[danbrew]

Unlike most of you, I'm a relative newcomer to the Apple world, despite my first computer being a Mac128 back in 84 or 85. I thought I'd post a short note describing my experiences with the G4 Cube and some odd ramblings.

First, I'm pretty much a Windows bigot and I wanted to purchase the Cube to geek around with it and see how much things had changed -- they've changed a lot, I'll admit. I also wanted to see what type of realistic connectivity I could get on a Windows network. Let me preface my journey by saying that I'm a technical Windows "novice", but am by no means a hard core technical person. I understand basic networking, but am the wrong guy to troubleshoot DNS or TCP/IP issues.

So, having said all of that, here's how I've interfaced my Cube with the rest of my world. I've got one of those nifty Sony 15" LCD screens, and while relatively small, it does have two VGA input ports. One goes to a switch box with three Windows 2000 machines, while the second goes to the Cube (Belkin USB switch on the way). Until the Belkin USB switch gets here I have to have two keyboards and two mice on the desktop. Speaking of mice, I'm using a Microsoft opitcal mouse with a wheel on it. As open minded as I can be, I cannot give up the wheel.

I upgraded the RAM to 1gb -- memorytogo.com at $277 per 512mb module -- I was only planning on going to 512, but when I saw the prices, I just had to do it. It's nice to be able to set Photoshop LE to 256mb of ram. Wow. The hard dirve stays the same for now, but might upgrade at some point. I also added a Canon 1220U USB scanner to the mix. Nice, nice, nice.

So... how's everything working? Fine, although I have had a few system bombs and I'm not sure why. The only software that I've put on the box other than what came with it is as follows:

* HP Jet Admin
* SoundJam MP
* ACDSee
* Photoshop LE
* And one or two small utilities that came with the scanner

Although the system bombs were happening before the memory & last three items were added. Not sure why they're happening, I know it's hard to troubleshoot with this type of info, but any assistance is appreciated.

My first big project was getting connectivity to the internet and to the local lan environment (at home). Connecting to the net was a snap, I simply walked through the wizard that opened when I turned on the machine for the first time and explained that I had a DSL switch that would act as a DHCP server. Up and talking on the net in no time. Cool. Took about 10 minutes.

The next part of this project, talking to my Windows 2000 boxes was a bit more challenging. One machine is running Windows 2000 Advanced Server and is has Services for the Mac up and running. I had to create Mac shares and then went into the chooser and selected appletalk and saw the Windows 2000 AS box. Linked to the shares and established connectivity from the Mac to Windows. Very cool. Took about an hour (remember, I really *don't* know what I'm doing...)

The final part of this project was to establish connectivity from the Windows machines to the Mac. Haven't been able to figure it out yet. I did turn on file sharing and saw that the mac essentially used its IP as a web-based file share using something called AFP (apple file protocol?). Haven't been able to make this work yet -- any assistance would be appreciated. (Updated: I did figure out how Apple Personal Web Server works... still geeking with that, but it looks as if that may solve a problem...)

The next part of the project was to secure a PPTP connection from the Mac to my corporate network (not at home). I understand that I need third party software for this, so I downloaded an evaluation copy of NTS TunnelBuiilder. Haven't been able to get this to work yet -- I'm still spending time with the user manual -- any pointers would really be appreciated...! (Update: really challenged with this product - everybody talks about it, so I'm sure it's a good product, but I'm not getting it...)

Next I installed the USB scanner from Canon -- ironically enough I went into the local CompUSA last week to purchase a new SCSI card for an old HP IIcx scanner and found the cards to be around 70-100$. Shoot, the new scanners were that much! I eneded up getting distracted and bought a mac (the cube), but went back and got the scanner. Man, I paid over $1000 for the HP about 8-9 years ago and I just didn't think a $150 scanner would be faster, better, cleaner than the IIcx. Shows how much I know. Total time to get up and running -- 5 minutes. Scanning into Photoshop and enjoying the hell out of it. Of course the Canon has all the neat bells and whistles from a software perspective -- copying, etc.

