Obsolete Program

[Tom Hart]

For several years, I have created music notation documents in MOTU's Mosaic. Since it has not been upgraded for many years, it can only run on "native" OS9. I have over 300 music files created with this program, and I have need to use them from time to time.

That said, I am now using the new version 4 of Sibelius, a music notation program which is probably currently the best on the market, and it runs best on OS X. Since Mosaic will not run on OS 9 in Classic mode, I have to switch back and forth between startup disks. That's OK, but . . .

1. If I upgrade from Panther to Tiger, will OS 9 "native' be available to run Mosaic?

2. If it won't, am I stuck with Panther forever?

3. Would buying another Mac, such as an iMac be, in some way, the solution, and can two computers use the same peripherals? I could use one Mac for Mosaic, and the other for everything else.

4. Sibelius 4 runs a little sluggish on My G4 which has a 466 MHz processor. Increasing memory to 896 MB didn't seem to help much. Would a new Mac with a faster processor be much of an improvement?

 

[RacerX]

Well, lets see if I can help you with some of this...

Q: If I upgrade from Panther to Tiger, will OS 9 "native' be available to run Mosaic?
A: If your current system is able to boot both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X, upgrading Mac OS X to 10.4.x isn't going to change that. So no, you are not stuck with Panther forever.

Q: Would buying another Mac, such as an iMac be, in some way, the solution, and can two computers use the same peripherals? I could use one Mac for Mosaic, and the other for everything else.
A: It depends on the peripherals. If you didn't mind switching them back and forth between the two systems, then I wouldn't see a problem with that. Otherwise, if we are talking about USB, I'm not sure if two systems can share something like a hub and all the peripherals attached.

Q: Sibelius 4 runs a little sluggish on My G4 which has a 466 MHz processor. Increasing memory to 896 MB didn't seem to help much. Would a new Mac with a faster processor be much of an improvement?
A: It depends on what you mean by new. If you are going to keep Mosaic on your old system and the new system doesn't need to boot into Mac OS 9, then sure, a new system would be a marked improvement for Sibelius. If you are planning on only have one system that can dual boot Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X, then the newest system you can get would be a PowerMac Dual G4 at 1.25 GHz (that was the last PowerMac that could dual boot)... which would be a marked improvement over a single G4 at 466 MHz. A processor upgrade for your existing system is also an option.​

Hope that helps a little.

 

[Tom Hart]

Allow me to restate:

To be clearer about peripherals, from one of the two computer's USB hubs, I have attached a USB hub, which in turn is attached the keyboard and mouse, a color printer, a memory stick drive (for backing up documents), and a Griffen PowerWave audio interface for an external audio system. On the other USB port is a connection to MOTU,s FastLane MIDI interface for the MIDI keyboard. On the Ethernet port is connected an Ethernet hub, which in turn is connect a laser printer, and the Comcast HSI module (I need to change this to a router).

Now, if I buy, say, a Mac Mini, could I connect all the above in a way which can use all these with the Mini and the G4 for just Mosaic on OS 9? You state that you are not sure that the USB peripherals can be shared by both systems. Is there a convenient way to switch from the Mini to the G4 and back without very much hassle?

I am assuming that the performance of Sibelius would be increased with the Mini—and that's a plus.