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Martin Rowell · Dec 2, 2003, 01:44 PM

The place my wife works needs to have a Mac to check tech support problems on their web site. Most of the people using the web site with Macs use OS9.

She needs to be able to recreate any browser, (or even printing), problems they might encounter. To do this she will need to be able to run the same software the clients are using. This means she will need to be able to run OS9 versions of IE and Netscape.

If she gets a new, in-the-box iMac with 10.3x will she be able to use OS9 versions of these browsers?

SMacTech · Dec 2, 2003, 02:16 PM

You can run the Classic environment, which is OS 9 running inside of OS X. You can then run any browser you desire in Classic.

wataru · Dec 2, 2003, 02:32 PM

Yes, that is the whole point of Classic.

Martin Rowell · Dec 2, 2003, 02:39 PM

And Classic will be installed in the iMac inside of 10.3?

juanvaldes · Dec 3, 2003, 12:11 AM

Classic is a part of 10.3 that launches OS 9 inside it's own memory bubble and lets it think it's running all by itself. So you can run OS 9 apps along side OS X apps.

But I do not know the status of classic with the new macs that do not boot os 9 nativly but I would assume they still have it.

Anyone confirm?

rytc · Dec 3, 2003, 12:16 AM

Originally posted by juanvaldes:
Classic is a part of 10.3 that launches OS 9 inside it's own memory bubble and lets it think it's running all by itself. So you can run OS 9 apps along side OS X apps.

But I do not know the status of classic with the new macs that do not boot os 9 nativly but I would assume they still have it.

Anyone confirm?

Yes it's there and operates as it always has. You just can't boot into it.

Big Mac · Dec 3, 2003, 12:50 AM

Some of the new machines don't come with Classic preinstalled. It's on the System CDs, but it has to be located and installed from there manually. Once you have classic installed it allows you to run classic OS applications with nearly full compatibility. Incidentally, the company your wife is working for sounds really wonderful to be concerned about Mac compatibility.

asxless · Dec 3, 2003, 08:40 AM

Originally posted by Martin Rowell:
The place my wife works needs to have a Mac to check tech support problems on their web site. Most of the people using the web site with Macs use OS9.

She needs to be able to recreate any browser, (or even printing), problems they might encounter. To do this she will need to be able to run the same software the clients are using. This means she will need to be able to run OS9 versions of IE and Netscape.

If she gets a new, in-the-box iMac with 10.3x will she be able to use OS9 versions of these browsers?

As others have already posted your wife will be able to run OS 9 browsers in Classic on any Mac running OS X. This will allow your wife to recreate most OS 9 _browser_ compatibility problems.

BUT...
Running an OS 9 browser in Classic will _not_ allow her to recreate many of the networking, or printing problems that OS 9 users may have, because Classic uses the underlying OS X for these hardware connections. For example, when walking a user through how to set up the OS 9 networking control panel, she would need to know the differences between the options she sees in Classic and those the user would see in OS 9.

BTW Apple still sells some PowerMac G4 models that will boot directly into OS 9.

-- asxless in iLand

Martin Rowell · Dec 3, 2003, 08:42 AM

Incidentally, the company your wife is working for sounds really wonderful to be concerned about Mac compatibility. [/B]

She's with a reading center run by the state of Florida. Most of the people using the website are teachers using the computers in their schools. And a substantial number of those are Macs. (Of course, we've had Macs at home since '96.)

And thanks a lot for the info. Glad to see that it will be easy.