I decided to give iMovie a try -- man, makes me want to puke over the $2500 or so that I spend on a dedicated Windows machine just for digital video. While the Sony VAIO is cool, the video editing software just sucks. I sucked over some DV to the mac in about 20 minutes and had a pretty enjoyable afternoon playing with iMovie. Much, much, much better than the Sony crap.

So... this means I have to upgrade the hard drive in the Cube -- any problems sticking an 80 gig drive in the box? Anybody want post instructions on how to go about rebuilding the machine? Thanks.

So... that's my Mac experience so far. I do have some general questions and would be very pleased to get some help...

1. Does Apple offer any type of free upgrade on OS X? I know (now) it's coming on in about sixty days. Many software manufacturers have a free upgrade period. Does Apple?

2. The Airport slot in the cube looks a lot like a PCMCIA slot... is it? Will other PC card devices work in this slot? In particular, I believe there is a SCSI PCMCIA card designed for use with the G4. Anyone have any reason to believe this card will NOT work in the cube? I recognize that you'd have to do something about feeding the cord out of the cube, but hell, the case is only made out of plastic! And it already has those "manufacturing marks" all over the case. Ha ha, just kidding.

3. On another note, I was (and am) extremely careful with my Cube and I even put the thing on a very soft cloth while unpacking and setting up. I spent an evening geeking with it and then in the light of the next morning, I noticed there was a scratch on the front of the case. This is *NOT* a manufacturing line, etc., etc. It's a random, jagged scratch. I called Apple and they essentially told me it was a manufacturing line. And this before I knew about the issues everyone has with the lines that are *supposed* to be there. I can assure you this is NOT one of those lines. Apple doesn't believe me and thinks I should live with it. They suggested I take it back to the retailer and see if he would swap the case for me. Or simply take advantage of the CompUSA return/exchange policy. I'm thinking about it because the scratch really ticks me off -- being there in front and everything. Any suggestions? (remember, before you tell me to forget about it, part of the reasons I bought this thing was the look...)

4. So... I got back to CompUSA to shop for software. Not much in the way of selection. Where does everyone buy their Mac software?

5. A bitch -- why is the keyboard cable so short? I'd like to move the Cube somewhere else. Ditto for the speaker cables. I already know the speakers won't work with a USB hub. Will they work with an extension cable? (I see no reason they won't)

That's all - overall I'm pretty happy with the cube.

danbrew :->


[This message has been edited by danbrew (edited 01-13-2001).]

danbrew:

Congratulations on your new machine. Replacing the HD is simple. I took mine out today to have a look at it -- turned out to be a 20GB 5400RPM Maxtor.

Go to http://www.info.apple.com/support/cip/g4cubecip.html

You will find PDFs and Quicktime videos describing how to replace your HD. You will need a #8 Torx screwdriver.

Do you find your Cube's drive to be noisy? I am going to replace mine, probably with an 40GB IBM Deskstar GV 5400 RPM drive. I considered the 75GXP, but the 7200 RPM models are supposedly noisier than the 5400RPM ones.

The reason the keyboard cable is so short is that Apple wants you to buy the $799 monitor and use it as a USB hub. :-)

Originally posted by danbrew:
I noticed there was a scratch on the front of the case. This is *NOT* a manufacturing line, etc., etc. It's a random, jagged scratch.

I have a jagged scratch just under the Apple logo. I know you don't want to hear this, but my advice is just get over it.

[danbrew]

Ha! Of course they do. While it's a cool monitor, it's not cool enough for me to drop 800$ on. And that isn't even the flatscreen -- the flatscreen (lcd) is something like 1500$. I can't tell you how pleased I was to plug my mac into the Sony SDM-50 LCD monitor (a very, very, very cool unit) and have the Mac RECOGNIZE it! Dang, there's even a configuration file for the monitor. Of course it only does 1024x768, so it's not the best screen in the world, but it's about 75% the thickness of that new powerbook. damn, i want one of those too.

I'm sure I'll get around to the drive soon, I filled up 10 gigs with DV today. I've already made a few movies with iMovie, but I haven't figured out how to RIP audio from a standard CD. The online help to iMovie implies that you need to rip the audio straight to an MP3 in a player. Tell me it isn't so. I'll have to go back to SoundJam or rip everything on the PC.

