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Anyone still use Mac OS 9 or earlier?

wrldwzrd89

wrldwzrd89

macrumors G5
Original poster
Jun 6, 2003
12,110
77
Solon, OH
If you do use Mac OS 9 (either on a PowerPC Mac or via SheepShaver, a "Classic" Mac OS emulator for Mac OS X and other platforms), what do you use it for?

I use Mac OS 9 to run a few REALLY old games that I love to bits but the original developer never ported to Mac OS X. :eek:
 
I'll trump your OS 9 for 8.6. :D

It runs a mail server (SIMS), a USB webcam (no OSX drivers for it) and a simple http server for the webcam on an iMac tray loader 333Mhz with 256MB RAM.
 
I still use (admittedly less since my Pro finally replaced it last month) my PowerMac G4/450 with Mac OS 9 and Final Cut Pro v1 in use as a full-time editing workstation, as well as running prehistoric music apps. (Pro Tools LE, a few ancient synth tools)
 
Yes, I'm using OS9 right now. I'm running it on an iBook G3 with 384 MB of RAM :) Not sure on the other specs, I have yet to find out how to see the specs on OS9. If anyone knows give me a PM and it will be much appreciated!

Anyway, with Classilla and A-Dock, Mac OS9 is a very functional system. I use it almost everyday for games and internet tasks. I have a MacBook Pro which I use for the rest of the things I can't do on the iBook (and when I crave multitouch).

My iBook hasn't got a wireless card that works with my router, so I have to use a DSL cable that plugs into my router. A few days ago I found a really long DSL cable, which allows me to use my iBook on my bed ;)
 
i still use it with every os9 bootable macs i own.
It still runs well on the internet on the pages that don't uses javascript.
 
Last edited:
6.0.x on anything that's capable of running 6, and System 7 on everything else. If the machine's too recent to run 7.x, I don't want it. ;)
 
Let's see Know

My Main I-book Clam is running 10.3.9 with 9.2 (I need 9.2 for the school printer)
My Other two Ibooks are running 9.1 (To lazy to run the updater)
My G3 Imacs run 9.2 and one runs 8.6 while another runs 10.3.


Why I run older systems?

I have no clue, for the fun of it. Plus I like to do work with out interent being in my face
 
I use OS 8.6 because it is the last MacOS to have British English localization!
I use it on a Powerbook G3 "3500" to support legacy peripherals such as a SCSI scanner and ADB drawing tablet with software that cost me a great deal at the time.
 
The physics lab at my school has an *old* Power Computing clone that runs some pre OS X system. I haven't seen what version (it's a print server).
 
My pops still runs 8.1 on an array of old Quadras every day to run his business.
 
I use OS 9.x to run Pagemaker 7.x, Photo shop 5.0.x and Helix Rade Classic on my 17" iMac and 12" Notebook! They still work great! Of course I also have 10.4.x on them both. They are networked with my iMac 27 i7 and MBA 11. :apple:
 
I own tons of CDs from the Classic era… these were the times. LOVE THEM.

Now slowly we’re transitioning to an iPad-like future which is exciting but lacks the pioneering feeling we had in the 90’s with desktops.
 
Dark Fiber said:
I use OS 8.6 because it is the last MacOS to have British English localization!
I use it on a Powerbook G3 "3500" to support legacy peripherals such as a SCSI scanner and ADB drawing tablet with software that cost me a great deal at the time.
Click to expand...

... at least spell localisation correctly if you are happy about British English! :cool:
 
wrldwzrd89 said:
If you do use Mac OS 9 (either on a PowerPC Mac or via SheepShaver, a "Classic" Mac OS emulator for Mac OS X and other platforms), what do you use it for?

I use Mac OS 9 to run a few REALLY old games that I love to bits but the original developer never ported to Mac OS X. :eek:
Click to expand...


I use 8.5 to mount and copy 800k, 1.44k diskettes. I use it somewhat frequently as it is responsible for keeping my mac collection alive. I have somewhere like 65 macs. Ive lost count. haha
 
wrldwzrd89 said:
If you do use Mac OS 9 (either on a PowerPC Mac or via SheepShaver, a "Classic" Mac OS emulator for Mac OS X and other platforms), what do you use it for?
Click to expand...

