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Computers and I go way back. My first machine was an RCA 1802
COSMAC ELF built from a kit. With 256 bytes of RAM and a 64
x 64 pixel video card, later upgraded to 1.2K RAM, it was a state
of the art machine in 1976.
I followed this screamer with a
Sinclair ZX80 when Clive Sinclair was still selling them as
kits.
Bought a Radio
Shack TRS-80 when I worked there in 1977. A boatload of cash
got me 4K of RAM and a cassette deck.
As PCs came out, I got on the bandwagon of store-bought
computers and slowly crawled up from a Sanyo XT with 256K RAM, a
single 360K floppy, a 320x200 green CGA display for only $2,600. in
1985 - all the way to a maxed out 486DX66 by 1993.
I hated and still loathe and despise Windows, but it seemed a
good idea at the time.
My older brother followed a similar muse, but in 1985 he chose
to go the Mac route. I couldn't afford his level of machine, so I
plodded along with PCs until he gave me a Mac IIx in 1994.
Within six months it had two monitors, a couple of external 40
MB drives, a CD-ROM drive, and a full complement of software.
Cool!
I retired it to go to a IIcx
with a 21" two-page display for preparing blueprints using KeyCAD
Mac. I later swapped the IIcx motherboard out for a IIci, now with two CD-ROM drives, a SCSI
scanner, a GCC laser printer, and 32 MB of RAM. This was an amazing
machine - much faster than the 486 machine I used at work, and a
whole lot easier to tinker with.
In 1996 I broke down and bought my first Power Mac - a
secondhand 6100 DOS Compatible.
Fully maxed out with 72 MB on the Mac side and 32 MB on the DOS
card, it was so cool I had to paint it. I customized in 1969 AMX
Javelin trim: purple paint with white racing stripes and Hotrod66
in chrome script across the CD bezel. Never one to leave well
enough alone, the monitor, mouse, and keyboard had to be finished
to match.
Firmly convinced on the worth of low-end Macs, my menagerie now
consists of a Duo 230, a Duo 2300 and DuoDock, a 6200 with the Apple TV/Tuner setup, a
630CD, a 580CD, an SE-FDHD, and a 660AV. All get at least a little
use, and some get a lot of use.
My 12 year old son does his schoolwork on another 6100/66
tricked out with a 300 MHz Sonnet G3 upgrade and a 9 GB drive.
Combined with an Apple QuickTake 150 camera and an HP 550C colour
printer, he has a faster, more versatile, and better system than
anything at his school. (I got this machine for $120 from a PC
dealer who didn't know what the funny-looking purple processor card
was.)
A couple of nephews have yet another 6100/66 and a Quadra 650 with a PowerPC upgrade
card.
To be blunt, low-end Macs work better, longer, and cheaper than
anything in the Wintel world. I've completely forgotten my old DOS
commands, and I haven't had to set up batch files and configure IRQ
settings for almost a decade.
The most I've paid for any machine was $700 for my first 6100,
and I don't regret any of the purchases. Every Mac I've ever used
worked well, even some of the Road Apples I still own.
Remember - new doesn't always mean better.
Share the story of your first Mac experience by emailing with "My First Mac" as your subject.
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