This is topic My Mac computer just died in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 04-27-2009, 09:39 PM:
 
My faithful PowerBook G4 laptop computer had just about died after five years of very dependable service. It was the 12 inch model and I loved the machine especially when I used it on crowded airplanes because of it's small size. Almost all of my Film Tech posts have been written with this computer. It no longer allows me to work with Photoshop and the disc drive does not work anymore. At the moment, I can only use it for internet service and communication. I have to pick up a new one tomorrow and would love to get a MacBook Pro but I will have to settle for the regular MacBook because of budget consideration. I have had my old laptop for over five years and the genius at the Apple Store told me I got more than my money worth from it and it was time to move on with a new computer. In actuality, the standard MacBook I am getting has a lot more features than my old PowerBook G4 so I feel pretty good about the selection I am making. I am also very happy I can still transfer all of my music to the new computer that I have collected in my old computer's iTune library totaling over 60gb. Do any of you have a standard MacBook and what are your thoughts about it?

-Claude
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-27-2009, 10:15 PM:
 
You could've/should've just bought a Dell.

At least this is further proof that just because something is a Mac that it isn't perfect. My experience has been actually quite the opposite. My G4 had lots of issues and needed frequent reboots. My Airport Extreme has tremendously flaky wi-fi. It literally works when it wants to. My iphone also works when it wants to and drops calls randomly when it is tired.

I think I've had about enough of the bs Steve Jobs pushes on people. I really don't care if it is "pretty" or not. I like stuff that works, like all of the products I have purchased from Dell. You should consider it Claude, as you can get a better computer for the same price.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-27-2009, 10:32 PM:
 
The sad thing is once you're locked into a certain platform it is very difficult to "switch" (despite all the phony baloney hype).

Companies like Adobe could make life a little easier for their legitimate base of customers by either including both Mac and Windows versions of their products in the same box or allowing registered users to download whatever platform version they need for the new piece of computing hardware they just bought. Instead, they make you at least pay a hefty "sidegrade" fee or just stick you with the cost of an entirely new license.

Of course, the other problem is the computer user's massive collection of legacy work files -at least some of which will have been generated by some application that isn't maintained on both Mac and PC platforms. Sharing project files across platforms has become quite a bit easier (at least with Adobe applications), but there's still lots of hangups regarding old fonts and color profiles that are platform dependent.

In the end, a Mac user wanting to go "PC" still needs to have some kind of Mac around for bringing up old work files reliably. And the PC user going Mac needs to either keep an old PC handy or be prepared to dual boot both Mac and Windows on that new Mac.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-27-2009, 10:47 PM:
 
I remember a few years ago Apple made a huge deal out of advertising that a Mac could run Windows software, open files created on a Windows machine, etc. They were making it look like the two platforms were completely compatible, which of course is crazy....but what ever happened with that initiative? Did it ever get past the advertising? Or is the "dual boot" solution mentioned by Bobby what they were talking about?
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 04-27-2009, 10:47 PM:
 
It it's the 12" G4 laptop I think it is, it came with OS 10.2 on it. Right?

This one?
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook_g4/stats/powerbook_g4_1.33_12.html

I owned an original white iBook computer, before the G4s came out. It was nice in its day and, like the iMac, I had it upgraded as far as it would go. But, finaly, it decided to give out and I was stuck. I got nearly 5 years out of it. If you got more than that out of yours, it lasted longer than most people expect.

You probably can repair the computer but it would likely take a fair bit of surgery to do it. Unless you are especially attached to the computer or unless you like to tinker, it's probably not worth it.

Let's assume, for a moment, that you could get it back into fully working condition...

First: You could probably upgrade the OS to Tiger (OS 10.4) and be able to run Photoshop, et. al. but, at 1 GHz, the computer would run slowly. If you wanted to go up to Photoshop CS4, the computer would probably be painfully slow.

Second: The oldest OS that Apple "officially" supports today is OS 10.3. Most applications avaiable today list "Panther" as their minimum requirement. Some applications even list "Tiger" 10.4 as their minimums now.
One things Apples have historically been good about is longevity. I own a 10 year old iMac. It's one of the old missile shaped ones, not the "basketball on a stick" ones. I have replaced the hard drive twice and have maxed-out the RAM and it still runs perfectly well but I will never be able to get it to run anything newer than OS 10.3.

