Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Enthusiast Zone > Classic Macs and Mac OS > OS?

OS?
Thread Tools
redeew
Forum Regular
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Berkeley Springs,WV/USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 28, 2001, 08:42 PM
 
OK. So what is the best OS???

------------------
Caution; slow typist at work
Brought to you by the Performa 6320
with 48mb ram and a StarMax 3000/160 with 96mb ram and both on OS 8.1
And of course Netscape 4.79
     
xyber233
Mac Elite
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Chicago
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 28, 2001, 08:48 PM
 
Um...could you be more specific? Or do you mean in general? I think in a few months when OS X is finished, it will be the best.

------------------
     
ddiokno
Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: The Valley of the Sun
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 28, 2001, 09:06 PM
 
Originally posted by redeew:
OK. So what is the best OS???

It also depends on what machine you would like to use the OS on... each OS has it's system requirements, and a current OS wouldn't be the best choice for an older machine, just as Mac OS 6.0 wouldn't be the best (nor would it work) on current Macs....
dave
     
redeew  (op)
Forum Regular
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Berkeley Springs,WV/USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 28, 2001, 09:25 PM
 
Alright, how`s about both.
What`s the best one currently available. And what would be the best for a Performa 6320 .

------------------
Caution; slow typist at work
Brought to you by the Performa 6320
with 48mb ram and a StarMax 3000/160 with 96mb ram and both on OS 8.1
And of course Netscape 4.79
     
WDL
Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Kitchener ON Canada
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 28, 2001, 09:52 PM
 
In the opinion of many:

OS 8.6

WDL
     
posthumanus
Senior User
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: melbourne, australia
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 28, 2001, 10:40 PM
 
and in the opinion of others:

OS 9.0.4
     
redeew  (op)
Forum Regular
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Berkeley Springs,WV/USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 28, 2001, 10:57 PM
 
So who`s opinion counts ??

------------------
Caution; slow typist at work
Brought to you by the Performa 6320
with 48mb ram and a StarMax 3000/160 with 96mb ram and both on OS 8.1
And of course Netscape 4.79
     
ddiokno
Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: The Valley of the Sun
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 28, 2001, 11:59 PM
 
Originally posted by redeew:
So who`s opinion counts ??

Hi Redeew,
I think the opinion that counts is your own. Everyone has reasons why they like one operating system over the other, and I'm sure Posthumus and WDL can give you reasons why they like either OS.
IMHO, for a 6320, which has a 120mhz 603e processor which maxes out at 64MB ram and uses main system memory for video, I would suggest using OS 7.6.1 or Mac OS 8.1. OS 8.6 and 9.0 would work on your system, but would overburden your processor.
good luck,
dave

     
theolein
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: zurich, switzerland
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 29, 2001, 08:22 AM
 
OK. So what is the best OS???
On an oldish mac I would go for yellowdog linux. No Joke. it's quick and doesn't require much in the way of hardware resources. Of course, it isn't the mac any more but you can run an emulated mac os using mac-on-linux which is in the opinion of many even better than the classic environment in osx. In your case I would go for mac os 8.1 for performance reasons.

------------------
#ex-dotcom#
weird wabbit
     
redeew  (op)
Forum Regular
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Berkeley Springs,WV/USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 29, 2001, 08:36 PM
 
I`m presently using OS 8.1 without "too" much trouble (lol).
I was just wondering if upgrading would make much of a difference (besides being able to use LimeWire and a few other pickey programs).

------------------
Caution; slow typist at work
Brought to you by the Performa 6320
with 48mb ram and a StarMax 3000/160 with 96mb ram and both on OS 8.1
And of course Netscape 4.79
     
Jsnuff1
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: NY
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 29, 2001, 09:38 PM
 
Originally posted by redeew:
So who`s opinion counts ??

the guy who has the most post counts so i say for your performa 8.6
     
WillyB
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Pottstown, PA. USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
May 30, 2001, 04:30 AM
 
Originally posted by ddiokno:
IMHO, for a 6320, which has a 120mhz 603e processor which maxes out at 64MB ram and uses main system memory for video, I would suggest using OS 7.6.1 or Mac OS 8.1. OS 8.6 and 9.0 would work on your system, but would overburden your processor.
good luck,
dave
I tend to agree with this for a machine like that. I too would suggest OS 7.6.1.... For example, OS 9.0.4 on my machine, is using
59 MB's of RAM (Virtual Memory turned off). Something like that would be awfully demanding of a 6320.

