MacintoshPC wrote:

I'm trying to find the best looking computer that runs on an operating system that holds the ability to connect to the internet. […]
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I'm trying to find the best looking computer that runs on an operating system that holds the ability to connect to the internet.

The Macintosh must match these qualities:

1. An operating system that possesses the ability to connect to the internet.

2. I want it to be quiet visually appealing.

May I suggest a look at EveryMac.com? That should have all of the information you need.

I suggest a G5. They can be had for peanuts these days.

Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays!

I have seen some people get Macintosh SE's online. You get the classic M0001 look while being slightly more updated. Not to mention some come with hard drives but they are getting older and are at higher risk of failure. Now, how practical is the Macintosh SE online? Probably not very. Answering this question depends on two factors, how old you're willing to go and how practical you want its online functionalities to be.

Define "connect to the internet." Pretty sure any Mac out there can run telnet or ftp over an ethernet link (maybe the original 128k would have problems.) If you want modern, graphical browsing you need a G4 or G5 and TenFourFox or an Intel Mac. Personally I think the G4 cube and the "mirror drive door" (MDD) G4 towers are stunning, but a dual-CPU G5 tower would be a touch more capable & still look great if you want to play in PowerPC land. Or you can always grab the nicest 17" Powerbook G4 you can find for peanuts.

G4 Cube, iMac G4, Macintosh SE/SE30 etc (no web browsing but can do "internet"). Maybe the TAM. Current gen iMac isn't bad either.

I want to grab a top end G5 tower, currently wrestling with my stupid G3 iMac

Any powerpc mac (G5 and below) wont be able to support a lot of current websites due to browsers not being updated in a long time. If that matters then the first intel mac pro desktop, or a mac mini would be nice.

goodtofufriday wrote:

Any powerpc mac (G5 and below) wont be able to support a lot of current websites due to browsers not being updated in a long time. If that matters then the first intel mac pro desktop, or a mac mini would be nice.

Untrue. PPC Versions of Linux exist, but in my experience (Last tried with version 12.04 on a G3) they are damned slow. Probably usable on a G5, though. Classilla was a project that existed to do something, but it's pretty foobar.

Can you tell us why you need this machine, is it a daily driver, something for a friend? Maybe a small Hackintosh would be more to your liking?

goodtofufriday wrote:

Any powerpc mac (G5 and below) wont be able to support a lot of current websites due to browsers not being updated in a long time. If that matters then the first intel mac pro desktop, or a mac mini would be nice.

Try TenFourFox, a port of Firefox for G3 to G5 processors. Works pretty well, and most add-ons are supported.

I might point out that G5 Towers are insanely power hungry. I'd rather run a G4 for Classic OS stuff and an Intel based mac for newer stuff.

Ampera wrote:

Untrue. PPC Versions of Linux exist, but in my experience (Last tried with version 12.04 on a G3) they are damned slow. Probably usable on a G5, though. Classilla was a project that existed to do something, but it's pretty foobar.

Unfortunately the state of Linux on G5 is pretty much fubar across the board. I recently tried to install Linux, any Linux, on a G5 and was unsuccessful. And I have 20 years experience working with and installing Linux. I tried at least 5 or 6 distributions, starting with the most obvious ones like Debian, and ending with the likes of Gentoo.

^^ I got Debian 8 working on my G5, but it took a lot of futzing around with drive UUIDs in the bootloader config. Can't remember exactly what I did but yeah, not recommended for novices.

For me the Debian installer wouldn't even start at all.

stamasd wrote:

For me the Debian installer wouldn't even start at all.

I find the use of RISC processors on performance/desktop systems to be stupid and idiotic. That's why no RISC processor has ever succeeded into the mainstream for desktop use. RISC is okay for lightweight applications like portables, but CISC is the way to go if you want any real performance. That among the half-baked AIM alliance was why the POWER architecture finds itself in niche servers and supercomputers.

Oh! I'm sorry I meant the oldest OS that can access the internet and the best looking Macintosh that runs on that OS.

MacintoshPC wrote:

Oh! I'm sorry I meant the oldest OS that can access the internet and the best looking Macintosh that runs on that OS.

Do you mean "access the internet" or "on which the internet is usable"? I ask because a very slow early 1980s Mac will likely still be able to access the internet, but browsing the web won't be possible in any functional manner beyond a telnet connection... As for "best looking", in that time they were mostly beige boxes...

Also, best looking is a very subjective notion. I for one can't stand the look of the early iMacs, whereas others adored it.

Ampera wrote:

stamasd wrote:

For me the Debian installer wouldn't even start at all.

I find the use of RISC processors on performance/desktop systems to be stupid and idiotic. That's why no RISC processor has ever succeeded into the mainstream for desktop use. RISC is okay for lightweight applications like portables, but CISC is the way to go if you want any real performance. That among the half-baked AIM alliance was why the POWER architecture finds itself in niche servers and supercomputers.

Most current CISC CPUs internally translate the original instruction set to RISC-like uOPs. The use of CISC instructions is largely an artifact of history at this point.