i need a new computer...damn!

[Bill Clark]

Truth be known, I use my iPad most of the time now. It does have some limitations but for what I do now it works for me. Mine has the retina display and I like that. Plus it is very portable and I can pack it into my carry on and don't need to pull it out when going through security.

I have both an iMac and a MacBook from 2006 and they work fine yet. When I need to download a pdf file I use the MacBook. Like you, both of those I own aren't supported by Apple anymore for updates.

The iMac has CS4 and it has all I need for photography.

Do you empty the caches folders especially in Photoshop? Do you run the disk permissions utility every so often?

My Macs have just 1 gig of RAM on each and I find I can run Photoshop just fine w/o having it use the scratch drive. But I usually work on one image at a time. I work hard to get it correct in-camera.

Hope this helps you.

Happy holidays!

 

[back alley]

i use the ipad mini quite a bit...in fact, i insist that all my camera bags can hold it...and i would consider a new bigger ipad with a retina display if i could get photoshop elements on it and not just the limited apps that are available (though i do use them as well).

 

[shadowfox]

I'll disagree with this. I just installed Ubuntu over the weekend on my HTPC. It took me an hour to figure out how to get Ubuntu to resolve windows hostnames. That is unacceptable to me. (had to run both sudo apt-get install winbind and sudo apt-get install libnss-winbin for those interested)

No idea why you'd have to install those manually.

I connected to my Windows 8 machine from Ubuntu 14 by:

1. Turning on File sharing on the Windows side, and then clicking on the Windows Network icon on the Ubuntu side.

2. Supply the correct username and password for the WORKGROUP domain

I'm in! These two steps are not beyond the "standard" way to connect to another computer.

As I said above, Linux once had the bad reputation of being difficult to use for those who are not computer enthusiasts, but that is no longer the case.

 

[Bill Clark]

I probably won't use my iPad for Photoshop as I need some way to work on the image. Currently I use a Wacom tablet that runs with Bluetooth or for a quickie I can use my mouse.

Neither of those would work with my iPad. But I haven't cruised over to the Wacom web site to see if something is available since my iPad does have Bluetooth.

I like what I use and the stuff still works for me!

 

[GaryLH]

The biggest issues now if u move away from mac, is
- learning curve for Microsoft or Linux OS
- replacement of current sw like pse or writing sw
- migrating your data onto new computer
If u have friends around familiar w/ your new OS, the above should not be a problem though. Matter of cost to replace sw u need on new computer.

If u stay w/ mac, I also vote for refurbished mac. If u already have an external LCD and keyboard, a mini could be the best choice. Otherwise maybe get an iMac.

In terms of speed.. Some options to consider are:
- 8gb of ram
- fusion like HD

Lithium batteries can be a fire hazard. If u c any cracking of battery case or battery is bulging or cracking anywhere close to the battery area, time to replace the battery..

Gary

 

[back alley]

The biggest issues now if u move away from mac, is
- learning curve for Microsoft or Linux OS
- replacement of current sw like pse or writing sw
- migrating your data onto new computer
If u have friends around familiar w/ your new OS, the above should not be a problem though. Matter of cost to replace sw u need on new computer.

If u stay w/ mac, I also vote for refurbished mac. If u already gave an external LCD and keyboard, a mini could be the best choice. Otherwise maybe get an iMac.

In terms of speed.. Some options to consider are:
- 8gb of ram
- fusion like HD

Lithium batteries can be a fire hazard. If u c any cracking of battery case or battery is bulging or cracking anywhere close to the battery area, time to replace the battery..

Gary

battery has long been replaced...
i have ipad/iphone, plan to stick with apple...makes my life easier...
i use a couple of external hard drives now so a 1T drive is more than i need...prefer 8 gigs of ram, yes!
i'll keep checking with apple canada for a refurbed mini...makes sense to me as i have everything else i need to work with it.

 

[GaryLH]

the biggest pain is it seems to affect my pse software...forcing me to shut down photoshop and start again, a few times a session.
i can't upgarde the os any longer (apple's doing). the machine runs slow compared to when it was new.
the battery enlarged and has cracked the case...i keep it plugged in now all the time.

Sounds like a memory leak or u have too many photos open under pse. How much memory do u have? If it can be upgraded to 4gb or more, then at least one of the upgrade limitations should be removed. More memory may help the pse problem. Slowing down could be a sign that os is using the HD as swap space...more ram will also help this.

Gary

 

[back alley]

i have the max 4 gig of ram...i only work on one image at a time...my hd is not near full, i deleted all my photos and music from it...

 

[Bill Clark]

Have you cleaned out your cache for PS?

 

[back alley]

Have you cleaned out your cache for PS?

pse has it's own cache?

 

[helen.HH]

If You go online and look at the Apple Store
At the bottom of the page
They have 'refurbrished'
Click on it and take a peek
Usually comes with a one year warranty
You may find a mac mini

I got a desktop back in 2006
Still have it 😱
Take it every few years to a local computer wiz shop where they upgrade
To latest software, memory etc 😀

 

[back alley]

If You go online and look at the Apple Store
At the bottom of the page
They have 'refurbrished'
Click on it and take a peek
Usually comes with a one year warranty
You may find a mac mini

I got a desktop back in 2006
Still have it 😱
Take it every few years to a local computer wiz shop where they upgrade
To latest software, memory etc 😀

been to the refurb page but no minis to be had...don't want a laptop or desktop this time round.

 

[Bill Clark]

Here is what I do in CS4 to clear cache:

Click: Adobe bridge cs4

Click: preferences

Click: cache

Click: purge cache

Can't believe how much space this freed up the first time I figured this out!

 

[f16sunshine]

been to the refurb page but no minis to be had...don't want a laptop or desktop this time round.

Keep looking. That page is updated constantly.
As far as buying from apple directly goes this is the worst time of year for supply 🙁
Again... hang in there a couple weeks. Many gift returns will end up in the refurb section of the store page 😀

 

[back alley]

Here is what I do in CS4 to clear cache:

Click: Adobe bridge cs4

Click: preferences

Click: cache

Click: purge cache

Can't believe how much space this freed up the first time I figured this out!

thanks! i'll take a look when i get home.

 

[back alley]

Keep looking. That page is updated constantly.
As far as buying from apple directly goes this is the worst time of year for supply 🙁
Again... hang in there a couple weeks. Many gift returns will end up in the refurb section of the store page 😀

look everyday, a few times a day...plus i wont have the cash till the end of the month at the earliest so waiting isn't a problem...😉

 

[Al Patterson]

You could get a Chromebox for about $200US, use cloud software.

 

[JChrome]

+1 for the Mac.

I've built a number of Linux machines. Depending on the hardware, it may play nice or not. If not, then you have to mess with drivers... then other ones when those don't work... The number of packages can get tedious.

Best get something that just works 🙂.

 

[back alley]

Here is what I do in CS4 to clear cache:

Click: Adobe bridge cs4

Click: preferences

Click: cache

Click: purge cache

Can't believe how much space this freed up the first time I figured this out!

found it, did it…need to wait for my next processing session to see if anything changed.
thanks!

 

[tstermitz]

Refurb Mac Mini is a great option. It can take two drives and up to 16G of memory! 8G of memory is essential, but after that, the most useful upgrade for the buck (or Loonie) is to make sure your system drive is an SSD & then you can keep your image files on the big internal HD. You can have a shop install that if you want. I've swapped the DVD for SSD in my laptop, and you can do the same in a mac mini. You will be absolutely amazed at how fast things run with an SSD as your main drive.

Your external drive is still critically important for backups. SuperDuper is a great backup software that will create a bootable backup so if your main drive crashes you still have all your settings, files and software... and especially your Lightroom catalogue. (Macs can boot from an external firewire HD.)

Again, even if you aren't handy, you can get any of these hardware changes done for a reasonable hourly rate at the local mac shop.