okay looking at a new laptop and very tempted by an ibook

but being one of the empeg cult how does empeg get on with OS X as mac calls it

want to do all the usual stuff like streaming file taxi etc

Also is it possible to update firmware using ibooks

Unempeg question next how do they get on when networed to windoze 2000 machines

but being one of the empeg cult how does empeg get on with OS X as mac calls it

Just fine if you use Jemplode.

want to do all the usual stuff like streaming file taxi etc

Streaming and file taxi are specifically done with the Hijack kernel, using standard HTTP and FTP protocols. Those are computer-independent and should work just fine on your Mac.

Also is it possible to update firmware using ibooks

Not at the moment. You currently need a Windows PC with a serial port to run the full upgrade utility.

I seem to remember someone had written a way to upgrade the player using hijack and some FTP trickery, but I could be thinking of something else.

JEmplode can do most of the stuff you need (on an iBook), and Hijack has no issues streaming music to iTunes. Once you have installed Hijack, firmware updates (new versions of Hijack) can be installed using any FTP client, like a web browser.

New software upgrades currently require Windows or Linux (which runs on the iBook, btw).

Cheers

More importantly, it takes a serial port, which iBooks don't have, unless you buy a USB serial dongle.

New software upgrades do NOT require a serial port under Linux. Just windows.

Don't you have to use the serial port to at least put Hijack on the empeg in the first place in order to do a non-serial upgrade?

Yup, ya gotta use a buddy's computer once, to install Hijack the first time only.

Cheers

Once you have Hijack installed, you can do the player software upgrades over ethernet using linux, as was mentioned before. What's that? Don't want to install Linux on your iBook? No problem, just download one of the new PowerPC live Linux cds from Gentoo, burn to a CD, and boot your computer from it. Instant Linux machine with no installing and no permanent changes or modifications to your computer.

Only getting a ibook as a cute laptop the desktop will be staying as a windoze machine due to good games etc, well games really and not much else apart from ingrained familarity with crappy operating system

But nones answered my second question how easy is it to get ibook to chat to a windoze network.

> how easy is it to get ibook to chat to a windoze network.

Should work straight out of the box. Just go to 'Go>Connect to server' in the Finder and it'll list any Windows shares it can find.

You can also share files to Windows machines by clicking a button in sharing preferences.