ShinobiKenobi
256 MB
Posts: 362
System 7 fan
|
Reply #61 on: December 07, 2025, 07:22
I love hearing computer/tech stories from ages past. My favorite one of all is the Story of Mel (although it's unrelated to Apple).
|
Bolkonskij
Administrator
1024 MB
Posts: 2023
|
Reply #62 on: December 31, 2025, 12:56
Since some of you like hearing these story, here's another one about what it meant to be a Macintosh and Hard Disk owner back in December 1985! (something most of us, except @wove, probably never experienced ourselves :-) )
Well, Chrismas has come and gone and Santa deposited a bright new Apple Hard Disk 20 next to my Mac. Well, needless to say I haven't gotten my nose out of the Mac since that morning transfering 13 Megabytes (yes, Virginia, 13!) onto the HD.
I've got lots of comments about this marvel but also many questions... First and foremost, I'm experiencing REDICULOUS times both for Finder startup and for application launch. Can anybody explain this (sometimes 40-60 seconds for the FInder to put up its desktop after the trash can is displayed, and some- times the same from the time I double-cllick on an application until the expanding regtangle takes off!)?
Also, some programs don't seem to work correctly with the HFS, such as the MegaMax C Editor, which only looks for files on the disk-window, not in any subsequent folder, even though its file dialog box IS the new HFS box.
Anyway, enough for now... Let's start sharing info on this box to keep everyone from reinventing the wheel (by the way, many of the older low-level utilities, like Fedit, don't work correctly anymore!).
And, one further question: Does anybody know what happens to all of the folders (and their names) if you cause the desktop file to be rebuilt (ie, do you lose the folder structure or the folder names)?
Hope all of your Xmas's were as good as mine.
My thoughts: wow! We take hard disks for granted but you can tell from this post what move up it was coming from floppy disks. I don't think we can appreciate that today :-)
A question though: Does anybody know, whether Finder versions 1-5 and earlier were actually traversing the entire directory tree at startup before displaying the Desktop? It does sound like that from what Jeff describes and might explain his extended waiting times. But it'd be crazy to have implemented it in this way vs. just looking at the top level of the directory structure and display that - and load the rest when actually needed. Which is what System 6 and up do, I think.
|
Last Edit: December 31, 2025, 12:59 by Bolkonskij
wove
1024 MB
Posts: 1363
|
Reply #63 on: December 31, 2025, 13:46
The original disk format for the Macintosh was MFS. MFS did present Folders in the Finder, the Folders were just a logical construction created by the Finder with the all the individual files in a single "root" directory. That accounts for the long time delays any file operation needed to pull in the entire directory. The Finder needed to read in the entire directory and then create a File and Folder display. It also explains why in Open and Save boxes, always had to read in the entire directory, start at the top and then drill down.
HFS was a big leap forward. I am not sure when that was released, but at least up through System 6 MFS was natively used by the Mac and displayed by the Finder the same as an HFS volume. Of course the the hardware behavior was the same as any MFS volume, so the long delays would be present in System 6 with a MFS volume.
MFS had been supplanted by HFS by the time I got a Mac, however I did come across some 400k floppies that were in MFS format. The last ones I still have are 400k MFS floppies to install the drivers for my first scanner, The ThunderScan.
|
Bolkonskij
Administrator
1024 MB
Posts: 2023
|
Reply #64 on: January 05, 2026, 16:28
What a different (computing) world that was, @wove! So it is indeed that the whole contents are read on startup, resulting in that long waiting time. You certainly could have been many things in those days, but definitely not being impatient as a computer user!
Speaking of these days, here's a Mac user's review of 1985 that I've found very interesting to read. Good style, good clear opinions :-) (bold formatting is from me, for easier reading)
Well, the year is out (both calendar and my first year of owning this little beastie), the next round of product announcements is coming shortly, and I thought it might be a good time to take a step back and look at the Mac over the past year.
