Member Avatar for ramlin

Hi, I have pagemaker 6.5 (I am used to the program and it satisfies all my dtp needs) and have been using it on an old apple G3. I am thinking of buying a Mac Mini which comes with Mac OS X Tiger - will the Pagemaker 6.5 work on this OS (in classic mode, I presume)?
Many thanks in advance for your assistance

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Dani AI

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Short answer: PageMaker 6.5 can be kept working on a Mac running Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger — but only on PowerPC machines that support the Classic environment and only if you have a Mac OS 9 system folder available. Intel-based Macs do not include Classic, so PageMaker will not run natively on those systems. (en.wikipedia.org)

Practical buying checklist (for a Mac mini): confirm the CPU and model year (About This Mac or the seller’s model info). The original Mac mini (PowerPC G4) shipped in 2005; Intel Mac minis appeared in 2006 — if you buy a 2006-or-later Intel Mac mini, Classic won’t be available. If you get a PowerPC Tiger machine, install or keep a Mac OS 9.1+ system folder and enable Classic from System Preferences → Classic so PageMaker runs in that layer. Plan on more RAM than a stock Tiger install — Classic and OS X run concurrently. (apple.com)

If the goal is long‑term access to old .p65 files, converting is the safest route. Adobe documents confirm that PageMaker files can be opened in InDesign CS6 (or earlier) for conversion; if you can find someone with CS6, have them convert to .indd or export high‑quality PDF/RTF from PageMaker while it still runs. PageMaker itself is discontinued, so plan migration rather than relying on an old tool forever. ()

If you must run OS 9 on modern hardware, third‑party emulators (SheepShaver, etc.) exist but are fiddly and have limits (OS 9.x support/version limits, ROM and installer requirements). For mission‑critical work, keep a tested PowerPC machine with Tiger/Classic or convert files as soon as possible. (sheepshaver.cebix.net)

Notes tied to the thread: ’s real‑world success on an eMac matches the PowerPC/Tiger path; ’s caution about Intel hardware is correct and worth heeding when shopping.

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Member Avatar for mutt

My non-techo reply is that PageMaker works fine in Classic. Last year I bought an eMac and upgraded to InDesign. Should not have paid the money as PM does what I want and I must admit InDesign is harder to work with - I hate frames! (Or is it me who is resistant to change?)

Dick

Member Avatar for kc0arf

Hello,

Just be aware that the new intel Macs do not support classic. If you are going to get into the intel world, that will stop you.

Whatever the case, make sure you get plenty of memory for the new computer, as when running classic, you will have two operating systems installed and functioning!

Christian

Member Avatar for mutt

Thanks Christian - I bought an eMac (OS X) over a year ago and have InDesign (which I still don't like in comparison to PageMaker), so I have no idea how a request dated Jan 22, 2006 was generated. Thanks for your response anyhow.

Regards - Dick

PS - Would like an Intel Mac but no money!

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