------------------
WillyB. -MacAddict Extraordinaire
-- "Does Microsoft mean 'small & limp?'
     
redeew  (op)
Forum Regular
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Berkeley Springs,WV/USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 3, 2001, 10:23 AM
 
So uh. how much memory does OS 8.6 use?? null
Brought to you by the Performa 6320
with 48mb ram and a StarMax 3000/160 with 96mb ram and both on OS 8.1
And of course Netscape 4.79
     
Jsnuff1
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: NY
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 3, 2001, 01:12 PM
 
if i rember correctly 8.6 used between 30-40 mb on my comp
     
<Trev>
Guest
Status:
Reply With Quote
Jun 4, 2001, 10:43 PM
 
Um... 59 meg for 9, 30-40 meg for 8.6... you must be running a lot of extra additions to your systems... my experience on a PowerBook 3400 (which has a 200mHz 603ev):

OS 8.6 took somewhere between 14 and 18 meg, depending on what was loaded.

OS 9.1 is currently (as I type) at 23 meg, but I've been working all day now and have 4-5 apps open... normally it takes 16-20 meg.

Both figures are with QuickTime 4.1.2, Open Transport, Remote Access, my virus and fax packages, and a few third party system add ons loaded.

Both are without things like ColorSync, QuickDraw 3D, Speech Recognition, Location Manager, FontSync, etc. which I never use. (why load it if I'll never use it?)

My opinion after having recently upgraded to 9.1 is that 9.1 is a bit more stable than 8.6, but at the expense of 3-5 meg of RAM. I haven't really noticed a significant speed difference between the two OS's.

Just my 2c... Trev
     
Cipher13
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2000
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 5, 2001, 06:37 AM
 
8.6 and 9.04/9.1CD (9.1DL is CRAP!)
     
SpeedRacer
Senior User
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Istanbul
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 5, 2001, 07:29 AM
 
I would have to agree with Dave. For a Performa 6320 go with Mac OS 8.1. 64MB of RAM will choke anything higher and if you look at the OS's across time it's not terribly difficult to isolate which OS will work best for you. (You'll notice i focus on "update OS's." - ie: 7.1, 7.6, 8.1, 8.6, 9.1 as these are more often than not the bug-fix versions of the major change OS's (7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9). For example:

8.1:
Works well on early PowerPC-based machines 601, 603, 604 CPUs with a min of 32MB of RAM. First updated modern MacOS with Platinum appearance. Shares many features and forward-compatible with many newer software packages.

8.6:
First MacOS optimized for G3 processors. Works well in machines with min of 64MB of RAM. First updated MacOS with Sherlock searching, widely expanded AppleScript functionality, nearly fully compatibility with current software packages, very stable and excellent multitasking ability on machines meeting minimum system requirements.

9.1:
First updated MacOS with forward compatibility with MacOS X. Works well on machines with min of 96MB of RAM. First updated MacOS with Sherlock 2 search engine, multiple-user login functionality, built-in encryption capabilities, iTools integration, X-style folder structure, enhanced stability

X:
First fundamental change in the core of the MacOS for over 10 years. Works well on machines with min of 192MB of RAM. *nix foundation, Aqua UI, server-class file/web sharing, advanced virtual memory, multi-tasking, and symmetrical multiprocessing, true multi-user OS. Still missing much functionality existent in earlier versions of the MacOS.

HTH.

