[X Newbies] New eMac questions

[Alex]

On Sunday, Apr 4, 2004, at 09:58 Canada/Eastern, Dale Critchley wrote:

> [...] Is there a list somewhere of software that will work in OS 9 but 
> not
> "Classic"? I heard DreamWeaver 4 won't work in Classic.

I'd be curious about such a list myself. I expect that apps which 
required direct access to hardware or the file system will either not 
work (e.g., CD-Copy, ZTerm v1.01) or cause file damage. Other apps 
should work, by and large, pretty well, though you may encounter the 
odd cosmetic bug (e.g., Quark v4.11).

> [...] Anything else I need to know/be warned of as someone 
> transitioning from OS
> 9.1 on a 8100/G3 to an eMac running OS X 10.3?

Mac OS X is _not_ Mac as you know it. So gird your loins for the 
journey from scratch. Read, mark, and inwardly digest a good book 
(e.g., David Pogue's "Missing Manual") and forget about being a Mac 
expert. That will come in handy, but only after you accept that this 
ain't Kansas any more.

> What's the easiest way to transfer all my stuff from one to the other,

Hook up your machines in a LAN and copy "all your stuff".

> especially thinking about stuff that's going to mess up Classic? 
> Should I
> just forget about 3rd party extensions, etc.?

What exactly is "stuff"? You can add extensions to Classic one by one 
or in small groups, to weed out possible troublemakers. The same 
applies as above -- anything which accesses hardware directly won't 
work, most of the rest should. Even MacsBug works!

> What must-have (pref. freeware) apps should I know about as a new OS X 
> user?

I'm sure you'll get lots of answers from the list. I suggest something 
different. Don't worry about must-have apps for now. Get your new 
system going. Set up a back up solution. Then learn the new OS, 
customizing it as little as possible to begin with. As you come across 
a task apps and utils bundled with the OS can't do, post a question 
here. In this way you get a feel for the system, and your toolkit will 
grow with your needs.

> What's the easiest way to import video from my VHS home movies? [...]

You need a converter or other device to convert the analogue signal to 
DV. You'll find plenty of suggestions on the web; you could start at  
<http://guide.apple.com/uscategories/hwinput.lasso>. If I were you, I'd 
be looking into purchasing a Mac-compatible DV camcorder with analogue 
inputs. Pricey, but can do more with it than just VHS to DV.

f