We believe in the long term value of Apple hardware. You should be able to use your Apple gear as long as it helps you remain productive and meets your needs, upgrading only as necessary. We want to help maximize the life of your Apple gear.
Know Your Mac’s Upgrade Options, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 2008.08.26. Any Mac can be upgraded, but it’s a question of what can be upgraded – RAM, hard drive, video, CPU – and how far it can be upgraded.
Leopard on Pre-AGP, MacTech, 2008.09.03. How to get OS X 10.5 running on a Yikes! Power Mac G4, G4-upgraded Blue & White or Beige Power Mac G3, or PCI Power Mac (or clone) with a G4 daughter card.
The Future of Up-to-Date Browsers for PowerPC Macs, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.08.31. With Intel-only “Snow Leopard” shipping, software support for PPC Macs will continue its decline. Also, a look at SeaMonkey 2 and Camino 1.6.9.
Optimized Software Builds Bring Out the Best in Your Mac, Dan Knight, Low End Mac’s Online Tech Journal, 2009.06.30. Applications compiled for your Mac’s CPU can load more quickly and run faster than ones compiled for universal use.
Is It Worth Maxing the RAM in Old G3 and G4 Macs?, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2009.04.15. Increasing memory can make your old Mac faster and make you more productive, but it probably won’t improve resale value by the amount you spend.
Obsolescence is relative and sub-56k Internet access, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.04.01. Also whether a Blue and White G3 is a viable platform for Leopard, growth in dial-up Internet access, and WiMAX in Canada.
Is Camino now the best browser for older Macs?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.01.13. Camino 1.6.6 works very will with Mac OS X 10.3 through 10.5 and seems especially well suited for slower PowerPC Macs.
The ‘Better Safe Than Sorry’ Guide to Installing Mac OS X Updates, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.12.16. Most users encounter no problems using Software Update, but some preflight work and using the Combo updater means far less chance of trouble.
Why You Should Partition Your Mac’s Hard Drive, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2008.12.11. “At the very least, it makes sense to have a second partition with a bootable version of the Mac OS, so if you have problems with your work partition, you can boot from the ’emergency’ partition to run Disk Utility and other diagnostics.”
Every working computer is useful to someone, Allison Payne, The Budget Mac, 2008.11.19. Whether it’s a PowerBook 1400, G3 iMac, or Power Mac G4, it could be all the computer someone needs.
How to clone Mac OS X to a new hard drive, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.10.07. Whether you want to put a bigger, faster drive in your Mac or clone OS X for use in another Mac, here’s the simple process.
Getting the most from your G3 Mac, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.10.03. Most G3 Macs can be upgraded so they can run Mac OS X 10.4 ‘Tiger’ quite nicely. Here’s how.
The best browsers for older Macs running Tiger, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.09.25. A dialup user’s overview of browsers for Mac OS X 10.4 puts the emphasis on reliability, downloads, and speed.
9 browsers for G3 and older G4 Macs compared, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.09.26. The latest versions of Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Radon, Firefox, Demeter, Sunrise, and Camino that run on Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger”.
Are G3 Macs still viable work machines?, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.09.08. For basic tasks – writing, email, and using the Web – a G3 Mac with Mac OS X 10.4 and sufficient memory provides plenty of power.
Bumps in the road for G3 Macs, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 2008.07.28. MobileMe wouldn’t sync with the Pismo, and Skype’s software refused to install, but both problems were solved.
The Compressed Air Keyboard Repair, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.07.24. If your keyboard isn’t working as well as it once did, blasting under the keys with compressed air may be the cure.
Macs: Better by design, Tamara Keel, Digital Fossils, 2008.07.11. From the beginning, Macs have stood apart from other computers with their attractive and intelligent design.
Power Mac G3/350, Low End Mac Benchmarks, 2008.03.18. The legendary Blue and White Power Mac tested under Mac OS 9, 10.2.8, 10.3.9, and 10.4.11.
Low End Mac’s Compleat Guide to Mac OS 9, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.05.12. Mac OS 9 remains fast and stable, but Classic software hasn’t kept up with the changing internet. Which Macs support OS 9, where to buy it, and how to update to 9.2.2.
Mac OS X 10.2 ‘Jaguar’ can unleash the power of G3 iBooks, Carl Nygren, Classic Macs in the Intel Age, 2008.06.17. After pulling a bad stick of RAM, the Dual USB iBook didn’t have enough memory for Tiger or Linux. But even with just 128 MB of RAM, Jaguar did the job.
Powerful classic Macs: Performa 5400 and Blue and White G3, Carl Nygren, Classic Macs in the Intel Age, 2008.06.11. Two useful old desktop Macs, a Performa 5400 and a Blue and White Power Mac G3, are a great complement to the Vintage Mac Network.
