[PyMOL] Quadro-based 3D Mac Feedback

[Warren D. <wa...@de...>]

3D Visualization Software Users:

Have you evaluated or purchased a 3D visualization workstation from
Apple yet?
<http://www.apple.com/powermac/graphics.html>=20

If so, then please provide us with your candid feedback.
mailto:ma...@de...

We believe that Mac OS X is now far superior to Linux for 3D and
(especially) stereo 3D visualization.  These Macs were specifically
modified for you in response to last year's "Stereo 3D Matters to Me"
email campaign, and we want to hear what you think about them!

The Quadro FX 4500-based PowerMac G5 is Steve Jobs' timely and direct
answer to your over 600 well-articulated emails communicating the
importance of 3D visualization in science, education, engineering, and
medicine.  It would now be irresponsible to go with Linux or even
Windows without first carefully considering the advantages of OpenGL on
Mac OS X.

The UNIX-based Mac has become the robust, low-cost, well-supported, and
high-performance replacement for SGI workstations that Linux never
delivered despite nearly a decade of opportunity and effort (including
our own).  Why does Linux fail with visualization?

Because OpenGL is a tough and continuously-evolving hardware challenge.
Open source developers cannot solve proprietary hardware integration
issues, and commercial Linux vendors have insufficient pull with
graphics card manufacturers to deliver seamless OpenGL solutions on an
ongoing basis.  Sometimes Linux OpenGL works and sometimes it doesn't,
despite everyone's best efforts.  With this bleak record, we can no
longer recommend Linux as a platform for OpenGL visualization.  Linux
may be ideal for compute clusters, but it is simply unreliable for
UNIX-dependent visualization (especially with 64 bits, ugh!).

History shows that it takes an integrated hardware & operating systems
vendor like Apple (or formerly SGI, or Sun) to deliver and maintain
trouble-free OpenGL under UNIX.  Apple is the world's leading UNIX
vendor, and unlike with Linux, Mac hardware and operating systems are
continuously integrated with cutting-edge OpenGL graphics cards.  Mac
OpenGL just works -- every time -- with no complex end-user
configuration.  That is great for software vendors, and it provides
welcome relief for users of 3D software under UNIX.

However, your real-world experiences are the ultimate test, and we
therefore need to hear direct and ongoing feedback from those of you who
have evaluated, purchased, and/or deployed Mac workstations to meet your
unique OpenGL and/or X11 visualization needs. =20

Has Apple in fact given us what you asked for?  If so, then have you
followed through with purchases?  If not, then what are you waiting for?
Is something crucial still missing?  Please share your thoughts.  We
guarantee that Apple and others will hear them.

Let's not lose this long-sought opportunity to meet the community's
platform needs on a grand scale.  If these Quadro-based Macs prove to be
as good for UNIX OpenGL visualization as we think they are, then
everyone should (indeed, must!) purchase them in quantity and begin the
process of migration.  That is the only way we can ensure that Apple
will remain highly motivated to serve this community.  Your vote will be
counted via the market!

Cheers,
Warren L. DeLano, Ph.D., PyMOL Developer, DeLano Scientific LLC

PS.  If the only reason you haven't bought a Quadro-based PowerMac G5 is
because you are waiting for the Intel-based equivalent, then please say
so -- such machines are expected by the end of 2006.  In the meantime,
you might look at the Intel-based dual-core MacBook Pro
<http://www.apple.com/macbookpro> for portable UNIX visualization, or a
dual-core Intel-iMac <http://www.apple.com/imac> as a low-cost UNIX
station.  Just $1299 for a complete system with more capabilities than
Linux and much less hassle!