You could easily milk several more years out of your current computer, you're eventually going to have to contend with obsolescence.

Third: Laptops age faster than desktops. They take a lot more abuse. No matter how well you treat it, there will come a day when it will not be able to stand up to the daily bumps and grinds you subject it to. Some day, you're going to end up having to bite the bullet and buy a new computer. Why not upgrade on your terms? Things will be a lot harder if you have to do it in an emergency.

Finally: OS 10.5 "Leopard" is pretty slick!
I recently bought an 8-core Mac Pro ("Harpertown") desktop with Leopard pre-installed. My old computer (iMac) came with OS 9. I have since stepped up to OS 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3. It has a hard time doing even that. It would never even load OS 10.4, let alone operate at a tolerable speed. The difference between the old computer and the new one was like night and day. And, if you're going to be using Photoshop CS4, you'll want OS 10.5 to make it run at its best.

I think you're going to like the new MacBooks!

Basically the MacBook Pros have a faster CPU and an upgraded video card in them. There are other differences but, other than the size of the display, that's the main thing. You could get a 2.4 GHz MacBook that has the same CPU as the entry level Pro. The only thing you don't have is the larger display.

If you can get along with a smaller display, I think you'll be just as happy with the MacBook. And the money you save isn't anything to sneeze at, either!
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 04-27-2009, 10:51 PM:
 

quote: Brad Miller

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You could've/should've just bought a Dell.

......

My G4 had lots of issues and needed frequent reboots.

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quote: Mike Blakesley

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I remember a few years ago Apple made a huge deal out of advertising that a Mac could run Windows software, open files created on a Windows machine, etc. They were making it look like the two platforms were completely compatible, which of course is crazy....but what ever happened with that initiative?

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quote: Randy Stankey

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If you wanted to go up to Photoshop CS4, the computer would probably be painfully slow.

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quote: Bobby Henderson

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When Apple was building all their systems using PowerPC-based CPUs it was possible to run some Windows programs on a Mac via emulation software.

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They also had a version of the Power Macintosh that had a PCI card with an Intel processor on it so they could dual-boot, but that was almost 15 years ago now.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 04-28-2009, 07:49 PM:
 
I remember running Windows '95 and later '98 on Virtual PC. You could drag and drop files from one desktop to the other. It was pretty slow, but usable for most things. They have similar applications today which work a little better, but cost money and they don't even come with a copy of Windows for you.
 

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Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 04-28-2009, 08:50 PM:
 
Apple has about 2% of the world wide computer market and maybe 4% of the US market, every sale is a feat. Remember 10 or so years ago when Microsoft gave Apple a mega million dollar infusion to keep it from dying? If Apple needs it again, will it come? Will it die a slow death after Jobs croaks? The fruit store here was in a 6000 sq. ft. location several years ago, now it's in a store that is maybe 900 sq. ft. There were 2 moves to smaller stores before this one, at the rate of shrinkage here they will be in somebody's garage in two more moves. Even the prisons stopped teaching inmates on Apples, the administration said the inmates needed computer skills relevant to what they will encounter in the workplace. Is this a trend everywhere else?
 

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Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 04-28-2009, 11:21 PM:
 
This is always a fun subject. I own a Macbook 2.16 Ghz, which I think was the third generation Intel-based. It is a pretty reliable machine, with the exception of when the hard drive took a crap and I lost all my data (the second half being my fault: I've been around computers for 20 years and should've been smart enough to back up my drive). Let me examine some of the claims made about Macintoshes, and make a few other points as well.

1. Macs never lock up: The software is reasonably stable, and I've achieved uptimes of a month, but it certainly does lock up. For comparison, my Linux machine has a current uptime of 68 days. I haven't had more than a week with a Windows machine since NT, but the Windows machines I've had were shared with my siblings (irresponsible internet usage, and inadequate "protection").

2. Macs are immune to malware: The truth to this is related to what Bill said above. Apple has a very small market share, and hence is a small target. When designing malware, or anything for that matter, you want the most bang for your buck, if you will. Since Apple's market share is disproportionately young college students with no useful data to steal, and most institutions use Windows or Linux or some GNU GPL OS, it isn't really worth anyone's effort to make malware that targets OSX. There was, however, a report recently of someone doing just that, and if Apple's market share grows, we will be seeing a lot more of it.

