mistafeesh Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 Hi, I've been reading around on the site, blogs and wiki, and it all looks pretty good. I'm planning on buying a secondhand laptop when I next get paid. It's a bit expenditure for me, and I want to make the right decision... If I don't think osx86 is going to work for me I'll get an older mac laptop rather than go windows! I think I can handle the install - I've installed linux a few times - it can't be much harder than that, right? What I really want to know is how well the OS works once it's all up and running on a PC. I will need to be able to run PPC and native apps easily, and not have to keep stopping and fiddling with the OS. Is the project at that stage yet?? I don't have any problem with not running software update - I hardly ever update now, because my G4 seems to die after every other system update from Apple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hagar Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 Only one way to find out: It's your machine, your installation process, we are neither clairvoyant nor telekinetic, we can't do it for you, nor can we say whether it will work for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistafeesh Posted April 30, 2008 Author Share Posted April 30, 2008 Damn! I was kind of hoping you could look into the future for me and tell me the lottery numbers for next week... I was just asking if osx86 is ready for prime time yet, or if it's still hacky and not viable to use as a main computer. Surely someone can answer that? If it makes any difference, I use mostly Photoshop and Dreamweaver, and a whole host of other small apps... If and when I do get a PC laptop, I'll do my best to make sure it fits in well with what's named in the wiki as working well. But I can't afford to take out a bet on it and find out it's useless - I'd be better off with a cheap old g3 ibook for when I'm out and about and continuing to use my good old G4 for the most part. Anyone? UPDATE: I'm thinking of getting this laptop (HP Compaq 6720s), as it comes free with AOL broadband. (I have to put up with AOL for 2 years but hey it's a free laptop) It has a Celeron M 530 1.86gig processor, which is included in the list on wikipedia of processors with SSE3. On the HCL, one of the celeron M's has the notes "No NX/Broken PAE" and "Works fine with Maxxuss' 1.1 ISO patch". I have no idea what this means!! Other specs: WXGA screen, SATA HDD, 1 or 2 gig SODIMMmemory. DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL Lightscribe optical drive (which just sounds silly) Intel X3100 graphics card, onboard sound. I think that's about it.. Anyone know if it'll be happy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistafeesh Posted May 8, 2008 Author Share Posted May 8, 2008 bloody hell, friendly round here aren't you! I didn't mean to offend anyone by asking if osx86 actually works, I just wanted to find out for certain. I'd read around the wiki and the faq etc, but it's not that clear to me what level the overall project is at. So I asked. And all I got was a grumpy dismissal and then I was ignored. By the reticence to answer my questions, I'll assume the answer is that it's buggy and {censored}e. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knewsom Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 no, it's not {censored}e, but it's not flawless either, though that depends greatly on the specific hardware of your machine. I built a final cut pro machine specifically with reliability performance and cost effectiveness in mind, and that enabled me to build a computer that fits my needs and has thus far been much faster and more stable than my G5 EVER was. Will that laptop have the same stability? No idea. If you want a sure thing, buy a mac. If you want a little more bang for your buck, be prepared to futz with it a little. people are constantly posting things like "will my hardware work with osx?", despite the fact that there's an entire wiki devoted to component compatability, there's even a prebuilt computer list. Check that list before you check with us, else you will get lumped in with all the lazy noobs who expect to be handed a complete and easy solution. It's a common mistake, and I too am guilty of starting a couple threads that bordered on redundancy in my noobness, but before you do ANYTHING, read read read until your eyeballs bleed. Remember that while many of us do use OSX as a primary computer or operating system, it IS still a hack, and not guaranteed to work right. There's no simple answer to your question, which is probably why you didn't get one. Check the wiki for that laptop, see how it's fared. If it's not so good, then look for other laptops that people have been more successful with. If you've got more time than money, then this is the solution for you. If you've got more money than time, then buy a mac! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbrush Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Why do you not consider a secondhand MacBook or MacBook Pro? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SticMAC™ Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 He can't!! "Anyone? UPDATE: I'm thinking of getting this laptop (HP Compaq 6720s), as it comes free with AOL broadband. (I have to put up with AOL for 2 years but hey it's a free laptop)" the poor idiot has signed himself into a contract! And with a machine that is probably the MOST difficult to get going! AND With a CRAPPY attitude like his, he's not going to get far: "bloody hell, friendly round here aren't you!......... So I asked. And all I got was a grumpy dismissal and then I was ignored......." SticMAN Why do you not consider a secondhand MacBook or MacBook Pro? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistafeesh Posted May 9, 2008 Author Share Posted May 9, 2008 At the point of writing that I hadn't signed up for the contract. I have now, so it's a moot point. I was asking for information to help me make up my mind, but nobody was even remotely forthcoming. If I have to I'll just live with either vista or ubuntu on it. You say that that machine is really difficult to get going - I could have done with that information sometime in the week after I posted. I can't afford a second hand intel macbook. I could maybe afford a secondhand G4 iBook at a push, or a cheapo PC laptop. As for my crappy attitude, I looked around on the wiki, looked around on the forum, then asked my question, and all I got was someone who couldn't be bothered to read my initial post flaming me. I know giving info out on forums is a voluntary thing but I really don't understand the attitude I've been met with here. My first two posts were trying to be friendly. The first one was met with rudeness, the second one ignored for over a week. Here's a hint guys - if you want people to join in with your cool project, don't flame everyone who comes along with noob questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SticMAC™ Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 If you need someone to help with that CHIP on your shoulder, I know a good carpenter! SticMAN .........Here's a hint guys - if you want people to join in with your cool project, don't flame everyone who comes along with noob questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistafeesh Posted May 9, 2008 Author Share Posted May 9, 2008 Nah - got it off my chest now!! By the way, thanks knewsom for a sensible answer. That's all I really wanted to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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