Vintage Mac Living

Why We Need Modern Browsers and Email Clients for Vintage Macs

- 2005.11.22

I managed to get my old PowerBook 170 to receive email using nerdshack's POP3 service, but now I am unable to send email because all of today's SMTP servers require SMTP authentication. (Although I was able to send email the other night, now I can't. I'm not sure why it worked once.)

Internet software for 68000 to 68040 Macs is getting harder and harder to come by these days, and I know there are still people out there who either want or need to use older 68k Macs.

I'm sure that I'm not the only one tired of using software on vintage machines that no longer works right, so I am here to ask something of you.

If you are a programmer, I'm asking you a favor: Please take some time to write a new web browser and a new email program with SMTP authentication for 680x0 Macs.

These programs will have to be small and should be able to run on a Mac Plus running System 6.0.8, but they should also look nice and be able to run on newer vintage Macs such as the Quadra 840AV with Mac OS 8.1 with no problems.

They should also be shareware or freeware.

I know I'm asking a lot, but I'm asking on behalf of the people that want or need to use their old Macs.

I know of a number of places that give away old 68k Macs to family's that can't afford new machines. Think how nice it would be for them to be able to get online with a Mac IIsi.

I know people that give their older machines to seniors, and some of them would like to get online with that Mac SE.

And then there are those who just want to use older machines, either because it's a hobby or they're just happy with that Quadra and don't want to buy a new machine.

If you are a computer programmer and you're willing to write these programs for us, please contact me. You can't imagine how much good it will do.

On behalf of everyone in the world who still uses vintage Macs and would like a modern web browser and email program to run on them, I thank you in advance. It means a lot.

Link: The Sorry State of Web Browsers for Classic Macs

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Recent Vintage Mac Living articles

What a waste! Some schools would rather store old computers than put them to use, 2007.09.12. Denver Public Schools is one example of a school district so ready to buy new computers that it has tens of thousands of old, usable computers sitting in storage.
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