I have a iBook G3 clamshell running 9.2 with software for my daughter, a IIfx running 7.5.3 on the internet, a G3 Pismo running 9 for S&Gs, and many laptops running variations of system 7 to 8.6 including a PB 100 due to be shipped to me (will be running system 6 when I get it).
 
My 0.5 cents (otherwise known as 2 farthings)

I've got the following systems running Mac OS 9.2.2 to allow me to run high-end stuff on a shoestring budget:

1 Power Mac G4 Quicksilver 2001 733MHz/512MB/120+80GB/DVD-RW/Zip 250 that is a bona-fide 2001 model (with it, the heatsink gives it away, because I made a note of it in MacConnection back in 2001) for everything:
Scanning, getting stuff off of and onto 1.4MB floppies, also have a Palm VII and Palm VIIx with the cradle & Keyspan USB PDA adapter) and a TI-Graph-Link + USB that in 9.2.2 works with the TI-85 Daddy uses for finances when we can't find the TI-83 Plus);

It also has a USB/FireWire PCI combo card, a SCSI card, and the GeForce 2MX in the AGP slot, as well as a PCI slot ATI Radeon Original 32MB to get all the second monitor functionality that Mac OS 9 could need.

I have X installed on it but wind up using 9.2.2 at least 90% of the time just because it's related to System 6.0.8 that runs on my IIci and System 1.1 Finder 1.1g/h that runs on my 128k-that's real joy.) When I use X, it has a 10.3.9 fully updated copy and a 10.3.3 second install for comparing early Panther to late Panther.

1 Power Mac G4 Cube 450MHz/256MB/40GB/DVD-ROM with 17-inch ADC Apple Studio Display of LCD format, G4 Cube USB speakers, child-size Apple USB Keyboard and hockey-puck Apple USB Mouse (I loved them myself) that like the Quicksilver has Panther but doesn't use it as often because it's still got the ATI Rage 128 Pro 16MB graphics (I bought a NVIDIA GeForce 2MX to use with it but it was dead on arrival.) :-(

On Mac OS 9 it's a capable enough backup for when I don't want to take up all the power like the Quicksilver does with 300W (our house being made far back in the 1940's means that it doesn't have robust wiring.)

2 iMac G3 SE (one DV SE, one digital audio SE because it has the CD-RW drive) that the DV SE is Snow and the digital audio SE is Graphite (they are for when you don't need G4 power or real portability). The Graphite model is 600MHz/256MB/40GB/CD-RW and the Snow model is 500MHz/256MB/30GB & DVD-ROM.

Last but definitely not least is:

1 PowerBook G3 Pismo, with 400MHz/512MB/6 GB HD/DVD-ROM I can use as a DVD player for the big truck-nice to get to play DVDs and do HyperCard as well as retro gaming all in one device-we have a car power to AC adapter so that the Pismo PowerBook can charge and run off the car's power. Because of the small hard disk, I am stuck with Mac OS 9.2.2 on it because it makes the best use of space.)

To get the most out of these 5 systems, they all 5 have 56k V.90 modems, they all have FireWire, they share a HP LaserJet 4000N with the following:
3rd Tray
Duplexer
HP JetDirect 610N J4169A/HP JetDirect 600N J3111A for maximum versatility
8MB standard memory + 8MB memory upgrade

Also they have 3 Windows XP machines to help run software that I would otherwise have to force them to run it; and last but not least, an AirPort 802.11b UFO Base Station of Snow/Dual Ethernet class with 4-port switch that keeps everything connected that has the space to b set up. That way I don't have to lessen the security on my Time Capsule.

Other single machine peripherals include a DeskJet 970Cse with duplexer (if the black and white laser printer gets one, the color inkjet should too), the scanner is an Epson Perfection 1250 that has Mac OS 9 drivers, and I will be getting a Keyspan Digital Media Remote so I can look an Intel Mac in the eye and say all I'm lacking when in 9 is Bluetooth as regards stuff that you would want.

