[rescue] revived: TiBook G4 867 (DVI)/ 1GB and MacOS9

[Ray Arachelian]

On 04/10/18 01:28, Patrick Giagnocavo wrote:
> I am sick of OSes and hardware that have remote surveillance capabilities...
plus I have some writing to do, so I decided to look around for something I
could use that would minimize my Internet dependence...
>
> I rebuilt the LiIon battery on the TiBook and it now gives ~3 hours I think,
depending on what I do with it. Just writing, with the backlight turned down,
probably more.

Wow, how did you rebuild the battery?B  I do see replacement ones on
Amazon for various G4 notebooks, and I'm actually tempted to buy one,
but if it can be rebuilt, that sounds like a fun project.B  Do you have
any docs/pics on how you did that?

Actually I recently purchased a 17" G4 mostly because I wanted to still
be able to compile for that platform, and to add to the collection since
Apple Inc. doesn't make 17" notebooks anymore...

I'm not planning on making it my day to day daily machine since I've
need to run modern software, but still...B  It's amazing how usable it
is.B  While the display isn't a HiDPI retina, it's much more comfortable
to sit infront of despite the lower resolution, just by virtue of it not
having a glaring panel of dark glass infront of the LCD, and because of
that same reason, the brightness of the backlight can be much lower
saving battery run time.B 

Don't get me wrong, I do have a HiDPI linux laptop without glass and the
higher resolution is great - at least when the software supports it, I
do appreciate the resolution.B  But the glare on the macbooks, feh!B  (The
higher end gaming laptops are better replacement for the 17" macbook
workstations than anything Apple offers today as a "pro" 15" machine if
you're willing to run Linux)

And isn't it funny how the newer and newer macbook and pro models are
actually slower and slower CPU GHzwise?B  Sure the GPUs are offloading a
lot of work.B  Why bother offering an i7 if you're going to have to
underclock it or only offer two cores + two threads?B  Sure, it can burst
a short while to higher speeds, but as soon as it does the fans kick it
to cool it off and when they're unable to, the CPU clocks right back
down.B  I want a usable workstation, not a notebook thin enough to shave
with.

And don't get me started on the glued in batteries, soldered in RAM, and
now SSD...

Our friends at Apple really made some terrible decisions around when the
retina macbook was introduced, and they continue to make worse and worse
ones today...

The older sculpted keys on the G4 with full travel are such a total
pleasure to use vs the current macbook abomination of a keyboard that
$work offers...B  If you stick to software of that era, it's quite
usable.B  I'll probably find a converter and put an SSD in there to get
it to go even faster if I start using it more.B  I was able to get it up
to 2GB of RAM despite the specs saying it supports 1.5G max.

The only feature I missed when using the 17" G4 is that the trackpad
doesn't support two finger scrolling.B  It doesn't have a webcam, and I
actually feel much better without it. :)B  No need to glue a sliding
webcam cover over it just because it was included and you don't know
when some malware will turn it on remotely...B  And I find it's not
really that heavy or that thick.B  It still looks quite modern and not
bulky or ugly in any way.B  Gotta say, it's got really great design.