hi, I am new....gonna try mac.....

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hey , is this easy?


there is a g4 for 99 bucks......

I think I want to start with a g4 tower desktop...

as long as it has the osx....10.something, I should be good, right?



am I on the right track?


rokkitt




is there a husge difference between mac os x systems?

Versions of Mac OS X include:

* Mac OS X v10.0 (Cheetah)
* Mac OS X v10.1 (Puma)
* Mac OS X v10.2 (Jaguar)
* Mac OS X v10.3 (Panther)
* Mac OS X v10.4 (Tiger)
* Mac OS X v10.5 (Leopard)



like what are some of the differences....?





(i hate my pcs....just cant take the viruses)

oh, and do I have to listen to itunes? or, cna I use some other mp3 music thingy....


like this one...
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/sys/490038938.html



now, is it still the same as a pc....llike hard drive to memory to processor speed .....more is better kinda thing?



feel freee to point me in the right direction.....O:)

search, right? hahahhaha I will , but basically am I on the right track....?????
 
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I can't answer any of those questions but I'll comment on iTunes..... it's a great mp3 player/organizer and if you get an iPod.. the two go hand in hand. you could use the Mac version of Windows media player ...... but I wouldn't recommend it.

Choice really.... try it you'll like it. As for the OS... Tiger was/is a solid OS, I don't remember the others .... been too long I guess. Leopard is great! Just MHO
 
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so I am probably gonna start out with a power mac G4....

they sell used around here for 100 bucks.

At least I can get into the mac experience, and check it out....


are there any G4's I should stay away from?


I was thinking the blue face one or the grey face one.....


is that how you tell the different models?

I have been reading about the "blue and white" and the "gigabyte" versions, but still a little confusing...


hey, they all work, it is a matter of how fast! hehehhehe....or are some more problematic>?


thanks


al
 
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Welcome to Mac-Forums, rokkitt.

I personally would not go below Panther 10.3.x because Cheetah, Puma and Jaguar were a bit unstable. Depending on the Mac you get (there are a lot of G4 Power Mac models), Panther or Tiger, with RAM maxed out, might be the furthest you can go.

Leopard minimum requirements are Power Mac G4 867MHz or faster (which means Power Mac G5 or Intel Mac Pro) so if your G4 is slower than 867MHz, stay with either Panther (10.3.x) or Tiger (10.4.x).

Hope this helps. :)
 
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thanks!

that really does help, I will continue my search...

allen
 
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I dont want to get 9.x right?

that would be going backwards.......correct?

but, would it work?

and what is so much better about the 10.x OSX?


thanks

al
 
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I dont want to get 9.x right?

that would be going backwards.......correct?
OS 9.x has not been updated for seven years. Many websites won't work with 9 because its versions of Flash/Shockwave and JavaScript are too old (even if you can load the most recent Flash — very old — which is a problem all its own).

The browser iCab for OS 9 is touted as being up to date, but it remains limited because of Flash/Shockwave and JavaScript.

All OS 9 applications are seven years out of date, at best.

OS X is far more stable than 9, and really, comparing the two is like comparing a new BMW to a Ford Model A. The entire architecture is different, making any list of improvements longer than Santa's gift list encompassing the entire planet.

Glance through this thread to scratch the surface of some of the problems OS 9 presents.
 
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okay ...thanks! I will check out that thread....


I am almost ready to get a laptop...a G3 ibook to start...


they run about 250 to 300 on NYC craigslist.....

so,

I need OSX.....got it

now, are the speeds of the processor equivalent to what PC's are?

and ....how much memory is enough? I know more is better, but with WINDOZE...I needed at least 512mb.....what is it like with mac?

I need...........

access to internet
word
xl
photoshop to mod pics
some web development thing -basic, cuz i dont know how to do web sites...


remember, I am in real estate, so I am working with xl sheets, pics of apartments, and making a little marketing website for myself....


any models I shoudl stay away from? in the G3 ibook line>? I dont want the clamshell colors model....



thinking of this one, 12 inch ....

iBook G3 Dual USB Late 2001 (October 16, 2001) - Minor revision
600 MHz
15 GB Hard Disk (most models)
Mac OS X 10.1
(Other specifications same as Dual USB)



or, can I run OSX on this one, the generation earlier model....


iBook G3 Dual USB (May 1, 2001) – Second Generation iBook G3
12.1-inch Active-matrix TFT Display (1024x768 max resolution)
PowerPC G3 500 mHz
256 KB L2 cache
64 or 128 MB RAM
ATI Rage Mobility 8 MB VRAM
10 GB Hard Disk
CD/CDRW/DVD/Combo
USB 1.1, Firewire, Video Out, Ethernet
Airport (802.11b, optional)
Mac OS 9.1
2.2 kg


I want a 12 inch model to keep the cost down for now....
 
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I am almost ready to get a laptop...a G3 ibook to start...

now, are the speeds of the processor equivalent to what PC's are?

and ....how much memory is enough?
Direct comparisons between Intel chips and the pre-Intel Mac PowerPC chips lead to the wrong conclusions because the PowerPC chips performed more actions per clock cycle than did the Intel chips of the same era. See the megahertz myth.

I ran OS X Panther, the immediate predessor to Tiger, on a G3 tower with 512 megs of RAM. It was slow, but not unbearably so, though I would hate to go back to it. OS 9 on this ancient iMac I'm using now is two or three times as fast as OS X on that G3.

