. Thanks!

Uhhhh…was your thread moved from elsewhere on this site?

Because you are asking this question in the POWERPC MACS forum.

In any case, does below answer your question?

 

[iTurbo]

Isn't there a "PowerPC challenge" right around the beginning of the year? Is that a yearly thing?

 

[eyoungren]

Isn't there a "PowerPC challenge" right around the beginning of the year? Is that a yearly thing?

It's a thing done whenever the user who coordinates it wishes to try again. There's no set schedule for it.

I never engage in it though as there is no point. My main driver has been a PowerPC Mac since 2001 and that fact hasn't changed in 17 years. Why engage in a challenge when you live it?

 

[pl1984]

Anyone out there still own and use a PowerPC Mac as their main daily driver? While PowerPC macs haven't been made since 2006, they still are to me personally a TRUE macintosh and not associated with that intel windows garbage. I know the PowerMac g5 machines are actually still decent in performance in 2018 (on the internet using TenFourFox), but also curious if someone still uses an iMac G3 or iBook G4 everyday. Thanks!

I feel just the opposite. The Internet is near the bottom of the list I would use a PPC system for. It's unfortunate because it doesn't have to be this way.

 

[eyoungren]

I feel just the opposite. The Internet is near the bottom of the list I would use a PPC system for. It's unfortunate because it doesn't have to be this way.

It's a fairly decent experience if you optimize TenFourFox for it. I do well on a 1.0Ghz 17" PowerBook G4 with 2GB ram.

On my Quad at home I have a 2GB virtual disk which I use. Both the app and my profile are stored there (I keep a copy on the hard drive so I don't lose it) and I run them directly from RAM.

But my browsing habits are not the same as others. I'm out there for forums, news and a few other sites via Google searching. I don't use T4Fx for video watching or media which a lot of people seem to want to do. There are other apps better suited to that.

Demeter, for instance, handles Youtube very well.

 

[Raging Dufus]

Anyone out there still own and use a PowerPC Mac as their main daily driver?

Boy do I wish.

I own many, and up until a couple months ago, was daily driving my PowerBook G4. I still would be, except for one piece of software that my school requires me to run, which only runs on El Capitan or newer. Or on Windows, which isn't happening.

So that means Intel. And that's been trouble. And oh, how I miss Leopard and PowerPC.

 

[Dharumanyo]

I use an iMac G5 as my daily driver. I upgraded it to a 2TB HDD and use it for all my media. It's still good for web browsing, IRC, email, office work (iWork 08), and programming. I also use two PowerBook G4s (1.67GHz) when I'm on the go. One runs Leopard and the other OpenBSD.

 

[mccjim12]

I did until 2014 when I purchased a new 2012 MacBook Pro. I had a PowerBook G4 that was my main computer. Bought new in 2004. Since buying the MBP my usage of my PPC Macs has slowed. I still have them and always will but the sad reality is that they are not usable on the modern internet. I still use the PBG4 for DV video capture, which it handles like the day it was purchased.

 

[SkyBell]

The only PowerPC Mac that I own which has a daily use anymore is an alarm clock app on my PowerBook.

I was using an eMac everyday for light browsing until just a few months ago, but unfortunately it had just gotten to that absolute lowest usability point I couldn't take anymore, and replaced it with an Intel iMac. Of course, it is still setup elsewhere in my apartment, just in case I want to get on it for old times sake or at least for the annual challenge.

 

[Kliee]

I'm once again far from my home country, hence far from most of my PPC machines.

I took a PowerBook with me though. A 667Mhz G4 TiBook. I foolishly thought that it would be sufficient for me as it can dual boot OS9 and OSX (Tiger).
A few months and eBay finds later, I'm commanding a small armada of PowerPC machines that I will talk more about in other threads. Mainly laptops, since I'm not at home and will make them come back with me.
I'm no Luddite, but I have found myself very disappointed with recent system releases, especially from Apple.
I really love the Apple machines and OS's from the PowerPC era and, as my work can be done on almost any computer, I chose to use mainly what pleases me the most.
I use my PowerPC machines most of the time and only rely on my Intel for Youtube or heavy web browsing.
My main machine for work (pdf reading and creation, word processing and data analysis) is the TiBook mentioned above. I also have a 14 inches iBook G3 for (retro-)gaming.
Those are the two I use the most but, as I said, I now have many other PPC machines for which I have many projects.

 

[eyoungren]

…but the sad reality is that they are not usable on the modern internet.

I disagree. I use TenFourFox and an optimized preferences file and the internet does very well.

Now if you mean video, such as using the internet to do YouTube, then yeah. But there are alternatives for that.

 

[StellarVixen]

I applaud you who do, people. I do not have guts to do something like this.

I have so much software that I use daily that would be incompatible with PPC Macs. And, I depend to much on Messages and FaceTime.

 

[pochopsp]

My only working computer right now is my iBook g4. It does everything I need it to do. Modern gaming and video chat seem the only things it won't do, so, if your expectations are not so high, and you are able to optimize your system, it can even be quite fast all considered.

 

[eyoungren]

I applaud you who do, people. I do not have guts to do something like this.

I have so much software that I use daily that would be incompatible with PPC Macs. And, I depend to much on Messages and FaceTime.

I think that's a matter of how you use things.