3. Macs are easy to use: This is relative to past experience, frankly. If you've been using a Windows machine for a long time, Windows is easy to use. In any case, OSX is more reliant on keyboard shortcuts, and these are often not self-evident and must be memorized. For comparison, commands in Linux are nearly universal, doing the same thing in almost every application, and with a basic knowledge of commands, it becomes trivially easy to get the system to tell you more (via the man and info files).

4. Macs have better/special hardware: This is just plain false. My Macbook has a 2.16 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, which is the exact same processor as my dad's old Dell that he got a few months before I got my computer. My computer has a Seagate 160G 5400RPM laptop hard drive, which is only different from about a half million identical drives in that Seagate puts a little apple on the label for Apple. It uses common DDR2 laptop RAM. I could go on and on, but the point is, the hardware is common as well.

All these points aren't necessarily to detract from Macintoshes, simply deflating false hype. No, my issues with Apple, and why I won't be buying another Mac are different. Most of my issues center on how Apple chooses to market their product. Obviously, they want to say how much better they are than anybody else, but that isn't really what they are doing. They are saying they are cooler than anybody else, which is different and also not necessarily offensive. What they are doing that I don't like is trying to make their product boutique. The first way they do this is by making it ridiculously overpriced. The next way they do it is even worse: they make it inconvenient. If you have problems which you need fixed under warranty, you have to go to the Apple store. There are two in SE Michigan, and they are both conveniently a half hour away from me (although one is minutes from work, but it is not quite so simple), in the most expensive malls in the state. For the price of those two storefronts, they could have easily a half dozen in more modest locales. Anyhow, say your computer breaks, for example your hard drive takes a dump. You diagnose the problem quite easily yourself, and all you need is to take it in and have the hard drive replaced under the extended warranty you paid $150 for. Here is where it gets a little more complicated. In order to take it in, you need an appointment at their stupid, overpriced, overcrowded store. Here is the kicker: you must make this appointment online. No phone appointments. How do you make the appointment if your computer doesn't work?

Okay, so I have ranted quite thoroughly, but my point is that the product is overpriced and overrated, the service is not as advertised, and every time you set foot in one of their stupid stores, you want to punch yourself in the face, even though it would make more sense to punch them in the face.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-28-2009, 11:49 PM:
 
So well said Galen! You did forget one thing, that Mac owners seem to think they are better than everyone else because other people use "that horrible Windows OS". Ummmm, no. My XP systems that I have built as well as purchased from Dell have been beautifully stable. I've got two computers that I built and installed 5 years ago still running perfectly on their original install with daily use.

Just like with handling film, it all comes down to the operator. If someone is going to spend all day searching for doggie porn, then a PC really isn't the best choice since they are bound to pick up a virus doing that crap.

That said, Macs do have their place, usually for video production, but the decision shouldn't come from "ooooooooooh look, they're so PRETTY" (like one IT guy I work with who will buy ANYTHING sold by Apple). It all depends on the software that the end user is planning on using as to what is better. Still for most computing, Windows (not Vista) blows the crap out of Macs in price, reliability, ease of serviceability and just about everything else.

Still I feel sorry for the masses that blindly follow Steve Jobs and buy and do anything he says...like that one IT guy I know.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 04-29-2009, 01:15 AM:
 

quote: Galen Murphy-Fahlgren

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This is always a fun subject.

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ALWAYS! In fact it is such a fun subject that whenever Macs are mentioned for any reason that Windows users show up and turn it into a Mac-bashing thread almost every time. This thread has nothing to do with Windows vs Mac and look what happened! C'mon guys, sheesh! We know Macs aren't perfect and no one here said that they were. No one is arguing with you, but you seem to want to argue with us. What the hell? Please try to grow up, people. Let us enjoy our computers.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-29-2009, 02:19 AM:
 
My issue isn't that someone wants to buy a Mac...or a Linux or even that hideous Vista. My issue is when Mac people get in my face and tell me repeatedly how foolish I am because I use a PC and how they are a superior being because they buy Apple products and how their computer is "prettier" than mine is and how I am not creative and artistic enough to use a Mac and how all of the iProducts are a LIFESTYLE, blah, blah, blah.

