Michel Gilbert Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Hi, I just came into possession of a 2006 MacBook, Dual Core, 1.83 GHz, and I'm thinking about upgrading it to Snow Leopard with 2GB RAM to explore the possibility of migrating to the Mac OS over the next few years. Before I embark on such an enterprise, any comments and suggestions would be most welcome, especially about how well Accordance runs on an older Mac. Thanks. Michel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Jenney Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I think you'll be surprised how well Accordance runs on it! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michel Gilbert Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 Hi, Just based on that answer, I'll start the adventure. It's a busy time on the homestead tilling, gardening, landscaping, and repairing buildings, so it will take me a while before I upgrade. But I may find time tomorrow when it's raining to order Snow Leopard and the RAM. One of the things I like to do on my breaks is glance at this Forum. Thanks Dr. J and everyone else for making it such an enjoyable experience. Well, back to digging new garden beds and drainage ditches. Regards, Michel 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Francis Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Accordance is one of the most well written programs I have found. You can use it on a very old mac and find it works faster than you could think possible. Till a couple years back they were still supporting macs that were using classic OS... Until it died last fall I was running Accordance 9 on a iMAC G5 and it worked, perfectly. Indeed Accordance so strongly values all their customers that 9.6.6 which was suppose to be the last version got a minor update to correct a bug. Now there will obviously be new features that one will not find support for in this older version. But this shows you the level of commitment you find in Accordance. It is extremely well programer and will give you great results even on older machines. -Dan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julia Falling Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I've never run Accordance on anything but a Mac, and have owned an Accordance license since 2003. Runs really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidmedina Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Michel, if you have an Apple store close by or maybe contact them online and see if replacing the hard drive with a flash drive would help too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Bennett Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 I would be cautious putting too much money into that MacBook. They are notorious for bad batteries, and sometimes overheating. You can buy a few year old MacBook Air for a decent price and it will run the latest OS, much better battery, flash drive, etc. That said, it will run Accordance just fine on 10.6.8 and 2GB RAM. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michel Gilbert Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 Hi everyone, Thanks for the input. I appreciate all the comments. I've been thinking for a while about switching to Mac. When I got this MacBook for free, I checked the minimum system requirements for running Accordance, BW, Logos, Scrivener, Libre Office (4.3), PDF Studio, etc., and they all run on OS X 10.6. Snow Leopard is $22.99 and 2 GB RAM is $29.74 at Amazon. That's all the money I would put into it. I expect that all the programs except Logos (not enough RAM) would run quickly and smoothly, so I will be able to try a Mac before buying. I assume that the Mac experience in Snow Leopard is not that much different than the newer versions. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks and regards, Michel 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Jenney Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 I think you'll be very happy, Michael. That's incredibly cheap for any kind of computer, especially a Mac. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unix Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 I'm tired of hardware failure. I'm using different Windows versions, and I'm contemplating which kind of HDD or SSHD to order to my second oldest laptop. There is an expensive HDD 250 GB which would ship new which can take a bit of vibrations, pretty extreme temperatures even under operation and high altitudes, and it tries to keep the distance between the read or write head and the disk constant, also it spins a little slower than standard disks, little over 4k rpm - which helps save battery a little although I think it does consume some electricity because of all the technology, and it would be slower than the disk which is in the computer now (a 2013 hybrid disk 5,400 rpm S-ATA II, with 8 GB NAND Flash part). Or an SSD. I would expect the expensive HDD to last longer even though an AMD SSD doesn't seem bad at all - it's just that SSD:s just stop functioning when there's an error while HDD:s and hybrid drives can be repaired to a small