Apps For OS 9?

[UniverseA7X]

I own a Rev. 1 (affectionately referred to as the "heartbreaker" i can see why..) Blue and White Power Mac G3. It was a steal at $10 USD. Shipping cost more than the computer. However, I've been struggling with OS X on it, not quite surprisingly. It's got 1GB of ram, so performance isn't too much of an issue, it's just all the damn kernel panics...

I have 10.2 running now decently, but it only boots up right in safe mode. Biting the bullet and deciding I've got nothing to lose, I'm installing Panther on it. If that doesn't give me trouble (I have my doubts...), then that's what will be run on it.

However, I have a strong feeling that I'm going to have to run OS 9 on it, as that has no hiccups. I'd just be using it for Internet browsing and as a jukebox, just to hook up to my stereo and play music in my room. It just has to turn on with no problems...:lolflag:

however my question is, is there any good software out there that's not TOO out of date for OS 9? I know iCab is a fairly recent browser available for OS 9, I'll probably go with that. Are there any good media players out there, or will iTunes 4(?) suffice for my needs?

Thanks. :)

brandon

[UniverseA7X]

Hokay..

I am typing this message on OS 9.2.1, In Internet Explorer 5 (?), and it's very outdated and displays things wrong...

I'm going to give iCab a shot, get iTunes or an equivalent on here, and the rearrange my room tomorrow.


Again, please share any applications you think may be useful! :D

[3rdalbum]

An older version of MusicMatch Jukebox will work on there, or iTunes if you like your music manager to take up most of the screen. :-)

[UniverseA7X]

An older version of MusicMatch Jukebox will work on there, or iTunes if you like your music manager to take up most of the screen. :-)

:|

I'm using itunes and it doesn't use the whole screen, it's in it's miniplayer form right now as well.

I will look into musicmatch jukebox though.

[spencercarran]

Linux would probably work on that.

Just sayin'.

[UniverseA7X]

Linux would probably work on that.

Just sayin'.

No Hurt in sayin'. :D

That is where the problems lie. Since this is the Rev. 1, things get super quirky. I have tried Ubuntu, Debian, Yellow Dog, and Xubuntu, and they all hardly worked. The only one that booted into a graphical environment was Xubuntu, and the graphics were buggy because it has an ATI card in it. Debian Lenny got as far as a CLI installation, but running X was a little impossible. I might be able to try Debian now since I know a bit more about Aptitude and configuring X. But I have OS 9 on it, and it turns on and boots up reliably. So I'll stay here for a while. :)

[Dremora]

Hardly any apps for OS 9, there won't even be a modern browser when the guy making iCab stops supporting it.

You'd be much better off with Linux.

[3rdalbum]

Even Xubuntu is a bit too heavy for that thing, especially since you should be using the latest one.

[Dojan5]

I don't know, but why don't you try installing OS X on it?

Even Xubuntu is a bit too heavy for that thing, especially since you should be using the latest one.
I don't think so, the only thing that makes me wonder if it could run OS X (Not leopard, but 10.1 maybe?) is the CPU clocking.
Maybe SliTaz would work, but I don't know wether they have a Mac version of it...

[mips]

Maybe SliTaz would work, but I don't know wether they have a Mac version of it...

There is no PPC version of SliTaz.

For PPC distros see:
http://penguinppc.org/about/distributions.php

CRUX should fly on that machine.

There is also NetBSD.

[3rdalbum]

I don't know, but why don't you try installing OS X on it?

Re-read the original post :-)

Gentoo has a PowerPC version. I hear it's rather good, if you're a Gentoo kind of person.

[I-75]

From what I have experienced, the only problem running Linux is the problem of flash..thus no You Tube or web embedded videos..but this is only with the Power PC platform. Of course Linux on the PC there is no major problem installing and using flash. Gnash for PPC is more hit or miss and not likely to work.

My recommendations for the PPC are Ubuntu 7.04 using the alternate install disc for PPC. And you might want to replace the motherboard battery if its dead as it can sometimes upset the install.

I have OSX Panther running on a G3 I Mac with only 160 MB Ram, it works OK. You will find more modern apps with Panther or better than with OS9. OS 9 is comparable to Windows 95 in technology...in my opinion. You can find used Panther OSX discs on E-bay.

Don't let the lack of flash on Linux/Power PC stop you from experimenting. Go for it and give it a try.

[MikeTheC]

I actually have Debian 4 up and running on a Mac that pre-dates the Blue & White G3. I find that Debian 4 and Gnome actually run just fine on it.

Now, let me qualify that statement by saying it's no speed demon, but it does work and, considering the generation of hardware, the performance is respectable.

The Blue & White G3s, insofar as Apple's "desktop" computers are concerned, are amongst the first of the "New World ROM" Macs that Apple built. This makes things considerably easier than they were for me in setting my old PowerMac G3 up, since the New World ROM systems allow booting things other than an Apple-produced OS.

While it's not hooked up at the moment, the reason I set up my system with Linux was to repurpose the old, old box (we're talking 1997 vintage here) as a web and file server. From the outside world, you'd never realize it's an ancient system.

Now, getting this thread somewhat back on-topic, I've never used MusicMatch Jukebox (though if memory serves that's the program that became iTunes when Apple bought the company), but I have used Audion, and it's pretty awesome. With the "Pro" paid-for version, you even have access to the LAME 3.92 MP3 encoder, should you feel adventurous on that system.

[dai_vernon]

An old version of itunes will work fine on an OS 9 box. In terms of browser, I had some old version of netscape on my os 9 install last I remembered - what with the modernity of the web lately web browsing on os 9 is likely going to be nothing but a headache. If you really want to use it as a modern computer I would suggest linux.

That said, there's something charming about os 9 - it makes me nostalgic for the "good" ol' days of my 68k runnig system 7.6.1 :D

[MikeTheC]

An old version of itunes will work fine on an OS 9 box. In terms of browser, I had some old version of netscape on my os 9 install last I remembered - what with the modernity of the web lately web browsing on os 9 is likely going to be nothing but a headache. If you really want to use it as a modern computer I would suggest linux.

That said, there's something charming about os 9 - it makes me nostalgic for the "good" ol' days of my 68k runnig system 7.6.1 :D

*nostalgically remembers his Mac Plus and System 3.2/Finder 4.1*

Ahh...

[factotum218]

If you end up having to go the linux route, a minimal debian installation with xfce or E17 would probably work well enough. As far as browsers go, maybe Dillo or something similar. As far as music goes I would just go with some kind of ncurses application like CMus.