Macs to the Max
Save Those Old Macs
- 2006.12.19
Rows and rows of Mac LCs, LC IIs, and LC IIIs lined the computer labs of Lake Middle School back in the good old days when Macs prevailed as the computer of choice.
First they had typewriters, then they had Macs, and now they have Windows PCs. First the typewriters faded away, then, sadly, the Macs were replaced with newer Windows PCs.
Way back when, classrooms and computer labs at Lake Middle had LCs, and they were enjoyed thoroughly. The teachers would often write programs and whatnot to help their classes study and learn. One science teacher there loved these LCs and eventually became a Macintosh fanatic (just like most of us here on Low End Mac).
Out with the Macs
One day, the district decided to switch to PCs, as other districts were doing. So the school held a fire sale and sold each LC, including monitor, mouse, and keyboard for only $15. In the early 90s, that was a steal - heck, today it's a steal!
They ended up selling only a few of them, which is hard to imagine. The next school year, the science teacher came to school expecting the same old same old, but he found PCs instead. What a shock! The programs and upkeep of all those Macs down the drain.
So he marched into the
principal's office and demanded to know what happened to all his LCs.
The principal proceeded to explain the fire sale, and how they had
mediocre sales. He concluded, telling the teacher that the LCs were in
storage in the boiler room - under a sheet of plastic, waiting for
their dumpster demise.
The science teacher rushed to the boiler room and saw them under the sheet of plastic. He couldn't believe it! So he asked the principal if it would be acceptable to use them in his class if he took care of them. Seeing no reason to deny him, the principal agreed - just as long as the teacher took care of them.
The science teacher took them all home and was astounded with the amount of junk that had accumulated over the years. He fully wiped the hard drives, then reinstalled the OS and necessary software on them, which took hours. Finally he had them all classroom worthy.
The question was, "How can I take this one step further?" He would write great programs using Hypercard to help his science class review. He spent hours and hours up-keeping, updating, and improving these machines.
He had them all in working order and kept them that way for six years! He really embraced the concepts of Low End Mac. Then he switched schools to Lake Northern High School, the new high school in the district.
Seeing as how all of those LCs were in good working order, the school should have kept them, right? Wrong.
As soon as he left, they had another fire sale, and they sold them all for $5 - except for one that the science teacher bought.
Not many sold, and the rest were sadly put in the dumpster.
Save the Low-end Macs
How can we stop this from happening? No Mac should have to go through such an undignified demise.
Many of you of you have probably witnessed this type of thing - or even tried to stop it. I know Dan Knight once rescued 40-some vintage Macs from a Michigan shool that was going to have them hauled away as scrap.
What can we do to stop this "dumpster doom" from happening to the next generation of Macs? This is a concept Mac users have been struggling with for ages, but there are many ways to repurpose or re-use a Mac rather than putting it in the trash.
After they're rescued, they can make a great first computer for a friend or family member. Or you can fix them up and attempt to sell them. There are many options, and they are all worth saving a Mac for.
The next time you see a couple of Macs sitting in your neighborhood
trash or hear of a school or business unloading a truckload, take them
home, get them working, and save a Mac.
Recent articles by Matthew Jay
- Save those old Macs, 2006.12.19. When friends, neighbors, schools, and businesses are ready to dump their old Macs, save them from destruction and give them new life.
- Forming the next Macintosh generation, 2006.12.12. We've been hooked by the Mac. Now we have a responsibility to bring the experience to others and create a new generation of Mac users.
- Nintendo and Apple, industry leaders, 2006.09.13. Both Apple and Nintendo remain committed to providing the best platform in their market, and neither company is afraid of innovation.
- More in the Macs to the Max 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.
Recent Deals
- Best MacBook Air Deals
- Best iBook G4 Deals
- Best iPad Deals
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals
- Best Apple TV Deals
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals
- Best Power Mac G4 Deals
- Best Mac OS X 10.6 Deals
- More deals in our archive.
About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact
Follow
Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac
on Facebook
Low End Mac Reader Specials
TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct
from Strider Software.
Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac Museum
DealMac
Deal Brothers
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ
Affiliates
Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay
