My First Mac
Quadra Revives a Passion for Computing
Genevieve Gauthier - February 2002
My first steps on a computer were made in 1983 on an Apple IIe, a computer on which couldn't do much compared to today's computers. Even there I was passing evenings - and sometimes the night - working and debugging BASIC programs and doing all sorts of things like gaming and trying to program with machine language. It was very addictive.
Several years later, it became obsolete.
A couple years after that, around 1994, I had to buy a new computer, a portable, for my job, but I had to buy a PC to be compatible with the company's standards. What a boring machine! I used it for the job, and that was it. The little flame of computing inside me was dead - I thought!
Then a friend of mine offered me a free computer last summer, his old LC 630 from 1994. I accepted, but I was very skeptical.
I used it for four months; that was enough to revive my flame. In October 2001 I bought myself a brand new iMac, and now it is half of my life. I see no end to what I can learn or discover, thanks to the user friendliness of the Mac and to the superb OS X.
If I hadn't used the old LC 630, I probably would have bought a PC, but with no enthusiasm. I thank my friend every day for pushing me in the fantastic world of Macintosh.
Share the story of your first Mac experience by emailing with "My First Mac" as your subject.
Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
Recent My First Mac articles
- A Second Spring for PowerPC Macs, 2011.09.28. Apple has abandoned the Classic Mac OS, PowerPC Macs, and PowerPC software, but that doesn't have to mean an end for new development.
- Flash, YouTube, and .docx File Conversion for Mac OS 9, 2011.04.05. Although Adobe and Microsoft dropped OS 9 support years ago, there are workarounds for viewing YouTube videos and using Word documents.
- Thanks for the IBM PC, Dad, 2009.01.09. Dad, thanks for bringing home that first IBM PC way back in 1981.
- More in the My First Mac index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Macintosh Portable, introduced 1989.09.20. The nearly 16 lb. behemoth was innovative but not a smashing success.
- February 13 in LEM history: 01: Layoffs may hurt Mac market - 02: Unix for the Mac - Rage against the Macintosh - 03: Options to move data from PCs to Macs - 04: Low cost RAM for older 'Books - 06: Apple, IBM, and Intel - 07: Picking the right cheap computer, new or used - 08: I needed to find an older Mac
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Fix Home Button Delay, Tablet the Ultimate Mobile PC, iPad Notebook a Possibility, and More, iOS News Review, 2012.02.10. Also using your iPad at work, two photo editors, a new iPad text editor, Macally's magnetic iPad 2 stand, and more.
- White MacBook Goes End-of-Life, Logitech Touch Mouse Supports Gestures, Firmware Updates, and More, The 'Book Review, 2012.02.10. Also MacBook Air better than any Ultrabook, docks for MacBook Pro models, Intel offers improved SSDs, and more.
- Mac and iOS Browsers: Options Galore, Freeware Forum, 2012.02.10. Safari is adequate on Mac and great on iOS, but the range of good alternatives is stunning. LEM writers share their favorites.
- Apple's Support Lead Shipping, Smartphones Outsell PCs, OS X Ported to ARM by Intern, and More, Mac News Review, 2012.02.10. Also the power of Tex-Edit Plus, Google and Twitter are already censoring the Web, Snow Leopard Security Update, and more.
- LogMeIn: Remote Screen Sharing for the Rest of Us, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 2012.02.09. Configuring the Mac's built-in screen sharing to work over the Internet can be difficult or impossible. LogMeIn makes it easy.
- 15 Years Ago Motorola Unveiled the PowerPC G3, Low End Mac Round Table, 2012.02.06. The G3 processor was optimized for real world Mac software and made a big leap forward in efficiency.
- Don't Kill Caps Lock, Learning to Love the iOS Keyboard, and an Adaptive iPad Keyboard, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2012.02.06. The Caps Lock key has a useful function, the iPad's keyboard really is useful, and checking out an adaptive keyboard for the iPad.
- More links in our archive.
