Mozilla 1.4 Release Candidate 3 is out now. They’re really moving along on this thing. I read reports that 1.4 final should be available by the end of next week. Also Netscape 7.1 is expected not too long after that based on the 1.0.3 Gecko build (1.4’s codebase). More and more people are switching to Gecko every day! This is exciting. On the other hand, maybe I just spend alot of time conversing with other web designers, who for the most part all use Gecko browsers anyways.
Apparently, the thing that was in the box was a sharply discounted PowerMac G4. As expected, Steve Jobs’ “Steve-note” announced the August availability of the PowerMac G5 based on IBM’s 64-bit PowerPC 970 chip (a derivative of the IBM POWER4 chip with native 32-bit support and the AltiVec™ multimedia instruction set), officially ditching Motorola and all their stagnant PowerPC 8500 development efforts for the PowerMac.
The Upside: With Dual 2.0 GHz 64-bit PowerPC 970 RISC processors, up to 8 GB PC3200 memory, 500 GB hard drive space, and an ATi Radeon 9800 Pro with 128 MB DDR-SDRAM, it’s enough to make any hard-core computer geek drool.
The Downside: I haven’t seen an uglier enclosure since the days of the Beige G3’s. I actually like the beige better than this. Whereas the G3 and G4 models had a very nice looking, natural, organic feel to them, the PowerMac G5 looks like a piece of military-style steel flooring folded around a set of technological components. If Jonathan Ive is the one who designed this, then the man needs to be institutionalized. And if Steve Jobs actually signed-off on the design, then he’s doing no better.
I was going to buy one of the upcoming G5’s for my college graduation in February, but if this is the case, I’ll just upgrade my existing PC. It is my hope and prayer that Apple is just pulling our legs, and will release a much more beautiful enclosure when the system debuts in August.
