[WelMac] OS 8.0/8.1

[David Empson]

At 5:33 PM +1200 7/4/2006, John Crook wrote:
>I've been helping a friend with an old Mac that he's just been given 
>(a Centris 650).  He's using OS 7.5.1 and Netscape 2.0.2 with FreePPP 
>for internet connection.
>
>It was a real blast from the past racking my brains to get this lot 
>connected to the Internet.  Success on that score and e-mail works 
>just fine (for basic text anyway).
>
>However, web browsing's pretty limited with a browser that doesn't 
>even know about Java  and frames etc.

Upgrading it to 7.5.5 might help, as it may allow the running of 
later versions of web browsers.

This can be done in two steps: the 7.5.3 update, then 7.5.5.

>I'd like to help him to get as far forward as he can with the 
>technology he's got.  I checked with MacTracker and found that his 
>machine will work up to OS 8.1, and I've found Netscape 4.7.9 which 
>will work on OS 8.1 and has some Java capability.

How much physical RAM is in the Centris? It might not have enough for 
practical web browsing anyway: 20 MB would be a reasonable minimum 
under Mac OS 7.5.x, but you might need more than with 8.1. I'd 
suggest 32 MB to be on the safe side. RamDoubler might help, but 
relying on virtual memory to get this much would be pretty awful.

>The problem I'm now facing is how to get OS 8.1.  I've long since 
>lost or given away my copy of OS 8.  Apple has an OS 8.1 updater 
>(which takes you from 8.0 to 8.1) on their website, but I don't know 
>how to get a copy of 8.0.

Officially, you cannot get anything after 7.5.5 without buying it. 
The "paid" releases (full price) were 7.6, 8.0, 8.5 and 9.0. Free 
updaters can take you from one of those base versions to 7.6.1, 8.1, 
8.6 and 9.2.2 (with several interim versions for 9.x; machines not 
capable of running Mac OS X are limited to 9.1).

The trend continued with Mac OS X: 10.0, 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4 were 
full price; only 10.1 was a free update from 10.0.x.

Apple doesn't sell retail install packs of old system versions, so 
you would need to find a second-hand source of a legal install CD for 
Mac OS 8.

I have all the systems from 7.5.3 through 10.2.3 because I was a 
member of the Apple Developer Connection at the time, but I can't 
give away copies of them.

I think I have a genuine retail 8.0 install CD lying around somewhere 
which someone gave me; you could have this. I'll have a look and get 
back to you.

-- 
David Empson
dempson at actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand