I bought a Mac

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Retro Macs and Hardware Nostalgia

  • Many commenters fondly recall Power Mac G3/G4/G5, MDD “wind tunnel” machines, eMacs, and SE/30s as beautifully designed and satisfying to tinker with.
  • The MDD G4 is highlighted as the last Mac that can natively boot Mac OS 9 (with a special build) and as extremely loud; Apple even ran a quieter PSU replacement program.
  • Some are actively restoring SE/30s and other compact Macs, swapping fans, recapping boards, and managing CRT discharge. Others hoard old towers and displays for “heritage” value.
  • There’s interest in repurposing G3/G4 cases as modern PC “sleepers,” with conversion kits and example builds linked.

Operating Systems on PowerPC Macs

  • For New World PowerPC Macs, several OS options are discussed: classic Mac OS 9, early Mac OS X (10.2–10.5), MorphOS, and various BSDs and Linux distros.
  • NetBSD/OpenBSD on macppc are praised for reliability; OpenBSD’s prebuilt packages and long-lived odd-architecture support get attention, though 32‑bit PPC’s future is questioned.
  • Linux on PPC32 is described as rapidly eroding: Gentoo, Adelie, Chimera, and some Debian testing repos remain, while FreeBSD is dropping 32‑bit PPC and 64‑bit G5s are big‑endian only.
  • Some argue these machines are best used with the OS they were designed for; PPC Linux is seen by some as more of a curiosity than a practical platform.

Mac Pro Reuse, Power, and Storage

  • The 2013 “trash can” Mac Pro is debated as a home server: strong CPU, good Linux support, but high idle power draw (~100W), tiny SSD, and Thunderbolt 2 storage cost.
  • People note NVMe adapter options and low‑TDP Xeon swaps to cut power usage.
  • The 2019 Intel Mac Pro is seen as unlikely to fall below $500, due to rarity, huge RAM capacity, and being the last high‑end Intel Mac, despite being outclassed by Apple Silicon in raw speed.

Snappy UIs vs Modern Latency

  • Multiple comments contrast early‑2000s Mac OS (9, 10.2–10.4) and even XP‑era Windows with today’s macOS, Windows 11, GNOME/KDE: old systems “felt instantaneous,” new ones feel visually heavier and more latent.
  • Some attribute this to compositing, complex stacks, webby toolkits, and developer tradeoffs favoring DX over responsiveness. Lightweight Linux DEs help, but latency “papercuts” remain.

Backwards Compatibility and Platform Strategy

  • There’s a long sub‑thread on Apple’s relatively aggressive dropping of old architectures and 32‑bit binaries vs Windows’ deep legacy support.
  • Defenders argue Apple supports hardware for many years, uses translation layers during transitions, and gains agility and a healthier indie software ecosystem by forcing developers to keep up.
  • Critics emphasize that old macOS binaries and games often become unusable, while Windows (even on ARM) can still run very old software. VM use is suggested as the compromise.
  • Some frame this in terms of incentives: Apple sells hardware and benefits from turnover; Microsoft historically sold software and optimized for compatibility.

Safety, Capacitors, and CRTs

  • The article’s capacitor/PSU warnings trigger a series of personal shock stories (PSU tweaking live, CRTs, camera flashes, PlayStation drive‑swap antics) and even childhood PTSD around exploding power supplies.
  • One commenter suggests omitting detailed high‑voltage talk for safety; another counters that self‑censorship won’t protect people already handling e‑waste and that explicit safety guidance is better.

PPC Support, Emulation, and Retrocomputing Purpose

  • Some suggest using emulation (QEMU/UTM) instead of real hardware for tasks like debugging or compiling; others report that current PPC emulation isn’t yet consistently faster than real G4/G5 hardware.
  • There’s mild lament over how old‑platform support “just disappears,” with maintainers explaining that keeping untested, low‑use architectures alive is costly and brittle.
  • Overall, retrocomputing here is framed less as practicality and more as a mix of nostalgia, hardware appreciation, and the challenge of making old, quirky systems work again.