extent. And if I would buy an SSD I would prefer an S-ATA II disk. As I always mirror old content to new disk, the frequency of how often to replace the disk before there are any errors on it, may decide what I will do.What would be optimal for me would be a hybrid drive with 16 GB NAND Flash and preferably 5,400 rpm but I've looked in several stores and haven't found one. Unless someone helps me to find one I'm unlikely to find that configuration. I'm situated in Europe. I even looked at amazon.co.uk but not at the ones that cost hundreds of £.With 250 GB (an SSD or the expensive HDD) there's not too much wiggle room regarding storage space. Bigger disks would seem unrealistically expensive. I'm not sure if this matters much as I rarely add more installations. The computer uses at least about 130 GB of the disk right now and I'm probably installing about 25 GB more on it, and documents and pictures use up only a little space. SSD:s wear out faster if they are more than half-full than if only a third is in use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unix Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 (edited) A Mac which would run both Accordance and Verbum 6 well, would be: http://www.blocket.se/stockholm/Vit_Macbook_13___Uppgraderat_RAM_minne___SSD_59976725.htm?ca=11&w=2 rather old ad from April 19.13"OS X YosemiteCPU: Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHzRAM: 8 GB DDR3, upgraded in a shop two years ago.Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 320M 256 MBDrive: 128 GB SSD two years old, changed in a shop.Two chargers included.Price: $409EDIT: Or a Mac just like the above but not with two chargers and with 4 GB RAM instead of 8 GB and 256 GB SSD instead of 128 GB: http://www.blocket.se/stockholm/MacBook_59676433.htm?ca=11$292. The ad is so old it will disappear in a couple of days.A Mac such as in the OP, and that would barely run Logos 4 or maybe Verbum 5: http://www.blocket.se/stockholm/MacBook__HP_Compag_60532570.htm?ca=11&w=2 rather old ad from April 16.13"CPU: Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHzRAM: 2 GB. Is that likely to be upgradable to 4 GB?Drive: 160 GB HDD. Would probably need to change it to a new drive at once since it may be worn out, is it better to mirror the old drive or install from scratch if I haven't installed Mac:s since the mid '90s?Bad battery, lasts five minutes. Can new batteries still be bought?Price $109. Which Mac do You think is a better purchase? Or to upgrade my Windows machines with for example SSD:s and/or more RAM (I have several Windows machines)? (But my second oldest laptop has max RAM 8 GB.) Edited June 2, 2015 by Unix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abram K-J Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Michel, let us know how it goes. There are some who say that Snow Leopard was the last great operating system for Mac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michel Gilbert Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 I plan to. I'm trying to figure out the best OS, apps, and workflow combination to begin writing. If I switch to OS X, I'll use many of the same programs as I do in Windows. My concerns with Windows are of a more philosophical nature. But if I find something interesting along the way, I'll post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Francis Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 (edited) OS X 10.6 will be fine to run Accordance and likely will be ok for your other APPS mentioned. I am not aware of the max OS that your machine can use.... (10.6.8 is maximum for an early 2006 book if it was the model that was released November 2006, 10.7.5 is an option, the best thing about 10.6 is it still allowed you to use PPC based Apps, where as the Lion advantage is that it allowed you to use the Mac APP store) -Dan PS: If LOGOS interests you although you will not get use on this free computer Logos 5 is the highest you can do as 6.0 requires 10.9 or above. PPS: Logos is not going to function well for you, because even on a top of the line machine Logos feels sluggish on load up and somethings. It's the nature of the Logos program. Edited June 2, 2015 by Dan Francis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukfraser Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I was very happy on snow leopared and only upgraded to mountain lion just before the last os upgrade as i wanted to have an os in case i bought a daw and knew it wouldnt run on the older system. I havent upgraded as my cs4 will stop working and i dont want to upgrade that. You will be fine, and if you want to run windows in parallel or some other system, you will be amazed at how fast it runs! ;o) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unix Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I know the newest version wants lots of RAM, advanced users will want 16 GB. Earlier versions 4-5 may perhaps run with 4 GB, maybe not simultaneously with Accordance or what do You think? Logos always uses lots of RAM during indexing but also continuously. The newest Macs I mentioned in my previous post were from mid-2010, the CPU is perhaps not new enough to run Logos or Verbum well (not even version 5?)