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Meanwhile, my main system is an Apple laptop which is not much older ... and my OS is now two versions out of date, since Apple stopped supporting it. The set o

Meanwhile, my main system is an Apple laptop which is not much older ... and my OS is now two versions out of date, since Apple stopped supporting it. The set of software I can run on it is becoming more and more limited, as more developers give up supporting my terribly antiquated operating system and hardware, and move on to the current thing. This is the third time this has happened to me. I don't care if PC makers can or cannot keep up with Apple. All I know is, this is my last Apple.

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
jsz0 15y ago
and my OS is now two versions out of date, since Apple stopped supporting it. No machine that shipped with Leopard is unable to run Lion. Only the Mac Mini 1,1 and MacBook 1,1 from early 2006 with 32bit processors are unsupported.
- thaumaturgy 15y ago
  It's a Powerbook 5,5 (http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/?search_keywords=PowerBook5,5 http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/?search_keywords...). Looks like it was discontinued in 2006 (?), but introduced back in 2004 -- so, older than I thought. Still, I started waaaaaay back with the Mac Plus, multiple Performas, a 4400/200, etc.; the 68k -> PPC, 8.6 -> OS X, and PPC750 -> Intel switches have all forced me to upgrade before I wanted to. Given Apple's history, I'm absolutely certain that they'll be switching their Air, at the very least, to their new A-series processors and/or IOS. I'm simply tired of the forced-upgrade cycle. I've also had this conversation on HN a couple times. It often ends in multiple people expressing surprise that I'd be interested in continuing to use such old, out-of-date hardware, or that I'd even expect to be able to. I'm not going to have that conversation again.
  - boop 15y ago
    "Looks like it was discontinued in 2006 (?), but introduced back in 2004 -- so, older than I thought." Your laptop is 5 to 7 years old - do you realize how long that is in tech years? I am not sure you can run the latest Windows OS well on a 5 - 7 year old laptop. "Intel switches have all forced me to upgrade before I wanted to." The switch to Intel processors was very gradual and not painful at all. Apple kept PPC support for many years. Why are you against the upgrades? If it is because of the cost associated with upgrading that is understandable. But the tech industry moves so fast and computer performance increases every year - do you really want to be using 5 - 7 year old technology? "I've also had this conversation on HN a couple times. It often ends in multiple people expressing surprise that I'd be interested in continuing to use such old, out-of-date hardware" Time to listen to the crowd my friend. You CAN still use your computer to access email, write, browse, communicate, play, etc. But you can't complain when it doesn't run all software or isn't the fastest.
    - quanticle 15y ago
      >You might not be able to run the latest Windows OS reliably on a 5-7 year old laptop. That's true, but, unlike with OSX, previous versions of Windows are still supported by the manufacturer and third parties. You might not be able to run Windows 7 on that hardware, but you'll certainly be able to run Windows XP. And, unlike with OSX revisions, Windows XP will be supported for several years yet. I have a Pentium 4 box with 2GB RAM that runs Windows XP reliably. Its been a solid workhorse for almost 8 years now. Before that, I was running Windows 2000 on a Pentium 2 that was 11 years old. Of course, another advantage of WinTel systems is that their hardware becomes more and more supported by Linux as they age. When XP finally reaches EOL, I plan to migrate this box to Linux and continue using it as a secondary workstation.
sandGorgon 15y ago
Install Ubuntu - surprisingly, they now make images which are designed to be installed on macs http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/11.04/release/ubuntu-11.04-alternate-amd64+mac.iso.torrent http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/11.04/release/ubuntu-11.0...
- mixmastamyk 15y ago
  I'd tend to agree, but the version of compiz shipped with natty is a disaster. I'd recommend maverick, or even oneiric if possible. Or even a distro more focused on reliability.
- thaumaturgy 15y ago
  Unfortunately, my laptop (model posted above) uses the older style ADB-connected trackpad, and the Linux drivers for it are poor, to say the least. I've considered updating them, but honestly haven't had the time, and since I'll replace this thing soon anyway, I probably won't bother.
mixmastamyk 15y ago
There's been a lot of churn (OSX, 64bit, Intel) in the Apple world the past few years, I'd be surprised if it continued at the same clip. And frequently you can install Linux once the OS ages too much. Now that I think of it, many of my old PC laptops had to have Linux put on them as well because they didn't support the latest version of Windows either. Or rather there were no updated device drivers from the manufacturer. So the issue isn't as clear looking to the future.
- thaumaturgy 15y ago
  I'd honestly consider sticking with Apple, because I do really like their hardware, even for the price. But, Apple has been frustrated in the past with their processor manufacturing partners, and there is no doubt in my mind that, now that they own their own processor, they have a planned roadmap that will switch portions of their product line over to the A-series processors. I also think there are clear signs that OS X will eventually be replaced by iOS, at least in the non-server product lines. Linux is usually a good option, unfortunately there's a specific hardware configuration on my laptop that makes it nearly unusable. (ADB trackpad.) I could resolve that by buying a mouse, but ... meh. It's time to get a new machine anyway.
- mixmastamyk 15y ago
  What kind of maniac downvotes such a comment?
YooLi 15y ago
Calling BS on this. I just installed Lion on my 2006 MacBook. That's a 5 year old MacBook fully supported by Lion.
muhfuhkuh 15y ago
Hmm a vague OS reference and the generic "Apple laptop" instead of just saying what model it is, as there haven't been that many. I have a feeling this wont be your last Apple because there probably was never a first one. Or you don't want to admit you're talking about a PPC PowerBook which is over five years old at this point.
- wisty 15y ago
  I'm guessing it would be one of the Intel Core (not Core2) Duos - the first edition Intel Macs. Those won't work with Lion, as they are 32 bit. But it's still quite old.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

jsz0 15y ago

and my OS is now two versions out of date, since Apple stopped supporting it. No machine that shipped with Leopard is unable to run Lion. Only the Mac Mini 1,1 and MacBook 1,1 from early 2006 with 32bit processors are unsupported.

