OSX vs OS/2? Aha!
- From: "Riccardo Rubini" <rubini@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 11:51:43 +0200
Well, just for laughs, a few days ago I got a PowerMac ( used ) and I
started to play with it. The friend I got it from decided to sell it and I
told him to let me check it out before buying it - a spare Mac is not a bad
idea, I thought.
Lo and behold, all the hardware I had, which works perfectly with OS/2,
doesn't work with it.
Meet the PowerMac: G4 867 Mhz w/ OSX 10.4.9, 512 Mb RAM. Meet the OS/2 PC:
P4 2.4 Ghz 512 Mb RAM, CP2 + XRIC004.
Just an example... D-Link G520+, works perfectly with GenMac Wrapper since
2005, but - suprise! - it doesn't work once plugged in the Mac's PCI slot.
Indeed, there are NO drivers for it, and, if you want them, you have to pay
15$ to a third party company ( Orangeware ). Intel support is not planned,
so, if you have a new Intel Mac, you might just dump the card in the
trashcan.
On the other hand, GenMac for OS/2 is free and currently developed and you
can connect a Pentium 1st generation to your wireless network or the latest
Dual Core PC...
Yep, I could buy an AirPort card. Such a pity it costs 2 to 3 times what the
G520+ costs - with the same features. As usual, Apple sells stuff that does
the very same thing the cheapest does, doubling the price. Fools will
believe it costs more because "it works better" - ROTFL
Another one... LaserJet 1005 from HP. Works perfectly with OS/2 with a
generic PCL driver. I haven't checked the latest Laser drivers from IBM, but
I am sure it's there. Unfortunately, it doesn't work with the Macintosh.
To use a LaserJet 1005 you need to install some buggy GIMP driver of some
sort. There is NO driver available from HP, all I got on Mac forums is a
"sorry pal". Oddly, I never really cared plugging this printer to my iBook
G4, I got in 2004, so I am discovering about this flaw now.
The final straw was when I tried to use a 3COM adapter... Gigabit? No. It's
a cheap 3COM 3C905B-TX. OS/2 has been supporting it since... 1996 or
something, but the Mac just doesn't. It hangs at boot. Would you like to use
some Intel Gigabit card, like the Intel 82540 Gigabit ? I am sorry, that is
only supported by OS/2 and GenMac, OSX can't handle it.
Let's upgrade the video card. I pick up my old Radeon 9200, which the Mac
should support, but oddly the refresh rate is locked on 60 Hz, while SNAP
gives me full 80 Hz and full 1280 x 1024 resolution...
The more I test the most common PCI cards and hardware around, the more the
Mac seems incompatible to them. So, let's see... I can't print, I can't
connect to the Internet, I can't use Wireless... Hmm, not bad.
Oddly, so far, OS/2 supports more hardware than the Mac does. Not too bad
for the Operating System that allegedly had no drivers and no applications
written for it.
I didn't mention this PowerMac is slow as hell. I probably will return it to
my friend. Maybe some chicken like Timmy will live up with all its
limitations, and give my friend as much as 200 EUR for this boom box... Just
because the case is transparent!
LOL
Riccardo
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