More on SecondLife system requirements

[Kat]

After reading James/Cazzj's comments to the SERUG Google Group about Mac 
vs Windows for Second Life (SL, http://www.secondlife.com, where we plan 
to hold virtual meetings), I borrowed my dad's new 3.2 GHz HP laptop to 
see if it really was so much better.  I regret to announce that it is.  
But some caveats:

* I know that the RAM on both my Macs is insufficient for simulation 
gaming, which is what SL is. RAM and VRAM are probably the biggest 
trouble-makers on the block in this realm.

* The HP laptop is much faster and cleaner than either of my Macs. One 
is a 1.5 GHz G4 laptop with 768 MB of RAM (which runs ok in most modes, 
but not as well as the HP). The other is an older G4 tower, 867 MHz Dual 
Processor, with only 512 MB of RAM.  It is not as good as the laptop, of 
course, but it has a 19" CRT monitor that is infinitely more SL-friendly 
than the 12" laptop's screen.

* The biggest trouble area is the Appearance editor, which is what 
brought down Jonathan's computer.

I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has a G5 with a lot 
of RAM and an advanced video card, to see what your experience with the 
SecondLife software is.  A lifetime basic account is just US$9.95, and 
there's a 7-day free trial, so if you have such a system and a few 
moments to give it a whirl, please do let me (us) know what you think.

Kat Cochrane
a.k.a. "Kat Lemieux" in SecondLife