[HM] Re: need imac advice ASAP! *PART 1*

[Paul N. Reid]

On 05/02/2003 13:03, "Jane Sprando" <janesprando at msn.com> wrote:

> I have been trying to look at the pros and cons about buying the 9/OS X
> iMac.  A con would be a slower Mac and not newest technology.  How bad would
> that be?
> jane

Hey Jane,

You have received a great deal of solid advice in this thread so far, on
*both* sides of the issue.  The points made from both sides have - in most
cases, been valid and I hope you have considered them carefully.  I would
guess that at this point you are feeling much better informed, but still
wondering what to do next.  My humble advice would be dive into the research
into what you have and what you want to do next (I never suggested it would
be earth-shattering advice!).     : )

But the following things should be figured into the final decision, and only
you can find the answers. I offer these simply as points of the process, and
do not mean to suggest one point is more valuable than its counterpoint
(e.g. In point 1) I don't suggest you should place any more (or less) weight
on space consideration than you might for the most current technology... )

...With one exception: Don't change platforms!  whether it is to be OS 9 or
OS X, both are infinitely superior to any window's box option!    8^)
So, here it goes, in no particular order of importance (though you might
consider starting with the last point first):

1) I space a major issue in your decision, or does staying current with the
state of the art technologies feel more important?

€ If space is not a serious concern, refer to point ) below,
€ if it is a serious concern, then the G3 tower may be expendable, and
    should be figured in the overall financial equation - refer to
    point III) below

B) If you upgrade your hardware, are you better off upgrading the components
of of your current machine?  NOTE HERE: your current machine *will* boot
from both 9 and OS X and is a easy CPU to upgrade!

€ If you are even considering upgrading, then decide what components you
    would like/need to upgrade (and include the cost of OS X) and compare
    that to the price of upgrading the entire CPU.

III) How "expendable" is your particular income? Is the iMac quandary more
about the $300.00 between the choices or or is it more about the "hidden"
costs?

€ If the $300.00 is critical, then consider that the current fair-market
    value of you G3 tower is approximately between $200.00 and „$450.00
    depending on condition and configuration, and would most likely be
    reasonably easy to sell to someone looking for an economical network
    file server or back-up server.  Refer to point ) below.
€ If the $300 is not critical, Refer to point ) below. And take the next
    step in looking into upgrade costs of *essential* software. See point v)
    below.

) In the long run, would you be better served by a small network, or a
single machine?

€ How many folks are currently fight for keyboard time.  If there is even a
    single other user, the advantages of a network expand exponentially!
€ If networking multiple machines is a consideration, consider the value of
    your current G3 Tower as an economical network file server or back-up
    server. 
€ If you decide that a single machine is the better option for you,  take
    the next step in looking into upgrade costs of *essential* software. See
    point v) below.

v)  If you decide to upgrade to OS X, seriously research your current and
future software needs.

€ Make a thorough list of the software you are using, and research what will
    run in classic, what will run on OS X, and what requires booting from 9
    to run.
€ If an application will run either under OS X or classic, your fine either
    upgrading your G3 or buying the newest iMac.
€ If an app will only run when booted into 9, decide how important it is to
    you, and if it is critical, research the availability and cost of
    upgrades, as well as alternative apps that do the same thing but run in
    OS X or Classic.  Once researched, you would next reconsider the
    financial picture to determine which options are viable.

Part 2 to follow!

ShrinkMan

------------------------------------------------------
Paul N. Reid, M.S.
AASP Certified Systems Technician
Point of No Return Productions
pnreid at cox.net

"I like the escalator because it can never be broken... It can only become
 stairs.  You will never see an escalator with a sign on it saying
'Escalator Temporarily Out of Order', only an escalator with a sign saying
'Escalator Temporarily Stairs... Sorry for the Convenience'."

Mitch Hedberg