3 ways to better YouTube viewing on older Macs, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.02.06. Watching YouTube videos in your browser on G3 Macs can be painfully slow, but there are several ways to improve your YouTube viewing experience.
Restoring a Blue & White G3 and a ‘Mystic’ Power Mac G4, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2008.01.30. Both of these Power Macs had been unreliable since they were purchased (used). Patience plus trial and error got them both working reliably with Mac OS 9 and X.
Reasons for sticking with the Classic Mac OS, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 2007.10.30. Whether it’s the simplicity, elegance, speed, or desire not to replace lots of expensive hardware, there are lots of good reasons for sticking with Mac OS 9.
Why the Blue and White G3 is the workhorse of the Mac world, Leo Titus LeBron V, Collection Spotlight, 2007.10.26. Introduced in January 1999, the blue and white Power Mac G3 was powerful, expandable, and supported all the way through Mac OS X 10.4 ‘Tiger’.
Why Apple must continue G3 support in Mac OS X 10.5 ‘Leopard’, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2007.05.08. “We’re worried about what happens if Apple unchecks that box in Xcode to include the instructions necessary to run OS X on G3 processors at all.”
Format Any Drive for Older Macs with Patched Apple Tools, Tyler Sable, Classic Restorations, 2007.04.25. Apple HD SC Setup and Drive Setup only work with Apple branded hard drives – until you apply the patches linked to this article.
How much Mac do you really need to run OS X?, Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living, 2006.11.16. You don’t need dual-core Intel processors to read email or use the Web. Here are some 1999-2001 Macs that could be all you need.
Is Ubuntu Linux a sensible alternative for Mac users?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2006.09.18. If your Mac can run OS X decently, is there any reason to try Ubuntu Linux? If it can’t run OS X well, is Ubuntu a reasonable choice?
Is the G3 still a practical choice?, Matthew Jay, Macs to the Max, 2006.08.10. Although the G3 is several generations old, it has enough horsepower for most of the things we do on our computers.
Customizing Mac OS 9, Nathan Thompson, Embracing Obsolescence, 2006.08.01. Fiddling with themes, picking a browser, and making the Classic Mac OS work just the way you want it to.
Making the move from Jaguar (OS X 10.2) to Panther (10.3), Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living, 2006.04.11. One advantage of Apple’s “no upgrades” policy for OS X – someone can give you their old copy after upgrading without worrying about violating their license.
Blue and White Power Mac G3 helps salvage Mac jukebox project, Nathan Thompson, Embracing Obsolescence, 2006.03.30. “Onboard FireWire, USB, and 10/100 ethernet, a 100 MHz bus speed, and a boldly attractive case design combine to make for a solid upgrade from a Beige G3 or earlier G3-upgraded Power Mac.”
What to buy when the old Beige G3 is just too sluggish, Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living, 2006.03.27. When your old Power Mac G3 just can’t keep up with your needs under OS X, it’s time to look at the used Power Mac G4 market. The difference in speed can be astounding.
Web browser tips for the classic Mac OS, Nathan Thompson, Embracing Obsolescence, 2006.01.03. Tips on getting the most out of WaMCom, Mozilla, Internet Explorer, iCab, Opera, and WannaBe using the classic Mac OS.
The best browsers for PowerPC Macs and the classic Mac OS, Nathan Thompson, Embracing Obsolescence, 2005.12.16. Two browsers stand out from the pack: iCab 3 is modern and remains under development, and WaMCom brings Mozilla to older Macs.
Mac OS X and the Blue and White G3 firmware update problem, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report, 2005.03.01. “Catch-22. The firmware update requires that you be running the Classic Mac OS, and the Classic OS won’t run until the firmware update is installed.”
Sonata SD, Sonnet Tech, 2004.06.01. First new PCI video card for the Mac in ages sells for just US$99, supports OS 7.5.3 and later plus OS X 10.1.5 and later, works with VGA or old Mac monitors, 16 MB VRAM.
Stepping up from a Beige G3 to Blue and White, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 2004.02.16. Why it was time to upgrade, benefits of the newer computer, and troubles caused by the Rev. 1 motherboard.
Why Apple’s Blue & White G3 is a best buy, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 2003.03.04. Apple’s Blue & White Power Mac G3 has become very affordable in recent months. The mix of features and value make it a best buy.
Upgrading a Blue and White G3, Evan Kleiman, Mac Daniel, 2002.07.10. Looking at the memory, hard drive, overclocking, CPU, and other upgrade options.
Ode on a Blue G3 (dead link), Niko Coucouvanis, MacAddict, 2000.12.26. “That’s right – I use a machine that’s nearly two years old, and I love it, Moore’s law be damned. “
QuickDraw 3D acceleration in B&W Power Mac G3, Apple TIL 25020, 2000.10.13. summary: No 8-bit support at any resolution, no Portrait support, supports 16- and 24-bit video to 1280 x 1024 and some higher settings.