I have a USB memory key that allows files to go from the Internet capable machines to the Mac OS 9 machines as well as the reverse (really useful for getting software onto the IIci.)

Apple made some products that really help me live a better life, and I am so thankful to have them. I just wish Mac OS X was as natural to me as I find Mac OS 9.2.2 and below to be; if that was the case I would have more and newer Apple stuff. Oh well.
 
Every system I have that is capable of booting into OS 9 has it installed, although some have been upgraded to the point where OS 9 doesn't run well. As a prime example, I put a hacked Radeon 9600XT video card in my main Quicksilver(2002, dual 1ghz). The 9600 supports core image, which make Tiger run great and Leopard really rock, but at the cost of any video acceleration in OS 9. I'm also running a PCI FX5200 in my G4-upgrade B&W, which locks it out of OS 9(I'm going to get Leopard installed on it one of these days)

Almost all of my G3 systems run OS 9 primarily, although most of them have Tiger installed. I say "almost all" because I have a B&W that runs a couple of versions of Rhapsody and all the OS X DPs.

My lower spec G4s also run OS 9 primarily, although I tend to also install Tiger and/or Leopard on them. I have three Cubes-a factory 450mhz, a factory 500mhz, and one with a Sonnet 800mhz upgrade. The 450 and 500 are primarily OS 9 machines, while the 800 is a Leopard machine.

I also have a G4 Gigabit Ethernet(dual 500) running OS 9 as well as every compatible retail version of OS X from Public Beta to 10.5.8.

I tend to put at least decent OS 9 compatible video cards in AGP G4s that will run OS 9. Two of my Cubes have GEForce 2MXs in them, while the third has a Radeon 7500. Once I get around to flashing it, I have a GEForce 6200(core image support) that's going in the 800mhz. I'd like to get a GEForce 3 for one of the others, as the 2MX runs uncomfortably hot in the Cube for me(even with a base fan).

I also have a blast running it on TiBooks. My 400mhz only has OS 9, while my higher spec ones(867mhz and 2x 1ghz) dual boot Leopard and OS 9. These computers are actually surprisingly fast with Leopard, and are rockets with OS 9.

I'm running GEForce 4MXs in a couple of computers, and Radeon 9000s in a few others. The 9000 is supposedly better performing, but you have to remember to install the drivers before installing the card or OS 9 will lock up at the desktop(the special MDD OS 9.2.2 build doesn't have this problem as this was a stock card). My Sawtooth has one of the super-rare Mac Edition Radeon 8500s. My last GEForce 4Ti died, but I have another on the way. I'm not sure where it's going to end up-possibly in the GigE.

I like OS 9 on higher spec OWR systems(604Es and G3s), so am currently running it pretty much exclusively on my Beige G3s, 8600, and 9600. I also have a 7350 WGS that I haven't even booted up yet :) , and don't know what it has installed. My 8500 is running OS 8, but I probably should upgrade to 8.5. I have Rage 128s in all of my PCI OWR Macs.

My 8600 is undergoing a bit of a project at the moment. I recently installed a Sonnet G4 card at 700mhz with 1mb of L3 Cache. This one has a Radeon 9200 and an IDE Card. I'm planning on installing Leopard on it when I have the time(I need to get more RAM and a USB/Firewire card).

I have a "hotrod" G3 desktop in which I installed the 400mhz processor that I removed from my G4 upgraded B&W. Thanks to 66mhz system bus on the beige boxes, I actually ended up overclocking it slightly to 433mhz. It has a Rage 128 along with a USB and Firewire card. With 768mb of RAM(the max) it's very peppy. When I get into full-time teaching this summer, I'm probably going to use it as an exam writing computer.

I briefly upgraded my Quadra 700 to OS 8, but ended up reverting back to 7.5.5. My SE is currently running System 6(what's installed on the HD20 that I currently boot it off of). Once I get around to replacing the internal drive, I'm probably going to install System 7.
 
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