欧州自転車レース追っかけ日記

PowerBook G4 could be useful if . . .

I am waiting for the arrival of my newly acquired G4 laptops from the UK. By the way, I am writing this on my PwerBook G4 A1106 (a 15-inch model that is a predecessor to A1138, the last 15-inch model) because it can easily connect to my WiFi router using the WPA2-PSK security feature, which PowerBook G4 Titanium's internal 802.11b AirPort Express card cannot understand (as it was made long before the WPA2 came out).

The tracking information has been gradually updated and I know it (the package containing the 4 G4 laptops) are nearing me.

The process has been complicated since the departure of the UK from EU, a huge bureaucratic totalitarian regime. It used to be much simpler but now the package has to be cleared at the customs. I assume that by now (Sunday, October 31st evening), it has been already in Luxembourg or sleeping along the driver of the truck in a parking lot alongside the highway between the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

It will be delivered to me either on Monday or Tuesday, I hope.

One of the four laptops is the A1025, a mysterious A1025 that I know almost nothing about. I have only seen its appearance in some of the photos that the UK ebay seller provided in the item(s) description section. It looks clean and seemed to have no major damages to the chassis. The "hinges" looked sound and healthy. I don't know if it turns on at all as the seller did not provide any information as to their status.

Three other iBook G4 models (two A1134 and one A1054) looked physically sound (no cracks or dents are recognizable in the description photos) and I don't know if they turn on at all. If they do, I will be happy to welcome them.

My first A1025 is physically not so sound. One of the hinges is broken and the chassis is damages at several points. I bought these 4 laptops (sold in a package) since I wanted a part donor for the A1025 that I had already owned.

On arrival of the package, I will inspect the A1025's status. I am happy if it does not turn on at all as long as the it is physically sound. I will have to perform a low-level operation (disassembly and reassembly) to make a sound A1025 that would be as useful as it could be Today (2021).

I will probably unplug the AirPort Express card inside and look for a CardBus (PCMCIA) WiFi adapter that supports at least the 802.11g security protocols and also recognized as a genuine Apple equipment (requiring no additional software driver).

As to the operating system, I will stick to Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.8. I wish Adélie Linux eventually support Japanese Input system like mozc soon.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [PowerBook G4 Titanium could be useful if . . .]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2021/10/31(日) 22:38:50|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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Linux for PowerPC G4 Macs, which one?

If I am going to choose an OS or OSes other than Mac OS X (Tiger, Leopard), there are some candidates. There is a AmigaOS nonlinear descendant called MorphOS, which is a commercial software program.

There are some candidates among BSD families, namely OpenBSD, FreeBSD and NetBSD.

There are some distributions of Linux. There used to be more but since Debian stopped supporting PPC platform, some were gone with it. The last version of Debian flavor distribution of Ubuntu or its lightweight variant Lubuntu was 16.04.

There is a distribution called Lubuntu 16.04 Remix by a well-known guy among vintage Mac fans called wicknix. I would like to try it when I have time.

There are other distributions like Fenix or Adélie Linux. I heard Fenix Linux is mainly for PPC 64 and kinds specialized in Gaming. Adélie Linux is the new kid on the block.

The official site has been neatly updated and now I can search for programs included in the distribution. I searched for "mozc" or "Japanese" to see if there is a way to write in Japanese. There was none. Of course it can read Japanese, in other words, a web browser can show Japanese if needed.

This is why I am hesitating to switching to Adélie Linux.

I am anxiously waiting for my second PowerBook G4 Titanium

They have been shipped. They will arrive in a week, I guess. From the sketchy photos posted by the ebay seller, I could see the Titanium PowerBook is relatively clean without too much damages (dents, nicks or paint flakes). I know that it is model A1025 but I don't know if it is 867 GHz version or 1 GHz version but it does not matter too much.

What matters is its cosmetic conditions. I have already a working 1 GHz model which has a broken right hinge. I need a donor of a working screen panel assembly with solid hinges.

What if this new unknown A1025 model is a working model? What if it works and it has a 1 GHz CPU inside? Or what if it works but has a slower 867 GHz CPU inside?

