You can't take it with you, or can you?

Question

I am considering a new iMac with MacOS 10.4.
Since I now have an early version iMac (rev B, circa 1999), running MacOS 8.6, I can count out networking the old and new computer.
But how about using my current peripherals, i.e., scanner, printer, and especially, my digital camera?
The printer and scanner work on OS 8.6 just fine, but will they work on a new computer?
The manual for the digital camera says it is compatible with MacOS 10.2.4, so how about that, too?
Any wisdom on this subject would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bill in WI
iMac   Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier   revB iMac

Answer 1

Thanks to Adrian and Charles for the information.
Specifically, I have an Epson SC 777 printer
That'll work. Pretty much any Epson which has a USB port will work. Some need more coaxing than others. (<cough> Stylus Color 740 and 740i. </cough>) I used to have a 760, worked fine in OS X.
and a
Umax Astra 2000U scanner.
You may have problems. IIRC some Umax Astras worked with OS X, some didn't. (Mine didn't, and I think that mine was a 2000U, though I prefer to try to forget that whole sorry episode.) Umax established a rep for non-support. Apparently several Umax 'USB' scanners were really parallel-port scanners with a kludge to fit USB ports, and the kludge couldn't be made to support OS X. Those vendors who supplied real USB scanners had no problems supporting OS X. I haven't bought Umax anything since.
I have read discussion replies that conclude OS 10.4
will not network with any Mac OS less than 9.1,
If you can turn AppleTalk over TCP on, you can connect. IIRC AT over TCP for client stuff arrived with 8.6.
without 3rd party software.
Maybe I could upgrade my current iMac to 9.1, but
that seems counter-productive. And, I am now limping
along with 96 megs of Ram and 4 gig HD.
96MB is about as low as I'd go with 9.1. It's way, way, way too low for OS X. OS X 10.0.x (which wasn't ready for prime time) and 10.1.x and 10.2.x will install in 128. 10.0.x will run in 80, though you won't like it. 10.1.x will run in 96. You really won't like it. 10.2.x will crawl in 128. Realistically, 10.1 or earlier needs 160 to 192, 10.2 needs 224 to 256, and 10.3 or later needs 256 to 384, just to be comfortable. If you want to get actual work done, double that.
This is especially so with only 4GB hard drive space. 10.1 or 10.2 will eat that much just for VM if they're in low-RAM conditions. ('Low-RAM' for OS X means 'less than 256MB'.)
Of course, I could upgrade my printer and scanner
If you can live with using the scanner in Classic only, it'll be good for a while yet. Otherwise... dump it.
along with the new computer, but I am trying to
minimize the pile of working (but outdated) computer
equipment getting hauled off to the landfill.
The news about the camera is good, I use it
frequently.
Bill
iMac Mac OS 8.6 or
Earlier revB iMac
iMac Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier revB
iMac