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| Author | PPC vs 68k on System 7 (Read 27542 times) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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acarteas
4 MB  Posts: 7 System 7 Newcomer! 
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on: June 06, 2021, 22:50
Greetings all, I'm considering the value in obtaining an early G3 to run System 7. Is there anything that such a machine would offer over a late model G4 running OS9? Based on very superficial testing, it seems as though most (all?) System 7 programs that are written for System 7 / PPC also run in OS9. Would it instead be more beneficial from a completeness perspective for me to obtain a 68K Mac to gain access to all of the 68k-only software? I already have an SE/30 but I would like to get something that supports color, an external LCD panell, and is easier to connect to an Ethernet network. Thanks! Adam |
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cballero
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1024 MB Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever
Reply #1 on: June 07, 2021, 06:44
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68k Macs are much more limited as far as software and processing, so your best bet would be a PPC Mac. The earliest G3 Macs were compatible with Mac OS 8.0-8.1, which is commonly referred as Mac OS 7.7 because of the minor GUI enhancements and some additional features like background copying. That would be a good middle ground as far as OS flexibility because the Mac OS 8 models handled older software very well. That's because the higher you go, the more older software breaks. Still, the last OS 9 machines were not bad at running older software as well as newer software either while offering higher specs and speeds, even though the Mac OS 8.1 G3 models feel pretty zippy with that OS. I might lean toward the OS 9 side of things for the speed and flexibility and because most properly-programmed System 7 applications as well as a lot of games work quite well on Mac OS 9.
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acarteas
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4 MB Posts: 7 System 7 Newcomer!
Reply #2 on: June 07, 2021, 16:41
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Thanks for the reply! To clarify a bit, I have the last G4 MDD that officially supported OS9. Would there be a significant advantage to getting a G3 to run OS7/8? Regarding 68k Macs: I thought there was a lot of legacy 68k-only apps. My thought was that it might be worth getting a 68k Mac for that purpose. I suppose it could all be done in emulation but real hardware is so much more fun 
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cballero
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1024 MB Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever
Reply #3 on: June 07, 2021, 17:23
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Of course it is, Acarteas  There are indeed many styles and configurations to chose from with 68k Macs and they are all incredibly fun to play with, like the Mac II-series that can run System 6 and up and a sweet line on Powerbooks and the first Performas, wow! I just meant from a bang-for-your-buck view, the higher-end second generation PPC Macs and the very first G3s offer a great reach back in time to run 68k software, and have higher specs than 68k Macs, which can only run, well, 68k code
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Bolkonskij
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Administrator 1024 MB  Posts: 2023
Reply #4 on: June 07, 2021, 17:57
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acarteas, great to have you here! :-) I pretty much run the setup you describe - albeit my SE/30 is a IIci (the dream machine of my younger self) and a last-gen MDD. But - I also have another Mac sitting in the middle, which is easily my favorite: my Power Macintosh 8600/200. To me, my 8600 is the best compromise between speed, compatibility and ease of use. I can play my beloved Panzer General that breaks on Mac OS 8+ :-) I can pretty much do on it what I can do on my MDD - be it writing (and printing), e-mailing, instant messaging, coding etc. Classilla used to be a huge plus for using OS9, but nowadays it can't do much more than iCab + services can do and its development has halted. There's also another thing that's highly subjective: to me, System 7 feels like the "purest form of Mac OS". System versions up to it feel too compromised yet later versions of Mac OS already started to carry too much weight and/or contained stuff for running alongside OSX. Yes, everyone is free to agree or disagree (and post why) :-) 68k is great too, but then a PowerPC indeed is much snappier in daily use (and I use mine almost daily). And 68k has a smaller software library to choose from. I think a Power Macintosh 8600 / 9600 and System 7.6.1 is a perfect symbioses. A great case design, easy to maintain, reliable, fast enough for most tasks and really breathes the 90's spirit when computing was exciting & fun. I'd advise to get you one! You may also want to consider a Performa 6400 if available. Availability is usually the determining factor these days.
Last Edit: June 08, 2021, 10:36 by Bolkonskij
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acarteas
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4 MB Posts: 7 System 7 Newcomer!
Reply #5 on: June 08, 2021, 05:02
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Bolkonskij, thanks for the reply. I guess I'll start looking out for a 604 PPC machine!
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cballero
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1024 MB Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever
Reply #6 on: June 08, 2021, 06:04
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Excellent choices for the most powerful Mac OS 7 Macs!
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Bolkonskij
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Administrator 1024 MB Posts: 2023
Reply #7 on: June 08, 2021, 10:40
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Great - let us know how your search is going, please
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wove
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1024 MB Posts: 1363
Reply #8 on: June 08, 2021, 22:33
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I used an SE/30 for a long time. I did have a card installed that allowed for either output to a color monitor, or a true grey scale on internal monitor, they were rare cards even 20 years ago and probably even rarer today. I rarely used the color card, I have always thought the Mac most productive in black and white. I ran System 6.0.5 on the SE/30 for the entire time I had the machine. ClarisWorks 3 and Hypercard 2 were my weapons of choice. For an online diversion I connect either to BBSes or Compuserve. There was a nice Hypercard stack for working with Compuserve and the communications module for ClarisWorks 3 did a nice job for connecting to the BBSes. I am pretty sure if I were to start collecting old Mac hardware that I would go for a 68k machine probably a MacSE. Overall it seems to me that retro computing gets easily distracted by always looking to push very solid performing hardware into areas that are really outside their reach. bill
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68040
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512 MB Posts: 950 68k - thy kingdom come, thy will be done !
Reply #9 on: October 17, 2021, 01:48
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Was there ever a transputer solution for Macs based on 68k CPUs? I knew there were some for Intel systems.
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wove
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1024 MB Posts: 1363
Reply #10 on: October 17, 2021, 04:30
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I have never heard of anything related to transputers for Mac PPC or 68K. It is pretty old and never close to popular. There were transputer add on boards for Intel Machine that were for ISA slots which makes them old as well. I had read that some hobbists still dabble in it, working mostly with fpga boards.
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68040
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512 MB Posts: 950 68k - thy kingdom come, thy will be done !
Reply #11 on: October 17, 2021, 11:56
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I would luv to take on a modern day system with an 68040 slot machine, filled to the brim. And then send the power bill to Bill Gates & Co.
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