dave@PRC.Unisys.COM (David Lee Matuszek) (09/28/90)
I have a friend with a 512K Mac, with an external 400K drive, who would like to make the machine "usable". Up until recently I would have said that a 512K Mac was still quite usable, but now that seems very questionable (mostly because a modern System and Finder won't fit on a 400K disk). I think the best thing she could do would be to put a hard drive on the machine, but...oops, no SCSI port. She wants the system primarily for use by her young daughter. I could transfer programs from 800K disks onto 400K disks for her, but...oops, all the software aimed at kids is copy-protected. She'd like to upgrade to a 512KE (cost, about $300), which would at least let her read 800K disks. To upgrade to a Mac Plus (to get a SCSI port) would be more than $500, which is about what used Mac Pluses are going for. I would advise her to sell the machine, but it isn't hers to sell--it's on more-or-less permanent loan from someone else. It's a nice machine, in excellent condition, and I hate to see it become a doorstop. More importantly, I'd like to see her and her daughter get some use out of it. Does anyone have any advice on better/cheaper upgrades that would help, or on how to get the best use out of a 512K machine? Please email any suggestions, since 512K machines are probably not of general interest to this group :-(. Many thanks. -- Dave Matuszek (dave@prc.unisys.com) -- Unisys Corp. / Paoli Research Center / PO Box 517 / Paoli PA 19301 -- Any resemblance between my opinions and those of my employer is improbable. < You can put a mouse on an IBM. And you can put a radio on a motorcycle. >