What can I do with this thing?

abyssknight said:
*laugh* On the Linux note, that has been considered. T'would make it a very usable machine indeed. However, resourcefulness may prevail. I might be able to get OS X by the end of the week. I think I'll just give it a whirl with its current configuration, and hope for the best. Right now its just sitting there, so I'd rather have a slow, but updated machine rather than an outdated OS and killer fast apps. Plus, I still love iTunes. lol.
Click to expand...

Well, it might not be iTunes, but RhythmBox isn't all that bad. It tries to be iTunes and it's decent enough, but true that there's nothing like iTunes... :)
 
I would recommend Yellow Dog Linux. You can also try Gentoo or Debian. Expect a text mode installer with Debian. They're working on an installer that takes the brunt of the installation and selects the default for most items in order to speed up the install process. However, that won't be available until "sarge" becomes the stable distribution. ("Sarge" is the next version of Debian Linux...the current stable tree is "woody." Think Toy Story :D)

There's also Mandrake (which I don't recommend for PPC, but others here might), Slackintosh (which is an unofficial port of x86 Slackware), and SuSE.

Here are the links:

You can also try FreeBSD, NetBSD, or OpenBSD if Linux isn't your cup of tea...
 
OpenBSD works on Macs? I didn't know that. Now I could go all paranoid-aggressive without having to spring for different hardware ;)

dlloyd - not only did we suggest the same thing, we suggested it simultaneously - look at the times of our posts.
 
Ask the Mac folks in your computer lab to help with the problem. They'll be able to experiment on a live Mac and you'll learn something in the process while being able to reap the rewards.
 
Well, if they don't already have Macs of their own (yeah, right :D) they should be thrilled to actually have one to play on
 
Well, I should be able to try an install of OS X tomorrow, any tips?

So far all I know is, put the CD in and hold C at startup.

So anything would be helpful.

Still no monitor, no upgrades. I'm going to try and do this cold turkey.

The worst that could happen is, it doesn't work, or it runs slow.

I'm prepared for either really.
 
Yay!

It will work, and it won't run (too) slow. What version are you going to use?
Also, I would do a Clean Install, not an archive, and you should reformat the hard drive before you install (can be done from the Installer CD).
 
Then you might even consider 'Zeroing the drive', which can also be done in the Panther installer.
 
I should clarify, zeroing the drive overwrites all data on the drive, not just deleting the catalog file. This means that anything that was on the drive is totally gone. I think it's just a bit safer when starting with a new OS. Likewise I always reformat and do clean installs, I am no fan of update installations :D
 
Hrm, I just read another thread... Something about updating the firmware before installing OS X. This would mean I would have to install the OS 9.1 update, meaning I still need that darned password...

Is this true?
 
Check on the Apple support site. I know the old iMacs have to be updated (found that out the hard way), but I don't know about the old G4s.
 
Woot. I've installed OS X, seems to boot FASTER than 9.1 (Update) did. It's installing software now, I'll let everyone know just how fast it really is after I reboot. :D
 
Whoever said this would run slow, shame on you. It's amazingly fast. Actually, I beg to say its faster than my 1.1ghz laptop with 512mb of ram in it. Seriously, I'm shocked.
 
That laptop is a PC, right? Then may I be permitted to say 'duh!'? ;)

And yes, after XP, Panther is the fastest-booting OS I've ever used, I love it. Even though my computer is *never* shut down :D

So as a Mac OS X newbie (;)), did you run Software Update yet?
 
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