Macs are "not entirely" useless...

ok FD, if your precious Macs are so easy to use, how the hell do I get my iBook G3 running OS 9.1 and connected via LAN to print to my shared Epson laser? Mac drivers available on the host, dynamically assigned IP on the Mac, interweb conectivity fine, can't see no workgroup resources.

Oh and how the hell do you get updates? I went onto Apple support updates and there's lots of stuff for OSX 10+, nowt for OS 9. I did manage to get an old version of classic Mozilla w/Seamonkey installed, can't get Firefox on at all. Can't even find a late version of Quicktime that works either (7 is OSX 10+ only)

c'mon Mr Teh-Macs-4re-Wond3rful, tell me what I need to do so I can get this thing updated so I can flog it. I must admit that it looks very pretty. Useless, but pretty.

FD will be saying more than "ouch" if he can't tell me how to get this stupid thing working <fume!>

what, me ring some muppet reading a script in India for help? not_a_chance.

anyway, I figured it out eventually. apparently pre-OSX 10 you need third-party software to enable sharing between pcs and Macs, so I got hold of a copy of PC MacLAN and that eventually did the trick, although it was a b*gger to configure and still didn't print until I'd mucked about in the Mac OS sharing settings a bit. I remember now that this is partly how we stapled our Repro dept's Macs to our domain at work although they couldn't actually see the domain as such, we created a workgroup connected to the domain and connected the Macs to the workgroup. Connecting from a pc to a Mac's sharing folders is eas(ier) - just the IP address followed by the shared folder name.

Well, that's Mac File Sharing with PCs -101 over with, every day's a school day! FD was no help, probably out scaring campers in N. Georgia again, so much for Macs are teh bestest and just work - no they flippin' don't!

still can't figure out the whole update thing though. I do have a (spare) copy of Panther on a dvd but I dunno if it will work on a G3 iBook w/256mb of RAM and I can't remember how you setup a Mac from scratch (but then, neither do most Mac users!) There was talk a while back of us taking on an OSX server for the Reprographics dept at work, don't think we'll bother, if it's just for file storage a x86 rack server MSA will do the job with a lot less problems, or even just a NAS box.

(if I'm honest I have to confess that despite the cursing and moaning I do enjoy a technical challenge, and Macs certainly are challenging! Still don't like them though. Give me a pc running a Linux distro build every time, 'cos I hates the Vindoze too.)

ha! got you FD! you said Macs didn't have any issues at all, and yet clearly they do. You wuz fibbing yer Uncle Taw, wuzn't you?

Anyway, I fixed it meself, as per flippin usual. I'd like to put a better os on but I dunno if it will take it, and I'm not joining a Mac L-users on principle! I don't want to be associated with Club 18-30 Etch-a-Sketch graphic designers and webkn*bs. I can write my own name in proper \\joined-up\ writing, see? and no command prompt on a Mac? how can anyone do anything without a command prompt? it's like having your arms cut off and being told to build a skyscraper out of Lego - virtually impossible.

that PC MacLAN seems horribly like LANtastic and I hated that with a vengeance. Oh well, at least this stuff's underpinned by TCP/IP which does make life a lot easier.

and you can do that?

hmph. well, glad that's over!

Once I got all the connectivity in 9.1 resolved and got the updates (sneakily hidden in a menu sub-item rather than being obviously located) I decided to upgrade the thing to OSX Aqua which I have the install disk for. I have to admit, that this was much easier than I expected, and a lot faster than either Windows or any Linux distros that I've used. The questions were very straightforward and self-explanatory, and once the install was underway it took very little time, about 20 mins in total. Once it rebooted into OSX, connectivity was a doddle and it's updating OSX right now. I can see why they changed it to a Unix-based file system, Mac OS was weird.

I've been pleasantly surprised at how many apps you can run despite what would appear to be limited resources, PowerPC G3 processor, 10Gb hdd, 256mb RAM, that was 9.1, OSX seems to be happier with 512mb. Battery charges up quickly and is good for 2-3hrs, which is good for an old battery. OSX upgrade lets you keep the 9.1 apps with Classic, effectively running a legacy o/s within the new o/s. Also boot-up times are impressive!

On the whole, not as awful as I feared, I'm not as hostile to Macs now I've poked under the hood more and learnt some new things I didn't know before, but I still don't really like them and I can't see much use for them apart from webkn*bs and graphic/media people, admittedely the Macs are superb at, and home users who don't want any Windows-based fuss and just want to interweb and office and do home multimedia. Macs do what they do very well but lack versatility - it's their way or the highway, whereas with PCs you can do pretty much anything that you want, even with Windows. I'm still far from convinced that Macs are intrinsically as safe and secure as the Mac fanbois claim, I can see how they are safer and more secure than Windows (so is my leaky watertub in the back garden) but not 100% and there are certain glaring vulnerabilities - malicious Javascript in web pages viewed via IE, for example.

very nice with OSX on, though, almost wish I'd kept that iMac I bought from work now. I can see why you went Apple, FD, must make life a lot easier for you, having said that it will be very difficult to back to pc-based work and you're in effect forcing yourself out of games and many other things that pcs do better than Macs. But at least you won't be reformatting every 3 months!

I found Terminal btw; now maybe you can tell me what the Mac equivalent of alt-tab switching is?

Mrs Taw really likes it btw; she wants to sit in the cafe bars sipping her iced lattes and posing with the snow-white and silver iBook! She's such a 21st Century girl, I'm more of your 1950s transport cafe with a pint pot of tea and a Woodbine and a Torygraph type of bod.

it is rather more reliable and stable than Windows and doesn't hog memory like Windows does, but it isn't really any use for much other than interweb and normal home-office apps and multimedia. I did used to think myself that it was just the prettyness of the gui and the minimalist product design that sold it, but increasingly, especially post-Vista, people who are buying Macs have told me it's because they don't want all the grief that PCs give them - they just want stuff to work, and within very strictly circumscribed limits, that's what Macs give them. Seems like a lot of money to spend to get that, I dunno if it's necessarily worth it, but it seems to suit the Mac crowd. Meself I'd still prefer a properly configured PC but I am debating whether to acquire another Mac for Mrs Taw, it's def her kind of thing. The little darling's not exactly what you'd call a *proficient* computer user

OSX is a fair bit easier to find your way around than Mac OS, it still doesn't make much sense though. The directory structure is all different and obviuous places to find things aren't where things actually are. The Dock is a useful feature if a bit annoying. I've put Virtual PC on this iBook now so whoever buys it has the option of OSX or virtual Windows.

I have Stardock Windowsblinds on one of my laptops, I'd say it's generally better than StyleXP for Windows skinning but I dunno if there's bootscreen support in Stardock? don;t think so.

no no I meant that I was surprised/amazed that FD of all people can supposedley do those things. I bet he can't really he's pulling his Uncle Taw's leg again.

I keep forgetting that these days most of you are from that big uncivilised country across the water and underneath Canadia, where our traditional English finbarrs and the like don't translate too well. I must remember to make my sarcasm obvious so that 'merkins can understand it! Course if you hadn't illegally revolted against your lawful Sovereign, you'd still be British and you'd be able to understand our jokes. Plus we wouldn't laugh at you so much when you drive round Westminster Palace 30 times saying *gee look kids, Parl-ia-ment, Big Ben!" and get charged ten quid for a 99

as long as it's nothing else......