Mac computers - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Arlen moulton
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2014, 08:14:41 am
content: Anybody got an old (1980) Mac they need to get rid of for free?

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2014, 12:03:00 pm
content: Best to look on Ebay.People aren't giving them away for free as they fetch decent money from collectors and traders now. A tidy repairable machine of that vintage may pay several hundred pounds to the reseller.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2014, 12:07:40 pm
content: The original Mac didn't come out till 1984? Are you perhaps thinking an Apple II?

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2014, 12:24:10 pm
content: Ah I remember now, you're 12 years old and have collected almost a 100 vintage radios for you and your dad. Are you starting to collect vintage computers as well? You should sell of some of those radios I'm sure you could get a mint condition early Apple II with the money.

author: Arlen moulton
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2014, 01:55:11 pm
content: I meant more like the apple plus or quadra or performa

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2014, 02:56:31 pm
content: I've got an early model PowerBook you can have, 1990/91 vintage. You pay shipping from the US. (I've also got a bitchin Performa that has both a 68k and 486DX2 onboard as CPUs; you could run DOS/Windows alongside System 7. Something we take for granted today with Virtualization, but back then I imagine it was magical.)Oh, there's also an LCII kicking around in the attic (the "pizza box" style Macs) you're welcome to, needs a SCSI hard drive though.Sent from my Tablet

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2014, 04:06:05 pm
content: Quote from: Arlen moulton on December 06, 2014, 08:14:41 amJust so you know, personal computers in 1980 tended to have 8 bit processors running at 1 MHz clock speed, had 8 K of RAM if you were lucky, and stored their programs on audio cassette tape recorders. You need to bring your time machine forward a few years for computers to develop to the point where they were usable.

author: macboy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2014, 07:42:39 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on December 06, 2014, 04:06:05 pmThe first Mac was in 1984, and had a 8 MHz Motorola 68000 ("68k") CPU, which was 32 bit instruction set, but with a 16-bit external bus, and 24-bit memory addressing scheme. This model was called the 128k, and it had (of course) 128k of ram. This model is extremely limited; I would recommend a Mac Plus (512 kB RAM), as the lowest collectible if you wanted to fire it up to 'use' once in a while. The SE/30 is even better as a usable machine with its 32-bit bus, 68030 with MMU (virtual memory), and aesthetics that still look almost identical to the original.

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2014, 11:20:53 pm
content: Quote from: timb on December 06, 2014, 02:56:31 pmOh, I couldn't stop myself from thinking of the classic "P-p-p-powerbook!" reverse scam posted on somethingawful forums way back when the internet was a much better place.

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 07, 2014, 12:56:41 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on December 06, 2014, 04:06:05 pmCassette players were a bit of a pain - my cat used to jump on the keyboard of my BBC micro just before the program had finished loading and then we'd have to start again!BUT the BBC micro used to boot much more quickly than my present Dell T5500 dual processor (8 core) 3GHz+ Xeon workstation with 24GB RAM and fast hard drives but running 64bit Windows 7. Having the operating system and BASIC in ROM made the system very fast just for getting up and running and programming. Text editing and word processing were ok and we even had a linear circuit simulator running on one of the ones we had at the lab at work.Also you could get disk drives for the BBC micro - I have a BBC Master up in my loft together with a 5 1/4 inch floppy drive that I have in a little personal museum of computing.I also used to enjoy playing little brick out (or what ever it was called) on an Apple II at one vacation job I had (I did do some work inbetween as well!)In some ways I feel computers have gone backwards - perhaps this is why smart 'phones are so popular - though they are a bit rubbish for word processing!In July 1986 BYTE magazine published a great article on coding SPICE on a Commodore 64. (OK this is rather later than 1980 but I think the Commodore 64 was introduced in 1982 which is not long after 1980.)

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 07, 2014, 03:37:23 pm
content: Quote from: Macbeth on December 06, 2014, 11:20:53 pmOh man, that was a classic. I think that's my favorite story (next to how swap.avi came about, perhaps) to come from SA. It made the :10bux: I shelled out a decade ago worth it.Do you have stairs in your house?Sent from my Tablet

author: Arlen moulton
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2014, 07:39:46 am
content: Quote from: timb on December 06, 2014, 02:56:31 pm

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2014, 11:42:33 pm
content: Are you in the US? If so give me your zip. If not, whatever other applicable info I'd need for shipping.Sent from my Tablet

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2014, 12:24:08 am
content: Quote from: timb on December 08, 2014, 11:42:33 pmNo, Arlen appears to be in the UK.Shipping of a bulky item like a computer across the Atlantic may be expensive...

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2014, 12:25:02 am
content: The PowerBook might not cost much. It's maybe 10lbs with the power adapter.Sent from my Tablet

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2014, 12:28:54 am
content: Quote from: timb on December 09, 2014, 12:25:02 amMaybe so. Be sure to put it in a good sturdy box with plenty of bubble wrap and packing peanuts for cushioning...

author: Arlen moulton
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2014, 07:20:25 am
content: I'll have to wait until after Xmas until I have some more money and then I have the tedious task of asking for permission from my dad

author: Arlen moulton
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2014, 06:34:50 pm
content: Hey sorry timb I can't take it, I don't have enough space at all what so ever

author: Arlen moulton
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2014, 09:21:27 am
content: This thread is closed