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Easy Programming with great frustration

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In my search for an elegant MarkDown solution for my Power Mac G5, I have continued to dig into all kinds of options from fiddling with open source editors written in Python to building my own.

Programming on your G5 is actually pretty straightforward.

I remember the first Power Mac G4 I got my hands on at a previous IT job many years ago. As I was studying computer science at the time, my first action was to jump into terminal and see if “gcc” was really included by default. And sure enough, every Mac comes with a standard open source compiler. Cool!

Of course, if you want to build something beyond a simple command line app, you’ll need bigger and better tools. The best is XCode, which you could typically install as an extra from your Leopard DVD. You can still grab XCode 3.1.1 from the Apple Developer site here. You will have to log in.

There are other options too.

One of my preferred options over the years was Real Basic. Today, it’s called Xojo, since it really has nothing to do with the BASIC programming language that some of us encountered years ago. Real Basic was an interesting tool because it let you start at the end of your coding process by building the GUI app first and then adding in the functionality you want to have happen. The code is also fairly readable and simpler than Objective C at the cost of a lot of potential fine tuning.

My first experience with Real Basic was with an academic version in my IT position. We needed an OS 8.6 compatible screen lock to have students log into lab computers with a pass phrase. I whipped one up in like 30 minutes using Real Basic.

On Leopard, I’ve used Real Basic to create game character generators and other basic text manipulating utilities in a pretty short amount of time. I’ve grown to like some of its features even as other things drive me nuts.

To bring this home, I decided to crank out a couple of MarkDown attempts using Real Basic. The last version to work on Power Macs is 2009R3. I first built some basic code that would automatically edit what you type into a rich text field and catch MarkDown formatting. While it sort of half worked, it was way too complicated after even just a few basic formatting commands.

SimpleMark Beta

I then used “brew” to install the ever useful multimarkdown command line utility which can take a text file with MarkDown formatting and turn it into a pdf, html file, or whatever. It’s a really great option for working with MarkDown. In Real Basic then, I created a simple window with a rich text field on one side and a live preview html window on the other. As you typed, the program would quickly use multimarkdown to generate preview html of your document. It was dead simple and started me down the path to a solution.

But then I hit a road block – whenever the live html preview updated, it would steal focus from the rich text field. No matter the workarounds I tried, there was no way around this. It turned out to be a bug that was eventually fixed in a later version of Real Basic, which won’t run on my machine.

This is life with older machines.

If you happen to have a license of Xojo/Real Basic, they will still let you download an access key and older copies of its software. I recommend it if you want to mess around with some simple prototype apps or invite a young person to learn some basic coding building blocks. But where you save time, you’ll ultimately also give up the ability to have an app do what you want it to do.

— Nathan

Serving Up Delicious Webpages

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Dan over at PPC Luddite posted a great intro tutorial on how to use your Mac as a server.

Granted, this is an area where a basic install of Debian or some other GUI-less Linux can excel, even on a Power Mac G5. You’ll have more secure and recent versions of various kinds of server software, get more performance out of your machine, and can fine tune every aspect of your computer’s connection to the outside world. With Mac OS X Leopard, you have a great number of components built-in that can get you started, but they tend to be much older versions of server favorites.

As an addendum to PPC Luddite’s post, another option is to install XAMPP.

XAMPP is a combination package of great server components like Apache, MySQL, Perl, PHP, and so on. Combined into a single install, XAMPP makes it easy to setup test environments to see how websites and complicated scripts work before you put them on an external server. Of course, you could use XAMPP to turn your Mac into a nice file or database server, if you wanted. The nice thing about it is that it comes with plenty of documentation and built-in features, like phpMyAdmin, which allows you to create, edit, and delete databases from your favorite web browser.

XAMPP

Again, the benefit of XAMPP is that it is just a folder that you copy to your Applications folder on your Mac. You can easily delete it without mucking up anything else. You aren’t installing over your base Apache that comes with Leopard (or Tiger). You can run or turn off services as you need them using the simple GUI that comes with it above.

The downside is that while XAMPP provides some newer server software, such as PHP and mySQL, it’s still outdated. Leopard features Apache 2.2.17, while the latest XAMPP for PPC runs Apache 2.2.14. If you want the latest and most cutting edge, you might want to try a setup using homebrew or fink. Or just give your preferred version of Linux a shot.

