[Aavso-photometry] Advice on Mac Models

[Michael Koppelman]

Were I you I'd get a Powerbook. Super portable and the only thing it  
lacks vs. the iMac is a larger screen. I run IRAF on mine and it  
works great.

I could never get the Equinox demo to work with the SBIG drivers or  
I'd probably head that way, too. I don't get why they don't have an  
eval of that. I do not buy software without trying it out. To be  
fair, the guy at EquinoX tried to get me an eval but the thing would  
expire before I got a clear night to try it out. My suspicion is that  
it is woefully inadequate compared to CCDSoft and the like.  
Considering we need to control the filter wheel, the focuser, the  
guide chip and the main chip, we are getting to be pretty high  
maintenance!

I have actually never tried Maxim because of the lack of an eval as  
well.

Cheers,
Michael
http://www.lolife.com/


On Sep 20, 2005, at 11:17 AM, BailyHill at aol.com wrote:

> Hello;
>
> Sorry if you get this post twice.   I was not sure which address  
> list was
> current.
>
> I have recently gone thru a terrible repair on my dell laptop--no  
> fault of
> Dell's.   I have without a computer and photometry for 5 weeks now,  
> and another
> 2 weeks is expected.   It has got me thinking that with the  
> availablility of
> IRAF to run on a Mac, and with EquinoX Software that controls SBIG  
> cameras (I
> have tried it) and it controls Takahashi Temma mounts (also lx200,
> etc)--------perhaps now is the time to get a mac again.
>
> I would appreciate any advice from those who know about what is  
> manditory and
> what is nice.   I do have 2 observatories and will move the  
> computer back a
> forth.   It could be an all in one iMacG5, or a portable iBookG4 or
> powerbookG4.   Now that I am retired and on fixed income, I would  
> say that I want neither
> the cheapest nor the most expensive, but the best value, and if its  
> good to
> have, I would pay for it.
>
> I would be planning on using IRAF to do the reduction.   The images  
> would be
> saved by EquinoX as FITS.   Currently run MaximDL/CCD and if it  
> would run on a
> Mac, I would go that way.
>
> Another alternative is to buy another pc and just keep on trucking  
> with
> Maxim.
>
> Comments and Suggestions?
>
>
> Gary Walker
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