? My oldest laptop has Windows 7, Core 2 Duo and an SSD and runs Logos 5 and Verbum 5 almost well enough to be used properly, with 4 GB RAM - that computer is from 2009. The Mac version needs much more RAM, especially the newest version: PPS: Logos is not going to function well for you, because even on a top of the line machine Logos feels sluggish on load up and somethings. It's the nature of the Logos program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julia Falling Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 (edited) I do see a difference in speed between my Mac mini and my MacBook Air. However, I have no problems running Accordance on either, even with many programs open at the same time (almost always 10+). Neither of my machines are 'pro' models. I have no issues with audio or video editing, though that is something I do infrequently. We've owned Apple machines since 1983, buying our first new one in '85. It's in the basement and it still boots and runs (Lode Runner, anyone?). We've yet to have a Apple/Mac fail. We did have a hard drive on a used PowerBook quit, but the rest of the machine was fine. I remember that we thought the 20G drive, replacing a 4G, was huge. These days, that hardly seems adequate for a thumb drive! Edited June 4, 2015 by Julie Falling 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Brown Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Lode Runner! But to keep this on topic, Snow Leopard (10.6) was a fantastic OS, and it will run Accordance flawlessly. Only reason I upgraded was being forced to with a computer purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unix Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 Best current Macbook offer over here, is: http://www.blocket.se/stockholm/MacBook_vit_13__128GB_SSD___4GB_ram_60910722.htm?ca=11&w=1Model: A1342 13.3"Disk: 128 GB SSDCPU: Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz RAM: 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MBOS X Yosemite 10.10.2Bag and charger included.$312. The ad is from late yesterday evening (midnight, so it probably came up this morning since ads don't come up automatically on the site). For comparison I just bought this Windows laptop yesterday, $245, I could probably get my money back and an extra $12 by selling it soon:http://cykeltaxi.se/1448165155.jpgDell Latitude E5430 mid-2012, all original. It shipped to original buyer or store on Dec. 30. 2012.14" 1366*768 pixels.Background lit keyboard, four brightness steps.Disk: 500 GB HDDPretty good CPU: Core i3 3rd gen. 3110M 2.4 GHz 3 MB L3 cache http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i3-3110M+%40+2.40GHz&id=763 and http://processors.specout.com/l/968/Intel-i3-3110MRAM: 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3Windows 7 Pro newly installed, with license under battery; Office 2007 licensed installed.Battery: 87 WH 7800 mAh extra largeSeller said battery lasts 4-5 hours with keyboard back-lit and Wifi on, or 7-8 hours if doing nothing and having no softwares open, both these values with "Balanced"-power saving options: 5% minimum CPU throttle and 100% maximum CPU which is what he's used all the time. Which one do You think is better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unix Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 If both would be equipped with SSD:s, would the Macbook consume as little or less battery? Are batteries to the Macbook cheap and are replacement ones manufactured by third parties for many years? (And there's also another Mac for sale, the ad doesn't say anything since the seller doesn't know how old it is, the software has been rinsed and the computer costs $179: http://www.blocket.se/stockholm/Mc_Book_60937407.htm?ca=11&w=1) The past Thursday I talked with a classmate about Macs - they use less RAM and therefore if a Macbook has an SSD the SSD is in idle mode a lot of the time and therefore consumes rather little battery (a low budget new 256 GB SSD consumes 0.8 W in idle mode). But Macs may consume more CPU due to how the software system is constructed, than Windows 7 and 8.1 -machines. Backup and such works much much better on Mac - I suspected that since before. Are there enough benefits with a Mac to justify selling the Windows 7 laptop and perhaps some other of my Windows machines or lending one to someone, to buy a Macbook of this price-level used?: Which one do You think is better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Jenney Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Apple's computers have a reputation for running much longer and better than most of those in the Window's world. Their hardware is simply superior to most of what is out there. Their software programs are excellent, if not always equal to the MS Office Suite or Adobe's products; they certainly use less CPU than either of them. The browser, Safari, is so far ahead of Explorer I just shudder every time I think of what PC users put up with every day. Finally, there are far fewer viruses, Trojan horses, worms, and other malware in the Mac world. Yes, using an SSD would save on battery life, as would adding more RAM, and dimming the display. Adding an SSD also cuts down on the heat dramatically, which saves wear and tear on the whole computer. I wouldn't worry about battery life though, I own a laptop and find I rarely work without plugging it in. I just like the portability. