Recently Got A iMac...Advice Needed.

brett257brett257
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Hey all,



I just got a 17" iMac and I was wondering if yall had any suggestions on software I should get that will make my life easier. I am a general computer user...a little of everything and I want my system to be reliable and stable.



I already preordered Panther, will I be able to do a clean install on that and if so how?



I just really am wanting some general advice from people who have been using macs for a while as to what books, software, and utilities which have proved useful and helpful.



Thanks,

Brett



I am a "switcher"...if that means anything...

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 2
    digitaldavedigitaldave Posts: 445member
    Brett,



    Like you, I'm a recent switch. I don't know too much about software, but I can recommend "Mac OS X The Missing Manual" - very useful .



    As for software, check out this thread.



    Dave.
  • Reply 2 of 2
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    When you get Panther, probably the best thing to do would be to either do a clean install (wipe the hard drive, install Panther) or an archive install (put your old home folder and system folder away and install a clean version of Panther without deleting them). The third option is an upgrade install, which attempts to upgrade your Jaguar system folder into a Panther system folder, but I wouldn't recommend that because you won't get as good performance.



    Anyway, since you have a 17" iMac, that means you have a DVD-R drive, so you should be able to back up all your important data onto one or two DVD-R discs. I'd suggest doing that so you can do a clean install. Just back up your pictures, movies, music, applications, etc. before doing a clean install. All the installation options are pretty clearly listed when installing Panther. To save space during installation, you can click the "Customize" button just before installing and choose not to install certain things - drivers for printers you don't own, additional Asian fonts if you don't need those, and that sort of thing. Just make sure you keep the BSD subsystem if you customize, that is important.



    If you're looking for applications, you can either just look here for a bunch of responses to someone's question about good applications to try, or you could visit VersionTracker or MacUpdate and browse around; both have an excellent supply of freeware and shareware.
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