[WelMac] OS 8.0/8.1

[John Crook]

Thanks very much David.  I'll check out the RAM situation and await  
your discoveries on the OS 8.0 CD.

Cheers

John


On 7 Apr 2006, at 7:35 PM, David Empson wrote:

> 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
>
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