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Best OS for iMac G3

A

Apostrophe

6502
Hi everyone, I'm posting from my iMac G3!

I'm currently running Mac OS 9.2 on it, but since I'm running it, I can only download software compatible for it. I want to be able to play the videos from a camcorder, but the only software that can play it is for Mac OS 10! I tried installing Real Player 8 on this iMac (which is the highest version of the software that 9.2 can run) and it's not up to date enough to run my video!

So I might consider putting OSX on this iMac, but as always, I'm considering the computer's overall function as well.

So what version of Mac OS will run the BEST on this iMac?

-Apostrophe

 
X.3.9 Panther IMHO, its overheads are less then Tiger and you still get most of the functionality. Just make sure you've taken the RAM up to 1GB.

I'm assuming here that you mean a slot loading iMac, if it's a tray loader then any version of OS X is going to be sluggish at best, plus it doesn't have firewire or USB 2 for the camcorder.

 
Panther runs fine on 512mb RAM (the system holds about 128 at idle). As with any machine, the faster the CPU, the better. At least a 400 for decent speed and FireWire capabilities.

Main form of connectivity is FireWire 400 and USB 1.1 on slot loaders.

 
Hi everyone, I'm posting from my iMac G3!
I'm currently running Mac OS 9.2 on it, but since I'm running it, I can only download software compatible for it. I want to be able to play the videos from a camcorder, but the only software that can play it is for Mac OS 10! I tried installing Real Player 8 on this iMac (which is the highest version of the software that 9.2 can run) and it's not up to date enough to run my video!

So I might consider putting OSX on this iMac, but as always, I'm considering the computer's overall function as well.

So what version of Mac OS will run the BEST on this iMac?

-Apostrophe
Click to expand...
I have a G3 B&W sitting in the basement (don't we all) and it was running fine on Panther. I think that machine had like a 350 mhz CPU and 512k RAM or so. One thing you can do is get a 2nd hard disk and have 9.2.2 on one disk so you can run in classic mode and then OS X on the other disk. That is how my G4 is set up.

 
Just for the sake of disagreement, I've found Tiger much better than Panther on my iMacs/iBook (even with a meagre 512 MB). Aside from being a lot more stable (in my experience) there are quite a few handy apps that require 10.4.x

 
I had, until recently, near 'nuff identical (8/2001 and 3/2002) Indigo iMac/500s, with 768 and 1024MB of RAM, side-by-side on my desk and running 10.3.9/9.2.2 and 10.4.11/9.2.2 on partitions. Very handy for eBay last-moment bidding. Tiger was marginally faster, but their stability was near rock-like in both cases. Tiger was my Web machine of choice because of its greater security. Both have now been superseded by a G4/1GHz DP MDD with Tiger, not least because its multiple drive capacity allows dual booting of Tiger and Jaguar, the latter formerly running on a Snow iMac/500/1GB (7/2000) for the sake of Spark XL 2.8.2. The MDD can also handle a 20" ADC display.

All three iMacs remain in good order, and will make perfectly useful desktop appliances for those to whom I give them away. I lived happily with one or other iMac as my principal machine for nearly 8 years, but nothing now would tear me away from my ADC displays.

de

 
I definitely find Tiger better - better Web browsing, faster, better functionality, and more up-to-date security updates and the like.

If you have less than 384MB RAM, or a CPU slower than 266MHz, I would say go with Panther.

The only other exception is that if you're installing Tiger on an unsupported machine, and you need to use XPostFacto, make sure you also install OS 9 on that machine. If the PRAM battery is dead, and there's a power outage or you unplug the machine for any reason, you'll lose XPostFacto's custom PRAM/NVRAM settings and the machine will boot into OS 9. From there you can launch XPostFacto and have it reboot into OS X - but of course if you don't have OS 9 installed it can be a huge PIA.

But otherwise I think Tiger is where it's at.

M

 
I want to be able to play the videos from a camcorder, but the only software that can play it is for Mac OS 10!
Click to expand...
Wasn't an older version of iMovie available for OS 9? If you've got a FW camcorder, I'd try to find that version. OS 9 on that hardware would likely be waaaay faster than OS X for that sort of thing. Plus, you may have more available RAM and could easily disable VM, which would speed things up even more.

As for the OS X version, it depends on which iMac you've got. If it's a tray loader, I'd stick with 10.3. If it's a slot loader, 10.4.

 
I've been looking and looking, but can't find iMovie 2 for a free download! Is there such a thing, or do I have to pay for it?

If anyone knows where to get it for free, please let me know!

Thanks,

-Apostrophe

 
I know it shipped with some new Macs so some here might have an original CD bundle with it that they never noticed before. It would appear that my 9.0.4 CDs came with iMovie 1 and a 9.1 bundle came with iMovie 2.

As for locating a standalone disc I do not know where you would look for that(ebay can burn) unless you could request it on some "abanonware" site or something.. Taking into consideration any possible legal and moral ramifications as well.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've been looking and looking, but can't find iMovie 2 for a free download! Is there such a thing, or do I have to pay for it?
If anyone knows where to get it for free, please let me know!

Thanks,

-Apostrophe
Click to expand...
You have to pay for iMovie as it comes with iLife. However Apple preloads iLife on all its current Macs which is why you see iMovie on new ones. However iMovie 2 is probably abandonware by now meaning that you wouldn't have to pay for it.

 
There was no iLife when iMovie 2 was around and buying that would not help at _all_.

iMove did ship with at least some Macs when it was new. It was on it's own disc in the collapsible card stock ish CD containment devices with the flap.

 
There was no iLife when iMovie 2 was around and buying that would not help at _all_.iMove did ship with at least some Macs when it was new. It was on it's own disc in the collapsible card stock ish CD containment devices with the flap.
Click to expand...
Yes, I know that iLife wasn't around when iMovie 2 was released. I was just explaining that you have to pay for iMovie, but currently it comes preinstalled on all Macs so you don't have to buy it separately with new Macs.

I found iMovie 2.1.1 on my tray-loading iMac (must have been slip-streamed with my 10.1 disc) so if you want that, you can suggest a place for me to upload it, except I think this is only for OS X.

 
However iMovie 2 is probably abandonware by now meaning that you wouldn't have to pay for it.
Click to expand...
Wishful thinking, but no, it is not abandonware. There are no legal download sites for iMovie 2. You'll have to find another way to obtain it (e.g., from an old OS install disc).

 
However iMovie 2 is probably abandonware by now meaning that you wouldn't have to pay for it.
Click to expand...
Wishful thinking, but no, it is not abandonware. There are no legal download sites for iMovie 2. You'll have to find another way to obtain it (e.g., from an old OS install disc).
Click to expand...
But what if you got that disk for free, huh? WHAT NOW! [:D] ]'>

 
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