My intention is to make at least ONE working 1 GHz Titanium out of these two.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Adélie Linux for PowerPC (32-bit) and Lubuntu 16.04 Remix]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2021/10/19(火) 15:04:25|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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Tour de France 2022 Femme edition

It has been a while since female one-day race attached to Tour de France was held. Its first edition was a circuit race around the Avenue de Champs Elysees, I believe. I have watched some of them myself. Most of the time it was circuit course race events held on the make ITT course. I enjoyed them very much.

From 2022 the female edition will be full-fledged stage race. I would like to see them on site.

Anyway, I have some plans for 2022.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Tour de France 2022 Femme]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車ロードレース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2021/10/18(月) 12:08:24|
2. Tour de France
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Tour de France 2022 Denmark to Paris

I have never been to Denmark although in the past I had planned to get there so many times. Just this year I was going to visit all the three Scandinavian countries during my summer vacation but cancelled it because of COVID19 travel restrictions.

This (2022 Tour) will be a perfect opportunity to visit Denmark. I have other private reason which I don't reveal here that I think this will be a perfect opportunity to visit Denmark.

Oh, Denmark I want to visit you, baby!

Another ebay shopping, sigh!

I was looking for a way to repair my recently acquired PowerBook G4 Titanium 1 GHz. The Book Yard offers the very part that I want to get but I was also looking for cheap PowerBook G4 Titanium that would be a donor candidate on ebay.

I kinda found ones and just now (a few minutes ago) paid for them. They will arrive in a matter of week. They cost me more than I wanted to pay but it was a lot deal. In other words, they included one PowerBook G4 Titanium and three iBook G4 models, all of them not known to work or be broken. One thing I am sure that they will provide me the parts.

There is one more thing on my mind now. What should I do with these G4 Books? Four of them? Do they work at all or al broken? I hope all of them are not functioning because if they do function, I will be tempted to make them work well. This means more spending!


Xubuntu 21.10 on my Compaq Presario CQ56

Just last night I upgraded the Xubuntu on my laptop. It had been 21.04 for a brief period of time and now it is 21.10. It seems work very well or at least I have not noticed anything wrong with it.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Tour de France 2022 (Denmark to Paris)]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車ロードレース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2021/10/18(月) 11:31:03|
2. Tour de France
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The broken hinge of my PowerBook G4 Titanium

One of the hinges of my PowerBook G4 Titanium is broken. I would like to repair it. I found that The Book Yard sells a part. They (The Book Yard people) call them "right" and "left" hinges by the frontal view. The F1 function key side hinge is named "left" hinge and the other F12 function key side is thus named "right" hinge.

I need the right part.

The "right" hinge part from the Book Yard.


The below is the excerpt from the item description of the part:

Please note: The fitting of these hinges is not a simple task since the lid casing on the PowerBook is glued together. The design of these Apple hinges was flawed, making them prone to snapping and this flaw was not corrected so this replacement hinge has the same inherent weakness and will break if not fitted correctly or if misused. The design relies on the glue holding the hinge in place taking all the strain of use so it is critical that a suitable glue is used. The hinge must be fitted using a 2-part epoxy resin (such as Araldite) and left to cure for 24hrs before use, irrespective of the quoted cure time. The hinge must be set in glue along the full length of the vertical strut and around the corner. The T6 screw should be replaced but in itself will not provide any significant strength to the hinge and if it takes any strain due to inadequate gluing, will cause the hinge to sheer where it passes through it. Hinges which snap due to incorrect fitting or mis-use will not be replaced or refunded. See our resources page for link to a photo guide to this repair.

I could not find that "link" and could not see the photo. I could not find any repair guide at ifixit site nor could I find any videos related to this on YouTube.

So the LCD screen is sandwiched by the panels glued together. Taking them apart will require blowing hot air over the edge and patiently wiggling thin plastic stuff (like a guitar pick) along the rim.

Should I do it? Do I have the skills, time and patience to complete the repair?

Useless Wireless of my PowerBook G4 Titanium

The Wireless LAN card by Apple AirPort Card (11Mbps 802.11b) is too old and does not meet the recent standard (security features - WPA2?). I could not connect this PowerBook G4 Titanium to my home network. I wondered and at the same time suspected this kind of problem. Now I know that the AirPort card is useless.