The last version of XAMPP to run on PowerPC machines is 1.7.3. You can get it from Sourceforge here.

New SSD on the block

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Right now, our list of compatible SSDs remains pretty small, but I am hoping that changes as people out there continue to experiment with different models.

Mushkin, a typically solid producer of solid state drives, has come out with a new model that is a NewEgg exclusive called the ECO2 line. They are cheap. Not just cheap, but super cheap. These are some of the most affordable options out there from a reputable brand.

The question is – do they work on G5s?

I have a little hope that they do. For one, they are aimed at the lower end of the market and use an older version of the Sandforce controller. This means that they are intended to be used in older and newer systems, maximizing compatibility. This also means they are at least worth exploring.

The prices are just nice, topping out at a retail price of $159.99 for a 480 GB variant. They are marketed as having a real solid speed. Of course, real world numbers can vary, but for older computers like ours, we’d never see all that speed anyway.

You can read up more about them here: Mushkin’s ECO2 SSDs Bring Fast Storage to Small Budgets.

The question is – am I going to be the one who gives one of these a test go? I’ll see.

— Nathan

Dropbox Alternative: Box

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We are around 2 months away from Dropbox unceremoniously logging out PowerPC users, kicking us to the curb via a digital eviction notice.

There is no sign that the growing thread in the Dropbox forums is changing anyone’s minds, although there were rumors someone was going to try to port the newer Python framework to Leopard. We’ll see.

In the meanwhile, let’s begin to look at some alternatives to syncing and sharing your files online.

My first choice is to point folks to Box.

Box screenshot

Box is similar to Dropbox in that it gives you a folder that can be synced across different computers. It also has the ability to share files and public folders via a few easy clicks and includes access via some fairly decent mobile apps. The web interface is very useable, and the client (if it works on your computer) is similar enough to Dropbox. I’ve had a Box account for a while with a nice amount of space, but I couldn’t get into it because it initially had an issue with some Mac files with bundles. That is now fixed.

In a quick glance, here are the ups/downs:

Pros

It tends to be generous with space. Dropbox starts you off with a few GB though you can add more via pay or referrals and stuff. Box tends to be more generous – I got 50 GB through some deal for free.

Webdav support is awesome. You can mount your Box folder via the command line or using Go -> Connect to Server.

Generally has similar features to Dropbox and integrates with other services.

Cons

There is no client for PowerPC Macs. You will have to rely on its built-in WebDav protocol to mount and make use of your folder.

Copying files is not particularly fast via Webdav. I’m not sure if I have something setup incorrectly or if it’s just a slow protocol. This is annoying. I’m still waiting for 4 files to copy totaling 410k in size after at least 5 minutes. A Webdav client (like CyberDuck) may not have these issues.

FTP access is possible for paid accounts, not for free accounts.

Update: Here’s a quick follow up reading to help get you started with Box. It seems Box support recommends using third party clients to map your drive in Mac OS. Good to know. CyberDuck does work a bit smoother in some initial testing.

In summary, Box is a reasonable option to check out. You can still have access to the same pool of files across a variety of devices, keeping in mind that your G5 will still feel a bit like a second class citizen without the great sync features of Dropbox. As you give it a test run, let me know how it goes.

Links for You

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It’s been nearly a month since my last post. I’ve basically just been very busy with travel and projects caring for homeless men and women in my community.

So to tithe you over, here are a few links for your continued perusal and learning.

The Quadras, Cubes, and G5 blog followed the exploits of its author in trying to get his G5 back and running after it failed to boot up. It’s a good read if you have similar issues with your G5, because someday, you will. Maybe it’s the G5s finicky power management system? Who knows. Read the first one here, then his followup, and then the exciting conclusion.

Good news: TenFourFox 31.5.0 is out. Also, in that same link, find out how to build RAM disks in Tiger/Leopard if you want. Cool stuff.

PPC Luddite provides a quick and dirty comparison of the various ad blockers for Firefox. The winner: uBlock.

Have you ever heard of Hollywood? No, not THE Hollywood. Hollywood is also a multimedia app development kit that can work on PPC Macs and a whole other range of hardware. I’m intrigued.

— Nathan