Seriously people, get over yourselves!

(This posting isn't reflected at Joe or Claude, by the way. It is for those crazed iPeople that without their iProducts couldn't exist.)

Also, Claude already answered his own question, because the "geniuses" at the Apple store told him a new laptop would outperform his older one at the same cost. Well duh. I think any 5 year old laptop would be outperformed with a new one at the same cost, or cheaper, than repairing the older one. That's why they are geniuses!

Seriously though Claude, in looking at the line of Apple laptops, I think this is the one you should get.
 

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Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 04-29-2009, 02:55 AM:
 
Joe, I didn't intend to come off sounding like I was totally bashing Macs or Mac owners (of which I am one). I've mostly enjoyed my own Macbook, but perhaps it's the amount of time I've spent on a university campus, or the blind Apple fanaticism of too many of my acquaintances, but every time the subject comes up, I feel compelled to point out (sometimes quite longwindedly!) that they are not, in fact, perfection in computing, even if no one actually said they were.
 

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Posted by Greg Anderson (Member # 235) on 04-29-2009, 09:16 AM:
 
Brad's video link is priceless. Kind of like the "cube" from the Apple store spoof on The Simpsons. It's sooo cool but nobody even knows what it's supposed to do. Reminds me of the new iPod Shuffle. What a stupid idea! It appeals to the smallest possible segment of the population that wants to depend on one style of earbuds and a goofy one-button controller to enjoy their music. But that wasn't a spoof. They're actually trying to sell that thing!

I'm in the unfortunate position of depending on both Macs and PCs to be productive. So I like to make them last as long as possible before I have to upgrade or replace. It's still annoying.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-29-2009, 10:38 AM:
 
To me it's all about the applications. I could be accused of being an Adobe fanboy, but I won't ever be a Mac or PC fanboy. The operating systems and brand names behind selling them mean very little.

The very tired old stereotype always says anyone doing professional graphics work must use a Mac. Baloney.

If the situation with graphics software was still as it was in the early 1990s, yes I would be using a Mac. But that's only because certain applications were made only for the Mac way back then. The situation is totally different now and has been so for over a decade. The only creative product exclusive to the Mac platform worth a damn is Final Cut Studio. That's it. Creative workers can pick either platform and produce the same quality of work.

Both PCs and Macs deserve plenty of criticism.

On the PC side, right now it is a very crappy time to buy a new Windows-based computer. You can pay a premium to "downgrade" to a more trusty, reliable OS (WinXP Pro) or you can take your chances with Vista, which has gotten better. Still, with Windows 7 due for release in a few months and this whole 32-bit to 64-bit computing transition now starting to hang over the heads of every PC user it's just a major, sucktastic situation. It's especially bad for computer hardware vendors because their sales aren't doing well in part because of people wanting to wait for Windows 7.

Microsoft seriously has to stop it with the need to make products more "intuitive." That's just code for dumbing things down and hiding various software functions behind many levels of dialog boxes and "wizards." Ugh. Where's the "File" menu in Word 2007 or Windows Media Player? I bring up "Network Neighborhood" and see a huge number of network shortcuts. I have to dig for a more organized view of PCs on the network. I really HATE how Windows' search functions have changed. You have to do extra clicks to get to "browse" to be able to choose the folder you want to search -in yet another dialog box. But there's an animated puppy dog and I guess that makes it OK.

When I manage files, I use Explorer to do it since it has that old school file tree where everything is immediately available in the same window. Screw going through My Documents or My Computer or using a web browser to click through countless windows to do the same thing. Microsoft is hell bent on pushing this "intuitive" crap down our throats in part because of the inferiority complex they have with Apple.

Apple deserves bashing over its penchant of putting product fashion and its own brand name ahead of any kind sensible logic.

Take the new 17" MacBook Pro with its chic, single piece aluminum case design. The battery is "green" and lasts twice as long as normal notebook batteries. That's great. But you can't remove the damned thing! If you get one of those lock-ups that requires removing the notebook battery for the computer to reset itself you're screwed. You have to ship the machine off for an expensive repair job. When the battery needs to be replaced -same thing. You can't just order a new battery and replace it yourself. But I guess that's what comes with the fashion of a nearly $3000 product.