Solutions:
1. Use a CardBus / PC Card Network Adapter like Dell X6977 WL-611GD Wireless 1350 found on ebay
2. Use a USB dongle like from Edimax that I already have (I bought it for my Mac mini G4)
3. Use the AirPort Express (Extreme) and utilize PowerBook G4's Ethernet port

The solution one is preferable. Some models of network adapters are known to work under Tiger and Leopard without installing a software driver. They are natively supported by the OS itself.

The one I found on ebay (above) costs as much as my PowerBook G4 Titanium itself.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Should I repair my PowerBook G4 Titanium?]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車ロードレース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2021/10/17(日) 22:43:43|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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So how was it?

I picked it up at the DHL's facility Thursday, 14th of October 2021 in the afternoon. I opened the package and booted it up with the power adapter that I had since the auctioned item did not include the power adapter.

It booted up as expected and the desktop was just like pictured in the ebay auction photos.

Leopard 10.5.8 in Italian as expected since it came from Italy.

I changed the system language to US English. It seemed to be a freshly installed system. It had an administer user without the password as expected.

I tried to connect via internal AirPort card to my home network but I could not. Why? The AirPort card is too old to meet the recent security requirements? I will see.

What's on the HDD does not matter at all since I intend to erase (or even remove the HDD) it anyways.

What matters is its cosmetic status. Do I need to repair something?

OK. Here is the short list of damages suffered by my PowerBook G4.

1. The outer skin of the battery is starting to scale off.
2. There are some small cracks of the white paint on the rim around the upper case.
3. The lower case is loose at the corner where the battery sits.
4. The hinge near the F12 key is broken.
5. One of the rubber feet in the corner where battery sits is missing.

The damage number 4 is a major one. Because this hinge is broken, the LCD panel is supported only by the other hinge's spring. LCD panel is not stable. It falls when the panel is not sitting up.

I have already ordered a US keyboard for it. The shop I used is The Book Yard in the UK. It will be promptly delivered. The price I paid for the item excluding the shipping charges is close to what I paid for the PowerBook G4 Titanium. This kind of thing is expected.

What should I do about the broken hinge? Glue it? I will see.

In Japanese: [How bad (or good) was the PowerBook G4 Titanium after all?]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2021/10/15(金) 00:30:00|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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DHL driver's bad writing w as the cause

I had hoped that I would be able to access the delivery status of my package by Today (Wednesday) but I could not. I had to assume that the shipment number "hand-written" by the driver - although legible but really bad - had been wrong.

So this afternoon (Wednesday), I drove to the headquarter office of DHL Luxembourg, where I have visited so many times before.

I talked to one of the two reception women and explained briefly that I had in mind.

After a short back and forward exchange of words, she found my package status on the computer screen. She checked the shipment number and found that that hand-written number had one number wrong. The driver jotted down 7 whereas it was really 1.

He (could be she) had also written date and other information on the slip and I could see how he wrote 1s and 7s. The wrong 7 was clearly 7 but it was actually 1.

Anyway, I said that I would like to come back the next day and pick it up myself. She said that the package was on the delivery truck for the second try and would be held at the facility.

So this time I am sure I will get it by Tomorrow. PowerBook G4 Titanium (A1025).

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Thursday, 13th of October I will get the stuff]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2021/10/13(水) 23:03:15|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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It has arrived!

I came home in the afternoon and peeked into the mailbox before entering my humble residence.

I found a slip of notification from DHL. I knew that my PowerBook G4 Titanium had been handled by DHL so I knew what had happened.

The delivery driver had been here to deliver the package but obviously I was not there.

The notification slip had the shipment number on it and I was supposed to manage the shipment . I did but the site (DHL's site) gave me an error message. I guess that I have to wait until the driver comes back to the base and give the information on his handy terminal to the main computer at the base.

After this I think I can handle my shipment so that i can pick up the package at their facility. This is my preferred way.

I paid on 9th of October and it has arrived on 12th of October. How quick!

I guess that I can get it as soon as Tomorrow, Wednesday 13th.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [It has arrived at least in Luxembourg but ]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2021/10/12(火) 15:12:49|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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Cats are sweeter when it is colder

It is my belief based on my experience and I believe that I am correct.

My Hannah spends more time on my lap when the room temperature gets lower. At night she sleeps near by my side most of the time. She does not sleep along with me under the same cover normally.