1985 was the year the Mac left the "gosh wow" stage and started holding its own in the real world. It is showing itself not just to be a neat toy, but a serious machine that will reshape future generations. Like all pioneers, there have been some misteps, but to date there haven't been any fatal screwups.
Not that the Mac is perfect, mind you, and chances are that something will come along to make it obsolete (soon, and it isn't out yet, contrary to Amiga and Atari fans) but the Mac will take the fanfare as the pathburner into the next generation (with a footnote to Xerox where it really belongs... Such is the reality of the marketplace.)
1985 highs
o The new finder -- just to prove that the Mac isn't inherently slow
o Switcher -- A marvel that will really come into its own with more memory and a decent disk storage.
o Excel -- proving the Mac can deal with serious business with the rest of them
1985 lows
o heat related failures, caused by Steve Jobs insistence on a quiet, fanless machine and a lack of proper engineering towards cooling.
o initial memory crunches for small macs
o performance problems with the early finder, and the lack of an Apple supported self-hosting development environment (which just goes to show the lesson the industry should have learned by now -- if you don't use it, it don't work right. Apple used Lisa's to build the Mac, which didn't make the Mac work right but sure did a lot of good making decent Lisa's, which they cancelled.)
1985 books
My library started out empty, and ended up full. I didn't even TRY to buy everything, just the things that looked useful. Now, in relative order of usefulness, a quick review of the books you ought to keep an eye on:
o Using the Macintosh Toolbox with C (Sybex, Takatsuka, et al) **** the only book that is independent of Inside Mac, and the first decent description of doing serious work that doesn't rely on Lisa Pascal. A good alternative to 90% of the IM verbiage.
o Inside Mac (Apple, various versions, final version at a theater or drive in near you Real Soon Now) *** Required reading for serious hackers, I hope they translate it into english for the final version.
o Macintosh manuals (Apple) *** except for Macpaint * The way computer manuals ought to be written, for a computer that doesn't really need them (but definitely deserves them...) Macpaint manual is as frustrating as Macpaint itself is because of breaks from the standard and excessive lack of information (macpaint does as much as macwrite, and is documented in about 10% of the wordage -- augh!)
o Macintosh Revealed, Volume ][ (Hayden, Chernicoff) *** good practical programming guide, you ought to have IM around as well but you won't need it much. too bad it had to use Lisa Pascal instead of a native system....
o The Apple Macintosh Book, second edition (Microsoft, Lu) *** The book about the Mac to have, tells you everything you want to know about the Mac that the Mac manuals don't say. Doesn't pull punches or gushes indiscriminately.
o Macintosh Revealed, Volume I (Hayden, Chernicoff) ***- Good introduction to the Mac for the uninitiated, not a lot of meat on the bones as far as heavy technical detail.
o Programming the Macintosh in Assembly Language (Sybex, Coffron) ** Don't hide IM, and try to ignore the fact that most of the book was copied unchanged from a CPM/68K version of the book. Explains all 68000 instructions. High point is a skeleton application written as a set of assembly macros -- it allows you get up quickly and rewrite or enhance sections as you need to. Low point is where it calls the bubble sort an advanced programming technique.
Dishonorable mentions: MacBook, Macintosh Pascal programming (mainly because of the limitations of MacPascal and the non-toolbox interface), and "Macintosh, appliance of the future" (terribly out of date and gushy).
1985 Magazine
The next year is when the magazines will either prove themselves or die. A few definitely deserve to live, others should die...
o MacTutor(***) - a great source for techie information, suffering from a current inability to convert from a hackerzine to a real professional magazine. If it can figure out how to do what it did when it was small, it'll be a killer.
o MacUser(***) - This is trying to be what Macworld should have been. If they pull it off, I'll send in a life subscription, happily. Early issues have kept up with the promise of the first.
o MacWorld(**-) - a bit gushy and preachy, short on serious technical information and hardnosed reviews. Starting to remind me of Byte.
o Nibble Mac (*) - if you like to play with trivial Basic programs, maybe.
Disonhourable mentions -- Iconcepts, A+
1985 Software
I'm only going to talk about the stuff I have actually used -- with this exception. 1985 was the year of Jazz, and Lotus blew it with a second rate product. Fortunately, Excel seems to have done what Lotus should have done, the Mac is saved for business and life is wonderful.
o Consulair Mac C (****) Version 4.0 brought this into the realm of a professional quality. Having been in from Version 1.0, I've seen this product mature from a gleem in the authors eye to a work of Art. In some ways, it outstrips the machine it runs on, because the only problems are those caused by a lack of disk space and memory. The linker does what the MDS linker always should have done, and would have if Apple had let him do it (Bill Duvall, author of Mac C, also wrote the MDS)
o Microsoft Word (***) Paying extra for a word processor on a system that ships one free may seem silly, but that is only true if you've never used Word. The difference between a manual and electric typewriter.
o Ensemble (***) an integrated database. If you need to play with spreadsheets, buy something else. If you need to play with words and facts and data, Ensemble fits the bill nicely.
o Mac Project (**+) A great idea carried out in a good way. Rough edges (especially the inability to reformat the chart automatically when you make major revisions) but a big step forward from the days of graph paper. Also makes a good mapping aid for Zork.
o Apple Macintosh Development System (**) The first development system for the Mac had no compiler, an ancient loader, and suffered from the problems of any system that wasn't used for self-hosting purposes in development. With Mac C being MDS compatible, you don't need to spend money on a less-useful subset.
o MacTerminal (**) A workhorse terminal package showing its age. Release 2.0, promised for October may fix its bugs, but it'll still be a workhorse. I'll probably use it until I die (or it does) since I already have it, but it isn't a bargain anymore.
Dishonorable mention: Macpaint. Breaks every Apple interface standard you can think of. For all of its power, I find the things it WON'T let me do to be exceptionally aggravating. Hopefully Apple will see the light someday and rewrite it to their own specs. Still better by lightyears than things on other machines, but imagine what it COULD be like.
1985 games
And now the stuff you've been waiting for -- the games.
o Wizardry(****+) - I actually was able to buy a copy. It exists. Really. (finally) Worth the wait, the game the Mac was built for. Lots of very subtle design hacks went into this game making it a joy to play and the game EVERY software designer should study as a practical on how to write for the Mac. Every action you take causes a logical prediction on your next action (where practical) allowing you to minimize mouse movements and clicks in a logical and intuitive way. The game actually helps you play, and stays out of the way the rest of the time.
o Loderunner(***) - an early arrival for the Mac, still a great use of the system and fun to play.
o Zork (I through III) (***) - they ignore the user interfact, but who cares?
o Rogue (**) - not as good as the Unix better, a good game with a faulty translation to the Mac.
Dishonourable mention: Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (In the long run, randomness works better than thinking)
Exciting throwback to 1986, 40 years ago in Mac history :-)
(note the bad rep that Steve Jobs was still getting in the community at the time for his stubborn design decisions and reluctance to listen)
|
Last Edit: January 05, 2026, 16:31 by Bolkonskij
wove
1024 MB
Posts: 1363
|
Reply #65 on: January 05, 2026, 22:08
o Switcher -- A marvel that will really come into its own with more memory and a decent disk storage.
And it only took Apple twenty years, a near bankruptcy and a new OS to recover from that silliness. Switcher may have been a successful short term boon for Macs, but the situation Apple found itself in should really began a huge effort to get solid multitasking workin as it should. RISC OS did decent usable and stable cooperative multitasking and the Amiga did full on multitasking. There is no good reason why Apple with all its resources did not see the Switcher as a short term solution and get right on with creating a stable, workable multitasking OS.
|
68040
512 MB
Posts: 950
68k - thy kingdom come, thy will be done !
|
Reply #66 on: January 06, 2026, 23:17
and chances are that something will come along to make it obsolete (soon, and it isn't out yet, contrary to Amiga and Atari fans) but the Mac will take the fanfare as the pathburner into the next generation (with a footnote to Xerox where it really belongs...
