Upgrade query + 4.5 Demo Crash

[KenGMac]

I have a query on whether there's any benefit to me upgrading to Photo Mechanic 4.5...
I'm still happily (almost) using Photo Mechanic 4.3.8 mostly on my old Powerbook (G4 867 mhz) in the field, mostly for soccer half-time and full-time selection, caption, and sends by PM’s FTP facility, or by using Entourage for single e-mail uploads to several newspapers.
PM works fast enough for me to manage to select, caption, export into Photoshop CS2 (Camera Raw), and send 4 or 5 images in my 12 minutes at half-time.
I've looked through all the upgrades since then, and I cannot see anything I might need in all versions after my 4.3.8.
I certainly don’t think I need, nor would ever use, any of the huge number of improvements made since 4.3.8...
Am I missing something?

Separate, but the same question, with my home setup...
Using PM 4.3.8, this time using 2.0 GHz 20-inch iMac on OSX 10.4.9
  Machine Name:    iMac
  Machine Model:    iMac4,1
  Processor Name:    Intel Core Duo
  Processor Speed:    2 GHz
  Number Of Processors:    1
  Total Number Of Cores:    2
  L2 Cache (per processor):    2 MB
  Memory:    2 GB
  Bus Speed:    667 MHz

Same as above, as fast as I can view the images...BUT, one out of every 4 times, it crashes after startup once I either drag a folder or .CR2 or .jpg onto the application alias...(forces PM to quit – doesn’t affect anything else), or open a folder from within PM File menu.
I can usually repeat the procedure and everything runs OK then.
Not knowing your reply to first query above, but will I have to upgrade just to get 4.3.8 to behave on the iMac.

I hope you can make sense of above. I still happily use your application almost daily, I do just wish you could provide me with the same RAW file adjustments I used to enjoy with my old D2000 files... Ah, the good old days! (I’ve forgotten the slowness, the ultra grainy images...time is great ‘healer’)

Sorry, this is last query for you. I did download 4.5 demo, installed it using following the Demo Key you sent me.

This demo code will expire on Saturday, May 05, 2007.

This refused to operate at all. I did only try it on my iMac (OSX 10.4.9). I tried to re-install - same thing. I gave up after a dozen tries. Basically, it crashed before a contact-sheet made an appearance.
Then, I couldn't get my registered my PM 4.3.8 to work, until I re-entered my original registration details.
Quite a nuisance I'm afraid.

Any ideas??

Thanks if you can help me,

Best wishes
Ken Macpherson

[Kirk Baker]

Ken,

I have a query on whether there's any benefit to me upgrading to Photo Mechanic 4.5...
I'm still happily (almost) using Photo Mechanic 4.3.8 mostly on my old Powerbook (G4 867 mhz) in the field, mostly for soccer half-time and full-time selection, caption, and sends by PM’s FTP facility, or by using Entourage for single e-mail uploads to several newspapers.
PM works fast enough for me to manage to select, caption, export into Photoshop CS2 (Camera Raw), and send 4 or 5 images in my 12 minutes at half-time.
I've looked through all the upgrades since then, and I cannot see anything I might need in all versions after my 4.3.8.
I certainly don’t think I need, nor would ever use, any of the huge number of improvements made since 4.3.8...
Am I missing something?

Well of course I think you're missing out on quite a lot of improvements between 4.3 and 4.5.  Things like Code Replacement, Disc Burning, Spotlight searches, 5-star ratings, RAW rendering, the ability to drag and drop reorder your photos, expanded HTML exporting, PhotoShelter uploads, speed improvements, support for new camera formats, etc.

Separate, but the same question, with my home setup...
Using PM 4.3.8, this time using 2.0 GHz 20-inch iMac on OSX 10.4.9
  Machine Name:    iMac
  Machine Model:    iMac4,1
  Processor Name:    Intel Core Duo
  Processor Speed:    2 GHz
  Number Of Processors:    1
  Total Number Of Cores:    2
  L2 Cache (per processor):    2 MB
  Memory:    2 GB
  Bus Speed:    667 MHz

Same as above, as fast as I can view the images...BUT, one out of every 4 times, it crashes after startup once I either drag a folder or .CR2 or .jpg onto the application alias...(forces PM to quit – doesn’t affect anything else), or open a folder from within PM File menu.
I can usually repeat the procedure and everything runs OK then.
Not knowing your reply to first query above, but will I have to upgrade just to get 4.3.8 to behave on the iMac.

Photo Mechanic 4.3.8 was written well before the existence of publicly available Intel-based Macintosh computers.  In order to ease the transition to Intel processors, Apple created an emulator of the PowerPC processor for Intel processors called "Rosetta".  It is meant to be used to allow Intel Macs run older non-native (non-Universal Binary) applications like Photo Mechanic 4.3.8.  Unfortunately Rosetta does not run Photo Mechanic 4.3.8 very well at all and the crashes you describe are commonplace.

In February of 2006 we released a Universal Binary version of Photo Mechanic version 4.4 which ran very nicely on Intel-based Macintosh computers.  The stability is much improved and the speed difference is tremendous.

The current version of Photo Mechanic is version 4.5.  You can directly upgrade from 4.3.8 to 4.5, skipping the 4.4.x update altogether.

I hope you can make sense of above. I still happily use your application almost daily, I do just wish you could provide me with the same RAW file adjustments I used to enjoy with my old D2000 files... Ah, the good old days! (I’ve forgotten the slowness, the ultra grainy images...time is great ‘healer’)

Sorry, this is last query for you. I did download 4.5 demo, installed it using following the Demo Key you sent me.

This demo code will expire on Saturday, May 05, 2007.

This refused to operate at all. I did only try it on my iMac (OSX 10.4.9). I tried to re-install - same thing. I gave up after a dozen tries. Basically, it crashed before a contact-sheet made an appearance.

I would try temporarily moving your preferences file out to your Desktop so that a new preferences file is created upon startup of 4.5.

The preferences file can be found here:

<your home folder>/Library/Preferences/com.camerabits.PhotoMechanic.plist

HTH,

-Kirk

[KenGMac]

Thanks Kirk.

I will probably upgrade to 4.5 as you suggest - mostly for the convenience of working with Intel Macs....BUT as I said - there's nothing in there that's going to really speed up my Saturday afternoons!
Best wishes

Ken Macpherson

[Kirk Baker]

I will probably upgrade to 4.5 as you suggest - mostly for the convenience of working with Intel Macs....BUT as I said - there's nothing in there that's going to really speed up my Saturday afternoons!

Uh, ok. 

I think it will since 4.5 should run about 2-3 times faster than 4.3.8 on your Intel iMac...

-Kirk

[Markylane]

              That would be need to updates.


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Bathroom fan