Last Spring when Liège-Bastogne-Liège was held in Belgium, I stayed at a camping site near the famous climb of la Redoute. I had only flimsy tent with me meant for Summer use. I knew it would be cold during the night. I prepared two flimsy sleeping bags also meant for Summer use.

I slept relatively well at night inside those two sleeping bags despite the almost freezing temperature outside and inside the tent. Hannah was happy to be free in the camping ground. She was on her own and prancing around. She could come in and go out of the tent freely. For this I had to keep a certain amount of entrance fastener open and this made the temperature inside the tent as cold as the outside temperature.

She spent a lot of time outside but finally she came in for a rest. She sought for a comfortable place to sleep and decided to enter the sleeping bag and cuddle up with me.

It was almost (not the first time as she was little, she sometimes came to me the same way at night) the first time she slept this way for a long period of time.

Now she is dozing on my lap and I am writing this on the PowerBook G4 which also sits on my lap. Hannah is resting her head on the touchpad zone.

Fortunately she is a small-sized cat. I guess she weighs around 4 kg. It is relatively easy to carry her around in my arms (or on my arm). It is thus possible to have her and a big laptop computer (PowerBook G4 15.4-inch) at the same time.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Cats are sweeter when it gets colder]の続きを読む

テーマ:猫のいる生活 - ジャンル:ペット

1. 2021/10/11(月) 17:56:01|
2. Cats
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Vaccination Passport in Luxembourg?

It is almost official. Soon it is required to show the vaccination proof or PCR non-negative test result (tested at local pharmacies?) to enter many public places.

It is beginning here in Luxembourg. Who has authorized the law? The parliament? The government has the power to enforce such measures without the parliament?

I am not yet vaccinated. I will be forced to get vaccinated soon if I want to live normally in Luxembourg, or in this matter in any of neighboring countries.

In Japanese; 続きをどうぞ [Vaccination Passport in Luxembourg?]の続きを読む

テーマ:ヨーロッパ - ジャンル:海外情報

1. 2021/10/11(月) 00:35:54|
2. Info Luxembourg
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PowerBook G4 Titanium 1 GHz, it is mine!

So I paid what I owed to the seller on the ebay. It will be sent to me in due time.

Its on-board memory is maxed at 1 GB already.

Let me compare it to my other G4 models. I have three PowerBook G4 (A1106 / PowerBook5,6) models. The one I am using right now (I am writing this on it) is clocked at 1.67 GHz. The one which recently stopped booting from its HDD (the HDD seemed to have gone bad) is clocked at 1.5 GHz. The last one has no HDD and I don't know how fast it is (1.5 or 1.67 GHz).

Those PowerBook5,6 can be equipped with maximum 2 GB of RAM.

My PowerBook3,5 (not yet here with me) can have maximum of 1 GB.

They all have one 15-inch TFT screen and the resolution is at 1280 x 854.

This PowerBook G4 (1.67 GHz) is not so powerful when it comes to viewing YouTube videos using Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.8.

I wonder if it makes any difference when I use Linux on it.

I use TenFourFox on G4 (1.67 GHz). TenFourFox used to rely on QuickTime player for playing the YouTube videos. It used to work fine. I could enjoy the YouTube videos on it.

At certain point, TenFourFox changed its mind and integrate the video playing function. Since then YouTube videos could not be played smoothly on it.

TenFiveTube is a dedicated software program that plays on-line streaming videos (YouTube). It can not play those videos smoothly for some reason.

So I know that I won't try to watch YouTube videos on the Titanium PowerBook G4.

Parts to purchase for PowerBook G4 Titanium?

According to the EveryMac.com's spec sheet, 1 GHz models came with standard AirPort card built-in (at least the US versions). And also the seller (on ebay from whom I bought mine) listed the desktop photos in the item description space. I could vaguely recognize the pie slice icon (WiFi reception icon). So I guessed that it had an AirPort card inside.

I am going to buy some parts from "TheBookYard" in near future when I get the PowerBook G4 Titanium.

1. US keyboard
2. AirPort card (in case it is missing one)

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [PowerBook G4 Titanium (PowerBook3,5) A1025]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2021/10/10(日) 19:21:25|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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ebay auction missed

This is written on one of my PowerBook G4 (PowerBook5,6) models. This is now the only one booting as the other working one's HDD got somehow broken. And the last one is mechanically fine but lacking the HDD.

