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aurora72

macrumors regular
Jun 7, 2010
188
89
Türkiye
ahoi !
aurora72
The old stuff is not kaput.
They just stopped to make good computers.

PowerPC Punk

View attachment 2192165
Agree. Just within the last decade or so, starting from 2013 to 2015, most of the computer models and most of the software, in particular the web browsers started to get spoiled. Up until about 2015, we had Flash Player to watch videos from the Internet. FP was working fantastically on the old computers. I remember watching 480p even 720p videos easily on my 2005 make 32bit Intel 1.5Ghz IBM ThinkPad but after the HTML5 replaced the FP it became impossible to watch even the 360p or 240p videos on the same ThinkPad. That applies more or less to my Mac mini G4. So it is the newest "crappy" software which put the old computers in trouble.
 
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Slix

macrumors 68000
Mar 24, 2010
1,586
2,358
"Expect unexpected crashes that will ruin your day."

Welp, guess all my days have been ruined for nearly a decade now. :p

This article is something else. Surely they know that not everything second hand is extremely old and unable to be updated or useless to people right?
 
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macfacts

macrumors 603
Oct 7, 2012
5,348
6,312
Cybertron
ahoi!
Imortant advice (?), i´ve read today, in this shi.ty newspaper:
---
Sorry, in german "ignorance" only, but the main facts are:

1. Old Macs are not secure.
2. It´s hard to get spare parts.
3.There is no appropriate Software-Support.
4. The performance will disappoint you.
5. It´s only Intel.
---
Oh my God;
If they knew, what we are talking about here...

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

Never mind, have a punkin´weekend !

PowerPC Punk

View attachment 2191949
But the claim was always apple product s have great resale value.
 

VirtuallyInsane

macrumors 6502
Nov 16, 2018
333
435
I use a 12-inch iBook G4 for writing, and it's a wonderful machine; it's zippy for that task, has a 4:3 screen ratio, and never overheats (mainly because I keep it offline). It has Word 2004 on it and is running Tiger. It has no distractions on it, and the keyboard is lovely to type on.

I could care less what version it's running because it's never gonna be online again. I don't care how 'secure' it is from that point of view. It's not like my iMac or MBP, running Mojave and Big Sur respectively. I keep those up to date and watch myself online on them.

People writing those articles assume that people are going to use the PowerPCs as their only daily driver, which isn't always the case. They can be amazing for doing experiments, niche tasks, running old software/games, etc, even now.

And the few who do still use exclusively a PPC as a daily driver still make sure that they are safe online. They only use verified software, and keep things good. They know what they are doing. They know what to expect.
 

Newton1701

macrumors member
Nov 14, 2017
33
130
If I could find someone to cheaply fix my 2011 iMac I would (graphics card - do not send me into that insane, convoluted 10,000 page fix-it thread!)

It’s still sitting in a box and faces daily garbage dump threats from my wife!
See how much Louis Rossmann wants to do it. Right up his alley.
 

TheShortTimer

macrumors 68040
Mar 27, 2017
3,249
5,639
London, UK
That's my take on it. It's happened before and it will happen again.

You've triggered a BSG flashback! Was that your intention? :D

https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50fc30ee-c66e-4fe0-9682-5cb216e6dba8_355x200.gif


Journalists will always write asinine, misinformed articles about computing whilst dedicated enthusiasts push back against their misreporting for the betterment of the community. Which is exactly what happens here on a daily basis.
 

JitteryJimmy

macrumors regular
Apr 12, 2008
238
405
I’m quite new to Mac, so is it safe to buy an old Mac?
Don’t need to have the latest OS, but thinking of security updates?

But is it safe to buy an old iMac for example from 2010 for easier task?

Of course for a 13 year old Mac you will not get any support, security patches, modern software, modern WiFi. So it is likely poor choice for a beginner or for anything online. But for $40 it may be fun to fool around with.

