6500erik@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (Erik Adams) (12/13/90)
I didn't write down the references, but recently two comments were made (some might call them "flames") regarding being a comtemporary Mac User: One claimed that those of us who do not have hard disks are not Mac Users. I think this is just nonsense. I may not be on the "bleeding edge" of SOFTWARE, but I am still a Mac user. Sure harddisks have been around since 1985 (1984?), but that does not mean that everyone who uses a Mac will own one. I have used Macs with harddisks, I like them, I want one very much but I am quite comfortable using my Mac without one. Of course, most of the software I use is 2 years old or so, with a few exceptions (like the system 6.0.4 that I am currently using). Furthermore, I will be getting a harddrive and new Mac Classic as soon as the UCSB bookstore has them without harddisks and 2 megs of memory, better deals being available on those items from other vendors. Another response asserted some foolish comparison between using a Mac without a harddrive to riding a bicycle instead of driving a car. I ride a bicycle every day to school and consider it a vastly superior form of tranportation. Cars smell, are expensive, and let you get fat. And 25 years from now when gas prices creep over $5.00 a gallon (or sooner, depended on our boys on vacation in Saudi Arabia :-), my bicycle's day-to-day costs will still probably be less and $0.01 a day. So there. Erik 6500erik@ucsbuxa.bitnet or 6500erik@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu "I'm a bigger fan of Milli Vanilli than I ever was before."
greg@cti1.UUCP (Greg Fabian) (12/14/90)
I first started using a Mac back in '85 when I was working at The Source - the documentation specialists used them to write the Source User's Manual. At that time we had "Fat Macs" - i.e. a Mac with 512K RAM and two floppy drives. The machine took an excruitiatingly long time to boot. Especially if you encountered a system bomb (happened quite frequently with original copies of MacWrite and Word) and had to restart the machine (that option wasn't available from the desktop menu at that time). It was a machine that was CRYING for a hard disk. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to toss that little beige instrument from hell out the window. Now hard disk drives are so cheap it is almost a SIN not to have one. Life is too short to spend your limited time on earth waiting for the Mac to boot off a floppy or read a really big spread sheet from it. Unless you take particular delight in looking at a watch icon, you owe it to yourself to equip your Mac with a hard disk. From what I see in the papers here, it will cost you an extra $400 for a 40 MB hard disk in a Classic. I am sure you will rapidly make up the $400 in the frustration that you will avoid and the time you will save and enjoy the Mac a lot more. Not to mention window replacement costs. -- Greg Fabian ////////////////////////////////////|\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ CTI (703) 685-5400 | 2121 Crystal Drive | When the going gets weird Suite 103 | the weird turn pro Arlington, VA 22202 greg@cti.com | - Hunter S. Thompson \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\|////////////////////////////////////
ldo@waikato.ac.nz (Lawrence D'Oliveiro, Waikato University) (12/14/90)
In <337@cti1.UUCP>, greg@cti1.UUCP (Greg Fabian) says "...if you encountered a system bomb ... and had to restart the machine (that option wasn't available from the desktop menu at that time)..." Duuhhh, yes it was, only it was called "Shut Down" in those days. They changed its name to "Restart" when they introduced a true Shut Down in System 4.something. I remember using some of those early SCSI hard disks on Mac Pluses. Shutting down with System 3.2 was a real challenge--you had to be quick and reach for the off switch on the drive before the Mac could restart its boot sequence. Lawrence D'Oliveiro fone: +64-71-562-889 Computer Services Dept fax: +64-71-384-066 University of Waikato electric mail: ldo@waikato.ac.nz Hamilton, New Zealand 37^ 47' 26" S, 175^ 19' 7" E, GMT+13:00
haber@micah.cs.wisc.edu (Eben Merriam Haber) (12/15/90)
In article <337@cti1.UUCP> greg@cti1.UUCP (Greg Fabian) writes: > >Now hard disk drives are so cheap it is almost a SIN not to have one. >Life is too short to spend your limited time on earth waiting for the Mac >to boot off a floppy or read a really big spread sheet from it. Unless you >take particular delight in looking at a watch icon, you owe it to yourself >to equip your Mac with a hard disk. From what I see in the papers here, >it will cost you an extra $400 for a 40 MB hard disk in a Classic. > >I am sure you will rapidly make up the $400 in the frustration that you >will avoid and the time you will save and enjoy the Mac a lot more. Not >to mention window replacement costs. >-- Well I guess I've been a sinner for some time! I've been using a mac since fall of '84, and only got a hard disk last year. My secret? RAM disks. I worked for years with a RAM disk booted onto my 1 floppy 512KE. It ran noticably faster than a hard drive, though booting up did take 35 seconds. And, it was completely silent! These days with a larger system you really need a megabyte for hold a RAM disk, but it still works very well for anyone without a hard drive. Sure I like having lots (LOTS) of files at my disposal, but there's nothing I do on a regular basis that couldn't still be done with a RAM disk (and faster!). Eben Haber
Adam.Frix@p2.f200.n226.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Adam Frix) (12/22/90)
6500erik@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (Erik Adams) writes in a message on 13 Dec 90: EA> Furthermore, I will be getting a harddrive and new Mac Classic EA> as soon as the UCSB bookstore has them without harddisks and EA> 2 megs of memory, better deals being available on those items EA> from other vendors. Beware the third party hard drives; many of them so far have been found to exceed Apple's specifications (specifically, for power draw) for the Classic. Even the Quantum LPS drives don't fill the bill. It'll probably be a few months yet before Classic/LC/IIsi-acceptable drives are available in any quantity from third parties. --Adam-- -- Adam Frix via cmhGate - Net 226 fido<=>uucp gateway Col, OH UUCP: ...!osu-cis!n8emr!cmhgate!200.2!Adam.Frix INET: Adam.Frix@p2.f200.n226.z1.FIDONET.ORG
briel@sctc.com (Marc Briel ) (12/27/90)
Adam.Frix@p2.f200.n226.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Adam Frix) writes: >6500erik@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (Erik Adams) writes in a message on 13 Dec 90: >EA> Furthermore, I will be getting a harddrive and new Mac Classic >EA> as soon as the UCSB bookstore has them without harddisks and >EA> 2 megs of memory, better deals being available on those items >EA> from other vendors. >Beware the third party hard drives; many of them so far have been found to exceed >Apple's specifications (specifically, for power draw) for the Classic. Even >the Quantum LPS drives don't fill the bill. It'll probably be a few months >yet before Classic/LC/IIsi-acceptable drives are available in any quantity from >third parties. >--Adam-- > >-- >Adam Frix via cmhGate - Net 226 fido<=>uucp gateway Col, OH >UUCP: ...!osu-cis!n8emr!cmhgate!200.2!Adam.Frix >INET: Adam.Frix@p2.f200.n226.z1.FIDONET.ORG Does the poower draw problem occur for the Mac Plus as well? I am planning to get an external drive in the next week so any prompt info would be appreciated. Marc Briel briel@sctc.com