h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I bought this used G3 ibook a month ago and it came with os 9.2. I realise now that it must have been marked down just when Panther was released and they dropped support for os 9 all together. So it looks like if I ever want to get any new software I will have to get 10.whatever. If I understand my system information here I have 256mg of ram on 2 chips. I was told at the mac store that 10.3 would work better if I had more ram and of course I could buy it there and they could install it.

So I have several questions for anyone:

1. Do I have to get 10.3? I really don't want to spend the money right now. Could I find a cheaper copy of 10.2 somewhere?
2. If I get it do I really need more ram?
3. If I get more ram, I'm pretty sure I could install it myself, but how hard would that be to do?

1. No idea, but its a strong possibility, remeber that certain updates (such as drivers, firmware, etc) and new software will be being relesed for 10.3 only in a few months time.

2. Even for Mac Os X 256 is really advisable, but since you already have this it should be ok, but probebly a bit slow.

3. On a iBook I am not sure, but if you like having a warenty on that RAM (and computer) install by a professional qualified person is a must.

Go to Apples site and check to see whether your iBook is one of the qualifying Macs for a cheap upgrade to Panther.

I manage to run OS X 10.1.5 on a G3 400MHz iMacDV with only 192MB of RAM. I am going to buy Panther soon and will buy extra RAM then. When you do buy RAM, get as much as you can afford.

I wouldn't know where to start with adding RAM to an iBook - .

Another way to get OS X is via a fast internet connection and a peer-to-peer sharing client like Limewire or Mobius. (Not that I would suggest anything illegal like software piracy

Good luck

turvy

There is a walkthrough on the Apple website in the technical help section (as a downloadable .pdf file) on how to add memory to an iBook - the older clamshell style ones at least (like the one I'm tapping away at now) have 64MB built in and can only take up to another 128MB - I'm running OS X (10.2.6) and it's fine, quite stable, if on the slow side (I have to be patient, it is 3 years old, bless)

Thanks all!

I installed my own RAM on my clamshell iBook. If you have those directions, it isn't horribly difficult. You have to use a screwdriver, but that's the hardest bit. Just keep an eye on those screws!

I only have a 300 MHz iBook, so I wouldn't even *try* to install OSX. I suppose if I had better luck with OSX at work, I might have tried it, but it's been nothing but headaches for me since day one. So, I'll putter away using OS9, and dream of a new PowerBook one day.

I've got 10.2 on a 250 Mhz G3. It's decent. I found that a really fast hard drive helped tremendously. At home OS X was better for me right from the start, but at work I had trouble too, and it wasn't until 10.2 and turning on the hidden journaling feature that things started to get better. That and putting the computer on a UPS with voltage regulation - my office has what we call bad electricity - lots of little voltage drops that my cube could not tolerate, but other computers were OK with.