security updates

Hi taueva,

Mac OSX 10.3.9 is no longer being supported by Apple. This means there will not be any further updates to the OS. I doubt Apple will issue any further security updates in the future for it but that is solely up to their discretion. Personally, I wouldn't look for any more for 10.3.

hope that helps,

littleshoulders 🙂

LS .... you are a straight shooter. Many thanks.

taueva,

Dr. Smoke's X-Lab FAQ "Detecting and avoiding malware and spyware" is a good place to start for determing your needs for spyware/malware protection.

There is ClamxAV for virus protection for Panther 10.3. If you decide to download/install it make sure you install the version for 10.3.

Please read all documentation for any downloaded software and fully understand its use before installing. I have not used ClamxAV myself but it is usually highly recommended if you feel you have need of virus protection.

littleshoulders 🙂

taueva, you wrote,

Since 3.9 is as far as my G4 will go (I bought it 2 weeks before the G5 was announced), I really feel abandoned by the company.

Many G4's can run Leopard 10.5. Tell us what sort of Mac you have and you may be surprised at how modern your OS can be upgraded to, or just check out these links, yourself.

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger system requirements

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Requirements

Both Tiger and Leopard are still supported including security updates.

Message was edited by: roam

If you bought your PowerMac G4 brand new just two weeks before G5, it'll run Tiger and Leopard as long as you have sufficient disk space and memory.

PowerMac G5 was released in June 2003, so your kit is nearly 6 years old.

Or do you have an eMac (can run Tiger 10.4 and Leopard 10.5) or an iMac (can run Tiger 10.4).

taueva wrote:
So I can upgrade to Leopard?

Your MDD (mirrored drive doors) is better than mine.

Leopard, if you want, but I'd advise pulling the 256MB DIMM (probably the original) and add two 512MB DIMMs to give 2GB total memory. If money is tight, just get the one 512MB DIMM, total 1.75GB. Please make sure they're good quality, Tiger 10.4 and Leopard 10.5 are very, very fussy about memory quality - when Tiger was released the forums were filled with posts from those who had bought cheap memory.

Sounds like you also still have the original 80GB drive in there. A new 500GB (or whatever you like) to fit in another drive bay.

Plus Leopard, or Tiger. Total cost maybe $300 or less.

It also depends on what you want to use it for. A lot of Panther software stopped working in Leopard, so there MAY be cost there too. But with a new hard disk with Leopard/Tiger, and keeping the original 80GB with Panther / OS9 installed, you could switch between them with a reboot.

As I always say, add up the cost of the upgrades and the replacement software you may need (Google is an excellent place for finding application compatibility with Leopard), make sure you also check requirements, and compare it to the cost of a new Mac Mini, or iMac - both of which will come with the OS, disk, memory and maybe software upgrades included, ie. iLife 08, iLife 09.