Then consider how Apple is literally pissing on its great Final Cut Studio suite by refusing to integrate Blu-ray support into it. Apple obviously places a higher business priority on its iTunes, iPods and iPhones product line than properly supporting its creative professional line of products -the sort of thing that gave Apple its fashion in the first place. Apple is going to screw around and let rivals like Adobe, Avid and Autodesk hammer them the same way Eyeon did when their PC/Linux-based Fusion application slaughtered Apple Shake.

Pride is one of those seven deadly sins and Apple is seriously infected with it. You can't defend yourself from getting punched in the face by a competitor if you're too busy patting yourself on the back.
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 04-29-2009, 12:12 PM:
 
Apple (finally) has a nice operating system. Unfortunately, there are many gaps in their hardware lineup. Other than the Mac Mini (which I have and which is a cute toy), they don't make anything that I would ever want to buy. They only make one laptop with a matte-surface LCD, and it is their largest, most expensive model (I hate glossy LCDs). Their high-end desktops ("Pro" series) are nice, but overpriced and overpowered for my needs, while their low-end desktops (Imacs) are not available without built-in monitors.

Apple really needs to sell a mid-range laptop with a matte-surface LCD (yes, this really is a sticking point for many users, myself included) and a mid-range desktop without a built-in monitor. They also need to include serial ports on everything (also a sticking point for me).

The other issue that I have with Apple hardware is the general lack of support for those who want to maintain their own equipment. Most of what they sell needs to be returned to them for service or upgrades, unless one wants to risk voiding the warranty. Stuff like the non-removable battery in their laptops and ipods is completely inexcusable, since batteries are "wear items" and will need to be replaced at some point (or points) in the product's lifetime.

Having said that, Apple does make quality hardware, but their product line and attitude towards user upgrades and modifications are lacking. They also seem to be fairly fast to abandon older products and reduce or eliminate support for them.

As for Mac users, I don't understand the cult-like devotion of people to one particular company or it's products. Even good companies make bad products and vice-versa. I don't really like Microsoft's business practices, either, but Apple isn't really any better in many ways, and arguably does more than Microsoft to lock customers into their platform.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-29-2009, 12:32 PM:
 

quote: Scott Norwood

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They also need to include serial ports on everything (also a sticking point for me).

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quote: Scott Norwood

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Stuff like the non-removable battery in their laptops and ipods is completely inexcusable, since batteries are "wear items" and will need to be replaced at some point (or points) in the product's lifetime.

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quote: Bobby Henderson

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Apple obviously places a higher business priority on its iTunes, iPods and iPhones product line than properly supporting its creative professional line of products -the sort of thing that gave Apple its fashion in the first place.

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Amen, Bobby.

I went to NAB last week and, for the second year in a row, Apple was a no-show. In fact, when other companies decided not to show up, I invented a new verb and I said that, for example, "The RED camera company has Appled NAB this year." So I watched Adobe's demonstration of CS4 and, for the first time ever, I was having serious thoughts about abandoning Apple and Final Cut Studio. So far, my clients aren't asking for Blu-Ray masters of our final output. But I fear that when my average client becomes anxious for me to make Blu-Ray discs for them, the word from Apple will still sound like a field full of crickets.

(I also enjoyed Adobe's automatic transcription feature in Premiere Pro. Very interesting!)
 

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 04-30-2009, 08:49 PM:
 
Hello again, everyone

This is the first post I had written on my new MacBook and so far, I am very happy. It took me about two hours this afternoon getting my Verizon wireless internet service set up on my new Mac and after I was able to go online, I got my Photoshop service hooked up and I am now ready to tackle the back log of work that had accumulated during the time it took to replace my old laptop with a new one. It actually took about a day and a half to transfer data from to my new Mac and most of the stuff was about 60 gb of classical music in my iTune library.

-Claude
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-30-2009, 09:29 PM:
 
Why put the data on your Mac and have it use up internal hard disc space? Notebook computers are notorious for having hard discs with short life spans.

I don't keep any important data on my notebook because of that risk as well as the possibility of needing to reformat the drive and reinstall the operating system if the computer gets infected with virii or the registry just gets trashed to hell after too many "patch Tuesdays."