Speed
     
redeew  (op)
Forum Regular
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Berkeley Springs,WV/USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 6, 2001, 09:42 AM
 
Appreciate it.
So somewhere around OS 12 or 13 (at this rate) it`s going to require having about a gig just to start-up?? nullgig
Brought to you by the Performa 6320
with 48mb ram and a StarMax 3000/160 with 96mb ram and both on OS 8.1
And of course Netscape 4.79
     
bradoesch
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jun 2000
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 7, 2001, 07:16 AM
 
Originally posted by Cipher13:
<STRONG>8.6 and 9.04/9.1CD (9.1DL is CRAP!)</STRONG>
I assume you mean download? There is a difference? What?
     
firefly
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: London, UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 7, 2001, 09:36 AM
 
I would definitely recommend OS 8.1. In fact I've also got a 6320 and I had it on 8.6 for ages. It's always been quite annoyingly sluggish. I decided to try 8.1 on it and it's much more responsive and feels like a faster computer. Of course 8.6 is a much better OS, and has many really neat features. But what I'm doing on the Performa doesn't at all need 8.6, so I've decided to go backwards. One really annoying thing about it though is that it is really rubbish at displaying desktop pictures, the image keeps slowly redrawing* every time you open a window, etc. 8.6 doesn't have this problem at all.

I wouldn't bother going back as far as 7.x. These systems are really past it now. I even tried the original 7.5.3 on the mac to see if it would render a speed increase, but it really isn't much different to 8.1. And it doesn't even have Platinum

BTW, this performa definitely doesn't use system RAM for video memory. There are two 512k SEC chips next to the battery which do that. To prove they definitely are video RAM, I pulled off the chips out of a dead 6200 I had, and put them in a PC ATI video card. And it worked, giving it 2mb! (The 6320 has exactly the same chips)

The video controller is crap* (as is the sound, the 32 bit RAM access, and the slow IDE) , and can't even take full advantage of the 1mb. it can only display 16-bit at 640x480.
     
booboo
Mac Elite
Join Date: Oct 2000
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 7, 2001, 08:17 PM
 
For what it's worth, I too would recommend OS 8.1... this gives you many of the key benefits of 8.5 and beyond - namely HFS+ - but far less demanding on your cpu.

Although I really like the extra polish of 8.5, 8.1 requires far less RAM (especially with VM off) and feels much snappier on almost all lower-end hardware. (IMHO)

You could always use 8.1 combined with more recent versions of Open Transport and QuickTime - that might be the best solution. In fact I like this idea so much I'm going to try it on a Motorala (4400) Clone I'm picking up in a week or so...
Mac Pro 2.66, 2GB RAM | 4 x 250 GB HD's | MOTO 424e/2408-II
     
booboo
Mac Elite
Join Date: Oct 2000
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 7, 2001, 08:23 PM
 
For what it's worth, I too would recommend OS 8.1... this gives you many of the key benefits of 8.5 and beyond - namely HFS+ - but far less demanding on your cpu.

Although I really like the extra polish of 8.5, 8.1 requires far less RAM (especially with VM off) and feels much snappier on almost all lower-end hardware. (IMHO)

You could always use 8.1 combined with more recent versions of Open Transport and QuickTime - that might be the best solution. In fact I like this idea so much I'm going to try it on a Motorala (4400) Clone I'm picking up in a week or so...
Mac Pro 2.66, 2GB RAM | 4 x 250 GB HD's | MOTO 424e/2408-II
     
<anonymous>
Guest
Status:
Reply With Quote
Jun 7, 2001, 11:35 PM
 
For a small price, 8.0 then free 8.1 upgrade;

or 7.6 them free 7.6. upgrade (for things like call waiting/response on one phone line and WMP, etc.)

