[immsav]

Since MWSF I've had a burning itch to switch®, and now that the itch has become a rash, I think it's best that I make a move before I get full blown Switcher's eczema.

I know I've posted about it before, but I'm confronted with the classic dilemma: 12" iBook 800Mhz (maxed out RAM) or 12" Powerbook?

In an effort to be rational, I'll let it boil down to my needs (instead of my lusty, improper desires for the latest and greatest!).

Here's what I do:
-hand-coded web design with html, php, etc. (I'll likely purchase BBEdit)
-a *little* Photoshop; I'm talking image re-sizing and logo creation *occasionally*.
-word processing

I'm also beginning to dabble with some Perl programming, and I'll likely use Applescript and Fink a good deal...

Does anybody here use an iBook to do this sort of thing?

The iBook's $1294 plus a $100 coupon at Amazon right now. The Powerbook's a good $400 more. Can anybody tell me the Powerbook's worth the extra money for my uses? Am I stupid to go with the "old" iBook?

Push me, please!

--Jacob

[daSilVetZ]

IMO, go with the iBook, its perfect for all your needs, and you're saving $400 in the process. Plus- the iBook has gone through many revisions, you know what your getting..

[Richelieu]

I was in the same position as you: I'm a Oracle developper (pl/sql, perl, html...) and I wanted to try a Mac since OS X was released. I was about to buy a new PowerBook 12" but I've decided to save the money and bought an iBook 12" 800MHz and max it.

I received it today!!!

[mdc]

go, go out right now and buy the 800 ibook, you will not regret it one bit.

i do plain .html coding (i use freeware taco editor) and photoshop for some web graphics.
i am also a college student and use word for my wordprocessing.

i am planning to start poking around with some applescript sometime.

i maxed out the ram and it does everything and more that i could want. oh yeah, i chose it over the 12" pb, because of the price diff. and i was sure it would do everything that i wanted it to.

[ravenfan]

Hi Jacob,

I have an 800 iBook and it's absolutely not for sale. It;s a great machine and I love it. But I would recommend the Powerbook. With a laptop, you really are better off getting the best (most advanced) computer you can afford. You cannot upgrade the componants and are "stuck" at whatever you buy.

For $400 you are getting DDR RAM and a G4 processor. It's a no-brainer for me. If money is tight, get the iBook. If you have the means, man... don't hesitate to get the Powerbook. If you can't afford to max the PB's RAM right away, so what. You could always do that in the future!

There are times, although rare, that my iBook shows it's slower side. Mainly when I'm starting a game or using iPhoto. It's not a big hesitation, but it's still relevant to me. It still makes it a little less satisfying to use than my Athlon 1gig/WinXP desktop.

A G4 and DDR is well worth $400. That's just my opinion. You will be happy with either computer.

[jokell82]

The iBook will probably work just fine, I have a 700 and have no complaints about its speed. However, IF you can afford the extra $400, you should get the PowerBook. The G4 alone is worth it IMHO, but the Airport Extreme is a very good selling point as well.

So don't get a loan just to get the PowerBook, but if you can afford it I'd say go for it...

[alien]

I think an iBook with lots of RAM should do well for your needs. The 12" PowerBook is a wonderful machine, but I'm always a little sceptic to first revisions... Besides, I've heard it gets quite warm.

[MacMaui]

Originally posted by immsav:
Since MWSF I've had a burning itch to switch®, and now that the itch has become a rash, I think it's best that I make a move before I get full blown Switcher's eczema.

I know I've posted about it before, but I'm confronted with the classic dilemma: 12" iBook 800Mhz (maxed out RAM) or 12" Powerbook?

In an effort to be rational, I'll let it boil down to my needs (instead of my lusty, improper desires for the latest and greatest!).

Here's what I do:
-hand-coded web design with html, php, etc. (I'll likely purchase BBEdit)
-a *little* Photoshop; I'm talking image re-sizing and logo creation *occasionally*.
-word processing

I'm also beginning to dabble with some Perl programming, and I'll likely use Applescript and Fink a good deal...

Does anybody here use an iBook to do this sort of thing?

The iBook's $1294 plus a $100 coupon at Amazon right now. The Powerbook's a good $400 more. Can anybody tell me the Powerbook's worth the extra money for my uses? Am I stupid to go with the "old" iBook?

Push me, please!

--Jacob

Can't say for sure that the 800mhz ibook w/maxed out ram will meet your programming needs. But can say that the current ibook is a proven design in which most, if not all, of the design flaws have been fixed via various revisions. Also, iBook is $600 less than the 12" powerbook if you include the difference in the Applecare prices.

12" Al Powerbook is rev A and there are already reports of problems with heat (some say almost too hot to touch) and with the case being wobbly due to warping.

