Apple’s new G5 computer was released on Monday. The company has been using CPU’s made by Motorola since 1984, but the new G5 comes with a 64-bit processor made by IBM.

Ironic that IBM, who invented the first “PC”—the computer architecture that has always dominated the marketplace and left Apple as a “niche” competitor—is now manufacturing the most important component in the latest offering from Apple. Recall also that Microsoft owns a substantial portion of Apple’s shares, and this industry keeps getting more interesting!

In fact, it was the G5’s 64-bit processing that first grabbed my attention about this product. Apple’s claim, boldly presented on their site: “The world’s first 64-bit personal computer”.

But wait, I thought. Intel and AMD are both manufacturing 64-bit processors for the PC platform. Then I remembered that these are being marketed for high-end servers (not “personal” computers), and so Apple’s claim is valid.

What is a 64-bit processor anyway? Well, thanks for asking.

A long, long time ago, computers ran on 16-bits. That meant that applications would send 16 bits of information to the processor as a single element. That was in the days of DOS (think black and white text on the screen). By the early 1990's, computer hardware was being sold with a 32-bit data bus: processing 4 bytes (32 bits) in a single gulp. Windows 95 and subsequent versions support both 16 and 32 bit applications (32-bit apps tend to run faster and with more stability than 16-bit).

As mentioned, Intel and AMD are currently only marketing their 64-bit processors for high-end servers and workstations. Microsoft has developed 64-bit editions of their XP and Advanced Server operating systems, but they are developed as totally seperate product streams than the common versions of those operating systems. For example, there is no upgrade possible from XP Professional to XP 64-bit Edition.

So what is Apple up to? Are they just trying to pull a fast one, by playing a numbers game? Or are they planning on creating some seriously innovative software enhancements that will realize the potential of 64-bit computing?

It is now up to software developers to take advantage of the possibilities that this hardware affords, and to entice us into thinking that we “need” 64-bit capability. If all you do is send email and surf the web, well, you’re laughing! It will be high-end applications, like mad video games and video rendering/ AutoCad-type software that will likely be the innovators in this department.

Also, I am curious as to whether or not the G5 is a 64-bit "clean" system? In other words, does the operating system (OS X version 10.3), the file support system, and do all of the devices themselves truly support 64-bit? A little trip down memory lane reveals that after Apple released its first computer with a 32-bit processor (the Mac IIci), the company had a history of producing 32-bit "not clean" systems.

Apple has managed once again, however, to put themselves in a position that they love: they can claim another first! And why not? They are the most innovative company in the industry. With this announcement, Apple has also squelched the nay sayers who have been pointing out that the company has been lagging behind the incredible speed gains that PC’s have been enjoying.

Here is the break-down of the new G5 entry-level system:

1.6GHz CPU/ 800MHz frontside bus/ 512 L2 cache/ 256MB DDR333 128-bit SDRAM/ 80GB Serial ATA hard drive/ 3 PCI Slots/ NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra/ 64MB DDR video memory/ 56K internal modem.

If you can read this kind of stuff, you’ll probably agree: a nice system. Where Apple gets me though, is in the pocket book. At $1999 USD ($2,700 CAD), they need a lot more than 64-bit processing to get me to pull out my wallet! Think of the dream PC you could build for that kind of dough! And this price does not include a monitor or any of the other peripherals that you’ll be needing!

The major problem that Apple is going to be facing in the future, in my estimation, is the fact that computers are evolving so quickly. Apple has always catered to a small cult market of—I’ll say it—zealots who unquestionly love Apple products. These people are more than happy to pay twice as much for an Apple computer over a PC, as they perceive they are purchasing a quality product. How long can this trend continue, however, while PC’s are constantly getting faster and less expensive?

I often explain to people the major difference between the design approaches employed by Apple and the various companies that manufacture "PC" components.

Apple uses a proprietary business model: they design each of their computers from the ground-up, using their own hardware and even designing most of the software used on their computers. But the PC is not so much a product as it is a collection of form factors, or standards, that are used by thousands of companies to manufacture components that are compatible and interchangeable. And then Microsoft's role is to design operating systems that can run on thousands of such combinations of hardware. I have a PC here that is over 15 years old. I can go pull parts out of it (well, some parts, not others) and stick them in my new PC. That is the beauty of the PC. While last years iMac is certainly interesting to look at, can I salvage parts out of it and stick them in a G5? Not likely.

My explanation of Apple’s design methods turned into a “PC’s are better than Macs” rant, but there are also great reasons why Apple rocks. Here is an example from their site. They brag:


“The PC on the left shows that if you try hard enough you might cram everything into the average PC case. The Power Mac G5 was designed from the inside out so that the case and internal components were meant to go together.”


