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Not sure whether your Mac is supporting the Quartz Extreme OpenGL acceleration for Quartz in Mac OS X 10.2? In earlier versions of Mac OS X, the Quartz Compositor operated entirely in software and used the central processing unit (CPU) to position window content on individual layers. Quartz then composited the layers into a single frame and sent the frames to the graphics card. In this case, the graphics card simply acted as a conduit carrying frames to the display. Mac OS X v10.2 can use hardware to accelerate the Quartz Compositor. If a supported GPU1 is installed, Mac OS X v10.2 automatically enables Quartz Extreme which moves the Quartz Compositor from the CPU to the GPU. This allows the CPU to focus on application-specific needs. As a result, the entire system feels faster and more responsive when Quartz Extreme is enabled, and CPU use drops significantly. 
With Quartz Extreme, every pixel on the screen is sent through the Mac OS X OpenGL pipeline. Each onscreen element—2D, 3D, and video graphics—becomes an OpenGL texture applied to objects representing those elements. The elements are composited in real time to deliver the unique user experience offered by Quartz Extreme. You’ll enjoy more fluid, higher-frame-rate graphics in intricately composited scenes, such as complex, translucent 3D objects overlaying a full-motion DVD video. That means shadows will drop more quickly and transparent objects will layer faster—and Mac OS X can do more processing in the background while you work in the foreground. The catch is that Quartz Extreme only works on Macs with certain minimum hardware requirements: GPU requirements Supported graphics cards If you’re still not sure, Quartz Extreme Check 1.1 is a small Cocoa app that checks if your machine is using Quartz Extreme. It’s a very simple little utility. Here is the result checking my PowerBook Pismo, which has a RAGE 128 graphics card and 8MB of video RAM: 
And here is the result checking my 700 MHZ iBook which has a RADEON 7500 graphics card and 16 MB of VRAM: 
Quartz Extreme Check is freeware For more information, visit: Word Counter 1.2 Word Counter is a small Macintosh OS X application that performs a word count and a character count on text that is entered into its text field. Text can be typed, pasted, or dragged into the window. The program can count all words or only words above a specified length. 
The option to count all words is much, much faster than the option to count words above a certain threshold. The latter option requires the program to check each word’s length which is why the time to completion is greater. I’d be more than happy to hear suggestions on how I might make it faster if anyone has done something similar. Likewise, counting all characters is faster than counting characters without spaces. I found that Word Counter performs it’s basic word and character count functions very quickly, but I couldn’t get the count option for words longer than a specified number of characters to work. Version 1.2: System requirements: For more information, visit: Mac OS 9 booting on iBooks? From anonymous Charles, “Keyboard and Mac OS Language Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. EnglishKeyboard/Mac OS - Spanish Both Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 are installed on your new iBook (Mac OS X is the default boot-up operating system). Choose optional languages other than the country default language, if needed. “ When I go to the iMac and pick any iMac, it says: “Keyboard and Mac OS Language Keyboard/Mac OS X - Western SpanishKeyboard/Mac OS X - U.S. English Your iMac displays information in the language that matches the country in which you purchased it. Optional languages, other than your country’s default language, may be offered.” I suspect the person who had an iBook that doesn’t boot into Mac OS 9, has not attempted to install Mac OS 9 from the restore CDs, as described here: They should attempt to do so, and then attempt to use Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Startup Disk to boot off Mac OS 9. If they still can’t, then I’d agree there is a problem. Please find out from them if they are having trouble after restoring Mac OS 9 from the restore CDs. I think the Apple employee that spoke to that iBook owner was misinformed about iBook’s Mac OS 9 booting status. Especially since both article 86209, and Sincerely, Hi A; As I noted in the article, Apple’s Website indeed indicated that the iBook is not among the list of Macs that don’t support dual-booting. However, that’s not what the reader said he experienced or was told by pple Tech support. Here is the thread of emails pertaining to the topic reprinted from this week’s The Road Warrior MailBag: iBook OS 9 bootability From Robert Hallewell Dear Charles, Just a comment on the 24 March MailBag where you note that ibooks seem to boot os 9 okay. I thought that was the case as well and purchased a new iBook 800 14” - but I was unable to load my os 9.2.1. After talking to Apple I understand the firmware changed on all iBooks on 05JAN03 and they will no longer boot natively from os 9. The Apple Knowledge Base document 86209 is ambiguous about this and more than one vendor, including Applestore insisted that new iBooks will boot natively. Infact, they were so insistent that I called apple iBook tech again and they reconfirmed what they had said. Some refurbished iBooks that boot natively are available - best to have them check, or if they can’t open the box, take the serial number on the outside and they can check production date on the web or by calling Apple using their vendor number. Finally, one vendor said that there is another difference in post 05JAN03 iBooks - they support Airport Extreme. I didn’t confirm this with Apple. Regards, Robert Hi Dr. Halliwell; Thanks for this information. I would say that the Apple Knowledge Base article is less than ambiguous. The iBook is not mentioned at all in the list of machines that won’t boot into OS X.
And here I was thinking that I might have been a bit hasty in insisting on buying an iBook before MacWorld Expo in order to ensure that I would get OS 9 boot support. Guess not. Personally , I think that disabling OS 9 boot support with a firmware block on machines that formerly could boot OS 9 is gratuitous and stupid. Charles Re: iBook os 9 bootability From Robert Hallewell Dear Charles, thanks yours. Yes, you were lucky as well as knowledgeable - I wish I’d bought one earlier myself. I first bought a TiBook - but the fan was deafening (I didn’t know about your articles then), so I re-sold that on PowerBook classifieds, then the iBook which pc connection were pretty good about and took it back. Hopefully, this re-furbished one from PowerMax together with the Pismo will allow us to wait another few years before we up?grade. We still have a 14” WallStreet and in many ways I prefer it to both the Pismo and the iBook. best regards,
The OS X Odyssey archives may be accessed here: Note: Letters to Moore's Mailbag may or may not be published at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests publication. Letters may be edited for length and/or context. Opinions expressed in postings to Moore's MailBag are those of the respective correspondents and not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Editor and/or Applelinks management. If you would prefer that your message not appear in Moore's Mailbag, we would still like to hear from you. Just clearly mark your message "NOT FOR PUBLICATION," and it will not be published. CM
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