thaumaturgy 15y ago
It's a Powerbook 5,5 (http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/?search_keywords=PowerBook5,5 http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/?search_keywords...). Looks like it was discontinued in 2006 (?), but introduced back in 2004 -- so, older than I thought. Still, I started waaaaaay back with the Mac Plus, multiple Performas, a 4400/200, etc.; the 68k -> PPC, 8.6 -> OS X, and PPC750 -> Intel switches have all forced me to upgrade before I wanted to. Given Apple's history, I'm absolutely certain that they'll be switching their Air, at the very least, to their new A-series processors and/or IOS. I'm simply tired of the forced-upgrade cycle. I've also had this conversation on HN a couple times. It often ends in multiple people expressing surprise that I'd be interested in continuing to use such old, out-of-date hardware, or that I'd even expect to be able to. I'm not going to have that conversation again.
- boop 15y ago
  "Looks like it was discontinued in 2006 (?), but introduced back in 2004 -- so, older than I thought." Your laptop is 5 to 7 years old - do you realize how long that is in tech years? I am not sure you can run the latest Windows OS well on a 5 - 7 year old laptop. "Intel switches have all forced me to upgrade before I wanted to." The switch to Intel processors was very gradual and not painful at all. Apple kept PPC support for many years. Why are you against the upgrades? If it is because of the cost associated with upgrading that is understandable. But the tech industry moves so fast and computer performance increases every year - do you really want to be using 5 - 7 year old technology? "I've also had this conversation on HN a couple times. It often ends in multiple people expressing surprise that I'd be interested in continuing to use such old, out-of-date hardware" Time to listen to the crowd my friend. You CAN still use your computer to access email, write, browse, communicate, play, etc. But you can't complain when it doesn't run all software or isn't the fastest.
  - quanticle 15y ago
    >You might not be able to run the latest Windows OS reliably on a 5-7 year old laptop. That's true, but, unlike with OSX, previous versions of Windows are still supported by the manufacturer and third parties. You might not be able to run Windows 7 on that hardware, but you'll certainly be able to run Windows XP. And, unlike with OSX revisions, Windows XP will be supported for several years yet. I have a Pentium 4 box with 2GB RAM that runs Windows XP reliably. Its been a solid workhorse for almost 8 years now. Before that, I was running Windows 2000 on a Pentium 2 that was 11 years old. Of course, another advantage of WinTel systems is that their hardware becomes more and more supported by Linux as they age. When XP finally reaches EOL, I plan to migrate this box to Linux and continue using it as a secondary workstation.

sandGorgon 15y ago

Install Ubuntu - surprisingly, they now make images which are designed to be installed on macs http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/11.04/release/ubuntu-11.04-alternate-amd64+mac.iso.torrent http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/11.04/release/ubuntu-11.0...

mixmastamyk 15y ago
I'd tend to agree, but the version of compiz shipped with natty is a disaster. I'd recommend maverick, or even oneiric if possible. Or even a distro more focused on reliability.
thaumaturgy 15y ago
Unfortunately, my laptop (model posted above) uses the older style ADB-connected trackpad, and the Linux drivers for it are poor, to say the least. I've considered updating them, but honestly haven't had the time, and since I'll replace this thing soon anyway, I probably won't bother.

mixmastamyk 15y ago

There's been a lot of churn (OSX, 64bit, Intel) in the Apple world the past few years, I'd be surprised if it continued at the same clip. And frequently you can install Linux once the OS ages too much. Now that I think of it, many of my old PC laptops had to have Linux put on them as well because they didn't support the latest version of Windows either. Or rather there were no updated device drivers from the manufacturer. So the issue isn't as clear looking to the future.

thaumaturgy 15y ago
I'd honestly consider sticking with Apple, because I do really like their hardware, even for the price. But, Apple has been frustrated in the past with their processor manufacturing partners, and there is no doubt in my mind that, now that they own their own processor, they have a planned roadmap that will switch portions of their product line over to the A-series processors. I also think there are clear signs that OS X will eventually be replaced by iOS, at least in the non-server product lines. Linux is usually a good option, unfortunately there's a specific hardware configuration on my laptop that makes it nearly unusable. (ADB trackpad.) I could resolve that by buying a mouse, but ... meh. It's time to get a new machine anyway.
mixmastamyk 15y ago
What kind of maniac downvotes such a comment?

YooLi 15y ago

Calling BS on this. I just installed Lion on my 2006 MacBook. That's a 5 year old MacBook fully supported by Lion.

muhfuhkuh 15y ago

Hmm a vague OS reference and the generic "Apple laptop" instead of just saying what model it is, as there haven't been that many. I have a feeling this wont be your last Apple because there probably was never a first one. Or you don't want to admit you're talking about a PPC PowerBook which is over five years old at this point.

wisty 15y ago
I'm guessing it would be one of the Intel Core (not Core2) Duos - the first edition Intel Macs. Those won't work with Lion, as they are 32 bit. But it's still quite old.