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My First Mac

Reaching for a Mac

bluekatt - March 2002

I could never have the small sleek compact machine in the store window of a used computer shop, but I guess I fell in love with it. Sadly, the machine was far out of reach of my then limited financial capabilities, and I had to settle for a used DOS box.

Then and still now I don't know what that machine in the window was; the only thing I know is that it was a compact Mac. I still want that machine.

My first usable Macintosh came to me in early 2001 - a Performa 6300. Not the best choice, admittedly, but still a worthwhile foray into the world of Macintosh (during the time I upgraded from a 386 to low grade Pentiums to the P3 800 MHz box I'm writing this on).

The 6300 ran Mac OS 8.5. It was slow, and it confused me, but I liked what I saw. After a few months, however, my first Macintosh came to its end. I tried to boot up, and nothing happened.

RIP, Macintosh. I threw it into a cupboard and went back to plod along with my Windows computers. Halfway through 2001 I came across a PB 1400 running at 166 MHz on Mac OS 8.1. I don't have it anymore. I sold it because I used it sparsely. It was a nice machine, but not for me.

The third and last Macintosh I acquired (and plan to stick with for a while) is a Bondi blue Rev B iMac. Its specs are nice, but nothing to shout about, and I am quite fond of the machine. It has some practical uses (I can accesses Internet with it using my PC USB peripherals and do some graphic work and such).

The country where I live is mainly Windows oriented, and it's quite difficult to find anything older then an iMac here, though I succeeded twice. But I still want that little machine that grabbed my attention nine years ago, and I will even if it has no practical use I will

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Recent My First Mac articles

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Mac LC III Still a Most Useful Machine, 07.30. A love affair that will last as long as they make Macs began with a used LC III in 1997, and it's still being used today.
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Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: 17" iMac G4/800 MHz, July 2002 - The iMac 'grows up' with a 17" 1440 x 900 display.
Group of the Day: LisaList supports Lisa users.
November 8 in LEM history: 99: OS 9: I think I like it - 01: The simplified Mac life - Soured on Windows - Flea market Mac - 02: Little room for improvement in new 'Books - Combo drive upgrade for iceBooks - 04: Re-Porter - 05: Fix the old iMac or buy a Mac mini? - Apple's Copland project - 06: MacBook Core 2 - MacBook value equation - Cheap is as cheap does - 07: Problems with Classic mode in Tiger - The G4 Power Mac that won't run Leopard
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Best Classic Mac OS Deals, 10.30. System 6.0.8 floppies, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5, $20; 7.5 CD, $4; 7.6 $13; 8.1, $11; 8.5, $20; 8.6, $90; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $30.
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