[kevs]

I don't use OS 9 for anything anymore. But I'm going to start. Several Epson senior level techs, say go to OS 9 for headache free printing on Epson printers. I just been tortured with Epson printers and OS10 and there is no solution in site.

Now I'm on G4. If I get G5 down the road, will I be able to put OS9 on it?

[finboy]

I don't think any G4s or a G5 will be able to boot into OS9, and that may be the only way to improve the performance of something like a driver. Classic should run on either, but I doubt that was what they were talking about.

I just bought one of the dual boot G3 ibooks for the same reason (sorta). I want to boot into 9 for a couple more years.

[kevs]

Boy that's a confusing answer.

Ok, lets not worry about G4. I have a G4. It came with OS9, and it still boots into OS 9.

I just though someone on this site would know if with the G5's -- you will be able to install OS9 and work from OS9 -- if not, its another call to Apple sales team. thanks!

[Timo]

OS 9 on a G5 system is called "classic" -- OS 9 runs in OS X. OS 9 programs (and print jobs) run in classic. As to whether print jobs in classic are exactly the same as on a computer booted into OS 9; well, that depends on the print job.

You cannot boot into OS 9 with a G5; you must use the classic environment.

[Personally, I don't know why you'd want to make your OS match your printer, rather than the other way around. But perhaps you won't have a problem printing from classic -- give it a try.]

[kevs]

Thanks Timo
Well I'm thinking ahead right now to when I may want the G5, 1-4 years, not sure yet.

But for now I'm going to boot directly into OS 9.2.2. I just downloaded the Epson OS 9 drivers and my mouse driver in OS 9. I'm now going to down load Photoship 7 into OS 9.

You see, I have two expensive Epson printers, and after two years, I'm giving up on printing with them in OS10. I just talked today with another Epson tech, and they advised this, and they are right! The engineers at Epson cannot and will never get good drivers for OS10. The problem seems to be indefinite.

Do you think I'll be able to do all this (driver stuff and printing) from Classic?

[Nyuni]

Kevs -

You most certainly can print from Classic! The only caveat is that you'll have your Epson drivers installed under OS 9 in the classic environment - thus that means if you want to print from the OS X environment, you'll have to have drivers there as well. Since you don't seem to be doing much of your printing in OS X, this might not be a problem for you.

The many advantages of OS X would keep me from EVER wanting to go back to OS 9, no matter what driver issues (I'm left in the dark with a UMAX scanner which UMAX stubbornly refuses to write OS X drivers for.) Great thing about OS 9 in the Classic environment under OS X is that if OS 9 crashes, it just takes out the Classic Environment... it doesn't hang the whole system. OS 9 was never known as being a pillar of stability. (8.6 on the other hand.. man, that was rock solid.)

[bradoesch]

Originally posted by Nyuni:
OS 9 was never known as being a pillar of stability. (8.6 on the other hand.. man, that was rock solid.)

Heh, remember when Apple used to call System 7 rock solid? I remember that from a readme or something.

[Johnny_B]

Never had troubles with System 7. Still runs as stabile as 1990 on SE's, Classics and LC's. 7.1 that is.

[finboy]

Sorry for the confusion.

The following tech note explains which computers WILL boot in 9 and which will not. Happy hunting.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86209