Mired in antiquity

[popeye]

I'm a one trick pony. In my eighties and having learned to get around on my G3 dual USB iBook with 640 MB of memory, I never moved up to a newer machine. Where I live, dial-up is my only option, DSL has been "around the corner" for two years and counting. Not surprisingly, my online experience isn't exactly breath taking. I'm not interested in games, photography, or music — I use my machine exclusively for research (nothing sophisticated — just every day stuff). My principal beef is interminable downloads. I know a new machine, broadband, and an upgrade from OS X 10.3.9 would cure what ails me, but what about something not so dramatic? Would love to hear some innovative views.