As with ALL used computer equipment, wipe everything from the machine and reload the OS and software from official media. That includes computers, phones, tablets, routers, or basically anything else... regardless of manufacturer.
 

VirtuallyInsane

macrumors 6502
Nov 16, 2018
333
435
As with ALL used computer equipment, wipe everything from the machine and reload the OS and software from official media. That includes computers, phones, tablets, routers, or basically anything else... regardless of manufacturer.

And if possible, upgrade the RAM and add an SSD to it. You will love the improvements, and they're both cheap. Even if you're using it for light tasks or messing around, it's still good to do.
 
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eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,365
You've triggered a BSG flashback! Was that your intention? :D
No, not this time. My knowledge of the BSG remake is very lacking, so any reference is completely unintentional. We've engaged in discussion in other threads that got moved here before is all. I don't see that changing.
 
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eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,365
I use a 12-inch iBook G4 for writing, and it's a wonderful machine; it's zippy for that task, has a 4:3 screen ratio, and never overheats (mainly because I keep it offline). It has Word 2004 on it and is running Tiger. It has no distractions on it, and the keyboard is lovely to type on.

I could care less what version it's running because it's never gonna be online again. I don't care how 'secure' it is from that point of view. It's not like my iMac or MBP, running Mojave and Big Sur respectively. I keep those up to date and watch myself online on them.

People writing those articles assume that people are going to use the PowerPCs as their only daily driver, which isn't always the case. They can be amazing for doing experiments, niche tasks, running old software/games, etc, even now.

And the few who do still use exclusively a PPC as a daily driver still make sure that they are safe online. They only use verified software, and keep things good. They know what they are doing. They know what to expect.
A lot here I disagree with, but just from a personal preference perspective. I'm not saying you're wrong. It would just seem you and I have very different opinions on certain Mac models and certain apps.

I'm much more of a 17" PowerBook and Word 2008 type person. :)
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,365
Of course for a 13 year old Mac you will not get any support, security patches, modern software, modern WiFi. So it is likely poor choice for a beginner or for anything online. But for $40 it may be fun to fool around with.

As with ALL used computer equipment, wipe everything from the machine and reload the OS and software from official media. That includes computers, phones, tablets, routers, or basically anything else... regardless of manufacturer.
I would just caveat that it's not strictly necessary to be using modern software. The standards are really what matter. If you were to send a Word file (DOCX) or an InDesign markup file (IDML), these could be opened on 13+ year old Macs. Word X was the first version of Word for OS X that was able to open DOCX files, while Word 2004 and Word 2008 both open/save them natively. And ID CS4 and above will open IDML files from the current version of InDesign. Same with an Adobe Illustrator (AI) or Photoshop (PSD) file.

Of course it goes without saying that JPG, PNG, PDF, EPS and TIFF would also open on a 13+ year old Mac.

These standards have been tweaked over the years, but they haven't changed yet. When they do, these older Macs are stuck in their time period.
 

VirtuallyInsane

macrumors 6502
Nov 16, 2018
333
435
A lot here I disagree with, but just from a personal preference perspective. I'm not saying you're wrong. It would just seem you and I have very different opinions on certain Mac models and certain apps.

I'm much more of a 17" PowerBook and Word 2008 type person. :)

Haha, fair enough. Nothing wrong with having preferences. What you like, is what you like.

For me, I find that form factor useful for typing documents, but there's nothing wrong with wanting a bigger screen or a bigger surface area/keyboard to type on/ have more applications on the screen. I like how Word 2004 runs on it as well. It just works, and that's all I need for typing documents.

I'm more of a 'use my 17-inch devices to watch movies/Netflix' kinda person. :p
 
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Dronecatcher

macrumors 603
Jun 17, 2014
5,244
7,880
Lincolnshire, UK
My assumption is that the thread was originally posted outside the PowerPC subforum before it got moved by mods (to this subforum).
No, it was posted here - I saw it before there were any replys. Maybe it was promoted to some main feed somewhere (I don't know what that's called.)

