[Dakar V]

Completely unscientific, completely fun.

Feel free to note if your usage falls more under a professional, rather than recreational category.

[Maflynn]

My external drives are FW800 and FW400 so I'm constantly using them. Both drives are also USB capable so if I opt for a new MB/MBP I'll still be able to use them. Still, I really like the performance of FW over USB.

[Dakar V]

Here at work I have a FireWire Flash card reader, but at home the only time I've used FireWire is for target disk mode and migration to the MacBook I picked up this summer. I've never looked into buying a device that had it , though if I ever bought an external HD enclosure, that'd certainly be my preference over USB 2.0

[starman]

I have to use it for my podcast.

[mitchell_pgh]

I've used it... but it's not a regular thing.

[paul w]

Yeah my HD enclosures are FW/USB so it wouldn't be the end of the world. Though I occasionally use Target Mode.

[cjrivera]

I use FW for my HDs on a regular basis, but they are also USB, so I could get by. Although the transfer rates and reliability seems to be worse using USB.

The biggest benefit that I would lose with no FW would be target disk mode. That has saved me many times when trying to repair hard drives or do installations.

[Dakar V]

Constantly is mugging all the other options for their lunch money right now.

[Laminar]

Rarely, but when I needed it it was reeeally nice to have it.

[Doofy]

All the time. Audio interfaces and what not.

[Gankdawg]

TM drive is FW800. Secondary backup drive is FW400. So constantly.

edit: Both drives are for my iMac 24" 2.8. I don't bother backing up my Macbook.

[StevenSimpson]

I constantly use FW800 for my external drive...and I occasionally connect with FW400 in TDM to transfer items between my and a colleague's computer...

[Dakar V]

Of course the fatal flaw in poll is which of you would or can use a MacBook for FireWire necessities (as opposed to a Pro). That and those of you who only use it for backups, which there are alternatives for.

[Thorzdad]

I have a 250G LaCie external drive on the FW800 bus. I have it partitioned and use it for backup and as scratch space for Photoshop and Illustrator, which I use daily, all day. Additionally, I've used the FW400 ports for miniDV cams.

[Maflynn]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Of course the fatal flaw in poll is which of you would or can use a MacBook for FireWire necessities (as opposed to a Pro). That and those of you who only use it for backups, which there are alternatives for.

Agreed, it seems the majority of people using FW are doing so for external disk access which means there's other solutions available.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Maflynn 

Agreed, it seems the majority of people using FW are doing so for external disk access which means there's other solutions available.

Not better ones though - going from FW800 to USB2 is a huge step down. If there was an eSATA port on the laptop that would provide another high-speed connection, but there's not.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Not better ones though - going from FW800 to USB2 is a huge step down

I did note that in my first response, however.

I really should have anticipated the HD enclosure people would skew the poll.

[64stang06]

3 Firewire 400 hard drives and 1 Firewire 800 drive.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

I did note that in my first response, however.

I really should have anticipated the HD enclosure people would skew the poll.

That should have been a separate poll option. Good job ruining science.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

That should have been a separate poll option. Good job ruining science.

I'm so sorry that years of amphetamines and failure have done anything to improve my work.

[mdc]

I had an external drive that was USB and Firewire but I gave it to a friend. Now the only drives I have are all USB.

[Railroader]

I use TDM about every 6 months, but it is always on someone else's computer when I am trying to fix it. And even then about 90% of the time I end up just reformatting, tell them to keep better backups, and reinstall the OS. I have had good luck with USB2 and time machine. I start to have a problem with my personal computers and I usually just reformat and use my daily backups.

Personally, I don't need FW. I have one FW/USB2 combo drive and I'll just use the USB2 port.

[Dakar V]

I forgot to note that the thread title should be read with Sam Jackson in mind.

[olePigeon]

At my work we have several miniDV camcorders that only have Firewire. We use them all the time. I also use the Firewire to TDM and image one-off laptops. I hate the new MacBook.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

I forgot to note that the thread title should be read with Sam Jackson in mind.

That was actually the first thing that came to my mind.

[moep]

TDM for cloning, backup or diskwarrior — twice a year or so.

[Peter]

does a tattoo count?

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Peter 

does a tattoo count?

In that case, its use is driving away women.

[Railroader]

What do you think cheap white t-shirts do?

[Dakar V]

Complement Ford Contours.

[QuadG5Man]

All. The. Time.

What's up with that new macbook?