Yeah, bad mouthing the Mac truly proved to be the smart thing to do with the benefit of hindsight.
Btw. what's "a Xerox"? (satire off)
|
Bolkonskij
Administrator
1024 MB
Posts: 2023
|
Reply #67 on: January 24, 2026, 15:23
SETTLEMENT GIVES APPLE THE RIGHT TO INSPECT WORK OF JOB'S NEW FIRM
(by Andrew Pollack - New York Times Service)
SAN FRANCISCO - Apple Computer Inc., and its former chairman, Steven Jobs, have reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed when Jobs formed his own company with other Apple employees.
While both sides hailed the agreement as favorable, it does place some restrictions on Jobs and his new company, Next Inc. For example, it gives Apple the right to inspect Next products before they are marketed to determine if they contain what Apple views to be trade secrets. Next officials said the restrictions would not interfere with company plans. "The key thing is the lawsuit was dismissed and this is just great," Jobs said Friday.
Apple sued Jobs in September when Jobs, after a bitter falling out with Apple's president, John Sculley, left Apple and, with five Apple employees, started his own company. In its suit, filed in a state Superior Court in Santa Clara County, Calif., Apple charged Jobs with breach of fiduciary responsibility and masterminding a "nefarious" scheme to steal Apple's trade secrets.
Under terms of the settlement, Next has agreed to stick to certain minimum specifications in any computer it markets for the next two years. The specifications basically require that the Next computer be more powerful than the Apple products and not use the same operating system and software, according to Next officials.
Moreover, Next has agreed not to market any computers at all until July 1, 1987, according to a summary of the settlement prepared by Apple's law firm, Brown & Bain.
Next also agreed to provide Apple with prototypes of its products for Apple's inspection. If Apple believes its proprietary information or technology is being used, it can appeal to an arbitrator.
Jobs also agreed not to hire any more Apple employees for six months or to solicit any for a year. Next now has about 10 former Apple employees. Apple also dismissed all proceedings against Richard Page, a former Apple engineer and now a Next employee.
Jobs said the restrictions merely require Next to do what it said it would do in the first place. the restriction on not marketing a computer before July 1987, he said, was not important because Next is not planning to introduce its first product until the fall of that year.
Next is working on powerful computers for use in university education. Jobs said they would be far more powerful than Apple systems. The two companies had talked about a settlement even before the suit was filed. But attitudes have become more conciliatory recently. Sculley said Thursday that "I'd like to see the time come when Steve Jobs is as welcome at Apple as Steve Wozniak is." Wozniak, who co-founded Apple with Jobs and left in February, is now a consultant and has been purchasing Apple stock.
I had no idea it had come to that. Inspecting prototypes ...
|
Last Edit: January 24, 2026, 15:30 by Bolkonskij
Bolkonskij
Administrator
1024 MB
Posts: 2023
|
Reply #68 on: January 31, 2026, 07:40
Apple annouced the Macintosh Plus and the Laserwriter Plus along with it:
Apple Introduces the Macintosh Plus
The Macintosh Plus (P/N M2503) is the newest Macintosh personal computer. Its features include:
-- One Full Megabyte of Memory. With one full megabyte of RAM available (expandable to four megabytes when larger capacity chips are available), the Macintosh Plus can accomodate memory intensive application programs. Large models, documents, and data bases are easily handled.
-- 800K of Storage Capacity. Twice the storage capacity of the 400K disk drive, the 800K drive stores more system programs and applications on a dual-sided 3.5 disk and still leaves space for data files. The 800K drive operates at twice the speed of the 400K drive.
-- A High Speed Peripheral Port. Equipped with a Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) port, the Macintosh Plus transfers data up to six times faster through the SCSI port. Up to seven peripherals can be daisy-chained to the Macintosh Plus at one time.
