The Classic Mac thread

[hanalei]

I love all of my old computers, but the one that gets by far the most attention from me is the G4 "Quicksilver" 733 MHz from 2001. The seller on eBay had 10.4 "Tiger" installed on it, but I downgraded to Mac OS 9.2.2. The end result is that I have a very capable machine that can do almost everything that can be done with pre-OS X system software. In my view, this machine is the culmination of everything that I loved about Macintoshes growing up, but with enough modern conveniences to make it worthwhile today (VGA output and Ethernet, especially).

Throughout my elementary school days, a Performa 6400/180 running System 7.5.3 was our home computer, and it was my gateway to 1990s CD-ROM edutainment. It was the computer that made me fall in love with computers. I definitely used it more than anyone else in the family. I needed multimedia in my life, haha.

I'm fairly certain my relationship to Apple is different than most, since I more or less grew up in Steve Jobs' backyard. Knowing that I lived only a few miles away from where it all began did instill my 3rd-grader self with even more wonderment.

Nowadays, I turn to the Classic Mac environment for its speedy, unobtrusive UI and huge software library, including professional tools like Photoshop. It's gradually becoming my preferred environment for distractionless writing. It's also just really fun to experience my childhood favorite games on CD-ROM.

I'm certain there are other Classic Mac enthusiasts in the Critter Time community. Did you grow up in the beige box period? The Bondi Blue era? Got any questions or comments about Mac OS 9 and below? If you want to Think Different and chip in, this thread is the place to do it.

[Silver Alicorn]

I have 3 Macs still but 2 of them are display pieces. A graphite clamshell iBook and a Mac SE/30. The first one has a bad screen and the second came to me as a Simasimac, and I made it completely die trying to replace the caps. They're both in really good cosmetic shape though.

The "good" one is a Sawtooth Power Mac G4 running Mac OS 9.1. I should start it up and see how it's doing!

Did you grow up in the beige box period? The Bondi Blue era?

My first computer lab (in middle school, 1999) was stocked with Apple ]['s and Macintosh Classics. There were a couple of Apple ][ GS's that I would always try to get first because they had full color graphics. I think at the time I was less interested in the Macs because they were black and white.

Later on I had the pleasure of working with various Performas and iMac G3's. When I got to high school it was all PCs. When I got my first job I started buying "classic" Macs (which were just last gen's Macs at the time, this was still pre-Intel) because I liked Mac OS X way better than Windows, and it was a cheap way to do it. (I had a tangerine iBook G3, then a snow white, then a TiBook & the Power Mac G4 I still have, and I finally got a Core 2 Duo MacBook in 2007.)

[hanalei]

I have 3 Macs still but 2 of them are display pieces. A graphite clamshell iBook and a Mac SE/30. The first one has a bad screen and the second came to me as a Simasimac, and I made it completely die trying to replace the caps.

Clamshell iBooks are so freakin' cool. The dying screens seem to be a common ailment. I wonder how difficult it is to fix something like that. (I bet sourcing good screens is the hard part.)

Today I learned what "Simasimac" means. Shame about the SE. I hope to Get Good at the essential repair jobs, like replacing capacitors, but I simply don't have the space to do that kind of work at the moment.

My first computer lab (in middle school, 1999) was stocked with Apple ]['s and Macintosh Classics. There were a couple of Apple ][ GS's that I would always try to get first because they had full color graphics.

Heh, now that I think of it, there were also Apple IIs at my school computer lab. I remember writing a short story at school on one of them, but I forget which word processor I used. I was so much more excited when they replaced them with Performas in second or third grade.

[dog]

Ooh, this is a fun thread.

I got my Mac start in the early Mac OS X era; I think my first household Mac was 2002ish. First Mac I got that was mine alone was a 2005 PowerBook G4.

I've got a household slowly building up with various old Macs for various projects, but they're mostly all OS X-era. I do have a TiBook that can dual-boot OS 9 and OS X, and it's even late enough that it's got DVI out so I can hook it up to modern monitors and capture cards. I do think my wife picked up an OS 9-era G3 laptop recently but I haven't had a chance to play with it yet...

[hanalei]

I do have a TiBook that can dual-boot OS 9 and OS X, and it's even late enough that it's got DVI out so I can hook it up to modern monitors and capture cards.

DVI out is very nice to have today. It might even save your bacon in case your TiBook's built-in screen goes bad (God forbid).

I remember how useful and essential it was back in the day to be able to switch between the two environments -- OS X was such a radical departure, yet we needed a stable migration path...

But I wonder if there's a practical reason to dual-boot nowadays beyond essentially having 2 retro computers in one. Er, well, hmm, I guess that's useful in itself.

[dog]

Haha, yeah, I guess the only real use for dual-booting would be to avoid having separate OS 9 and OS X machines... but my home is filled with OS X Macs, so I don't really need that. The real reason is just that a couple of these late dual-booting machines are the only OS 9 computers with builtin convenient digital video out - it's more "OS 9 with digital video" for me than "dual booting OS 9/OS X".