The first part of their boast is a bit of an exaggeration. There is actually lots of room in that PC for more drives, etc. Nothing is "crammed". What looks unsightly is all the cabling, and if one was so inclined, the cables could be arranged better. But I will agree that the G5's components are meant to go together. Their G5 is cleaner, more elegant, and has better airflow. If I could afford it, I would purchase one and leave the side panel off just to admire it. I’m into stuff like that.

I like the appearance of the inside of the G5 more than the outside of the case. I find the case rather boring, which is unlike Apple. I like the icy look of the previous G4 way more.

There you have it folks. Apple has released their latest offering, and proved that they are still very much in the game of making interesting computers. They may cater to a (monied) niche market that some say is 2.1% of computer users (and shrinking); but then they still clearly are great competitors and innovators. Now if I could just come up with a few extra thousand dollars and satisfy my secret Apple-envy!

more...

Article suggested by J.P. Gregoire of Nelson, BC

UPDATE: This post generated a lot of feedback. I've gotten away with criticizing Apple for a while on this site, but they've finally caught up with me. I have to acknowledge, however, that the folk that left comments have made a lot of good points. I would like to make two adjustments to this post. Firstly, Apple does not just cater exclusively to zealots. Their traditional markets are schools, scientists, publishing houses, graphic designers, and all multimedia geeks including those in Hollywood. They have served those markets well. I think that the Apple G5, and especially the dual-processor version (if you require that kind of power), are not a bad value for the money.

As John from J-Walk Blog is prone to pointing out, the RIAA publishes a handy-dandy list of their affilates. Boycott all of the labels on this list!.

REPRINTED FROM DEFECTIVEYETI.COM



Matthew Baldwin is a 31 year-old resident of Seattle who went to Highlands Pre-School and publishes defective yeti because that's what he does.

Recently, visotor Mike a.k.a. Maynaro requested help in Geek's Forum. Appartenlty, he took a laptop home from work and reconfigured it for his home network/ internet setup. The problem that he ran into is that when he changed the settings from using the domain in his workplace to using his home workgroup, his user account became invalid. After offering his a few tips, I recalled an old site that allows you to reset the password on Windows NT.

The information at Offline NT Password & Registry Editor is still relevant to Windows 2000 and XP (which are based on the NT archetecture), and will likley still apply to Longhorn and other future versions of Windows.


Around the same time, Joy at Confessions of a Geek was discussing the same issue as it relates to Windows 95/98/ME.

After my post about Rod Shelly's Stupid Computer Tricks, reader Bryan Bean sent in this stupid wallpaper for our enjoyment.

Thanks to everyone who emailed and left comments with kind words in my absence.

This blog has never had pictures of my cat (as cute as she is). I have nothing against 'diary' style weblogs— there are many great ones out there. Super Fast Computer primarily is about, funnily enough, computers. I suppose I can tell ya'all about why I disappeared, as it has everything to do with the little beasts.

It is perfectly normal for me to spend 10 hours a day on computers, 6 or 7 days a week. Sure, I might be a little dizzy, but what the heck. I have learned recently, however, that 12-14 hours a day is too much time for me to be staring at a monitor.

It all started when I downloaded the free online multiplayer expansion to the video game Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. I do not recommend downloading this game! Simply put, the game is just too good and hence it is dangerous— I have subsequently uninstalled it.

After 3 days of very little sleep, I realized that my breath stunk, I was unbathed, my life was a mess, my business was going down the drain, I wasn't even answering the phone half of the time it rang. I had sunken to the pits of pathetic internet addiction.

It does not help that my office and primary computer are in my bedroom. Shhh. Don't tell anyone. My busniess site is designed to give the impression that my company is some big interest. Actually, right now its just myself and a part-time bookepper.

Typically, I wake up at 9am, make some coffee, diddle-daddle around the house, and surf the net, reading blogs, "starting my day". Next thing I know, its 11am and I haven't gotten any work done. Then I wonder why I am still working at 2am. And thus, the pattern continues.

After my 3-day video game binge, something scary happened. I found that I didn't even want to look at a computer for a couple of days. Not a good state of affairs.

I ended up asking a couple of buddies of mine (who really are competitors if you stop and think about it) to let me move into their office temporarily. On Monday, I moved my desk and gear into their shop and I've been keeping regular hours every since. Getting up at 7:30am, at the shop by 9am. Quit at 5pm, have some dinner, and if I choose, back to the shop for a while and then bed at 11pm. Normal. Healthy.

As a result, I've gotten lots of stuff done this week. Business is going really well. There are many advantages and disadvantages to working out of the house, and now I know what they are. People advise me that, if I keep my office in my house, it would be better to have it in a seperate room— which isn't possible at the moment.

But that's my story. I've got more to tell, and I'll poke my head back in here from time to time and let you all know the interesting computer-related things that I've been mulling over. Such as...

