1999 – ABV writes: Please give pros and cons for the upgrading my current Performa 630 CD. I have System 7.5, 8 MB of RAM plus RAM Doubler, the TV and video tuner, a 250 MB internal hard drive, a 500 MB external drive, and an HP DeskWriter 550C. I’m trying to upgrade the system to […]
Author Archives: Daniel Knight
1999 – ME writes: So, my Centris 610 . . . (I can hear you already. Hopelessly outdated; buy a 7500.) Okay, fine. Anyway, my Centris 610 cost me $30. (University surplus store; it’s raining G3 towers on campus right now, so they’re dumping these things like mad.)
It’s that time of year – since before Christmas, people have been looking back at 1998. What were the most significant events?
1999 – SB writes: I have the opportunity to purchase from a friend either a Power Mac 6100/60 or a Performa 6300/100. I know the 6300 is a Road Apple, but it does have the 603e processor. So should I buy the 6100 and add cache and RAM – or stick with the 6300
Even ten years after its introduction, there’s something compelling about the Macintosh Portable.
1998 was the Year of the iMac. Announced in May, it didn’t ship until August, and it killed off all those legacy printer, AppleTalk, hard drive, keyboard, and mouse ports with something new called USB. The iMac quickly became the most popular computer on the market.
In 1999, I wrote, “Was it only last year that Apple went from beleaguered to industry darling? Released the amazing iMac? Ran a profit every quarter?”
1998 – Mac Daniel will be enjoying the New Years holiday with family. The next column will appear on January 4, 1999.
1998 – In their day, the 68040-based PowerBook 500 series and PowerBook 190 were very nice machines, but in the PowerPC era, was it time to replace them?
JJ writes: Along the same lines as the current discussion about the best desktop Mac to have, what is the best used PowerBook when it comes to upgradability? I’m just finishing college and would love a brand new G3, but I’m still on a budget.
1998 – Thanks to utilities like SmoothType, ATM, and the anti-aliasing built into Mac OS 8.5, type today can look better on the screen than ever before. For instance, in the black and white sample to the right, anti-aliasing (courtesy of Photoshop) uses shaded pixels in spots where neither black nor white best fits the […]
1998 – DH writes: I need some help in convincing my firm to provide me with a new G3 rather than provide me with more memory. If you could help me develop an answer, I would greatly appreciate it.
What’s the best version of the Mac OS for your Mac? It depends on the hardware.
1998.12: Charles Piller, in Fast-Selling iMac Model Is a Singular Sensation for Apple, writes: “While the sensational new iMac has doubled Apple Computer’s share of the consumer PC market to about 10%, according to the latest data, so far the popular machine has no coattails. Sales of Apple’s more costly and capable G3 desktop computers […]
1998 – Mac Daniel will be enjoying the Christmas holiday with family. The next column will appear on December 28.
1998 – KW writes: Hi. You must get thousands of emails! If you have the time, I wonder if you’d comment on the following: I have two Umax J700s with 56 MB RAM running Mac OS 8.5, Optiquest 17″ monitors, and networked with a 266 MHz Power Mac G3 with 64 MB RAM and an […]
1998 – GF writes: Just took my son’s Performa 575 out of storage. We added 32 MB of memory (which I think is the max), and my son upgraded to Mac OS 8.0. He also had RAM Doubler added two years ago to the original memory. Is the Doubler not needed now or not being […]
1998 – DS writes: At our (the Atlanta Mac Users’ Group) annual swap-fest, I was unable to not purchase for a small amount an extremely clean and (I think) handsome LC 550 that had been used by a school administrator. [Readers, you may want to read that again. It’s a masterful use of the double-negative.]
1998 – GS writes: I was interested to read your advice to a 7200 owner saying that he would be better off upgrading to a 7500. I have a 7500 and am mulling some upgrade questions.
1998 – JB writes: I have a question about upgrading the Power Mac 7200. I am rather irritated because, when I bought the machine in winter 95/96, the 7200 was advertised and promoted as upgradeable (to a 7300). Having been burned twice before with Macs that had no upgrade path, I thought I was making […]
1998: Paradigm is a buzzword of the 90s. A paradigm is a mental picture, a way of thinking of things. Significant changes take place when we think outside the box or shift our paradigm. This is what Apple was talking about with the Think Different campaign.
1998 – Readers ask about options to upgrade old 68030-based Macs, the Classic II and LC II.
1998.12: If you surf the Mac sites, you’ve probably run across links to “Skin-Deep Beauty: The iMac’s Performance Doesn’t Live Up to Its Snappy Appearance” (no longer online) by John Breeden, published by The Washington Post on December 17. The article raises a few valid criticisms of the iMac, but also contains some inaccuracies.
1998 – JW writes: I have a Power Mac 7600/120 with 96 MB RAM and a 2 GB hard disk. I intend to upgrade it in order to use it as a video editing machine for freelance work. Is it worth it to upgrade at all? What kinds of upgrades are viable: graphic card, video card, […]
1998 – One reader asks whether it makes sense to try to overclock a Power Mac 8600, while another wonders whether a $530 repair to a Power Mac 8500 is justifiable.
1998 – JT writes: I have what I think is a simple question: Which (if any) hardware or software enhancements should I consider to improve the Internet performance of my Performa 5200 CD? The model I own came with an external modem – a 14.4 Global Village – and the computer has its originally installed […]
1998 – JF writes: I have a Performa 5400/160, a nice machine that I like a lot, but I’m getting the upgrade itch. I see Vimage has released a G3 upgrade via the Level 2 cache slot for my machine – which is great to see!
1998 – JF writes: I’m another Power Mac 6100 owner who wants a faster Mac. I primarily want the extra speed for Web surfing. I use a 6100 with 40 MB RAM, Apple 15″ monitor, 256 KB L2 cache, and Supra 28.8 modem. I see that I can get a 7×00 or 8×00 for $500-600, […]
1998 – TH writes: I have a Performa 6110 CD. It has the 60 MHz 601 processor, a 250 MB hard drive, and I just upgraded to 40 MB of RAM. I would like to get a new hard drive for this machine, perhaps as large as 2 GB, but I am unsure of where to […]
The following tips are especially aimed at the lowest low-end Macs, such as the Mac Plus, SE, Classic, LC, Mac II, SE/30, PowerBook 100, and other models with older, slower processors or limited memory. However, some of the hints will help anyone using a browser.
1998 – ABV writes: Which version of the Mac OS would you recommend running on the following Quadra 630? The system has 20 MB of RAM, a 250 MB hard drive, an external Chinon 2x CD-ROM drive, 14″ Apple Trinitron Monitor, 33.6 kbps Supra Faxmodem, and a StyleWriter II inkjet printer. I want a version […]
1998 – AH writes: G’day. I have a Performa 6220 CD, 32 MB RAM, 1 GB hard drive, 14.4 faxmodem, 603 processor (75 MHz), 17″ Sony screen, and System 7.5.5. I use it currently for Net surfing (exceedingly slow) and for various home projects (adequate). Is there anything to do to speed up Net travel?
1998 – JP writes: Thanks for reading my email. I have reached an interesting intersection. I want to be able to share data among my three Macs.
1998 – Damon writes: I was hoping you could help me with a couple of things. I wanted to know if the LC III can take the same type of 72-pin SIMM as your standard Intel machine? Also, can an LC III support more than 36 MB?
1998 – VZ writes: Thanks for your intelligent musings on all things Mac. My Mac obsession is flaring at the moment, and I wondered if you’d given some thought to my current dilemma. I just bought an iMac to replace a beloved Performa 638CD that I’d maxed out on RAM, processor upgrade, etc. The iMac […]