7.5.5 is free thru 7.5.3 from Apple site d/l

Free Appearance Extension and Appearance Control Panel will get you Platinum and let you run many 3rd part apps w/o 8.0/1.
     
redeew  (op)
Forum Regular
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Berkeley Springs,WV/USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 9, 2001, 12:15 AM
 
Ok
Thanks
Brought to you by the Performa 6320
with 48mb ram and a StarMax 3000/160 with 96mb ram and both on OS 8.1
And of course Netscape 4.79
     
Justin Belisle
Forum Regular
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 9, 2001, 01:07 PM
 
I would suggest eather 8.1 or 8.6. It's your choice. I have a Performa 6400/180 and it works well under 8.6.
Justin Belisle
[email protected]
     
redeew  (op)
Forum Regular
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Berkeley Springs,WV/USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 9, 2001, 10:46 PM
 
I know somebody`s going to complain that this questions in the wrong place buuutt,,
How come I`m limited to 64mgs???
Brought to you by the Performa 6320
with 48mb ram and a StarMax 3000/160 with 96mb ram and both on OS 8.1
And of course Netscape 4.79
     
Corinthian
Forum Regular
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Hong Kong
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 10, 2001, 01:35 AM
 
Hi,
Do anybody have the experience in using OS 7.5.3 or before? How would it be like and what's the differences between them and the presnet OSes?
Besides, can anybody point out what is Platinum Appearance exactly is? I cannot distinguish them too well.....
Thanks ahead!
TiBook rulezz~~

TiBook 800/512/40/Combo Drive
TiBook Giga/512/60/SuperDrive
     
redeew  (op)
Forum Regular
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Berkeley Springs,WV/USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 12, 2001, 12:03 AM
 
Originally posted by &lt;anonymous&gt;:
<STRONG>For a small price, 8.0 then free 8.1 upgrade;

or 7.6 them free 7.6. upgrade (for things like call waiting/response on one phone line and WMP, etc.)

7.5.5 is free thru 7.5.3 from Apple site d/l

Free Appearance Extension and Appearance Control Panel will get you Platinum and let you run many 3rd part apps w/o 8.0/1.</STRONG>
And where can I find these elusive files/programs ??

And where can I find these elusive files/programs ??<font color = red> </font>
Brought to you by the Performa 6320
with 48mb ram and a StarMax 3000/160 with 96mb ram and both on OS 8.1
And of course Netscape 4.79
     
<anonymous>
Guest
Status:
Reply With Quote
Jun 12, 2001, 09:26 AM
 
Here's the Appearance Manager (should include both the exten. and the CP)but you don't need it for OS 8.0 and newer:

http://hotfiles.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/te...de=27713&b=mac

You can d/l 7.5.3 and the 7.5.5 update, both free, from the Apple website

http://www.apple.com enter Software or 7.5.5 in search box.
     
<anonymous>
Guest
Status:
Reply With Quote
Jun 12, 2001, 09:32 AM
 
     
SpeedRacer
Senior User
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Istanbul
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 12, 2001, 10:40 PM
 
Originally posted by Corinthian:
<STRONG>Hi,
Do anybody have the experience in using OS 7.5.3 or before? How would it be like and what's the differences between them and the presnet OSes?
</STRONG>
Here's an overview: they sucked.

I remember my Performa 6116 shipping with ~7.5. It was a nightmare. Crashed constantly. Networking suffering from technoschzinoprenia - having to select "Classic" or "Open Transport" networking through a separate networking utility outside of TCP CP. While 8.1 was noticeably better than 8.0, the latter was still eons better than all other MacOS' up to and including v7.5.5.

Highly not recommended.

Speed
     
<anonymous>
Guest
Status:
Reply With Quote
Jun 13, 2001, 10:18 AM
 
SR,

Your problem may have been "~7.5". Once you got to 7.5.5, you still got some type 11 errors, but the system was much more stable, at least that has been the case on my PPC 5400/180. Now, the type 10 extension conflict errors and freezes... well that still happens even with the modern classic OS's. Just the nature of the "extensions" concept of operations.
     
macvillage.net
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jun 13, 2001, 08:32 PM
 
I have had an excelent experience (unlike many others) with 9.1, so that is my favorite, though my other favorite is 8.6
     
   
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:46 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,