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michel Gilbert Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Hi Unix, I have the same question - are there enough benefits to justify switching to Mac? I've read a lot of forums about OS X vs Windows and the hardware they run on. This is my current opinion, with no offense intended to any of my brothers or sisters on this forum. Dr. J. is correct that "Mac hardware is simply superior to most of what is out there." It is correct because most PC hardware is low end. But if you compare the same or similar Intel chip, RAM, ssd, etc., they are in fact the same or similar. I got my MacBook from my daughter. She bought it in 2007, the same year I bought a Dell Vostro 200 desktop. As Rick pointed out, that model MacBook had problems, and we replaced the hard drive a week after the warranty expired, and later the battery. I never had a problem with my Vostro or its Windows Vista Business Edition, and everything is still original (granted, it is a desktop). But I also read that the subsequent MacBooks were excellent. But not, in my opinion, better than my Toshiba Satellite Laptop, which lasted 10 years until the fan died. It was also all original (granted, I had XP Pro - Windows Pro editions were much better than Home ones). I also agree with Dr. J. that Apple software is excellent, at least what I've used in the iPad and what I've read about, except MS Word for Mac that had problems with Hebrew. MS Office 2007, which I've owned and used since 2007, is excellent, and has no problems with Hebrew (I did the camera ready copy for my book with it, with lots of Hebrew). I also agree with Dr. J.'s comments about IE - that's why no one uses it! The vast majority of Windows users use Chrome or Firefox. Regarding viruses, etc., we all buy antivirus programs. I've never had a virus do damage that I know of - those programs did their job. If you're not a student or staff member somewhere, you pay about $29/year for it. From what I've gathered, and what I hope to discover in my adventure is that the overall OS X experience outweighs the Windows one. I'm especially tired of the constant updates and the time they take. And, in my case it comes down to software - Scrivener still has more features in OS X than Windows, and I want to use Sente 6 with it, which is only available in OS X. I also want to experience the Mac version of Accordance and see how it integrates with the iPad. I hope to comment on the overall OS X experience in the coming months, almost exclusively in relation to Accordance and productivity (Scrivener, Sente 6, and whatever else I find). Regards, Michel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Λύχνις Δαν Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 The only comment I'd make here apart from echoing the comment on browsers, a thing MS is well aware of given the demise of IE in 10, is that you get what you pay for. The problem with non-Mac is that if you try to go cheap, because you can, is that you do get cheaper no-name hardware which can be flaky. If you spend more and get well known brands you can get more for your money than from Apple - and I admit this particular point is contentious but it's a fairly widely held view. The big thing with Apple I think, and certainly these days, is the ecosystem. Having one Apple device alone, you miss out on a number of the benefits that Apple software provides. MS will have a great deal of trouble doing something similar because of the software diversity and people who prefer multiple device types will just have to putter along muttering about open standards Thx D 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michel Gilbert Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Hi Daniel, For Unix to make an informed decision, he might also consider that his Win 7 Pro can be upgraded to Win 10 Pro for free on July 29 or shortly afterward, which attempts to integrate devices on one platform. I can tell Unix that I tried Win 10 beta on my Vostro, and it ran much quicker, and the concensus is that Win 10 will bring new life to older computers, and the possibility to install an ssd when older OSs wouldn't allow it. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Λύχνις Δαν Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 That is interesting to hear Michel. I have an old PC that we switched over to Linux at least in part because current Windows versions were too burdensome. Doubt I'd switch it back though. My understanding on the integration stuff is that it has a way to go but I'll see when it comes out. Thx D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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