A few months ago, I heard a woman on the radio mention the term 'Electronic Addiction'. It hit a nerve with me. I'd never heard the term previously, but had always figured some such phenomena waited to be identified. I've always been addicted to electronic stimulus.

There are lots of great sites about Internet Addiction. The most well-established seem to be The Center for Online and Internet Addiction and InternetAddiction.ca.

I didn't need this quiz to tell me that I have a wee bit of a, ahem, problem; but I did the quiz anyway. For the question, "How often do you neglect household chores to spend more time on-line?" I answered, "Often". I found it painfully amusing when I got to the end of the quiz and read the following:


No comment.

I feel really bad for Joy over at Confessions of a G33k. She is quite experienced with computers, having worked in the IT industry of years, primarly as an instructor. Recently, she "made the switch" from PC to Mac, with the purchase of a refurbished (but very new) PowerBook.

One would think her past experiences would make it especially easy for her to adjust to the new platform; after all, we hear so much about how "easy" Apple computers are.

Unfortunatley, her experiences have been glitchy from the start, and have slowly been getting more complicated. Right now, she does not seem very happy at all. Having recently attempted a (failed) transition from Windows XP to Gentoo Linux myself, I have relearned computer humility. While my experience didn't cost me anything, Joy has a nice chunk of coin invested in her new computer.

If you consider yourself to be somewhat of an expert at Apple computers, especially in regard to relsoving issues with OSX, please make your way over to her site and offer her a hand.

BBC News— In a victory for the record industry, an American internet provider has handed over the names of four customers accused of illegally copying music over the net.

The Verizon internet service provider (ISP) was ordered to surrender the names to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) by a court of Appeal in Washington

The ruling removes, at least for now, the anonymity of millions of people in the US who routinely download copyrighted music and films over the internet.  more...

Here are some interesting facts about my favorite thing:

1) How old is the internet?

The internet became popularized in 1983, but was based largely on the ARPANET, which was first launched in late 1969. The first email was sent in 1972. Therefore, the 'net is over 30 years old.

2) Who invented the internet?

The technology that underlies the internet involves packet-switching. This technology was invented in the 1960's by Paul Baran in the US and Donald Watts Davies in the UK, both working independently. However, the entire infrastructure is the product of cooperation between countless scientists and engineers— no single person or group can take responsibility for the internet.

3) I've heard that the interent was built to survive a nuclear war. Is this true?

Bugwash. The ARPANET was funded by the US Department of Defense; specifically, the Advanced Research Projects Agency— hence the name. The goal was to enable incompatible mainframe computers to communicate and share resources.

4) What is the World Wide Web and how old is it?

Many people confuse the World Wide Web with the internet itself. The WWW is but one aspect of the internet, albeit the most recognizable feature. Web pages are the 'front-end' of the 'net. The WWW technology was invented in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee, an English software engineer. Other internet services include email, telnet, ftp, etc.

5) How many people are on the 'net?

At best an educated guess, this link purports that there were somewhere around 605.60 million internet users as of September 2002.

6) How does the growth of the internet compare to other forms of communication?

It took radio 37 years to reach 50 million listeners, and TV about 15 years to reach 50 million viewers. The World Wide Web took just over 3 years to acquire 50 million users.

7) Who owns the interent?

The infrastructure (transmission lines, computers, servers, switches, etc.) of the internet are owned by private companies and individuals, but all of the software that runs the show belongs in the public domain. You own the 'net, and so do I.

8) Where did the term 'cyberspace' come from?

The term comes from the novel Neuromancer, published in 1984. The writer (and more recently, blogger) William Gibson described it as a 'consensual illusion'.

9) The internet is flooded with pornography, isn't it?

The world is flooded with pornography— a massive industry. As the internet is the first completely uncensored publication medium in history, you should expect a lot of pornography. Despite what the press will have you believe, however, the internet is flooded by a heck of a lot more than just porn!

10) The internet is kind of like a billion channel television, right?

Television is 'push' technology. The content is programmed by a small number of providers and then pushed at viewers whose freedom of choice is limited to what the providers are offering. The internet, conversely, is a 'pull' medium. As a user, you decide what you want and then pull it to your screen. The affordability of web publishing ensures that almost anyone can become a content provider, which has translated to an amazingly diverse range of content. While television remains a passive medium, the internet is all about interactivity.

The technology behind Google's ranking of sites in its index has long been a source of speculation among web developers. Now, Google has revealed this complicated mystery.

Here is something that you don't see everyday. A computer case made entirely out of cardboard! This Japanese company might be on to something. Then again, maybe not.

Molded plastic and metal computer cases start at about $40 or $50 Canadian, with a power supply. The power supply is the most expensive part of that equation. How frugal does one have to be to want to save a few bucks by ordering a cardboard case instead?

