First installation: ancient software/hardware

D

deadbarnacle

Registered
I have a 350Mhz iMac with 521MB of RAM and a 6GB hard drive (currently 4.8GB available). It has USB 1.0, no fire-wire, nor internal CD burner. It has an external hard drive, USB printer, external CD burner, and USB hub. It's currently running OS 9.2.3. I bought it in early 2000.

In university, I bought the very first version of OS X to be released, but I never installed it. I'd like to now for stability reasons, for a modern browser and to get ichat (other advantages?), but I have some concerns:

1) Did the first version of OS X (the one I have) come with an OS 9 emulator? I have a lot of OS 9 software I want to use (Dreamweaver, Photoshop, etc).

2) Do the OS X install CDs require a serial number? I don't have one.

3) Is this first version of OS X any good/bug-free/stable?

4) Are there updates available for it?

5) Will I need to reinstall my OS 9 software? I'm not sure I have all the license keys in order.

6) Is this even a good idea? Are there any other pitfalls I would encounter?

Thanks!
 
'It's currently running OS 9.2.3.' - ?, where did you get that installation disc?

01. 'Did the first version of OS X (the one I have) come with an OS 9 emulator?' - no version of MacOS X comes with an OS 9 emulator. Nor, do I know of any available OS 9 emulator(s).

02. 'Do the OS X install CDs require a serial number?' - no.

03. 'Is this first version of OS X [10.0.0] any good/bug-free/stable?' - with respect to? With respect to currently available software MacOS X 10.3.x or later is typically required.

04. 'Are there updates available for it [10.0.0]?' - no, as per 'Apple Downloads' the earliest 'Mac Update' is for 10.1.5.

05. 'Will I need to reinstall my OS 9 software? ...' - no, if - 'System 9.x' and the respective software is currently installed; and, you do not choose to 'Erase and Install' during the MacOS X installation process.

'... I'm not sure I have all the license keys in order.' - ?

06. 'Is this even a good idea? Are there any other pitfalls I would encounter?' - see the reply to Question 03.
 
All versions of OS X (except the ones for the new Intel Macs) include the Classic environent. This is like an emulator, except that it performs well. :) It's not an emulator because it executes all the code natively. Classic lets you run OS 9 applications right alongside your OS X applications. Classic can use the same OS 9 system you have now, complete with all your apps and preferences. No need to reinstall anything.

While Classic performs better than an emulator, it DOES cause a performance hit. It also suffers from many of the same stability issues as OS 9 (with the notable exception that Classic will not bring down your entire machine; it will only bring down the entire Classic environment). Using it for heavy-duty apps like Photoshop is inadvisable. You could do it, but...don't plan on doing it for too long. If you don't have it in the budget to upgrade most of your heavy-duty programs, you should probably just stick with 9. Of course, you can install X and dual-boot. I used OS X for a couple years before I stopped booting into 9 regularly for things like serious graphics work.

IMHO, Mac OS 10.0 sucks, plain and simple. Stability is terrible, and performance is even worse. 10.1 is a lot better, but still hackish. Also, most modern programs won't even run in 10.1. 10.2 Jaguar, IMO, was the first version of OS X that was really usable. I would recommend buying a used copy of 10.3 Panther for your machine.
 
thanks for your help! yeah, i think i'll stick to my os 9. do you know of any good resources on the web for hunting down the best browser, IM client, etc? i found fetch 4.0.3, which is nice.
 
i just read in macaddict mag that icab is the only one still making an up to date os 9 web browser. a good place to go for different software options is pure-mac.com.
as far as os x goes, i also feel that 10.2 is the first good version. i do have an os 10 install cd, and that is what i used to first get framilar with os x. but once i upgraded to 10.2, i never went back to os 9.
 
Mikuro said:
All versions of OS X (except the ones for the new Intel Macs) include the Classic environent.
Click to expand...
No retail version of Mac OS X with the exception of Mac OS X 10.0 and 10.1 came with the Classic environment (the 10.1 upgrade packs did not include it, though -- full versions of 10.1 may have). 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4 all shipped by themselves, without any Classic installation.

Mac OS X Restore CDs/DVDs (the ones that come with the computer) have Classic included, with, as Mikuro said, the exception of the new Intel-based Macintosh computers, simply because the Classic environment is not compatible with these machines.
 
well, your almost right. they all come with what you need to run classic, if you have os 9 all ready. being he has os 9 all ready, he'll have classic in what ever version os os x he runs. the only thing that was on those restare cds was os 9 installers, not classic installers. classic is part of the os, thats why it is in the pref panes on every os x install(less intel macs), you just have to point it to an os 9 system folder, and it then installs the files to make classic work.
 
'Classic' clarified.

All versions of MacOS X, up to - but not including that which is installed on Intel based Macs, do include the 'System Preferences' 'Classic' utility ['/System/Library/PreferencePanes/Classic.prefPane'].

No version of MacOS X comes with 'System 8' or 'System 9', [Mac OS 8 or Mac OS 9, to some], which the 'System 'Preferences' 'Classic' utility executes.
 
The retail version of Mac OS X 10.0 came with a separate OS 9 installer CD... although most don't even consider Mac OS X 10.0 to be "final release" quality, so...
 
To take this from the top:

- Your iMac runs Mac OS 9.2.2 fine. So staying with that OS is a good option.

- Your iMac runs Mac OS X 10.3.x fine, if you give it enough RAM. So installing that OS would be an option. Any _other_ version of OS X would give you a sub-par experience.

Depending on what you intend to actually do with the machine, I'd decide for one or the other OS. But I guess in order to make the most of it, you should stay with OS 9.2.2 and use our Classic forum to find knowledge and good information as well as support.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top