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I suppose I'll drudge this thread up because I'm currently between a rock and a stale burnt cookie from two months ago.
I'll open by stating that I have wanted a powerbook G4 ever since they came out. I still feel that urge. I am aware of quality control issues expressed by reliable sources.. but damn, I still want a powerbook. That said, I have spent the night trying to get a grasp on modern laptop standpoint. My head is sore. So lets open with my #1 goal.
) I want a small/light notebook, hopefully of the 12" and under 4lb sort, but possibly slightly larger and slightly heavier.
My Inspiron 8100 has been a tank that has survived many a hardship over the past 4-5 years including heavy usage (rarely off, never bored), many an hour on the seat of my car including my summer drive across the country, through the desert and up. It weighs a fucking ton and is too large to comfortably fit in most bags. I know that Dell has also had some quality issues, so I am leary of getting another; even though word of their CompleteCare is quite encouraging.
The greatest comparison, of course, is power / size. For the greater part of tonight I've been trying to equate what current mobile processors have to offer. From all gathering, the G4 processor is getting stale but is still impressive. In speed comparison, the Pentium M appears to be the contender, particularly the Dothan with exception to SSE3 instruction support. I could try to wait out a Yonah, but that could take until mid-2006 for me to afford and obtain... I'm not certain this box will last that long, nor my patience with it. OTOH, the powerbook doesn't look like it will get an overhaul until mid to late 2006; slated as a 64bit base that will likely be highly competitive to its other Intel-based counterparts (go Apple!?).
I do not game, although some level of video processing and graphics rendering is important to me. I like virtualmachines, I use virtualmachines, I like horses of many colors. Compiling speed is not an issue.. I have yet to write anything that requires insane compile time, general software compile time is adequate on my existing system so anything faster is cream, and I do not generally run OS's like gentoo outside of virtualmachine fun. I run many things at once, so memory and proc are relatively important. I generally encode video while enjoying music/tv, possibly have my xbox set in the backdrop, with my usual slew of scattered terminals, browser windows, and general junk... all the while shifting multiple GB of data around between portable drives and remote systems for the hell of it while doinking in 2-3 virtualmachines and burning a dvd. All in one pocket-sized system that never gets hot, has no wires and has a battery that lasts 10 days on one charge.
Ok.. so I really do use the box, but I'm a little more realistic than that. What I need to determine is:
1) G4 vs M
2) SSE3 vs SSE2
3) Dell vs IBM vs Panasonic vs Mike Tyson
4) Waiting 2 weeks vs waiting 2 months vs waiting 2 years
WWJD? (what would joo do?)
What I'm trying to avoid is thick opinion. Some level of opinion is required, but I'm trying to make an educated decision not a hyped up one. I understand that the Mac is probably cooler, trendier, and likely of better design than xl; it appears that IBM has a favorable preference among the group over other vendors, but I've also heard several downs about them/repair/servicing in my research. What say ye?
Like most folk, money is not entirely a-flowing like New Orleans... so this notebook should be able to last a good 2-3 year period before I can begin dreaming of another. My ability to afford anything > $2000 is pretty unlikely in the near future.
-- .. now I stop
I'll open by stating that I have wanted a powerbook G4 ever since they came out. I still feel that urge. I am aware of quality control issues expressed by reliable sources.. but damn, I still want a powerbook. That said, I have spent the night trying to get a grasp on modern laptop standpoint. My head is sore. So lets open with my #1 goal.
) I want a small/light notebook, hopefully of the 12" and under 4lb sort, but possibly slightly larger and slightly heavier.
My Inspiron 8100 has been a tank that has survived many a hardship over the past 4-5 years including heavy usage (rarely off, never bored), many an hour on the seat of my car including my summer drive across the country, through the desert and up. It weighs a fucking ton and is too large to comfortably fit in most bags. I know that Dell has also had some quality issues, so I am leary of getting another; even though word of their CompleteCare is quite encouraging.
The greatest comparison, of course, is power / size. For the greater part of tonight I've been trying to equate what current mobile processors have to offer. From all gathering, the G4 processor is getting stale but is still impressive. In speed comparison, the Pentium M appears to be the contender, particularly the Dothan with exception to SSE3 instruction support. I could try to wait out a Yonah, but that could take until mid-2006 for me to afford and obtain... I'm not certain this box will last that long, nor my patience with it. OTOH, the powerbook doesn't look like it will get an overhaul until mid to late 2006; slated as a 64bit base that will likely be highly competitive to its other Intel-based counterparts (go Apple!?).
I do not game, although some level of video processing and graphics rendering is important to me. I like virtualmachines, I use virtualmachines, I like horses of many colors. Compiling speed is not an issue.. I have yet to write anything that requires insane compile time, general software compile time is adequate on my existing system so anything faster is cream, and I do not generally run OS's like gentoo outside of virtualmachine fun. I run many things at once, so memory and proc are relatively important. I generally encode video while enjoying music/tv, possibly have my xbox set in the backdrop, with my usual slew of scattered terminals, browser windows, and general junk... all the while shifting multiple GB of data around between portable drives and remote systems for the hell of it while doinking in 2-3 virtualmachines and burning a dvd. All in one pocket-sized system that never gets hot, has no wires and has a battery that lasts 10 days on one charge.
Ok.. so I really do use the box, but I'm a little more realistic than that. What I need to determine is:
1) G4 vs M
2) SSE3 vs SSE2
3) Dell vs IBM vs Panasonic vs Mike Tyson
4) Waiting 2 weeks vs waiting 2 months vs waiting 2 years
WWJD? (what would joo do?)
What I'm trying to avoid is thick opinion. Some level of opinion is required, but I'm trying to make an educated decision not a hyped up one. I understand that the Mac is probably cooler, trendier, and likely of better design than xl; it appears that IBM has a favorable preference among the group over other vendors, but I've also heard several downs about them/repair/servicing in my research. What say ye?
Like most folk, money is not entirely a-flowing like New Orleans... so this notebook should be able to last a good 2-3 year period before I can begin dreaming of another. My ability to afford anything > $2000 is pretty unlikely in the near future.
-- .. now I stop
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