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iMac
G3/G4 Q & A:
Software Compatibility
Absolutely. The revision "A" iMac originally shipped with a custom version of MacOS 8.1, which was very similar to the version shipped with the rest of the Power Macintosh G3 series. Revision "B" iMacs shipped with MacOS 8.5, revision "266" iMacs shipped with MacOS 8.5.1, and revision "333" iMacs shipped with MacOS 8.5.1 or 8.6.
The "Kihei" (fruit-colored), iMac family of computers, which includes the iMac "350", iMac "DV" (400), and iMac SE "DV" (400), originally shipped with MacOS 8.6 and later shipped with MacOS 9 pre-installed.
The "Indigo" iMac series, which includes the iMac "350" (Indigo), iMac DV "400" (Indigo), iMac DV+ "450", and iMac DV SE "500", shipped with MacOS 9.0.4 pre-installed.
The "Flower Power" iMac series, which includes the iMac "400" (Indigo), iMac "500" (FP/BD), and iMac SE "600", shipped with MacOS 9.1 pre-installed.
The "Summer 2001" iMac series, which includes the iMac "500" (Indigo), iMac "600" (Graphite), and iMac SE "700", shipped with both MacOS 9.1 and MacOS X v.10.0.4 pre-installed.
The "2002" "Flat-Panel" iMac series, which includes the iMac "700" (FP), the iMac "800" (FP), and the iMac "800" 17" (FP), originally shipped with both MacOS 9.2.2 and MacOS X v.10.1, and later shipped with MacOS 9.2.2 and MacOS X v.10.2 pre-installed. These systems shipped with MacOS X selected as the default operating system.
The "Spring 2003" "Flat-Panel" iMac series, which includes a revised version of the iMac "800" (FP) and the iMac "1.0" 17" (FP), shipped with MacOS X 10.2.3 pre-installed, and were the first iMac models that cannot boot into MacOS 9.
The "Fall 2003" "Flat-Panel" iMac series, which includes the iMac "1.0" 15" (FP), iMac "1.25" 17" (FP), and the iMac "1.25" 20" (FP), ship with MacOS X 10.3 pre-installed, and do not support earlier versions of the MacOS. All iMacs are compatible with MacOS X, regardless of the version that was pre-installed.
Absolutely. MacOS X will run on all iMacs with at least 128 MB of RAM and 1.5 GB of free hard drive space. As some models shipped with less than 128 MB of RAM, these models will need to be upgraded before MacOS X can be installed. The "2002 Flat-Panel" iMac models shipped with MacOS X pre-installed and selected as the default operating system, and subsequent "Flat-Panel" iMac models shipped with MacOS X pre-installed, and cannot run earlier versions of the MacOS.
To see if your iMac was pre-installed with enough RAM, please see the respective specifications page for the particular iMac of interest.
The current version of YellowDog Linux and the PowerPC-compatible distributions from SuSE and Mandrake fully support the iMac as well as many external devices. You can get more information about each version from their respective websites, and purchase direct, if you wish.
Can the iMac run Windows 98? Windows NT (2000)? Windows Me? Windows XP?
Out of the box, the original iMac series runs MacOS 8.1 through X, the "Kihei" (fruit-colored) series runs MacOS 8.6 through X, the "Indigo" series runs MacOS 9.0.4 through X, the "Flower Power" and "Summer 2001" series run MacOS 9.1 through X, the "2002 Flat-Panel" series runs MacOS 9.2.2 through X, the "Spring 2003" "Flat-Panel" series runs MacOS X 10.2.3 and higher, and the "Fall 2003" "Flat-Panel" series runs MacOS X 10.3 and higher. However, just like every Power Macintosh G3 and Power Macintosh G4, the iMac can run versions of Windows through an emulator program such as Connectix Virtual PC (now owned by Microsoft). The performance should be around the level of a lower-end PC making the iMac an inexpensive cross-platform solution.
Is any Mac software incompatible with the iMac?
The iMac should be fully compatible with all software that is compatible with the PowerPC processor, modern versions of the MacOS, and OpenFirmware. Any software that runs on a Power Macintosh G3 or more recent Apple system should also run on the iMac.
Does software that requires a "dongle" work with the iMac?
According to the "iMac Read Me" file that is preinstalled on iMac hard drives, ADB dongles will not work with the iMac, but a USB dongle should work, and to "contact the vendor for further information". USB dongles that are designed to work with the iMac do indeed operate properly. Fortunately, this is no longer a major issue as essentially all companies that sell software which requires a dongle now provide a USB-based dongle in the box.
For older software, however, what Apple does not mention, since Apple does not officially support ADB-to-USB adapters, is that it might be possible to plug some ADB-based dongles into an ADB-to-USB adapter and then into the iMac. If you have tried this method, successfully or unsuccessfully, please share the results of your experiment with other users in the forums.
[Note: a "dongle" is a small cable that ships with some high-end, expensive software packages such as QuarkXPress and AutoCad. Upon starting the software, the computer searches for the dongle and makes sure that it is plugged into the applicable port on the back of the computer. If it is not found, then the software will not operate. Since hardware is considerably more difficult to copy and distribute than software, the dongle provides a fairly high-level of copy protection, discouraging casual software piracy.]
[02.21.2000 Update: Now that "Y2K" has come and gone with little impact, this answer is no longer relevant. Nevertheless, the original answer remains below for "historical" reference.]
Absolutely. Unlike many Wintel machines, the iMac and all other Macs are fully compatible with the year 2000 and far beyond. The original Macintosh (128k) and Macintosh 512k are compatible until 2040, and all other Macs are compatible until an astonishing 29,940. Check out Apple's MacOS and the Year 2000 page for additional information and testing that you can perform to ensure that all of your software is Y2K-compliant as well. To keep up with software updates for your iMac, or any other Mac, check out VersionTracker.
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