Anyway, I had my eyes on an item from Italy. It was PowerBook G4 Titanium (A1025 = the last Titanium model) 1 GHz. I wanted to bid for it but somehow forgot about it. No one bid for this PowerBook G4 and the auction was off. I thought the seller would put it up for auction soon.

He (or she?) did. This time the price was a bit up but the item was put up with an option so that anybody could buy it without waiting for the auction to end, which is called "Buy Now" option.

So I had to push the "Buy Now" button. The price was OK. I had asked the seller before how much it would cost to send it to Luxembourg from Italy. He (or she) had quoted me the shipping charges. It was agreeable.

So I hope I will get it soon.

It is a functional model with maxed memory at 1 GB. It cosmetic state is not so great but I don't mind. After all, it has lived close to 20 years by now. It has 60 GB HDD. I want to give it an SSD to make it run as swiftly as possible. I don't know if it has an AirPort card installed inside. I am almost certain that it does not have Bluetooth function according to the spec sheet on EveryMac.com. I don't know if the battery holds any charges. It won't, I think.

What kind of OS should I run on it? First I will install Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5.8) to see if it is really functional. Later on I would like to try Adélie Linux on it.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [I missed the boat but ...]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2021/10/09(土) 00:00:46|
2. MacBooks and Macs
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Paris - Roubaix 2021

I took Hannah. I could leave Hannah home alone if I had supplied enough food for her but as usual I took her with me. She is the only family I have here in Europe. She does not mind traveling with me in my small Mazda MX-5 at all.

She relaxes herself while traveling. She can eat normally, she can also use the toilet while moving without any problems.

She does not like crowd. This is the problem. When I take her out in my arms (she is small and light so I normally use only one arm), she curiously looks out for what outside but as soon as I get closer to people she buries her head in the pit of my bent elbow.

PowerBook G4 Titanium 1 GHz

I want it not so badly but want it anyway. I have more powerful MacBook and PowerBook G4 models. It is not about the raw power. It is all about nostalgia.

It is cheaper than it was first sold. Of course they are now 20 years old or more by now. Their cosmetic conditions are miserable for most of the time.

The CPU (PowerPC G4) is outdated and has only one core.

I don't know why I like old Apple products so much.

Selmer Sopranino Mouthpiece Ligature

It arrived. I was not 100 % sure how to use it. There is no instructions.

I looked at the photos of the product and could see what it looked like. The way I figured, the ligature should fit the mouthpiece so that the single screw part is up.

Now that it arrived and I have it with me, I can finally figure how it fits on my non-branded mouthpiece.

It fits on my mouthpiece very well, it seems. I am happy.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Paris-Roubaix a.k.a. Compiegne-Roubaix 2021 Part II]の続きを読む

テーマ:Mac - ジャンル:コンピュータ

1. 2021/10/04(月) 16:48:19|
2. Bike Races in France
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Paris-Roubaix 2021

(written on PowerBook G4 PowerBook5,6 1.67 GHz using TenFourFox Feature Parity Release 32 SPR 4)

Normally Paris-Roubaix is a Spring event but this year because of the COVID-19 restrictions enforced by the local prefectures forced A.S.O. (the organizer) to move its date to October.

I was expecting to see both women's and men's editions but the rescheduled dates were split into two days, Saturday and Sunday. Under the original schedule both events were held on Sunday (I remember).

So I gave up the women's event as I had to work on Saturday.

I left around 07:00 Sunday for cobblestone sector 29 but due to a road construction on its route, I drove to sector 28 instead (after some detours).

All the way, it rained (from Luxembourg to the destination). It rained rather heavily.

Despite the bad weather many die-hard fans were there for the brave riders as seen on TV. I was one of them. I wanted to visit sector 14 before heading to Roubaix but the road closure discouraged me and I decided to skip it.

Usually I do my homework. I study the route and prepare for the expected road closures. I make altered routes to get to the places that I want to get to. Sometimes it takes a big detour to circumvent the road closures.

Today, I did not have any time to do my homework so I failed.

I enjoyed the race event with Hannah. Of course I took her with me. She did not enjoy the crowd as usual but she OK tucked side my hoodie. She could avoid the people.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Paris-Roubaix a.k.a. Compiegne-Roubaix 2021]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車ロードレース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2021/10/04(月) 11:41:15|
2. Bike Races in France
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