The main difference between the current G3 and G4 is altivec. But to take advantage of altivec the program must be especially written for it. OSX takes advantage of altivec, thus will run a little smoother on the pbook.

Imho, unless you *really* need altivec ability, get the ibook, buy ram off the net, and save a bundle of cash which you can put towards the latest greatest mac when it comes time to upgrade again.......

Good Luck!

[bleee]

If you can afford it I would suggest the 12inch PowerBook, it's faster than the iBook but also you can look at the extra speed as room to grow. There is no doubt that as Technology advances the software you run will demand more of your Mac.

[ravenfan]

Alien and MacMaui do make a great point about the reported heat issue. Also, the 800 iBook will definitely sport a better battery life.

Man... we're not helping you at all, huh?

[immsav]

...so I did! I just ordered the iBook from Amazon; it should get here by Monday. Now, I've just got to get the extra RAM and an Airport card and I'll be in business.

Thanks everyone (even the P'book proponents)!

--Jacob

[ebisix]

Excellent! Tell us what you think once you get it.

[daimoni]

.

[xtal]

Originally posted by immsav:
...so I did! I just ordered the iBook from Amazon; it should get here by Monday. Now, I've just got to get the extra RAM and an Airport card and I'll be in business.

Thanks everyone (even the P'book proponents)!

--Jacob

Congratulations! Sorry I came in a bit late to offer any useful opinions.

Instead of picking up BBEdit, you should look into installing Apple's X11 and Fink, and installing the binaries for programs such as Bluefish (HTML editor), Quanta (another HTML editor), The GIMP (Photoshop-like program), and others. They are free, full-featured, and run FAST on my machine.

X11 is the best thing to hit my iBook... EVER.

[Arkham_c]

Originally posted by xtal:

Instead of picking up BBEdit, you should look into installing Apple's X11 and Fink, and installing the binaries for programs such as Bluefish (HTML editor), Quanta (another HTML editor), The GIMP (Photoshop-like program), and others. They are free, full-featured, and run FAST on my machine.

Which do you prefer -- Quanta, or Bluefish? I am a big BBEdit user (mostly for java code generation, but sometimes for jsp or html as well), but I'm not planning on upgrading from 6.5 to 7, so I am always looking for free alternatives.

[xtal]

Originally posted by Arkham_c:
Which do you prefer -- Quanta, or Bluefish? I am a big BBEdit user (mostly for java code generation, but sometimes for jsp or html as well), but I'm not planning on upgrading from 6.5 to 7, so I am always looking for free alternatives.

I prefer Bluefish. I installed it using Fink, and and the latest X11 (0.2 I believe).

The website for Bluefish is: http://bluefish.openoffice.nl/

It's quite amazing to see the amount of free software available once you install X11. I've stopped using nearly all of the applications that I've paid for. A little annoying, but they're useful to keep around to view files sent to me and such.

[iomatic]

a friend with the new pb 12 is having problems with x11 (ver. .2 i think); he's a recent Linux convert. it's crashing often, losing work (in slickedit, i think?) any suggestions.
...?

Originally posted by xtal:
I prefer Bluefish. I installed it using Fink, and and the latest X11 (0.2 I believe).

The website for Bluefish is: http://bluefish.openoffice.nl/

It's quite amazing to see the amount of free software available once you install X11. I've stopped using nearly all of the applications that I've paid for. A little annoying, but they're useful to keep around to view files sent to me and such.

[xtal]

Originally posted by iomatic:
a friend with the new pb 12 is having problems with x11 (ver. .2 i think); he's a recent Linux convert. it's crashing often, losing work (in slickedit, i think?) any suggestions.
...?

Although I'm no expert, and I think you might get some good suggestions in the 'Unix' forum, I can hazard a few questions.

Is the problem limited to Slickedit alone? Has your friend attempted to remove X11 and reinstall? Has he installed the X11 SDK? Did 0.1 work fine?

[dampeoples]

Get the iBook, it's all you need, and like posters have said before, you'll save some jack in the process.

[Jazzphone]

SOrry I didnt read all the Posts but here is how I put it.

If you can afford the powerbook then go for it. Its faster in every aspect then the iBook.

If you cant afford the powerbook then go for the iBook.

If I had a Choice. Id go for the powerbook just because it is faster. Its a G4, has a DDR Ram and DDR V-Ram, Where as the iBook doesnt have either. Is also a faster processor MHZ wise and it also has a Faster bus. The improvment over the Powerbook and the iBook is a big one.

So If you can afford it, go for it.

If you cant, then dont.

[bradoesch]

**PUSH**

That's all that help I have. Don't know to much about the laptops (although I'd be more the happy to learn if I had one!)