The article is no doubt aimed at people who upon seeing the shiny logo think they've hit the jackpot....
 

Matsamoto

macrumors 6502a
Oct 31, 2018
989
8,524
Halmstad, Sweden
I do not know where this thread was originally posted, but it is currently sitting in the PowerPC Mac subforum of MacRumors. I guess the mods thought this was the right forum for 'old Macs'. Never mind there is also a Early Intel Mac subforum.

But anyway…if security is your thing, then you'll want a Mac that Apple considers to be 'Supported'. 'Supported' models still receive updates. I believe the 'supported' tag is from one to seven years. After seven years, you move into 'Vintage' and then 'Obsolete'.

The type of Mac you get also depends on how much you are willing to learn/work. If an older 'vintage' or 'obsolete' Mac is acceptable to you, then you have a learning curve and some work to do. But it won't be receiving current security updates. For a lot of people, that makes them 'unsecure' and there is a blind, unreasoning, inflexible and rabid mentality about not using 'unsecure' Macs in other parts of MacRumors.

You have to decide what you're ultimately going to be using your Mac for.

On a related note, I am typing this message in on a 2009 Mac Pro running Mojave (OS X 10.14.6). It was considered obsolete long ago, but is actually my youngest Mac. All the other Macs I own are older. But, the browser I am using is the latest version of Vivaldi, which still supports my OS.
Thanks for answering.
I’m gonna look up that thread and read more about it.

My wife still has a 2015 MacBook Pro and it still gets security updates, even if it didn’t get Ventura now.
For simple tasks it’s performs very well.

So if I understand this right, you can absolutely use a Mac even after the last update, but it’s probably not a good idea to use it on the internet. Maybe if you can somehow make it safe?
But you can use it for office use, and lighter productivity. If you have some patience😁

It’s great that Vivaldi still support a 2009 Mac. It does looks good for the future.

A little side note. I’m planning to buy my wife a new MacBook Air M2 now in June on our wedding day.
She had this Mac since 2015 and never complained, so she is worthy of a new one.
And then I can take over the 2015 and use for lighter task, even after the last update.
Sounds like a win-win situation😊
 
Although German is my native language, I couldn't finish reading the article due to the misinformation. I would argue that the second and third point are the most outrageous in my opinion. Concerning the second point, I'd actually argue that that applies more to new Macs. The author of the article probably has never heard of OpenCore and the likes of it. The fourth point is debatable. If we take a maxed out Mac Pro 2009/2010/2012 for example, I don't think the performance will be disappointing. Just my 2 cents. With a little bit of insight you can easily debunk the article. I can't help but to think that the article is sponsored somehow or at least heavily biased ...

Forgive me if someone already makes note of the following later during the thread, as I’m still browsing it.

The second point is legit, insofar as two areas are concerned:

1) Finding a replacement retina LCD is, basically, unobtanium shy of cannibalizing another Mac with a functioning display. Consequently, cannibalized displays and display assemblies end up being pricey af.

2) The closer one reaches the still-supported Macs, the higher likelihood one runs into problems with either a) soldered consumable components which fail (and whose replacements necessitate folks trained and offering the service of board soldering); and b) components which are either locked due to the T1 chip and/or components which are matched cryptographically at time of assembly.

Both of these areas are completely Apple’s conscious doing, are anti-competitive, and they are not a function of modern tech itself — as similar-spec laptops sold by other companies use the same standards for RAM, displays (including off-the-shelf OLEDs), and solid-state storage without the soldering/cryptography brainworms Apple love to embrace with their Cook-era hardware.

The rest of the piece, especially that fourth point (meaningless unless one is working with editing 4K raw video and/or an esports-level “gamer”) is just a filler piece for a consumer web site whose mandate is to get readers to, well, consume like the world is an all-you-can-eat buffet (which it is not).
 