:->

[davidmd]

Danbrew, I'm glad to hear you're pleased with your Sony monitor, but just to clarify prices, the new Apple monitors are as follows:

17" Flat ColorSync CRT: $499
15" Digital Studio Display Flat Panel: $799
22" Digital Cinema Display Flat Panel: $3999
all include 2 powered USB ports.

davidmd

[danbrew]

Wow, I thought the 15" was like 1500$. Now, of course, you've got me drooling over the 22" LCD. Thanks a lot. Hmmm, let's see, new cube, 1500. Additional memory, 600. Various toys to go with it, 500. Let's just say 2600$.

Now, just divide 2600/wife and we get frosted looks and a shrug of the shoulders. Add $4000 to the mix and now we're dividing $6600 by wife. Hmmm... I'm not liking what I'm seeing there.

Besides... it's a major debate if the cube is really worth 2600$ -- no way it's worth 6600$. <grin>

But if I didn't already have the Sony Flatscreen, I'd be all over the 15" from Apple.

:->

[NeoMac]

You are right, the Cube is not worth $6,600. You are paying $4000 for a 22"LCD. The 15" Apple LCD is $799 and I don't know about the Sony, but I doubt there is an LCD on the planet that has a more spectacular a screen (other than the 22" Apple LCD)

To connect to the Windows network, just use DoubleTalk. It's the sh?t. See here: http://www.connectix.com/

The upgrade price to OS X is $129 starting March 24th. I recommend you upgrade immidiately to OS X. Then the Cube will be worth $6,600.

Mac software can be bought from many online sites. I like Outpost.com. No Taxes. Free Overnight Shipping. http://www.outpost.com. You can search for all kind of software news here: http://www.macnn.com/

G'luck. Welcome back to Mac.

[MacBook]

I was at CompUSA yesterday trying to compare the two Apple Studio Display screens: the 17" CRT and the 15" LCD. Now, I understand the set-up may be the problem, but the 17" looked clearer to me with better quality rendition of text and graphics. The LCD seemed to have some fine vertical lines on the screen. Although I like the looks, size, and weight of the LCD, I find it difficult to spend $300 more to get what seems like not as good a display. Can someone confirm or correct my impressions?

The online help to iMovie implies that you need to rip the audio straight to an MP3 in a player. Tell me it isn't so. I'll have to go back to SoundJam or rip everything on the PC.

Just use soundjam for the mac! It's accelerated for altivec, so it will be fast on your cube! You could also try iTunes, but being v1.0 it has some issues.

Goto versiontracker.com to look for soundjam and other mac software.

[Zwilnik]

No problems with using a USB extension cable for the keyboard. I threatened to send my Cube back to the Apple Store unless they sent me an extension cable to make the Cube functional, as I don't put my keyboard directly in front of my monitor (because it would be stupid typing with my face 6 inches away from the screen, and against office health regs). They sent me a USB cable, and said that the idea of including one with the Cube would be passed higher up in mangagement. They did say that the idea was that you'd be using the keyboard connected to the monitor, but even then it's too short.

I've fitted my Cube with a 40gig 7200rpm drive, (same as the BTO option), and it's even more quiet than before.

The Airport card slot is just that, an Airport card slot. It may be modified PCMCIA, but it's easier to buy a Firewire-SCSI adaptor (like the Orange Micro one) if you absolutely have to use SCSI devices.

A tip for Photoshop if you have tons of memory. Set up a RAM disk in the memory control panel (for 1/2 of your memory) and set it as the primary scratch disk in Photoshop. It can really speed things up on big projects.
It's also good to put your browser's cache on the RAM disk too

oh, and iTunes pretty much *IS* Soundjam, both of which I've had instabilities with (which usually sorted themselves) when running my iBook connected to my office's NT network via DAVE (A very bad idea, borne only out of having particularly bad network admins).

Originally posted by Zwilnik:
I've fitted my Cube with a 40gig 7200rpm drive, (same as the BTO option), and it's even more quiet than before.

Zwilink, what is the make & model of your 40gig drive? Can you hear it when idle (spinning, but not seeking)? I'm still trying to decide what drive to replace the stock Maxtor. For me, quiet > speed.

