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The Usefulness Equation
Purposeful Reincarnation for Old Macs
- 2008.08.26 - Tip Jar
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del.icio.usIf I may quote The Matrix Reloaded for a moment: "It is purpose that connects us, that pulls us, that guides us. It is purpose that defines us."
Purpose is one of the larger struggles in bringing old dinosaurs back into operation. Most people lack purpose for these old 'puters. The trick is finding something for them to mull over or do nothing at all (I'll explain the latter later on).
Extending the life of an old machine can sometimes require the user to jump through certain hoops during preparation. As I outlined in Calculating the Usefulness Equation, there is an easy way to figure out a machine's destiny.
( Final Power / Cost of Preparation ) ² Final Usefulness
As far as Old World Macs (pre-G3 models) go, I highly recommend hot rodding, which does add to the cost of preparation for use. There are G3 and G4 upgrades for almost every PCI Power Mac in existence, not to mention '040 upgrades for 68030 models.
My favorite task to allocate to an older machine is running a tiny version of Linux along with a web server. It's the ultimate proof of concept for repurposing a machine. It proves that the machine can still be used in this day and age.
There is also a great purpose for Old World Macs that have ethernet and LocalTalk: a LocalTalk bridge for your non-ethernet Macs. This is a particular purpose that can be run in the background on more powerful Macs, or in the foreground on not-so-powerful ones.
You should avoid any Old World Mac that will cost more to get running then it's final product will be worth. If you're spending $400 to get a 40 MHz Mac IIfx machine in running condition, you had better have a good reason.
For example, hot rodding my Power Mac 8600 only cost me $125. It's running a 400 MHz G3 upgrade ($20), 512 MB of RAM ($25), dual 10 GB SCSI drives ($50), and the computer itself cost $20 at a garage sale. It is a great web server (not to mention almost full featured) and mention a powerful OS 9 machine. The equation is definitely balanced.
This brings me
to my next point: The exception to the Cost to Purpose calculation is
Mac museums and collections. In the Old World category, there are many
rare and awesome machines that may not have any true power behind them,
but they look great on display because of their rarity or interesting
design. The Twentieth
Anniversary Mac and Macintosh
TV are good examples.
My personal preference when searching for Old World project computers is to focus on expandability. The more I can put into it to improve function, the happier I will be with the finished product. This will vary from person to person, depending on the final goal of the project.
My best advice: if you see a dump-bound Mac, take a gander inside and give it another chance. You might just be surprised.
Next time we'll visit hardware and upgrade compatibility concepts
you should keep in mind. 
Recent Columns by Phil Herlihy
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: eMac, Apr. 2002 - 50 lb. 17" white G4 eMac replaced the iMac for the education market.
- Group of the Day: MacCube is the email list for Cube users.
- December 3 in LEM history: 01: The future of low-end Macs - Internet charges and Low End Mac - 02: A smooth switch with Move2Mac - 04: Upgrading from Mac OS 9 to 10.3 - PC malware: The best reasons to use a Mac - No sympathy for bashing Macs in schools - 'Book fragility - 07: Switching to Mac tripled my productivity - Leopard on a G3 iMac (with a G4 upgrade)
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- OS X More Efficient than Linux, Snow Leopard and PowerPC Macs, and Eudora Woes, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 12.03. A user reports both Panther and Leopard run more smoothly and use memory more efficiently than Linux. Also thoughts on PowerPC abandonment in Snow Leopard and replacing Eudora in Leopard.
- The Leopard Experience at 867 MHz, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 12.02. Mac OS X 10.5 requires an 867 MHz G4 with 512 MB of memory, but is performance really acceptable on a minimum spec system?
- A Used 17" PowerBook as a Budget Notebook Alternative, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 12.02. Sure, you can buy a refurbished 13.3" MacBook for under $900, but you could also have an expansive, feature laden 17" PowerBook in the same price range.
- The Very Best Macs: Sometimes Apple Just Nails It, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 12.01. Apple has produced lots of good Macs, a few dogs, and some 'best of breed' models that stand apart from the pack.
- Apple Could Buy Dell, and Linux Is No Threat to Mac OS X, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 12.01. Apple has the cash to buy Dell outright, and the idea has some merit. Also, why Linux still isn't ready to displace the Mac OS.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best PowerBook G3 Deals, 12.03. Used 14" WallStreet G3/266 MHz, $90; Lombard G3/400 MHz, $150; Pismo G3/400 MHz, $300; 500 MHz, $350.
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- Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals, 12.02. Used 2.16 GHz Core Duo, $1,330; 2.33 Core 2, $1,499; close-out, 2.4, $1,800 after rebate; new 2.5, $2,000 a/r; new hi-res, $2,499 a/r; refurb 2.6, $2,399.
- Best iPod nano Deals, 12.01. Refurb 3G/4 GB, $79; new, $105; refurb 8 GB, $99; new, $115; 3G/8 GB, $134; 16 GB, $174. Prices include ground shipping.
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- Best Mac Pro Deals, 12.01. Used 3.0 GHz 4-core, $2,102; new 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 a/r; 8-core, $2,515 a/r; 3.0 $3,320 a/r; 3.2, $4,099 a/r.
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