Here are the specs:
| Original Specifications | New, BAD-ASS SPECIFICATIONS |
|---|---|
| 600MHz PowerPC G3 | -no change |
| 80 GB HDD @ 7200 RPM | -no change |
| 16 MB ATI Rage 128 ULTRA (integrated AGP 2x video) | -no change |
| 1.0 GB RAM | -no change |
| Mac OS X 10.4.11 Tiger | MintPPC 11 (1) |
| No extras | 4-port USB hub (2) |
1 = I use XFCE instead of the default LXDE environment because I feel this machine deserves just a little bit more "eye candy" in the GUI than what LXDE provides, out of the box.
2 = I got this so I can install my mouse and keyboard into the HUB and reserve the other USB port, directly on the side of the iMac for a bootable USB flashdrive, which I can boot into from the OpenFirmware screen.
Let me say that I actually LOVE MintPPC 11... but it's clearly not OSX... and without any dedicated developers and programmers to continue making great PowerPC apps and drivers for Linux, it likely won't EVER be a solid replacement for OSX.
So, as of Jan. 2013, there is no way I can get DVD's to play properly... and this isn't just in MintPPC11... it also won't play in Debian and Ubuntu. I tried them all! And while I can boot into Linux fine, the system log(s) indicate that my video hardware is always booting up in AGP mode set at "0x", which I believe to mean either 1) no 2d/3d acceleration, or 2) some 2d/3d acceleration... but just nowhere near what OSX can provide in comparison.
As such, with no graphics acceleration, any available solutions there currently are for PPC Macs like mine to play Flash content (ie. YouTube videos) will be either painfully slow or just not worth the hassle.
On the other hand, I now have a secure and up-to-date browser, a FREE Office suite that's compatible with MS Word and Excel documents, I can create vector images with Inkscape, and I have the most up-to-date version of GIMP (2.8.2) on this thing.... compared to people on OSX Tiger who are stuck with GIMP 2.6.x because of some limitation they have with an outdated X11.
And I'm totally digging the ability for me stream my favorite, local radio stations from within RadioTray!
Best part is, now my iMac G3 can network seamlessly with my HP Media Center, my V2000 notebook, and even the USB hard drive located on the LAN (which is also shared among all 3 computers)!