[MiniMan]

I replaced my stock 20gig Maxtor with the 80gig 5400rpm Maxtor and it is at least as quiet as the stock drive. I almost never hear it at all, especially if there is a CD or DVD in the drive. Some CDs seem to be slightly off balance and make quite a bit of noise. The 80Gb drive has never bothered me and doesn't run any hotter either (it's still only 5400rpm after all)

[naepstn]

My recommendation is to go with a 7200 rpm drive. The IBM Deskstars are quite quiet, and the performance difference is noticeable. This is particularly true if the main reason for upgrading is for DV.

The only other thing I have to say is that any parts that you happen to replace in your Cube that you don't need anymore... feel free to send 'em on up here. I'll put them to good use, don't worry.

P.S. You do realize that you are a computer salesman's dream-come-true don't ya? Geez, walk into a store to buy a SCSI card, and walk out with a professional-level (and price) machine, and then come back for more? They must LOVE you! Cheers!

I just bought a new IBM Deskstar 30gb for only about 150$! Now is a great time to get one if you're looking for a deal. I, too heard there was a noticeable speed increase and they were much quieter. The whole reason I'm getting one is because of the sound actually- the Quantum in my current G4 tower is a whining beast. I figured 150$ was worth it for the extra 10 gigs and silence.

[2far]

I have thrown in the 80gig Maxtor drive as well (and a 60gig in the Cube of my girlfriend). The advantage of these new drives (some lines of other producers as well) is, you can choose between silent and fast operation. Fast is the normal speed you'd expect from the specs, silent is virtually silent ... the spinning sound remains the same (hardly noticeable), but you almost can't hear the seek sound any more. It really makes a difference. I also changed the disk of my MP3 player in the stereo rack to one of these puppies ... even more 'silent' than the previously used Western Digital 'WhisperDrive'.

BTW, the speed vs. silence setting is in the ATA standard, I believe, and theoretically you can select between 128 steps (but for now, it is only on or off)

If, on the other hand, you want to go for speed, I'd recomment an IBM 7200 RPM drive.

[2far]

And the keyboard cable is that short because you would either plug it into the monitor's USB hub, or directly into the Cube sitting next to you on your desk. With the PowerMac G4 comes a USB extension cable (with the Cube not), because it is mainly used under your desk. And the speakers will work with an extension cable when plugged into the Cube.

[MiniMan]

2far,

how do you change the speed vs noise setting on the Maxtor drives...??
I got mine cheap through a PC building place, so it didn't come with the full retail packaging and instructions. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Milio]

Originally posted by danbrew:

The final part of this project was to establish connectivity from the Windows machines to the Mac. Haven't been able to figure it out yet.

DAVE from Thursby Systems offers Windows to Mac filesharing. Works well for me.

So... this means I have to upgrade the hard drive in the Cube -- any problems sticking an 80 gig drive in the box? Anybody want post instructions on how to go about rebuilding the machine? Thanks.

As others have mentioned, you can use normal ATA/66 drives. As for rebuilding the system, here's where the fun starts. Since the Cube doesn't support multiple internal drives, if you want to copy from one drive to the other you will need to make one external. For this you will want a Firewire enclosure. Eventually, you will put your old drive into it, so no loss there!

Put the new drive into the Firewire enclosure and plug it in. You will probably need to format it, and if you bought a Mac compatible enclosure it should have software and drivers. So format that puppy already.

Now we need to copy your system over. Remember, this ain't Windows. We don't need no Ghost or other drive imaging software. Boot from your startup CD. Open your original internal hard drive. Select everything. Drag everything to the new hard drive. Voila! No muss, no fuss.

You will probably want to swap the internal and firewire drives so your big drive is now the internal.

Pretty nifty, huh!

[2far]

MiniMan,

the speed vs. noise settings of the Maxtor drives can be set with a utility which you can find on the maxtor.com website (look for it somewhere in the diamondmax section, I found it once, so it won't be a problem for you).

Unfortunately this can only be done on a Wintel PC (with that utility), but then again most people only do this once in a hard disk lifetime. The drive is preset to quiet operation.