See, because of PowerPC I never came to depend on the Apple ecosystem. So, while iMessage is great, an SMS/MMS from my phone still does the job. If I want to use Facetime, that's what my iPhone, which is always less than 3 feet away, is for. But mainly my phone is used for calls and texting.

You use those things more than I do, so having to rely on just your phone is a hassle and ties you to those Macs that can do this.

But I don't have the sort of lifestyle where alternatives to the Apple ecosystem aren't good enough.

Hell, all of my iPhones are jailbroken and two of them can run a tweak that allows me to connect to them and use the phone to send messages.

A Fluid app running on any of my PowerPC Macs can then send both SMS/MMS and iMessage through my phone. With pictures/video/files if I like.

It's all just a matter of how far you're willing to go. I find that those 'trapped' by the Apple ecosystem are far less interested in making alternatives work.

 

[Appleuser201]

The only PowerPC Mac that I own which has a daily use anymore is an alarm clock app on my PowerBook.

I was using an eMac everyday for light browsing until just a few months ago, but unfortunately it had just gotten to that absolute lowest usability point I couldn't take anymore, and replaced it with an Intel iMac. Of course, it is still setup elsewhere in my apartment, just in case I want to get on it for old times sake or at least for the annual challenge.

What processor speed on the eMac? The 1.42ghz eMac is perfectly fine for daily web browsing (TFF, leopard webkit, sometimes safari)

 

[vddrnnr]

Hi all,

Just a screen from Adelie Linux running Netsurf Browser ( not perfect but very fast ).
I'm trying to get QtWebkit working properly so I can get qupzilla working right.
Unfortunately right now it quits when scrolling but it's very fast. Maybe we can get one
of these building on OSX ( there is a recent netsurf build for Intel but all the code base is
for amiga powerpc so it should play nice ).
At the back on the right is just some system load overlay ( CPU, Temps, Fan Speed ).
These packages we're built by me from source.:

- Slim ( Login Manager because SDDM look weird on radeon, there is a patch I think
but I haven't been able to get the Adelie Xorg package sources to rebuild it)
- Xosd ( library for the OSD )
- qupzilla ( qt browser using qt-webkit )
- netsurf ( gtk browser using it's own engine )
- sylpheed ( trying to get html message viewer plugin working ) the rest is perfect and light
- qastools ( for controlling sound with alsa )
- compton ( composite manager for window effects )
- powernowd ( for CPU Power Management )
- cairo-dock ( mac dock lick bar, working almost ok not using OpenGL )

I also have the RADEON card and all other hardware working.

To get a perfect look boot all that would be needed would be plymouth support in the kernel ( I don't thing
it's there, at least I couldn't get it working )

In Adelie you also have:

- FFox 52 but it's a bit slow
- Thunderbird 52
- Libre Office
- A lot of stuff

Inside the text editor was the message I was typing.

Best regards,
voidRunner

 

[Dronecatcher]

At the back on the right is just some system load overlay ( CPU, Temps, Fan Speed ).

Is it the DLSD model - do you know whether the CPU load is at 1.67Ghz or a lower frequency? That always throws me off on my 17" DLSD - not know what percentage of what speed the CPU is running at?

 

[vddrnnr]

Hi Drone,

Unfortunately it's at full speed. Because the total cpu load is above 80% powernowd keeps
the CPU at full.
There is something strange with the kernel that eats all the CPU ( it seems like it's waiting for
something but nothing happens ).
As i mentioned on another thread it stays at 60 before starting X after X it goes to 85/90.
The problem is that when you're not doing anything it's still stays at 85/90 all the time.

When you run something like a build or a program system load goes down and user goes up.
If it's something heavy like a build or firefox starting total load goes to 100% when it stops
it goes down to 85/90 again.

When I have time I'll try and find if it is possible to make powernowd monitor the User load instead of total load because like that
frequencies are never reduced.
Maybe this way at least we get a cooler running system.

Best regards,
voidRunner
[doublepost=1540402087][/doublepost]Hi drone,

Found it.
Changed powernowd to look at user load and it's running ok and as expected cpufreq down to 833
when user load is below 20%.
The strange thing is total load is still at 85/90.
I'll keep you posted about temps and performance/behaviour.

Best regards,
voidRunner

 

[AphoticD]

Found it.
Changed powernowd to look at user load and it's running ok and as expected cpufreq down to 833
when user load is below 20%.
The strange thing is total load is still at 85/90.
I'll keep you posted about temps and performance/behaviour.

Good work @vddrnnr (did you lose a few vowels?)

It would be nice if OS X had fine control over the CPU stepping like this. In Tiger and Leopard I am using a little menu bar app called FastAndSlow to give controls like the Battery menu. I tend to keep the G5s on “Slow” unless I want the boost. Otherwise “Automatic” speed causes Time Machine backups to run the G5 in full wind turbine mode.

It is strange that the DLSD has no user options for speed stepping.

 

[Dronecatcher]

It is strange that the DLSD has no user options for speed stepping.

I know it's a feature of that new G4 revision and meant to save battery - but, yes, I'd prefer to have that control over output.

 

[vddrnnr]

Hi Drone,

Forgot to say that mine is not the DLSD.

PS. building qtwebkit is taking forever but still going

Best regards,
voidRunner