Getting an Old Mac Running

1999 – I’ve found/been given/bought on the cheap a 68030/68040 Macintosh. I’m a broke college student, and I need to set this machine up to do word processing and surf the Internet as cheaply as possible. What should I do? (A common question around here.)

Mac II Benchmarked

The Mac II uses a 16 MHz 68020 CPU. The hard drive is an ancient 5.25″ 80 MB Apple-branded Quantum drive – the one that originally shipped with this machine in 1987 – formatted with Apple HD SC Setup 7.3.5.

Macally iKey USB Keyboard

Supporting a over 80 Macs in three locations, consistency is very important. Most of the Macs at work are still running System 7.5.5. Newer ones are generally on Mac OS 8.1 or 8.6. We use the Apple ADB Mouse (in its various incarnations) almost exclusively, along with the Contour UniMouse on Macs without ADB ports.

Lab Fun!

1999 – Occasionally you just stumble into a job that gets bigger and bigger the more you look at it. I’d airily made a promise early last summer to help our school’s technology coordinator clean up the machines in our two elementary computer labs. “It shouldn’t be too difficult,” I thought, “just wipe the drives, […]

The Life and Death of MacTimes

1999: One of the more interesting stories of the past week was the decision of MacTimes to close its doors and try to auction off its domain name on eBay for a cool $100,000. As I write this, there are 12 hours to go – and no bidders.

Mac User For a Month #1

1999: Basic training is over, and it’s time to put my newly acquired skills to the test. As the title suggests, I am going to be a 100% Mac user for one month. I am unsure of what the results are going to be, but I am really looking forward to this. An old colleague […]

Free Mac Internet Access

1999: Free internet access is a big thing in the Windows world. Many people are currently using free ad-based internet services instead of pricier ones, such AOL and Erols. Free internet services was a relatively unfilled niche in the Mac computing world, except for a few companies that offered Mac versions of their software. However, […]

Setting Up a Power Mac 6100

Five years ago, my employer was spending about $3,600 for a Power Mac 6100/66 with 16 MB of memory (so much!) and a 230-500 MB hard drive. And Apple’s extended keyboard, which was a separate item back then. And an Apple 14″ color monitor.

Power Mac 6100 Benchmarks

The Power Macintosh 6100 (a.k.a. the Perform 6110 series) shipped in two speeds: a 60 MHz version introduced on March 14, 1994 as one of the first Power Macs, and a 66 MHz version introduced on January 5, 1995. Until I benchmarked a 6100/60, 6100/66, and 6100/66 with 256 KB level 2 (L2) cache, I assumed the […]

This Week’s ‘Non-Column’

1999 – This week’s edition of A View from the Classroom will be appearing right here on MacInSchool sometime . . . next week! While I’d like to emulate some of my students and shift responsibility somewhere else, i.e., “But Dan, the dog ate my homework column,” I’ve got to fess up and say it […]

Simplicity Is Key

1999: Extensions, System Folders, ROMs – such simple things to the average Mac user. However, to the PC user, they can become your worst nightmare. At first.

A Mac Is Like Prozac: Why Jesse Berst’s Pseudo-Conversion Isn’t a Fluke

“No, I still don’t like Apple products very much. But increasingly, I hate Windows even more. Its constant crashes. Its inconsistent interfaces. Its lack of new, innovative software. Meanwhile, Apple is on a roll….” – Jesse Berst, Editorial Director of ZDNet AnchorDesk, Think Different? Why Jesse Wants an iMac, 1999.10.07. Surreal. Yeah, that’s the word […]

iMacs for All

1999.10: If you’ve ever ordered a pizza with someone, you’ve experienced it. No two people ever want the same thing. I guess this is the same when ordering a computer. Now people can finally have the computer that’s suited to them – last week, Apple introduced it’s new iMacs. These are the new iMacs that […]

Kihei Revisited

I’ve had some time to watch the Kihei iMac/Mac OS 9 announcement online and read the Kihei developer notes. I’m more impressed with the new iMacs than ever.

Legacy Macs and the Professional Wedding Photographer

1999: Many years B.C. (Before Computers), I made part of my living for a time as a wedding photographer. In those days I shot mostly with a Rolleicord twin lens reflex – a camera so civilized and quiet that I could often sneak a few available-light shots in the church without disturbing anyone, even if […]

Mac Troubleshooting 101

1999 – While my job is to teach special education students, I still help out with various Mac maladies around our building. If you’ve read any of my previous school columns, you may remember that my elementary is heavily populated with LC 5200s with a lesser number of 5400s and 5500s. There always seems to […]

New iMacs Announced

1999.10: I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s article on the topless iMac. After all the stress with Apple legal, it was fun doing a parody piece. But now Apple has officially unveiled its new iMacs, which are apparently immediately available for purchase.

Accession to Mac OS 8.1

1999: Working with the Macintosh has proven harder than I thought it would be. Having to relearn such minuscule tasks as adding drivers, changing settings, and adding new hardware have all taken their toll on me. After many nights that I should have spent sleeping, several cups of coffee, and an ashtray full of butts, […]