Recycled Computing

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

- 2008.09.09

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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.

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Recent Recycled Computing Columns

Adventures in Intel Mac Land, Part 2, 2012.01.09. One big advantage of an Intel Mac is the ability to run Google's fast and easy Chrome browser.
Adventures in Intel Mac Land, Part 1, 2012.01.06. With its dual-core Intel processor, the MacBook rips music and video far faster than a G4 ever could.
Blackbird MacBook, 2012.01.03. The PowerBook G4 is dead. Time to go with a black 13.3" MacBook and enter the Mac's Intel Age.
More in the Recycled Computing index.

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Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
February 14 in LEM history: 98: A perfect compact Mac - 00: Extended computer warranties worth the cost? - Making your PC work with your Mac - 01: Customize Microsoft Word - 02: Quadra revives a passion for computing - 03: Real world performance - DIY Pismo screen replacement - Best Mac for writing - 03: Fastest browser on the Mac - 06: 15" MacBook Pro - Impressions of a newly acquired Lisa - Finding and using free WiFi - Apple should liberate OS 9 - 07: New Mac mini cheaper than upgrading a Power Mac - 08: Falling in love with OS X
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