By the early 1990s, the Macintosh was moving away from its black and white roots and into the world of full color. The last of the compact black and white screen Macs, the Classic II, ceased production in 1992. A few years after that, Apple closed out the last production run of grayscale PowerBooks. With […]
Author Archives: Manuel Mejia
The development of MacPaint 2.0 changed the way the average computer user used his or her machine for all time. Instead of just having a typewriter or number crunching machine, the Macintosh could do work in the visual area as well
Although it has been a while in terms of the life span of the typical child growing up in the computer age, the year 1984 was a highlight. Besides the fact that 1984 was the year the first Macintosh was introduced, the year marked a change in the way computers were used.
In the endless rush to get the latest Mac that has come off the assembly line, Mac users leave behind a wondrous treasure trove of applications and documents that are of little or no use on the new Mac. The reason for this is simple – the application or document will not run using a […]
Low-end classic Mac users, Judgment Day seems to have come for us all. While reviewing July 9th in Low End Mac History for 2001, I came across an account of how one vintage Mac user was having trouble accessing his email using a Triassic Mac running vintage software. It seems that there was a problem related […]
In my previous article, I discussed the care and maintenance of the venerable Mac Plus. Well, I displayed my imperfections as a Triassic Mac user. I know a number of things about old Macs. However, I am a writer, not an engineer (with apologies to the late DeForest “Bones” Kelley).
Of all of the Triassic Macs, the Mac Plus has the most sentimental value among the Low End Mac community. For many 1980s computer users, it was the first Mac they ever owned. For others, it was the first device they used as a replacement for the venerable typewriter.
What is happening to email? Once upon a time, email was nothing more than plain text that came to you on a blank screen in a font that could be read by just about anyone. Now two new forms of email have appeared. The first is mildly annoying; the second is wildly impractical for Macs […]
Triassic Macs? Since the creation of the Abandonware Petition in the late 1990s, the use of epoch terms for the evolution of life started to be applied to low-end Macs. The battle cry Allow Jurassic software to roam free became a common phrase among vintage computer users.
2000 – Based on some recent email that I have gotten, there seems to be a number of PowerBook 100 owners trying to find a way to make them portable again. The PowerBook (PB) 100 was one of Apple’s first successful notebook computers, along with the 140 and 170. In 1991, it took the computer […]
2000 – When last I wrote, I was in the process of testing out my refurbished Mac II. In my quest to revive the MacDead, I discovered that one needs to have the correct RAM for the machine. I now need to install four 1 MB SIMMs in Bank A to get the beast going.
2000 – Welcome back to the surreal. Over the past few weeks, I have been visiting the library and the local Radio Shack seeking out parts and information that would help revive my comatose 1988 vintage Mac II. According to the book Macintosh II Repair and Upgrades Secrets, there are two lithium cells that should be […]
2000 – Well, it finally happened. After years of dispensing advice on how to revive dead Macs, I finally had one go dead on me while doing email. The Mac in question is an old one – a Mac II that dates back to May 1988 (based on the date on the PRAM batteries). In […]
1999 – What is a good medium for early Macs to store programs and data ?
1999 – How did System 6 and its features work with 2-8 MB “high end” Macs like the Mac II?
1999 – What is System 6, and why is it the preferred system for 8 MHz compact Macs?
1999 – My old Mac has the maximum RAM in it (or the maximum that I will install). I have 4-14 MB. What options do I have for Internet access?
I just got a Mac Plus, Mac SE, or Classic. What can one do with this ancient Mac today? (This is a typical Mac Daniel question.)