You'd probably have better luck running Panther than the newer Tiger. But if you could swing a G4 machine, even of the same clock speed, you'd be much better off because the G4 chip handles OS X graphics better — it has the so-called velocity engine.

With any slow machine especially, more RAM is better. It would not have to write to the disk as often if it had a gig or two of RAM rather than 512 megs, so it would, in effect, be faster.

I won't venture an opinion on one model laptop versus another because I have never used one for any length of time, and know little about them. I prefer desktops.

Edited to add: Regarding that machine with 9.1: OS 9 needs constant TLC in comparison to OS X. Sooner or later, probably sooner, you'd need Norton Disk Doctor (absolute poison to OS X but excellent for OS 9) and/or Disk Warrior for OS 9. You'd need a ton of good luck finding them.
 
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ok so ....

this is prolly what I am gonna go pic up right now...

iBook G3 12" 500MHz Airport card and Combo Drive 384meg memory


Upgraded to a 10 gig drive, 384 megs and Tiger OS with office 2004


So thanks for the help!

I will be mac-ified next time I post.....hopefully


Allen
 
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If it's not too late, make sure you get the install/repair disks. If you don't, you'll end up having to buy a new set when, not if, you need to run repairs on the system.
 
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oops.....too late....

how much are those?


allen
 
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$129 new, from Apple. But see what you can find on eBay or other sites like it.

Selling a Mac without the disks should be made a criminal offence. Maybe you can contact the seller and find out whether he has the disks. He might be selling them separately or sold them separately to make a fast buck.

If you find a used set, make sure they are for your model of Mac. Each model is shipped new with its own set that won't work with any other model.

After-market retail sets from Apple will work on any model, but make sure, anyway. Some used disk sets will, too, but it would be up to you to make sure before purchase.

Whether you can get the disks from your seller or not, get them sooner rather than later or you'll be stuck when a system error occurs, assuming the OS works properly now.
 
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Hey Brown Study..

Thanks for the support...

now, I have a ibook G3 model number M6497...."the icebook" dual usb...

so, can you inform me what rev of Tiger I need>?

I have seen that there are different versions of tiger out there. what level do I need?


and what disks (how many disks) do I need?

I called the guy, and he said that he would get me a disk...( only 1 disk??? ) seems like should be more than one disk....

looking on ebay, I see some with two disks, and some with lotsa disks....


AND....................


when I get the OS sorted out....


I want to get****************

--512 mem chip ( 40 dollars, right? )
--upgrade the 10 G to a 60 G drive...( I have this already, just have to load OS....hard to do? )
--photoshop, or some kind of picture editing software ( suggestions to alternative, and how much is basic photoshop anyway? )



ONE last thing,.....didn't all ibook G3's, (not the color clamshell ones) get a combo drive as stock? I am being told it is an upgrade, but I thought they were standard equipment....

thanks

Allen
 
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(i hate my pcs....just cant take the viruses)

Boy is that the truth. Not having to cripple your new Mac with anti-virus software is so refreshing and nice! It really can not be overstated how great it is.

nick
 
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You should be able to find your Mac here, where its original specs should be listed. Another good site full of info is lowendmac.com. The Mac Museum link on the left of the main page might have info on it, too.
so, can you inform me what rev of Tiger I need>?
There is only one version of each separately named OS, such as Jaguar, Panther, Tiger and Leopard. Apple might update them on later versions of the DVD (or CDs), but any such updates would only incorporate the free updates available under the Software Update drop-down menu. So go nuts with the free updates.

I didn't check that first linked site, above, to see whether your machine can read DVDs. I assume it can. But if it can read only CDs, you can still get the OS from Apple, but it apparently costs an extra 10 bucks.

I don't know which disks would have shipped with your machine, but as well as the OS, probably a DVD or DVDs that included a system restore, as well as an OS install, and perhaps a hardware-check application. Someone else might know more about this than I do.

I know nothing about the cost of a RAM upgrade or hard-drive-swap particulars.
--photoshop, or some kind of picture editing software ( suggestions to alternative, and how much is basic photoshop anyway? )
Check out Color It! and Enhance. I bought Color It years and years ago, then updated to Enhance. I prefer Enhance to Photoshop. It's wayyyyy cheaper and takes up much less disk space. Both are OS X native for PowerPC Macs. My much older version of Enhance was written for OS 9. I love it.
 
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now.....when I get the OS disks for tiger....(one disk, a DVD right?) and another DVD disk for restore, right?

Do I need a activation code or a password key like I used to with windows?

an "activation key" or a "software key" for the operating system I think they call it.....


Do I need that?



Thanks for the above info, so helpful@!

al
 
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I can't recall how many disks you'd get. I bought my G4 years and three moves ago, and the only disk I can find now is the installer that includes the OS repair application. Apple might have changed its disk setup since then, or it might have been different with the G3s. Someone else probably will know, though. (I never quite understood the purpose of the "restore" disk, anyway. Seems to me that an install is the same thing.)

There are no activation codes or passwords required.
 
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Oops. I went back to the Enhance web page. It still runs only under Classic, though Color It was rewritten for OS X, but only for pre-Intel Macs. So forget Enhance.
 
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Boy is that the truth. Not having to cripple your new Mac with anti-virus software is so refreshing and nice! It really can not be overstated how great it is.

nick

I would just like to interject and say that not once in the 4+ years that I have been running XP on my desktop have I ever encountered a virus. And I leave my computer running 24/7; only restarting if a software installation or something calls for it.
 

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