-- A Fast, Efficient Operating System. A new 128K ROM has been added to the Macintosh Plus. It offers a Hierarchical File System that allows the Macintosh Plus to operate faster and function more efficiently, improving overall system performance.
-- Cursor Keys and a Numeric Keypad. The Macintosh Plus features a keyboard with cursor keys and a numeric keypad designed to accelerate data entry.
Connecting the Macintosh Plus to Apple peripherals and third-party peripherals requires certain cables (See "Cables for Macintosh Plus" article).
To ensure that they get the best performance from the Macintosh Plus, users must install the Macintosh Plus system software on all their application disks. A program called the "Installer" on the Macintosh Plus System Tools disk makes installation quick and easy. This diskette is bundled with every Macintosh Plus and Macintosh Plus Disk Drive Kit. Additional information about the Installer is included in the Macintosh Plus Owner's Guide, as well as in the 800K External Disk Drive Manual. Recommend to customers that they make a working copy of each application on a double-sided disk, and install the new system software on that disk.
Most Macintosh software packages do not have the Macintosh Plus system software. The January 16 dealer (AppleGram) mailing includes software box stickers that remind customers to use the Installer to update their startup disks. Apple-labeled applications that must have stickers include: MacDraw, MacProject, MacTerminal, Macintosh Pascal, Switcher, and Macintosh 68000 Development System. MacWrite and MacPaint already have the new software and do not need stickers. Future shipments of Apple-labeled software will have the sticker already applied.
AppleCare is available for the Macintosh Plus. ----------------------------------------------------
Cables for the Macintosh Plus
The following cables connect the Macintosh Plus personal computer to Apple peripherals and third party peripherals:
-- Apple System Peripheral-8 Cable (P/N M0187). This cable connects the Macintosh Plus to the ImageWriter II Printer and the Apple Personal Modem. It can be ordered as a finished goods item from your Apple Support Center.
-- Macintosh Plus Peripheral Adapter Cable. This cable allows users to connect the Macintosh Plus to popular third-party peripherals without discarding their old cables. It can also be used to attach peripherals previously used with the Macintosh 128K or 512K. This cable is included in the Macintosh Plus Logic Board Upgrade Kit and can also be ordered as a service part number (699-0372) from your Apple Support Center.
-- Apple SCSI System Cable (P/N M2556). This cable links the Macintosh Plus to the first SCSI peripheral. Additional peripherals are linked together with Apple SCSI Peripheral Interface Cables (P/N M2557). If more length is needed between peripherals, the one-meter SCSI Cable Extender (M2558) fills the need. A SCSI Cable Terminator (M2559) is required in every SCSI configurationto help filter the line. With more than one peripheral daisy-chained to the system, SCSI Cable Terminators are used like bookends at the beginning and end of the lieof pripherals. SCSI cables can be ordered from your Apple Support Center.
-- AppleTalk System Connector Kit (M2052). This links the Macintosh Plus to the AppleTalk Personal Network. Customers who are upgrading their Macintosh to the Macintosh Plus can choose between buying the AppleTalk System Connector Kit or using the Macintosh Plus Peripheral Adapter Kit.
----------------------------------------------------
LaserWriter Plus Introduced
Available in February, the LaserWriter Plus has all the features and power of the LaserWriter, in addition to seven new typefaces including ITC Avant Garde(TM), ITC Bookman(TM), Helvetica Narrow, New Century Schoolbook, Palatino, ITC Zapf Dingbats(TM) and ITC Zapf Chancery(TM). The LaserWriter Plus has an additional one megabyte of ROM to enhance the power.
The LaserWriter Plus Kit (M0191) enables users to transform a LaserWriter into a LaserWriter Plus. The kit contains:
-- Sixteen 512K ROM chips containing 11 built-in type families;
-- A Printer Installation Disk with print drives for the LaserWriter, Macintosh 128K with the LaserWriter, ImageWriter, and the AppleTalk ImageWriter option soon to be available. All LaserWriter drivers on the system must be updated with the Printer Installation Disk;
-- A Fonts Disk that includes a copy of the Font/DA Mover and the screen fonts for all printer fonts shipped in the LaserWriter Plus Kit;
-- A revised LaserWriter Manual, describing all the new software features;
-- A LaserWriter Plus label you can affix to the outside of the LaserWriter after the ROMs have been installed.
