Not quite ready to switch

September 15, 2005 12:09 AM

I need to buy an Apple computer for testing websites (to make sure they render properly in Safari / IE Mac). What is the LEAST I need?

I am looking at used machines. I can get a G3/300mhz/256/OSX for about a hundred bucks craigslist, which looks pretty good. But I know very little about Macs, and I hear that the G3 will only run OS10.2, which will only run an old version of Safari. Or something? I don't need fast, I don't need to actually use the machine for development. Eventually I want to buy a Mini to play with, but now is not that time. So what is the absolute minimum I need to look for to make sure I have a machine that will be useful in testing web page rendering?

As cool as it is, I am getting really tired of browsercam.

posted by Nothing to computers & internet (22 comments total)

You can use XPostFacto to install OS X 10.4 (Tiger) on that G3. I would recommend getting the mini if you are going to anyway, unless you are waiting for the Intel version.
posted by qwip at 12:36 AM on September 15, 2005

If it's a Blue and White G3, as opposed to a Beige G3, it should run OS X up through 10.4. It won't be fast, but it will run.

That said, just buy Mini and be done with it. Why? That old G3 is RAM starved; probably only has 10.2; and probably does not have the DVD drive needed to install 10.4.
posted by nathan_teske at 12:43 AM on September 15, 2005

Just find someone at your local Starbucks with a powerbook and ask them if they could spare a few minutes to test out your new website. Free!
posted by b1tr0t at 1:17 AM on September 15, 2005

You could pick up a second hand Mac of eBay quite cheap. Anything G4 would be acceptably quick to use.

Alternatively, how about these people who will test how your site looks on a variety of browsers for you. If that's' not suitable, I'm sure there are other people that offer a similar service.
posted by gaby at 2:12 AM on September 15, 2005

Damn. Missed the last line of your post. Please ignore my second comment... :)
posted by gaby at 2:15 AM on September 15, 2005

Get a minimum G4 500...~300.

For what it's worth, that probably has a lifespan of a year to 24 months max...

Want a longer lifespan? Get at least a GHz...the mac mini @~500 will probably last you a minimum of five years.
posted by filmgeek at 2:50 AM on September 15, 2005

That G3 will be fine for your purposes if you can get 10.4 installed on it*. Ignore everyone else.

(* It might be worth getting a Blue G3, which are officially supported for 10.4)
posted by cillit bang at 5:25 AM on September 15, 2005

I second the Blue/White G3. They're cheap, and they're officially supported for OS X. I've got one next to my desk that I boot occasionally for testing or some lazy dev work.
posted by PantsOfSCIENCE at 5:46 AM on September 15, 2005

How long until you can get the mini? Or rather, how long will you need to be testing on the Mac and most importantly, will it NEED to be latest version of the OS? Yeah, 10.4 runs on Blue/White G3, but will it run under 10.5? No one knows at this point, but I'm not sure I would bet on it.

Perhaps getting a 400 mhz G4 would be better, if you need the compatibility for a longer period.

But a Blue and White G3 does run 10.4
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:02 AM on September 15, 2005

Don't buy a Mac.

Subscriber to BrowserCam. Allows you to test on lots of browsers/windows combos and also on OSX 10.3. It's all remove via VNC. Very cool. We use it where I work for Mac testing.

$20 for a day, $60 for a month.
posted by GuyZero at 6:17 AM on September 15, 2005

Don't buy a Mac.

Do read the OP. He/She is getting tired of using BrowserCam.
posted by qwip at 6:40 AM on September 15, 2005

Whoops. My bad. I swear I read every line except that one.
posted by GuyZero at 6:43 AM on September 15, 2005

Plus, $20 a day adds up pretty fast if you could buy a computer for $100 (plus OS for another $130 or so).
posted by mikeh at 6:51 AM on September 15, 2005

As a web and print developer I have mates that can check my sites for me. However, during development of a recent site, there were problems with Safari and it would have been great to have a machine on hand during development to use. It is very unfortunate that we have yet another browser to worry about during development.

I'd go for the Mini, but I hear that some upgrades to regular software often require the latest version of the OS, which means a yearly upgrade just to test web pages if true. Now that can get costly.
posted by juiceCake at 6:58 AM on September 15, 2005

I'd go for the Mini, but I hear that some upgrades to regular software often require the latest version of the OS, which means a yearly upgrade just to test web pages if true. Now that can get costly.

That's true for Safari, but it would be true no matter what hardware you ran it on.

I'd get the Mini over a used G3/G4. Another $100-$200 will get you a machine that is (a) new, (b) faster, (c) less than 1/4 the footprint, and (d) won't die in a year. If nothing else, you have a HD large enough to store a media library on.
posted by mkultra at 7:04 AM on September 15, 2005

The Mini would be the best deal, honestly; much better pricing than any other used machine that can (reliably) handle 10.4
posted by Merdryn at 7:18 AM on September 15, 2005

Get a mini. I just got one and I'm never going back to Windows. Even if you don't like macs, you can use it as a wireless file server.

You could probably get a used mini (or a Gen 1 mini) for cheaper on craigslist/ebay, too.
posted by gramcracker at 7:37 AM on September 15, 2005

My bud's got a mini sitting headless on the network that he VNCs into for that exact purpose. It'll be good for at least 4 years.
posted by furtive at 8:59 AM on September 15, 2005

I second browser cam, and a One Day trial is free. I just sign up for a one day MailExpire account, and then sign up for a one day free Browsercam account.
posted by andrewzipp at 9:21 AM on September 15, 2005

It's really amazing how few people actually read the post. Oh well.

Any G4 with at least 256mb of RAM will run just fine for testing websites and maybe running iTunes, or whatnot. Macs have a remarkably long shelf-life as far as running the latest and greatest OS. However:

When it comes to dollars, honestly, the Mac Mini is probably your best bet. It's pretty much perfect for what you want it for. If you try to buy a PowerMac with a G4 in it, you're going to pay almost as much as you would for a new Mac Mini. You may save $100 if you're lucky, and even then, you'd be getting 1/2 the power.
posted by zerolives at 9:40 AM on September 15, 2005

As the relatively happy owner of an iMac 400, any iMac with built in Firewire is officially supported for 10.4, and I run 10.4.2 on 512MB without trouble. You can likely find one of these, or a slightly faster iMac G3 for about $100.
posted by birdsquared at 12:04 PM on September 15, 2005

I run Tiger (10.4.2) on my g3/500 iBook and my mom's g3/300 (I think it is) iMac. They both have 340 ram if I'm not mistaken.
posted by dobbs at 8:43 PM on September 15, 2005