bsd5tu1 wrote:
>2. With Apple making the move to Intel, how long will Java for PPC
>machines, dual or single processor, even be supported?
> ...
> is buying a PPC machine, regardless
>of it's price, dual processor or not, even worth doing?
It depends.
If your reason for testing on a dual PPC is to support your customers who
have PPCs, then it's obviously worth doing, for both you and your
customers. If a significant fraction of your audience is on PPC, then not
having a multi-PPC machine is a shortcoming.
If you only have to keep one PPC around, it's better if it's at least a
dual. You can configure a dual's firmware to boot as a single-CPU, but you
can't configure a single to boot as a dual. And since there are
concurrency issues that you simply can't test for with only a single CPU,
it's better to have a dual than a single.
Eventually, both you and your customers will stop receiving software
updates from Apple. At that point you'll all be in the same boat, but that
doesn't mean the boat has sunk. Adrift, perhaps, but hardly sunk.
I know of a few installations that still run a few 68K-based Macs, and are
perfectly happy to continue doing so. They haven't seen a software update
from Apple since the prior millenium, but the hardware those Macs are
connected to continues to work fine, and so does the software, albeit
limited. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I also know of installations that still run Mac OS 9 on PPC 603 and 604
machines. They don't get software updates from Apple, either. However, I
can still target that platform with JDK 1.1.8, so they DO get software
updates from me, when necessary.
I keep several older machines here for development and for testing, and the
main constraint is physical space. So if you have a choice, get the
smallest box that suits your needs. If you think you'll add memory, then
check current memory prices for the model you're considering. Sometimes
spending a little more on the base machine lets you spend less on DRAM to
upgrade it.
-- GG
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