Opened one set of eyes today...

[J English Smith]

To diagnose my connectivity issue, I took my PB 1400cs down to the cafeteria today to see if the guest wi-fi was stronger down there. A physician came up to me as I was browsing with WannaBe and said "That's the oldest Mac laptop I've ever seen anyone using." I explained what I was doing, told him I used my 1400s for writing and Pismos for my main machines and how functional they still could be. It was a short conversation, but he was really taken aback. His final comment was "I have a two year old Macbook and I was thinking I needed to upgrade. Now, I'm not so sure." I wanted to say, man, that one is just nicely broken in, but I just smiled.

My former neighbor, an Oracle engineer, once said to me (back in the 386 era) "It isn't obsolete unless it won't do what you want to do." Truer words were never spoken, with regard to Macs!

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Amen, comrade!

BTW, David's sling still ain't obsolete! }

 

[Osgeld]

heh my 386 lappy does what I want it to (which is not all that much but still)

 

[Anonymous Freak]

My first laptop was a grayscale (active matrix, though) 386; acquired when Pentiums were already in laptops. I didn't get rid of it until I got my PowerBook 5300c (which was itself quite old, my dad passed it down to me in college when he got a just-retired 1400cs.)

 

[Unknown_K]

486 and early Pentium Laptops (if you can find a battery) and useful with old software since you can concentrate without jumping on the net every 5 minutes.

 

[Temetka]

Excellent point. This is why I love my 5300. It is a great distraction free writing machine.

 

[Emehr]

Cool story! Yeah, there seems to be a misinformed adage that when newer software or hardware comes out the older versions or models are automatically obsolete. Chalk it up to society's need to have the latest and greatest.

I run Photoshop 6 on my Blue & White G3 and aside from a couple insignificant differences, it does everything that Photoshop CS ( or 8 ) does at my job. Granted, they've added a few more features since then but so far I've been able to live without them. Hmm, what other things can I still do on my "obsolete" computer? Sound editing? Check. Animation? Check. FTP? Check. Burn CDs/DVDs? Check. Yep, my old Mac still works just fine!

I'm the same way with cars. I have a '66 Beetle. Hey, four wheels and a seat. Anything more is gratuitous feature bloat.

 

[ClassicHasClass]

My first laptop was a grayscale (active matrix, though) 386; acquired when Pentiums were already in laptops. I didn't get rid of it until I got my PowerBook 5300c (which was itself quite old, my dad passed it down to me in college when he got a just-retired 1400cs.)

My first lappy was a hand-me-down from my bro-in-law, a 1400cs/117 that he gave me for "if you can fix it, you can have it." Turned out it needed a new LCD and inverter, and it worked. It still works (albeit now upgraded to the max), and I still use it. For many years it was the only laptop I had, and it went on externships and even to Maine. I'll never get rid of it, as it continues to serve me well (and I have a donor unit for parts, and lots of spare PRAM and battery cells to keep it operational).

 

[Unknown_K]

Batteries are the only expensive item to keep old laptops working.

 

[Bunsen]

Even those can be rebuilt - which is a heck of a lot easier and safer on a NiMH powered oldster like the 1400 than it is with new Li-Ion powered machines.

 

[ClassicHasClass]

Yeah, you can crack and re-cell a 1400 battery pretty easily (comparatively speaking).

 

[Unknown_K]

You can get anything recelled (which is why I keep the old batteries if they are not leaking), but sooner or later battery chemistry will change and nobody will be making the old type anymore. No big deal unless you realy want to be portable.

 

[J English Smith]

Yeah...I keep my 1400 batteries rotated so they at least hold a minor charge, and I have two newer VST replacement batteries that last longer (usually about 30 minutes or so). Have never gone in to do the PRAM replacement even though I bought a bag of them once - it's such a big teardown to get there - they made them so much easier to replace on the G3 series, but it's even less necessary to have them in there - figures.

But, I am usually using the 1400 with a power cord, and that's ok. Someday I may send off one of the batteries to get re-celled. Even with the NiMh cells, I'd probably mess it up if I tried myself. Anyone have a recommendation re a reasonable place to get the re-celling done? Range seems to be about $40-60 per battery, last time I looked?

J

 

[Bunsen]

I don't see much danger of NiMH cells disappearing

 

[jwmcfarlin]

We ought to start a little gang of coffee shop-going wireless 1400s. I have one that is ready for the trip minus battery. I'll do a search here for 1400c battery recell, because that sort of thing is something I don't feel stupid trying.

Best,

John