[dcmacdaddy]

I've got my backup disc connected to my Intel iMac via FW800. Daisy chained off that backup disc, again using FW800, is a smaller capacity drive for my Windows XP install (for Parallels 3).

I do a daily backup of my iMac's Users directory, and a weekly backup of the entire HD, to the external backup disc.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

What do you think cheap white t-shirts do?

Show off my incredible body.



And I know I'm going to regret this one:

[Railroader]

See, no girls in those photos. I did see a dude though ... and possible sex toys...

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Complement Ford Contours.

They do equal the cheap white t-shirt of the automotive world.

[Dakar V]

Dude, all I see is the giant girl in the center of them.

[Railroader]

Your right!

And is that Slim Shady in the bottom one?

[Laminar]

Please stand up.

[Andrew Stephens]

My Time Machine backup is a FW800 drive.

I'm recovering data from a borked G5 tower using FWTDM as I type this.

I couldn't do without it,which is why I would not buy a new MacBook. However lots of people will which will make life harder when recovering their data I guess.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy 

I do a daily backup of my iMac's Users directory, and a weekly backup of the entire HD, to the external backup disc.

Why not use Time Machine?

[Dakar V]

Less risk of temporal paradoxes.

[dcmacdaddy]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Why not use Time Machine?

I don't like how it fills up the backup HD with multiple copies of everything. I use Carbon Copy Cloner's scheduled backup feature for the incremental backups of just the Users directory (it run at 8:00AM Mon-Sat) and the full backup of the entire HD (it runs at 8:00AM Sun).

As I am working on my masters thesis right now, I also backup my school files to the internal HD of another Mac in the house as well as post copies of my written thesis to the media directory for my blog. I know that is more than a bit paranoid but once the thesis is written and submitted I will reduce the number of backups I run to one or two incremental a week (while still keeping the weekly full backup).

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Less risk of temporal paradoxes.

That's cuz he's a newb with inverse tachyon beams.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy 

I don't like how it fills up the backup HD with multiple copies of everything. I use Carbon Copy Cloner's scheduled backup feature for the incremental backups of just the Users directory (it run at 8:00AM Mon-Sat) and the full backup of the entire HD (it runs at 8:00AM Sun).

I partitioned my backup HD into two partitions - one Mac formatted with a couple hundred gigs for Time Machine, the other FAT32 to allow compatibility between OS X and Windows, and it's where I store any large media files or stuff I want to keep portable. This way Time Machine has a certain amount of disk space it can take up. I'm not sure what you mean by "multiple copies of everything." If I'm not mistaken, it only copies the updated files, and it backs everything up once an hour, minimizing lost data. If your hard drive suddenly died under your current process, you could lose an entire day's work.

[mduell]

Professional usage (my Mac is my work computer), zero use of or even desire for Firewire.

[paul w]

I think it's time to get a firewire tattoo...

[Goldfinger]

All my external drives are Firewire (except one). I just upgraded a few USB2 externals to Firewire-enclosures. USB2 is SOOO much slower than FW400. I don't like the way this is going. I'll probably be forced to get a Mac Pro in the future. Since the iMac has a glossy screen and if the Macbooks are any indication it'll probably be without FW as well. I reallly don't like the way Apple is oversimplifying the machines lately. Not at the pricepoints they're at right now.
I've always been able to live with Apple's higher prices but now they are really starting to deliver machines with very bad specs for very high price points. Where's the eSata to replace FW ? Where's the ExpressCard slot ? Where are the matte screens ? High resolution screens ? Heck, even bluray etc. I don't mind cutting stuff out in certain models but at least give consumers a choice. The only way to get that stuff is by getting a PC. I really want a nicely designed Mac with OSX and I want to pay a premium for it but please, Apple, the specs and features are sub-par.
[/rant]

Can you notice that I'm very disappointed by the recent MB/MBP release ?

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Of course the fatal flaw in poll is which of you would or can use a MacBook for FireWire necessities (as opposed to a Pro). That and those of you who only use it for backups, which there are alternatives for.

Not really. Time Machine is ridiculously slow even with FireWire 800. I don't even want to think about trying to use it with a USB drive.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

Not really. Time Machine is ridiculously slow even with FireWire 800. I don't even want to think about trying to use it with a USB drive.

I do, and it's nothing noticeable. It's not as if I have to back up several gigs at a time.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

Not really. Time Machine is ridiculously slow even with FireWire 800. I don't even want to think about trying to use it with a USB drive.

Whether you like the quality of the alternative doesn't preclude the fact that it's an alternative.