[warrj]

Hi,

I'm currently using an iBook 500 for Java development and its very very slow. My question is is there any advantage from a Java performance PoV to be gained from getting a 12" Powerbook over a 12" 900Mhz iBook? Is Java on Mac OS X altivec enhanced at all? Would any other aspects of the different machine's architectures make one a better bet for Java over the other?

Regards,

Jules.

[jpyrett]

I use my 1 GHZ powerbook for java development.. It works great. I just got the Jini 2.0 working.. I use JDeveloper Beta on it and it works much better than the P4 1.7 GHZ office machine. From my
work with Java on Apple it is very good. You want to download the new update from the apple developers site.

To answer your question.. is it worth it.. Actually, I would go for it! You need a fast machine to get into stuff like Jini and do alot of Jav development using a IDE.

[alien]

I have no idea whether the Java frameworks can take any direct advantage from AltiVec. Still, the G4 processor has more integer units and higher memory bandwidth than the G3, so a PowerBook should be better overall.

Look for new models at Apple Expo next week. I'd be surprised if the PBs aren't finally updated!