Recycled Computing

There's Still a Place for G3 Macs in the Age of Leopard

- 2008.09.09

Popularity:

It's time for me to face facts. While my old G3 iMac functions as a print server for my home network, it has really ceased to function as a viable computer. I use my Pismo for all of my computing needs, and as a result, I don't turn on the old G3 very often. Of course, when I want print something, I have to turn it on.

I may take the old sage G3, hook it up to my stereo system, and use it to play my iTunes library. It would save the wear and tear on my vinyl and cassettes and shuffle my tunes effortlessly.

sage iMac

As you can see in the next photo, the old gal has every thing but the kitchen sink attached to her:

ports on iMac

Still, do not cry for me, Cupertino. The high school I work at has just purchased brand new (at least to us) computers for the the labs I supervise. In our Writing Center we have new 17" (plastic) iMacs.

In our newly named Graphics Lab, we have 20" brushed aluminum iMacs.

graphics lab All of the new Macs use the same disk image, so I will be getting used to Leopard as an operating system. Since I will be using Apple Remote Desktop, the same disk image and same machines means less trouble running scripts and whatnot.

Now, if I can just get Leopard on my school desktop....

As the Apple turns, progress dictates that Intel chips rule, and we PowerPC owners will have to concentrate on the workarounds, old software libraries, and dodges to keep our beloved Pismos, G3s, G4s, and G5s running.

I will still be using my Pismo until they pry it from my cold, dead fingers. I type all my articles for Low End Mac using this 9-year-old laptop and see no reason to stop using this wonderful keyboard.

I just sent my daughter off to college equipped with her iBook G4.

If you have to send your prodigy off to school, consider the Pismo route. You can still buy them cheap, and it's easy to add more memory and a larger hard drive. As long as you don't need up-to-date graphics capability, a Pismo has the connectivity and software (I run "Tiger" OS X 10.4.11 with only 512 MB RAM) to work for a typical college student. If you happen to have an old AirPort Card or 2.5" hard drive lying around, so much the better. (No AirPort Card? Check out WiFi Cards for PowerBooks with PC Card Slots for 802.11g options.)

Trust me, the Pismo is that easy to work on.

And even though I have Intel chips in my labs, I still have a Pismo in my heart.

Join us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, use our Google+ page, or read our RSS news feed

Recent Recycled Computing Columns

Changes, 2012.10.16. A new job has John Hatchett considered something of an iPad expert.
In Praise of Optical Viewfinders, 2012.07.30. Although modern digital cameras have digital viewscreens, there's something to be said for the traditional viewfinder.
The Lion Sleeps (on My MacBook) Tonight, 2012.07.05. Starting with a full backup, a Time Machine Backup, and an OS X 10.7 thumb drive, John Hatchett moved to Lion.
More in the Recycled Computing index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Quadra 950, introduced 1992.05.18. Apple's huge tower has 5 NuBus slots and runs a 33 MHz 68040 processor.
May 18 in LEM history: 92: Quadra 950 - 99: OS 8.6 more stable - 00: What can you squeeze into a compact Mac? - 01: Friendly LC 500s - Leaving Win2k behind - 05: OS X 10.4.1 update - A new PowerBook with Tiger - Tiger: Lots to like, but some annoyances - 06: 400K floppy click of death - I wish Apple were more like Microsoft - 07: 9.9% notebook market share
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Opinions expressed are those of their authors and may not reflect the opinion of Cobweb Publishing. Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all.
Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2013 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Low End Mac, LowEndMac, and lowendmac.com are trademarks of Cobweb Publishing Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad, iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, Mac Pro, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it, and we don't share the information we have with others. For more details, see our Terms of Use.