Now you can take an otherwise safe product, and turn it into a complete fire hazard!

If any visitor can read Japanese, please visit the site and let me know what the proposed selling feature of this product is.  more...

Rod Shelley has a collection of photos from his 8 years working in the most rewarding sector of the computer industry: retail.

Straight off of the Internet Resources page, here are some (kind of) random links for you and you and you. Presented in no particular order and with no added flavoring.

The most essential music application on my computer is Winamp, made by Nullsoft and available for free.
Didn't the guys from Nullsoft talk to Marc Andreessen before selling the company to AOL?

Hard drives have continued to get bigger in capacity and more affordable in price—a big benefit for the consumer. Right?

Hard drives are often the first things that die in a computer system. What’s alarming is that, in recent years, they seem to be dying quicker than the old 1 and 2 gig drives of yesteryear.

Having had a 40 gig drive fail on me, I can tell you that it is no walk in the park. There is a saying among computer techs with regard to computer data: “Its all just ones and zeros. Don’t get stressed out about it.” Easily said, but try telling that to a client that has all of his or her business files on that drive that has developed a loud tick and is no longer readable; or to grandma who has just lost all those pictures of her grandchildren.

A few months ago, a couple of my major hardware suppliers notified me that the warranties from almost all of the major hard drive manufacturers were being reduced from 3 years to one. This happened to coincide with the death of my drive. Sound scary? Well I don’t want to alarm anyone, but it might be getting worse before it gets better…

Some lucky geeks have expensive, high-tolerant RAID setups to prevent data loss. But for the rest of us, what is the solution? It doesn't hurt to repeat it again and again: keep regular backups. If you don't have a CD burner, get one. If you have a few bucks, get a DVD burner. Read The Tao of Backup to get yourself in the right frame of mind.

If you have a home or office network of two or more computers, I may have an easy solution to suggest to you. Read on...

Karen has been writing software for the PC for about a zillion years. She has a whole whack of programs that she is constantly tinkering with and improving upon— enough to warrant a weekly newsletter. Her programs, and her newsletter (which has over 50,000 subscribers), are all free.

The program of Karen's that I use the most is Replicator. I have it configured so that every night it creates a perfect copy of all of my important files. My files on my home office computer are mirrored to the computer in the living room, incase anything should go wrong. What's more, the backups are performed incrementally— meaning that only the files that have changed are copied. All of my business files, my software installation programs, my beloved images and my all-important MP3's are replicated every evening at midnight. If my hard drive were to cease tomorrow, at the very most I would be one day behind.

The real benefit that Karen's Replicator affords me is the piece of mind that cannot be measured. Having gone through the horrific experience of having a 40 gig hard drive suddenly die on me, this freeware utility takes a big load off my poor noggin.

Download Replicator here, and check out Karen's other software here.

i can't get enough of sam brown's drawings. go to explodingdog.com now.

Although having one company dominate the market is not the ideal way to achieve compatiblity between browsers, I am more afraid of what this news will translate to in the next few years.

Now that Microsoft is not offering free upgrades for IE, people will soon be running many different versions. People who want the latest browser features without buying a new o/s will be more likely to try other browsers, such as Mozilla, Opera, Phoenix (for Mac) or yucky Netscape (who dropped the ball years ago).

I fear a return to the day in the not-to-distant-past, when there were many incompatiblities between browsers and how they diplayed html formatting. One had to pay a lot of attention to the diffreneces. In the past two years, IE has completley dominated the market. My advice to anyone learning web design: learn a bit of html only, and proceed directly to css.

I've mentioned one of Mike Lin's freeware programs in the past. The other day I went back to his site and tried another one, and now I can't live without it!

Clipomatic works like this: you copy several items in a row, and then selectively paste them in an orgainzed way. When you go to paste, you press Ctrl + Alt + V simultaneously, and a menu appears with the contents of your clipboard. You can even program it to remember snippits that you use regularly.

I've found Clipomatic incredibly handy in any number of programs, and certainly while compiling this blog, with so many links and quotes and bits of code that I've pasted together.

Download Clipomatic here.

In a recent article, venerable columnist for PC Mag, John C. Dvorak, turns his attention to the phenomena that is blogging. If you don't know what the term blog denotes, well, you are staring at a blog right now! Here is a quick overview. And here is some of what John had to say:

Please note: Venture capitalists need only talk to me.

Incidently, I am a regular reader of John's columns— he has two columns in each issue of PC Magazine. His opinions venture on the extreme, but are always boldly presented and entertaining. His inside views of the IT industry give me the feeling of being in a high tech playground, and why not? It is my belief that computers are meant to be fun.

You can always find links to Dvorak's columns on the Internet Resources page of this site. His namesake column is here, and his other rants, known as the Inside Track, are here.