AppleCare is available for the LaserWriter Plus. ----------------------------------------------------
Macintosh 800K External Disk Drive
The Macintosh 800K Disk Drive (M0131), for the Macintosh Plus and 512K, features 800K of storage capacity. With the 800K Disk Drive, users can store multiple system programs and applications on a dual-sided 3.5 inch disk while still leaving plenty of room for data files. It operates at twice the speed of the 400K drive, and is fully compatible with the 400K drive.
In order to use the Macintosh 512K with the 800K External Disk Drive, it is necessary to update the system files. Software applications that do not have the Macintosh Plus System Software must be updated using the "Macintosh System Update" enclosed in the January 16 dealer (AppleGram) mailing.
An 800K External Disk Drive manual is included with the product, and AppleCare is available.
----------------------------------------------------
Macintosh Plus Upgrade Available
Three Macintosh Plus Upgrade Kits enable customers to upgrade from a Macintosh 128K or a 512K to a Macintosh Plus.
The kits are as follows:
-- The Macintosh Plus Disk Drive Kit (P/N M2516). Available at the end of February, this kit includes an 800K Disk Drive, 128K ROM, and Macintosh Plus Systems Tools Disk to update existing applications to work on the Macintosh Plus. This kit exchanges the ROM chip and disk drive in the Macintosh 128K or 512K for the new 800K Disk Drive and 128K ROM.
-- The Macintosh Plus Logic Board Kit (P/N 2518). Available at the end of February, this kit includes a digital board with one megabyte of RAM and a new back panel to accomodate the external SCSI port, and a Macintosh Plus Owner's Guide and information sheet. Also included is a Macintosh Plus Peripheral Adapter which allows connection to Macintosh peripherals such as ImageWriter and popular third-party peripherals. A Macintosh Plus Disk Drive is required in order to install the Macintosh Plus Logic Board Kit.
-- The Macintosh Plus Keyboard Kit (P/N M2519). Available in January, this kit includes a keyboard with standard alpha layout, cursor keys, and a numeric keypad for easy data entry. It requires no dealer installation.
Customers who have purchased Macintoshes or a Macintosh Memory Expansion Kit between November 17, 1985 and January 15, 1986 will receive rebates off the purchase of a Macintosh Plus Disk Drive Kit and Macintosh Plus Logic Board Kit.
If customers purchase AppleCare for the Macintosh, and if they upgrade the system during the term of the agreement, the upgraded Macintosh is also covered under the current agreement until the end of the term. At the end of the term, customers must purchase AppleCare for the new upgraded system.
How interesting the official announcement is devoid of any pricing. The Plus will stay in Apple's product portfolio until October 1990 (!!) and become the perhaps most iconic Mac of the 1980's, being many people's first contact with the platform. (who doesn't remember Scotty in Star Trek IV trying to voice command the Mac Plus :-) )
Also note the extra length Apple went to allow upgrade paths to the Mac Plus. I think this was the last time they did it. You could (for a good 1000 bucks) get your 128k Mac updated all the way to a Mac Plus. Imagine something like that today in a world where Apple won't even let you change the RAM (it's soldered in) on their machines ...
|
Last Edit: January 31, 2026, 07:42 by Bolkonskij
ShinobiKenobi
256 MB
Posts: 362
System 7 fan
|
Reply #69 on: January 31, 2026, 17:40
Thanks for pointing out the fact that there are different Apple SCSI cables. Maybe that's why my external AppleCD 300i didn't work, although it ejected disks. I took it apart to recap it, which I shelved and then forgot about. Now I can't find the cable or the drive 
|
|
|
Pages: 1 ... 3 4 [5]
|
| | | | | | | | | |
