Repeated Powerbook Resurrection

Today's fun:

Turn on powerbook, turn on Windows sharing, smbmount powerbook from linux box.

Start copying stuff to from linux box to powerbook.

Linux box says 'cannot create file' on powerbook.

Powerbook cursor becomes SPOD(1), powerbook completely non-responsive.

Curse.

Attempt to unmount powerbook from linux box (smbumount).  Doesn't work.

Turn off powerbook

Turn on powerbook. 

GSOD(2).

Turn off powerbook

Turn on powerbook, attmept to boot into single user mode to fsck(3). 

GSOD.

Put install DVD into powerbook, reboot.  Wait for installer to load, start Disk utility.

Disk utility can't see the HD.  Can see the DVD just fine.

Reboot, eject DVD.  Surprised to see normal apple boot screen.

Powerbook boots normally.  Run verify, fix permissions, fixes same set of permissions as usual (for reasons unknown, it always finds the same permissions to be faulty)

Not convinced success by previous step.  Reboot to single user mode, fsck.

fsck finds problems, fixes problems.

Reboot.

Powerbook boots normally.

Verify/fix permissions again.  Same set of apps (php, dvd player, awk) have permissions fixed. 

Mount powerbook to linux box again, start copying stuff again.  Seems fine.

(1) Spinning Pizza/Pinwheel Of Death/Doom
(2) Grey Screen Of Death/Doom
(3) One on past occurance, fsck failed with a 'bus error'.

This sequence of events has happened to me several times over the year'n some that I've had this machine.  It's been back to apple once, they couldn't find a problem.  It's had OSX reinstalled three times now, and the problems continue.

It isn't supposed to be like this, is it?

When using Windows sharing between a Mac and a Linux box all bets are off. Sounds like a fun situation you have there.

So, how else then to transfer data between the two?  NFS?

When you think about it, we have all sorts of amazing protocols to share with people around the globe we don't even know, and we hardly have any decent protocol to transfer files to somebody you know. FTP sucks, SMB sucks, NFS is too complex, HTTP doesn't have all you'd want and it's one way transfer, WebDAV doesn't have good clients....... Lots of protocols and nothing as evolved and smart as modern P2P software is.

FTP isn't too bad if you have a decent client to hide the flakiness of it.