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We asked Kanhai how he felt about Apple finally getting rid of the G3 line, since with the release of Leopard, it was an unofficial, albeit official, goodbye to its mothball fleet. Was it time? Even more so, was it appropriate, considering there are a lot of G3 users still out there.

"Apple is the most innovative computer company in the world. In addition, like every major corporation, they must keep the market interested and keep growing income. So long as they don't do it at the expense of the products they offer, it is beneficial to Mac users."

But then on the G3s, those are products they offered in the past and are still being used-- like in schools, in people's family room or the den, or grandma's e-mail and internet machine. Is that beneficial for those Mac users who also want the latest and greatest but don't want to have to buy the latest and greatest Mac in order to do so? (Like the case of Windows Vista, per chance).

"I suspect that you mean that Leopard will not support G3s. However, that is only in the specs. There are hundreds of computers out there that are not supposed to support Panther or Tiger natively, that are running Panther or Tiger. Mac users are quite innovative," Kanhai says.

Guess the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree then. Chips off the old block.

Kanhai points out that the program, "XPostFacto" has allowed people with unsupported machines to upgrade their operating systems, letting older Mac users (not older in gender... users of old Macs) still be up-to-date and stay with the pack.

On that note, he adds, "I expect we will see the same happening with Leopard before too long. Indeed, as soon as I can pick up a Leopard install disc on eBay that fits my budget, I may just test it on the Pismo."

People already have--installed Leopard on unsupported machines--but we won't say how.

So after all this discussion on why and why not, haves and have nots... why has Kanhai held on to his Pismos this long, and as his solo/primary computer, when he could have gone other routes since then? Such as the suggestion last week on getting a "new" Mac at Black Friday style savings akin to what this columnist did. (Speaking of eBay, to get an install disc).

"Maybe it's because I'm too cheap to buy a new computer, the same reason I am still driving a 2001 Saab with 150,000 plus miles. And maybe because they are both exceptionally good machines and will do as much as newer models will do, and just as well."

No one will argue against that. (He should have said/added, "if not better!").

"I can easily afford to buy both a new computer and a new car, if I thought I needed to do so, but haven't thought that necessary so far. The Pismo, like many good things in the past, will eventually make way for progress and the future, and I guess I will, too. Eventually. But not before I have to," Kanhai says.

So for now, at least, a tiger keeps its stripes, while the leopard ponders changing its spots later down the road. (That story when we return back to the safari to see how things are going).

Final thought on the longevity of the Pismo? "What more can I say? They're like good friends. No... more like, family!"

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