![]() While the Classic Mac OS, Jaguar, and Panther are seriously outdated, that’s far less true of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Fedora Linux PPC, Debian for PowerPC, and Ubuntu are just a few of the other Linux distros, and I’m hoping that other Low End Mac writers with PPC Linux experience will share some of their thoughts in coming weeks. Arch Linux PPC focuses on simplicity, minimalism, and code elegance, installs a minimal system that allows for user customization, and is designed to transparently update itself. Surprisingly, there are quite a few different Linux distributions for PowerPC Macs. Since then MintPPC 11 has been released – maybe time to give that version a try. I chose MintPPC because it’s the most lightweight version of Linux for PPC Macs, and when you’re running a machine in the 233-333 MHz range with a relatively slow hard drive and limited memory, that’s exactly what you’d want. D has 192 MB and should be able to boot Linux, but after it says “Loading kernel”, nothing else happens. I can boot the installer CD, run the installer, and get Linux installed on both machines (which takes a long, long time), but with just 64 MB, the Rev. I’ve been experimenting a bit with MintPPC Linux (version 9.3), trying to get it up and running on my two oldest iMacs, a 233 MHz Revision B from 1998 and a 333 MHz Rev. is the leading resource for Linux on PowerPC hardware, including Macs and other platforms. With these G3 Macs, you have the choice of running Mac OS 9, fairly outdated versions of Mac OS X, or a PowerPC version of Linux, which in theory would give you access to more modern browsers than OS X 10.2.8 and 10.3.9 support. These Macs really don’t merit the investment, and you can probably pick one up with the memory you need on Craigslist for about what you’d pay for the memory upgrade itself. I might swap in a more modern hard drive pulled from another Mac, but I doubt that I would spend money for one. With a 10.3.9 Mac and sufficient memory (192 MB is a practical minimum), I’d probably run OS X, and the only upgrade I would invest in might be more system memory. ![]() I certainly would not invest in memory or hard drive upgrades. If I had a Mac that could only run OS X through 10.2.8, I would probably stick with the Classic Mac OS. Another benefit of 10.3 is that it’s noticeably faster than 10.2, and it may be the fastest version of OS X ever for some PPC hardware. Things are a little bit better with Tray-Loading iMacs and Lombard PowerBooks, since they support OS X 10.3.9, which can run Safari 1.3.2 (2006), Camino 1.6.11, and iCab 4.8 (2010), the most up-to-date browser for 10.3.9. Firefox 2.0 (2006), Internet Explorer 5.2.3 (2003), Camino 1.0.6, and Safari 1.0.3 (2003) are other options, but none of these are very modern. The Beige Power Mac G3 and WallStreet G3 PowerBooks are only supported through Mac OS X 10.2.8, and the most recent browser to support it was iCab 3.0.5 from 2008. To use more modern browser, you need a more modern operating system, and that’s where the problem lies with early G3 Macs. (Other browsers for Mac OS 9 include Internet Explorer 5.1.7, Opera 6.03, and iCab 2.9.9, which even supports System 7.5!) Outdated Versions of OS X OS X 10.2 Jaguar Classilla is a decent enough browser suite for those using Mac OS 8.6 through 9.2.2, and if you have a Mac that can’t run Mac OS X, it’s probably your best bet. Problem is, there’s only one relatively modern browser still being developed for the Classic Mac OS (up to version 9.2.2), and that’s a custom port of Mozilla 1.3.1 with some additional features and updates. Just for browsing the Web, we want a Mac with ethernet or WiFi, as well as a fairly up-to-date browser. We want to have big screens and use USB flash drives or Cloud storage – and maybe even use online writing and spreadsheet apps, such as Google Docs. With at least 2 MB of memory and a hard drive, you can run early versions of ClarisWorks, which has a very nice word processing module, an exceptionally competent spreadsheet, and an adequate database, as well as drawing and painting modules.īut in this day and age, most people don’t want to work with floppy disks and tiny black and white displays. With a hard drive, you can run Word 5.1a, which many consider the best version ever for the Mac – quick startup, responsive, and not too much feature bloat. Even with just 1 MB of system memory and two floppy drives, you can run old versions of MacWrite, Microsoft Word (to version 4.0), WordPerfect, and WriteNow. Charles W Moore raises a good point in Thoughts on Using Older Macs as Work Machines: As much as we may love our old Macs, some of them just don’t have what it takes to be productive in the wired and wireless world of the Internet today.įor basic functions like word processing, even an ancient 8 MHz Mac Plus, SE, or Classic can do the job.
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