Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

OWC: We Make DIY Upgrading Easy! Maximize your Apple MacBook / MacBook Pro. Up to 8.0GB Memory, up to 1.0TB HD & More. Easy Guide + Free, Detailed Installation Videos. Click here

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

My First Mac

From Plus to Power Mac

Jsteel2001 - 2001.01.30

The first Mac I ever used was my mother's computer. It was a Mac Plus that my grandfather gave her in 1992 after we moved to Florida. My mother had specifically told us that the computer was for work only, not for playing games. Yeah, right,we know how long that lasted.

My absolute favorite game of all time (still today) is Stuntcopter. I loved playing that game on the little Mac Plus. My favorite thing was drop the guy on the horse - but I digress. My mother used that computer faithfully for a few years, and then she bought a Quadra 605 when it first came out. Again, this was a business computer, not a toy. Ha ha. One year we got a SupraExpress 33.6 modem and AOL 2.5. We were on the Net! That is when I realized how incredibly slow it was compared to my friends' computers. The Quadra 605 and I had a love/hate relationship.

When my mom bought a Compaq in 1998, she gave me the 605. I customized and upgraded that thing as much as I could (short of a PPC upgrade), and I ran System 7.5.3 when Apple released it for free from their site. Unfortunately, the monitor died (a rather odd occurrence), but we did have an old PC VGA monitor, so I got an adapter for that and plugged it in.

My friend, Karen, who owns a Performa 6360, made fun of my computer and called me "Little Quadra Boy." Needless to say, when her computer was zapped by lightning and became the world's biggest beige paperweight, I was the first to laugh.

I used that Quadra 605 all the way up until 1999, when I accidentally killed it by turning the computer around - and the monitor adapter sticking out the back hit the wall and cracked the motherboard. Oops.

I was "Macless" for a while, but my school was getting rid of an LC II, so I managed to get it. I just liked having it in the room, and sometimes I turned it on and played with the icons.

My mom's office's art department was getting rid of their computers, so my mom managed to get me one of them. It was a Performa 637CD. I loved it! It was the first Mac I ever owned with a CD-ROM. It was also faster than my Quadra 605 (R.I.P.).

I upgraded the Perform to OS 8 and maxed out the RAM. It had Photoshop 3 on it, so I was particularly happy. I gave it to my sister for Christmas and purchased a Performa 6115CD for my little brother off eBay (I love eBay!). I also purchased a Quadra 700 and a Performa 6360 for myself.

I'm using the 700 until my 6360 comes in, but I'm still sorting through the mess the previous owner left on the hard drive.

Now for the fun part. In 1999, the school yearbook teacher switched over to using desktop publishing for the yearbook and bought three new 450 MHz G4s (YIPPEE!!!). She needed some guidance, though. That's where I came in. I became the "Technical Editor" (the guy they call out of class when they accidentally kick a power cord out and can't figure out what they did). I also had to network the following (in a "creative" way): three G4s, two 7200/120s, six 5500/225s, a HP LaserJet 4MP, and a StyleWriter II (the same kind I use at home for all my printing needs; it's my favorite). I now "run" the yearbook computer lab, which is pretty cool.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: 15" MacBook Pro Core Duo, Jan. 2006 - The first Intel-based MacBook launched at 1.83-2.0 GHz, had several teething problems.
Group of the Day: System 6 is the email list for those who choose System 6.
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
Best Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac Box Set Deals, 11.18. "Snow Leopard", single user, $25; 5 users, $45; Mac Box Set, single user, $139; 5 users, $180; Server, $414. Shipping included.
Best Xserve Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $649; 2.3 dual G5, $795; 3.0 4-core Xeon, $1,899; refurb 2.26 4-core, $2,499; new, $2,888; refurb 8-core, $2,999; new, $3,449; more.
Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 11.17. Used 1.83 GHz, $750; 2.16, $800; 2.33, $900; refurb 2.4, $1,299; 2.53, $1,449; 2.66, $1,699; 2.8, $1,899; new 2.53, $1,579; 2.66, $1,799; more.
Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, 11.17. Used 400 MHz, $50; 933 MHz, $80; 500 dual, $60; 867 dual, $90; 1 GHz dual, $150; 1.25 GHz dual, $225; 1.42 GHz, $499.
Best Mac OS X 10.5 Deals, 11.17. "Leopard" upgrade, $80; single user license, $135; 5 users, $173; Mac Box Set, 5 users, $230; Server, 10 users, $340; unlimited, $850. Shipping included.
Best Mac mini Deals, 11.16. Used 1.42 GHz G4 mini, $379; 1.66 GHz Core Solo, $419; 2.0 Core 2, $450; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $769; Server, $990.
Best iBook G4 Deals, 11.16. Used 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $210; 1.33 GHz, $298; 14" 1.33 GHz, $398; 1.42 GHz, $479; SuperDrive, $498.
Best iPod shuffle Deals, 11.16. Used 1 GB, $35; 4 GB, $65; refurb 1 GB, $39; 2 GB, $59; new 2 GB, $55, 4 GB, $75. New and refurb prices include shipping.
More deals in our archive.

Go to the My First Mac index.

Custom Search

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Video Cards
Email Lists

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
Mac FAQ
Abandonware
Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
B&H
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.