This Old Mac: Icebooks

@Jimmy
Converting an iBook display to a standalone VGA monitor is more trouble than it's worth. VGA sends out an analogue signal; most laptop LCD panels expect to receive a digital one. You'd have to figure out the pin outs for the iBook LCD.

You'd be better off trying to find a used 15" LCD; where I live, they go for about $50-70. You could probably offset the cost by selling your old iBooks for parts.

@Tom, njdre, etc.
The smell from the keyboard is a common phenomenon known as "off-gassing". It's the smell the plastic in the keyboard makes as it "degrades". It's nothing to worry about, though it can get pretty skeezy smelling. There's a *huge* thread in the Apple discussion forums about it. There's not much anyone can do about it; you can replace your keyboard, but there's no guarantee it won't eventually stink as well.

If it's really bad, you can put an anti-static fabric softener sheet under the keyboard, or try spraying it with Odor Eater spray.

BTW, yes, my iBook G3/500 stinks a little. I just ignore it. :-)

Does anyone know of a tutorial of how to use the display as a stand alone monitor? I have a couple of dead ones around the house, but the screens would be the perfect size for my servers

26: I think the comparison was considering reliability. Save for workstation and server computers, I'm not convinced that any of the currently made computers were necessarily as reliable as those made a decade or two ago.

700MHz G3 here. It's pretty much only good for wireless web surfing, but the battery still lasts 90 minutes and it's on its original logic board, so I'll keep using it.

HEY! THAT SMELL OF B.O. DOES COME FROM THE KEYBOARD. IT TOOK ME A VERY LONG TIME TO FIND THAT OUT. THE TRUE REASON FOR IT THOUGH IS, AN APPARENT CHEMICAL REACTION THE HAPPENS WHEN THE PLASTIC IN THE KEY BOARD IS HEATED AND COMES INTO CONTACT WITH RESIDUE FROM CIGARETTES OR EVEN SMOKE. ARE YOU A SMOKER, OR DO YOU LET SMOKERS NEAR YOUR CHICLET? AND NO, IT NEVER REALLY GOES AWAY. YOU'D HAVE TO STOP SMOKING AND GET A NEW KEY BOARD. SUCKS, MINE WAS REALLY BAD AND I EVENTUALLY GAVE IT TO A FRIEND.

Well, #20. How do you define "as good as"? Because by any objective measurement, modern Macs are much better than any computer manufactured 18 years ago.

This story made me smile. About three years ago, I was given a little 12" G3 600MHz iBook, and this little guy has been my favorite computer I've ever used. Even after the inverter cable/reed switch issue cropped up, I still refused to buy something new - I just hooked it up to an old monitor I had and it was good to go. I've been using it like that for over a year!

Sure it doesn't play video for crap, and the "iBook smell" is definitely there in spades, but nonetheless, this is the only computer I've honestly ENJOYED using. When I look at the MacBooks in CompUSA, I always feel guilty, like I've been cheating on my poor iBook. But hey, it's outlasted three PC's and two non-Apple laptops, had uptimes of just over 6 months, and worked when I needed it every single time, unlike my now gone main desktop, so I guess it's only right that I have a sense of loyalty to it. It's been my only computer for a year now, and even if I someday get a new Mac, you can bet the iBook will keep it company on the desk.

They still replacing logic boards for those things? I got two dead ones (my old lappy and the one I've absconded from my father) that I've been sorta keeping with the hope of finding some use for them when I could get them working again.

Was there a point to this story? No posts are better than useless ones...