Hi, I'm a graphic designer that works for a small marketing co. and am responsible for all upgrades. Currently we have a G4, 533MHz Dual processor with 384MB RAM, 1MB L2 cache, OS 9.1 -- I do most of the production work on this system. I'm now considering upgrading the OS, but can't help being a bit nervous about the process.
I work mostly with Quark 4.1 and Photoshop 6 with ImageReady (I do pagelayouts/design catalogs/brochures/ads), and applications I use are Acrobat 5, Illustrator 9, Microsoft Word 8, Flightcheck 3.9, Suitcase 3.0 (I know this is really old but it works fine for me for now)... among others. Hooked up to the system are: UMAX Power Look scanner, Ezquest FireWire 120GB HD (for backup), 100MB Zip drive, 2GB Jaz drive (they are all SCSI except for the ezquest--I ordered the dual pc with a SCSI slot), and via Ethernet, Epson Stylus 3000 and Apple LaserWriter 630.
I know that some of the software are due for upgrades, and we do upgrade our hardware every 3-4 years or so -- we bought the Dual G4 about 2 years ago, so we'd really like to go for another couple of years without having to buy a new system.
I would really appreciate any input/advise on the following, given the system/peripherals above:
1) What sort of additional upgrades on software/peripherals, etc. am I looking at if I go ahead and upgrade the OS? What kind of complications should I expect?
2) Can(should) I wait another couple of years until I get a new hardware before making the switch to OS X without being "left out"?
Another reason I'm hesitating is because of the mixed reviews I've read regarding the new Quark version 6.0.... I'm looking into maybe learning more about Adobe InDesign, but at this point, our workflow heavily relies on Quark.
I've tried reading many articles/forums regarding the OS X, but the more I read, the more I'm confused on whether I should make the transition now or wait...
Thank you in advance for your help.
I work mostly with Quark 4.1 and Photoshop 6 with ImageReady (I do pagelayouts/design catalogs/brochures/ads), and applications I use are Acrobat 5, Illustrator 9, Microsoft Word 8, Flightcheck 3.9, Suitcase 3.0 (I know this is really old but it works fine for me for now)... among others. Hooked up to the system are: UMAX Power Look scanner, Ezquest FireWire 120GB HD (for backup), 100MB Zip drive, 2GB Jaz drive (they are all SCSI except for the ezquest--I ordered the dual pc with a SCSI slot), and via Ethernet, Epson Stylus 3000 and Apple LaserWriter 630.
I know that some of the software are due for upgrades, and we do upgrade our hardware every 3-4 years or so -- we bought the Dual G4 about 2 years ago, so we'd really like to go for another couple of years without having to buy a new system.
I would really appreciate any input/advise on the following, given the system/peripherals above:
1) What sort of additional upgrades on software/peripherals, etc. am I looking at if I go ahead and upgrade the OS? What kind of complications should I expect?
2) Can(should) I wait another couple of years until I get a new hardware before making the switch to OS X without being "left out"?
Another reason I'm hesitating is because of the mixed reviews I've read regarding the new Quark version 6.0.... I'm looking into maybe learning more about Adobe InDesign, but at this point, our workflow heavily relies on Quark.
I've tried reading many articles/forums regarding the OS X, but the more I read, the more I'm confused on whether I should make the transition now or wait...
Thank you in advance for your help.