My Performa Still Performa!
[an error occurred while processing this directive] - May 2000 - Tip Jar
My Performa still performa! And, with some tweaking, it does
everything and more since it was purchased in 1994: 
homework, music, multimedia, pictures, recording keeping,
games, web page, surfing the net, keeping in contact with friends and
relatives. The Performa 635 has
served my family well over the years. By trading off cost and
performance, the useful life of my Performa has been extended by
several years.
My family continues to use our Mac to learn about things: what digital photos are, making movies, and what the Web is all about. To explore how to write a multimedia report, manipulate graphic files and get used to web surfing. To reflect on the pluses and minus on having the latest and greatest versus realizing my Mac's full potential. A low-end Mac still serving a useful purpose.
What a difference six years makes. OS 7.5, 7.5.5, 7.6, 8.1, 8.6, 9.0; 68040, 601, 603, 604, G3, G4. Reductions in prices for storage devices and RAM. Seeing more of the Mac OS software written in native PowerPC code. Along the way, the Mac that came out of the box has been transformed into a Mac that was a twinkle in my eye six years ago. The differences between the two are shown in the table below:
| ITEM | 1994 | 2000 |
| OS | 7.1.2P | 8.1 |
| CPU | 68LC040 | 68040 |
| RAM | 5 MB | 36 MB |
| Modem | 2400/9600 | 14000/33600 |
| Hard Disk | 250 MB | 4.3 GB |
| External Storage | none | 100 MB Zip Disk |
| Printer | 2400 | 2500 (Software Upgrade) |
| TV Tuner/Video Card | none | Yes (New) |
| MPEG Card | none | Yes (New) |
| Presentation System | none | Yes (New) |
| Scanner | none | Yes (Refurbished) |
| QuickCam | none | Yes (Refurbished) |
| Speakers | none | Yes (New) |
| Microphone | none | Yes (New) |
| Video Camera | (On the Shelf) | Yes (Use with TV Tuner Card) |
Bottom Line: Instead of vertical upgrades, the horizontal upgrades above have been geared towards maximizing the Macs potential, without which this web page http://home.att.net/~novash/index.html would not have been possible.
Next Time: Resources and Upgrading by a Weekend Warrior
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 Content
- Apple's Tablet an End Run Beyond Netbooks, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 11.20. Whatever Apple has planned will leverage existing technologies while going beyond what its competitors can offer.
- i5 iMac Benchmarked, Mac mini 'Shouldn't Be Overlooked', Twitter Client for Classic Mac OS, and More, Mac News Review, 11.20. Also why Apple leaves the low end to others, 10.6.2 fixes video playback problem in 27" iMac, 3D Leopard and Snow Leopard performance, and more.
- NASA Chemical Sensor for iPhone, Smartphone Death Match, iPhone Earrings, and More, Ian R Campbell, 11.20. Also mobile phone dangers, new apps, GPS solution for iPod touch, new iPod and iPhone cases, and more.
- Apple #4 in Reliability, Apple Tablet a Gadget for All?, HP's i7 Notebook Outdoes Mac Rivals, and More, The 'Book Review, 11.20. Also Flash 10.1 improves video on Hackintosh netbooks, thin-and-light notebooks impress, Windows XP finally on the way out, and more.
- Replacing the Hard Drive in a Clamshell iBook, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 11.19. Yes, it is one of the most difficult Apple notebooks to disassemble and reassemble, but a 10 GB hard drive just will not do.
- IBM Model F: A Great Old Keyboard with an Outdated Layout, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 11.19. Although it used a different technology than the revered IBM Model M keyboard, the Model F was a great keyboard in its own right.
- Soft Touch Keyboards, Wireless Mouse Options, Loving SeaMonkey 2, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 11.18. Also the future of browsing with PowerPC Macs and the multiple mouse input bug introduced with OS X 10.5.8.
- More links in our archive.
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.