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Sure, but isn't this common sense, i.e. not even worth mentioning? Caveat emptor.

Not so much “common sense” as actually stopping for a couple of hours to consciously and critically think about it.

In other words, do your homework (which, yah, might get a lot of kvetching from folks who hated having homework, to the point of dropping out of secondary school or skipping tertiary school altogether, but sorry, doing your homework — call it consumer diligence if it makes one feel less anxious about it — is an invaluable life skill).
 
My assumption is that the thread was originally posted outside the PowerPC subforum before it got moved by mods (to this subforum). There were replies to it before it got moved, which explains how quite a few users who do not frequent the PowerPC subforum are involved.

If I am, we have some new users to the PowerPC subforum. ;)

As this thread‘s original post links to an article discussing, implicitly and explicitly, older Intel Macs (though not terribly specific on which Intel Macs in particular), I reported it to the mods as a good thread candidate for a move over to the Early Intel Macs forum.
 
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If I could find someone to cheaply fix my 2011 iMac I would (graphics card - do not send me into that insane, convoluted 10,000 page fix-it thread!)

That thread, for all the valuable info contained within, is a remarkable object lesson on how not to organize and structure information for reader/user accessibility. Going in there to clean it up and make it user-accessible will detonate its chief participant, whose brain is the Rosetta stone on knowing which post numbers contain all the useful content within.
 
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ToniCH

macrumors 6502a
Oct 23, 2020
736
933
My wife still has a 2015 MacBook Pro and it still gets security updates, even if it didn’t get Ventura now.
For simple tasks it’s performs very well.
Simple tasks? 😂 2015 i7 MBP's are per core as fast or faster than all Mac Pro's up to 2019 Trashcans. Its more than capable to do more than simple tasks.

Sure, M1/2 will be faster in demanding work but the 2015 is no slouch. Especially 15" models with i7 4 core CPU's are really good and capable machines, even today. I recommend you keep it as a backup.
 

Matsamoto

macrumors 6502a
Oct 31, 2018
989
8,524
Halmstad, Sweden
Simple tasks? 😂 2015 i7 MBP's are per core as fast or faster than all Mac Pro's up to 2019 Trashcans. Its more than capable to do more than simple tasks.

Sure, M1/2 will be faster in demanding work but the 2015 is no slouch. Especially 15" models with i7 4 core CPU's are really good and capable machines, even today. I recommend you keep it as a backup.
The thing is that this specific MacBook Pro has a duo core i5, so it’s not so fast as the i7.
Idk how fast the i7 is to the i5 in reality, but I’m guessing it’s noticeable.

But i’m gonna keep it, as you say, for either a backup Mac or a daily driver.
Perhaps not connected to the internet🙂
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,365
No, it was posted here - I saw it before there were any replys. Maybe it was promoted to some main feed somewhere (I don't know what that's called.)

The article is no doubt aimed at people who upon seeing the shiny logo think they've hit the jackpot....
Gotcha. It was just a guess as it's happened before.

Forum Spy is the term I believe, although I'm not sure that's being used now.
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,365
A little side note. I’m planning to buy my wife a new MacBook Air M2 now in June on our wedding day.
She had this Mac since 2015 and never complained, so she is worthy of a new one.
And then I can take over the 2015 and use for lighter task, even after the last update.
Sounds like a win-win situation😊
LOL!

My work Mac is a 2015 MBP running High Sierra. So, my 2009 Mac Pro is running a newer version of MacOS.

The company is planning on new Macs and I am told it's a matter of weeks now, not months. So we will see.

But good for your wife!
 
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eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,365
As this thread‘s original post links to an article discussing, implicitly and explicitly, older Intel Macs (though not terribly specific on which Intel Macs in particular), I reported it to the mods as a good thread candidate for a move over to the Early Intel Macs forum.
OK. Now it's been moved!

See @Dronecatcher I was right before I was wrong! :D :D :D
 
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