Cheap macs

[ffutures]

Copied from http://www.wantdontwant.com - category miscellaneous / computers
Spec is a little on the low side for anything I want to do, but someone else may find them useful:

Quantity: 30
Price: £19.00 + VAT each
Available: Now

Apple Macintosh G3 PowerPC (beige) desktop computer Apple 8.5 operating System installed.

266Mhz, 512k cache, 64 Mb Ram, 4 gigabyte hard drive, 24x CD Keyboard & mouse.

NOTE: There are only 24 keyboards available so first come, first served. Contact Details
Interested in this?
email info@wantdontwant.com
or call 020 7504 3456
ref WDW5325

Later edit - forgot to say that they're in London EC2

Comments

[autopope.livejournal.com]

Stick more RAM in it -- it maxes out at 768Mb -- and a bigger hard disk and they can be induced to run OS/X (I believe you need to use some sort of patcher to make it install, but once installed it's happy on that hardware). Note that while the hard drive interface is a bog-standard IDE one, the CDROM drive isn't readily replaceable by J. Random Upgrade -- it's an ATAPI unit okay, but OS 8.5 and 9.2 would only reognize certain drives that Apple shipped when I tried to upgrade one that we had here some time ago. These are Old World macs -- the hardware conforms to an older Apple spec, they use SCSI for external hard disks, ADB for keyboard and mice, and don't have USB/Firewire ports -- so a USB 2.0 card would be useful. Also, they don't have AGP slots; you'd need to stick to straight PCI if you want to improve the video card.

Probably the best use for one of these machines (with a bigger disk and more memory) would be to slap a copy of Yellow Dog Linux in it and use it as a file and print server. Or do 'em up and give 'em to impecunious friends who need a Mac but can't afford a new one.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

or mention them in my livejournal and hope that someone who has time to mess about sees it and follows it up for themselves...

[dsample.livejournal.com]

10.2 (Jaguar) will install just fine, from the standard installation CDs. Someone has a hack that enables you to install 10.3 (Panther) on one. I doubt if 10.4 (Tiger) will run at all, at the moment.