11-18-2007, 06:47 AM

Hi Guys and Guyesses,
I have just won an ebay auction for my first Mac desktop machine. I'm cheap so I went for an older G3 B&W to get my toes wet in the Mac waters.
If anyone is interested to look, it's eBay item #170167913134 and it will be about 10 days before I actually get the machine.
The seller didn't give a lot of information in the listing other than that it worked and came with keyboard, mouse and power lead. I sent a question about what operating system was running and the reply was "OS2".
I have no idea what that means.
I have tried Google but apart from seeming to be a bit technical, I can find nothing about it.
Can you guys tell me what it is?
Also, if this software is very old, are there any restrictions on what software I can buy re some software I have seen being machine specific or will any OS 9.2 or OSX (Up to 10.4) be OK?
Cheers,
Steve

11-18-2007, 06:57 AM

Originally Posted by Wabbit

I sent a question about what operating system was running and the reply was "OS2". Can you guys tell me what it is?

Must be a typo, though the number 2 is not near the X or say, 9 for OS 9. The original OS on those B/W G3's was OS 8.1 and they can take OS X but I'm not so sure about Tiger ...

Originally Posted by Wabbit

Also, if this software is very old, are there any restrictions on what software I can buy re some software I have seen being machine specific or will any OS 9.2 or OSX (Up to 10.4) be OK?

If you want to put OS X onto it, just ensure you install the Firmware Update for that machine:

Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) Firmware Update 1.1: Document and Software

11-18-2007, 07:04 AM

Yep must be a misspelling - they mean oS X

There was such a thing as OS2 - an IBM operating sytem and rival to windows - it lost the race and windows won. OS2 will not run on a Mac - there was a project to port it to PPC but it was never finished.

So in summary - the seller means either OS 9 or OS X

By the way - £10 for a computer - not bad

For guides on what you can do with a G3 lo end mac can help

http://lowendmac.com/ppc/g3c.shtml

11-18-2007, 07:12 AM

I just checked the auction and I bet he means OSX. Too bad he did not say which version but the price looks good for that machine.

11-18-2007, 07:17 AM

Yeah, OS X could mean any of the major releases excepting Leopard. It's all good regardless, but you'll need to source the Install Discs for emergencies.



Mac OS X versions Cheetah and Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, and Leopard.

11-18-2007, 07:37 AM

Thanks for the help, Guys.
I guess I'll just have to wait and see but if the OS2 comment was a typo, that's fine 'cos I have been reading up a little about Macs and OS9 or OSX I can live with and learn more as I go along.
Cheers,
Steve

11-18-2007, 07:42 AM

I have another Mac, an older iBook which was bought from eBay and came with OS 9 ... I'm used to 10.4.10 on this iMac and while OS 9 was fine to use, I breathed easier once I'd upgraded it to Mac OS 10.3.9 (Panther) as it's closer to what I'm used to.