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128k Original Mac

Hey Tim,
I read your article on the 128k Mac. I agree there is still nothing like the original. I love reading stories about the development of the 128k Mac and the things the dedicated Apple staff went through to sell the wonderful thing. Well, I read how you said the disks won't work in your Mac. I think I know the problem. Are you running Mac OS 8.0? If you are, Mac OS 8.0 does not support 400k disks. I think earlier versions of the Mac OS will read those disks. I just remember in the read me files that they warned about the lack of Mac OS 8 reading 400k disks.

Well, hope that info helps.
Brad Horn brad@linworth.org

Just thought you'd like to know... if you open up the case and look at the serial number of the logic board... it will say something like LB03450000001271... the last digits being the sequential "NUMBER" of machine...

Mine is one of the original 1400 demo machines, yours being made in February also will have a very "low" number... it would be interesting to know how "low" it is...

Gennica Hamilton genny@ccms.net

Gennica,
I do plan on taking the Mac apart, but I do not have the tool for the job. The torq screws on the back were very easy to remove, but the ones under the handle are too far in there to get to without a longer handle torq wrench.

Also, I seem to remember if you open an original Macintosh, you void the warranty. You wouldn't want me to do that, now would you;-)

Basically, a very nice review. FWIW, I bought my "Macintosh" (not 128-that monicker came later, not 512k, not Plus, just "Macintosh") in April, 1984 (I was on a waiting list from February 1984). It is now a Mac Plus via an official Apple upgrade and still works just fine (with the original power supply, no less!). However, your comment:

"When the machine is running, it is loud in comparison to my 6500/250. The fan makes an awful racket, but after running for a few minutes, you kind of get use to it, like white noise."

is very interesting, as the original 128k Mac DID NOT come with a fan.

Perhaps this is the reason it did not sell at the garage sale? 8-) (Or are you confusing the floppy drive with the fan? After all, the floppy runs almost continuously, and the orignal Sony 400k drives *were* noisy.)

Regards,

Robert Eye r-eye@ti.com
Dallas, TX

As the owner of two 512k "Fat Macs" (neither, unfortunately, is the one I originally bought back in 1985), I enjoyed your trip down memory lane with the original 128k Mac. I found one thing puzzling, however. You said that "the fan makes an awful racket." But the original Macs didn't have fans. Indeed, as far as I know, the first compact Mac to have a fan was the SE (also the first compact Mac available with an internal hard drive). The first Macs ran at low enough temperatures that they didn't *need* fans (although the fan-less Mac Plus pushed this to the limit!).
Either there's something wrong internally with your 128k, or someone installed a fan at some point after the original purchase. The 128k should be absolutely silent (which, given the noise today's machines all make, is kind of eerie).

Regards,
Jeff Cooper jcooper1@iupui.edu

You are correct. I realized after reading your email, and rereading my "review" that I failed to mention that someone had installed a FannyMac power source in the unit. (It sits on top of the Mac, and has a fan built-in.)

Shortly after I wrote my article, a friend of mine (Mike Gault) also bought a 128k. He paid $75 for it, but it doesn't have either an external floppy or a FannyMac. And it is indeed very quiet, much more so than my 6500/250.

Thanks for the letter, Jeff!

Mozilla YES!

There are a few points you make in your presentation against the Mozilla browser that need to be addressed (My Turn issue #37).

1) That there will be some versions of the browser which will be good and some which will be buggy: While this is conceivably true, there is no incentive for an individual to use the buggy version; the marketplace (the "bazaar") will weed it out.

2) Will hackers want to work on Mozilla? I think we can answer yes. It is already seeing quite a bit of development. This is a perfect project for a college student to work on, since it gives real-world programming experience as well as some slight chance at fame.

3) An important note is that the PPC Mac OS version is an integral part of the Mozilla project-programmers are not allowed to "check in" source code that doesn't work on both platforms.

I think that it's important to take a close look at what's actually being done with the source code in order to analyze what's going to happen to Mozilla. While certainly there are people who have downloaded the entire source tree and are building their own private versions of Mozilla, the fact is that these spinoff versions will gain very little mind share. They cannot charge for their product. This means that the only version which will become widely used will be the one (or ones) that are robust. This is a big deal, and it can be shown by the existing spinoff projects of Mozilla. The main goals are NOT for there to be multiple versions of Mozilla, but rather for a single multi-platform version which will have the best input of the marketplace.

Don't knock open source until you've tried it.

Russell Mirabelli rmirabelli@jlc.com

School Needs Help

I have a favor to ask. We are in desperate need of computer donations. Would it be possible for you to include a short item advertising our plight?

I am a teacher at Russell Elementary in Arvada, Colorado. Russell is a Title One, At-Risk school. We have 75% of our kids who qualify for free/reduced lunch by federal guidelines. We also serve a school community that has 67% of our county's low income housing. Our kids have very limited access to technology resources, mainly what we can provide through school.

We would be interested in any computers, etc. that could be donated. We have a donor who has provided us with money to pay for shipping. Donors will be provided with a letter from my principal that can be used for for tax purposes. A specific list of hardware, software, etc. would be very helpful.Thanks for considering us.

Ken khouliha@jeffco.k12.co.us
Jeffco Schools

If you are willing to help, please email Tim here at My Mac Magazine publisher@mymac.com I can also provide a phone number to reach Ken.

More than 3!!!

Regarding your Article, "A Few Words," in the latest issue of My Mac Magazine, I have noticed that you (or Russ) state that there are only three print magazines left, Macworld, MacAddict, and MacHome. I beg to differ. Have you all never heard of MAC TODAY magazine? It's a bi-monthly magazine, and it is really great. Also, it's available nationwide here in the USA.

Hey, just trying to keep you guys honest! :) Otherwise, another great issue of the Mag. Best to all.

Ron Wilson capron@anet-stl.com
"The box said Windows 95 or better, so I bought a Macintosh!"

You know, you are 100% correct. I completely forgot all about MacToday. (A funny name for a bi-monthly, don't you think?) There is also MacTech, a magazine which is geared for the developer. Did I miss any? If so, please let me know!

Back Issues

Hello,
I discovered your magazine recently and liked it a lot. I would like to read your magazine from the very first issue, but there are only the 12 most recent issues available to download. Are there any means to get more back issues? I would greatly appreciate your answer.

Sincerely,
Alexander Gubin agubin@hotmail.com

Yes, we only have the twelve most recent issues of My Mac on the web site. The reason is simple: we have to carefully manage our server's storage or it costs us more money. My Mac, being a free magazine, does not have a large pile of cash to pay for the best of everything. So only a limited number of back issues are kept on the server. (Our advertising pays for what we do have on-line.)

Thanks for wanting to read all our back issues, though! We hope, one day, to be able to have everything thing ever done with My Mac on-line. We do, however, have "Special" editions in which we showcase the best of certain monthly columns. Wall Writings, Miner Thoughts, and Tech Tips are currently available from the web site. And look for a FileMaker Pro database in the near future as well. I have been working on it for the last few months, but with my other projects, work, family, ect... Well, as Russ is liken to say, their is not enough hours in the day.

Be sure to drop us a note with any thoughts, corrections, or problems you may have. We all love to hear from you, and we do need to fill this page every month! (Remember to let us know if you'd prefer to not have your e-mail address printed.) So write in!

Tim Robertson is the Publisher of My Mac, and unless otherwise noted answers all the e-mail on this page.

Tim Robertson
publisher@mymac.com
Russ Walkowich
editor@mymac.com

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