External hard discs are very affordable now. I was a bit astonished to be able to buy a 1 terabyte Western Digital MyBook Essentials external hard drive for only $116. I left it formatted in FAT32 so I could hook it up to my Playstation 3 and play my entire CD collection. I have a couple other external hard discs formatted in NTFS for keeping redundant backups of art files, photos and a lot of other crap.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-30-2009, 10:38 PM:
 
External hard drives can fail just as easily as one inside a computer...actually more so because they are often moved around.

CDs and DVDs don't last either.

If you have data that is important, it needs to be backed up on at least two drives, or two drives and optical media, or on some sort of RAID system. Personally I am a fan of the Readynas NV+ units and have several.
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 04-30-2009, 11:46 PM:
 
"Put all of your stuff on a Drobo"
Jingle Drobo Web Site
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 05-01-2009, 12:16 AM:
 
I would never use a backup solution that depends on the internet. First, you never know when you'll need to retrieve your stuff. If you can't get a network connection, you're cooked. Second, I don't care how secure the company claims it is. The only way to ensure your data is secure is to never give anybody else access to it.

You can get a 4-drive raid box for about $800
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/RAID/Rack_Mount/FireWire_eSATA_USB2_RAID

Set it for RAID 1+0 and keep a spare drive in reserve. If you ever have trouble, replace the problem drive and rebuild the array from the other three.
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-01-2009, 12:59 AM:
 
RAID is redundancy, not backup. If you care about your data, you need both. I prefer tape backup, but most home users will find it more cost effective to have several external disks in some sort of regular rotation. At least one backup should be stored off-site, in a safe deposit box or perhaps at one's workplace. RAID won't help in the case of accidental (or intentional) file deletion, fire, theft, power surge, etc.
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 05-01-2009, 08:10 AM:
 
You're right. Unless you use the RAID as your backup device. Drobo is basically just a hot-swappable RAID box that monitors itself and automatically rebuilds itself if/when needed.

If you like automated doodads, the Drobo sounds great. But, if you have just a little bit of knowledge about RAID and don't mind tinkering, you can set up your own RAID and use it as a backup device.
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 05-01-2009, 10:50 AM:
 
$800? Do they include the drives? The 4 slot drobo is only $450 on amazon, albeit without drives...
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 05-01-2009, 01:07 PM:
 
The RAID I looked at came with 4 X 500 GB drives.

As much as I love those 1 TB drives, I still wouldn't go above 500 GB for backup storage. I have two of those babies in my Mac Pro. They are great. But the technology just hasn't been proven to my satisfaction for me to use them to back up important data unless you have a live replacement drive in place at all times.

I think the Drobo is cool. If I ever have enough disposable cash I think I might get one. But, for now, I'm going with a desktop hard drive and letting "Time Machine" handle my backing up.

I don't keep a lot of business data on my computer so that's all I need for right now.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-01-2009, 07:40 PM:
 
I'm not convinced about "Time Machine". It doesn't create a bootable back up, and that is just lame. Instead I use SuperDuper and that clones one drive to another. Plus it is free. However it is shareware and if you pay it unlocks more features like scheduling and other such nonsense I never bothered to worry about.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-01-2009, 09:29 PM:
 
I agree with Randy on the 500gb cap but not because of loosing lots of data... you don't really... just on the basis that it can take days to rebuild the RAID if you have 1TB or larger drives. In this day and age RAID 6 should be seriously considered instead of the older RAID 5 anyway.

Anyway if your apple died you're in for a shafting because you'll have to get it fixed by an "Authorized" apple dealer unless you can scrounge parts off of e-bay of somewhere on the net. In this day and age of quad core cpu's and so on you'll probably find faster computing power and reliability available in a PC. And you won't get the shaft when it needs to be repaired. You won't find any apple gear involved in D-Cinema!

Mark
 

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Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 05-02-2009, 07:36 AM:
 

quote: Scott Norwood

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I prefer tape backup

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I used to. I was using an OnStream Echo drive and 15GB ADR tapes to archive the Screen Attractions trailer productions. But shortly after OnStream went under, almost on cue, my tape drive died - rendering our earlier work inaccessible.

(Anyone have a working OnStream drive?)
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-02-2009, 11:09 AM:
 
Take your pick....
On Stream Tape Drives
 

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