web sites your 68K Mac can still surf (OS 6 to OS 7)

[rsolberg]

Loband is what you're thinking of. http://www.loband.org/loband/

 

[Johnnya101]

YES it doesn't come up in any search engine!!

Thanks!

 

[agent_js03]

I am actually working on a project to basically "retrofit" a lot of useful modern web pages and other web services for use in ancient browsers (I am doing most of my testing in Netscape Navigator 4.04) in order to make older computers and software more useful for modern tasks. For web I am mostly creating retro-friendly versions of web pages that have no javascript or anything for older browsers to choke on. This setup requires a sort of "middle box" (I am using a raspberry pi) to serve the pages and also terminate SSL/TLS connections (since virtually nothing SSL-related today supports the cipher suites that netscape and other older browsers use) as well as other intermediary tasks; I am basically using my own internal domain for these pages (maps.legacyweb.net, search.legacyweb.net, weather.legacyweb.net, etc.)

So far I am able to do email using my old client (I used pegasus; I think you should be able to use Eudora on a mac) and I also have a retro google maps that lets you search for places nearby and get directions and map images. I plan to do one for weather, news, and search among other things.

I also wanted to make AIM useable again, since this was such an integral part of my early Internet experience. AIM recently stopped supporting older clients as MD5 authentication is now deemed insecure. I started on a python program that basically mocks the OSCAR protocol that AIM uses, and can be used to serve other modern chat services such as jabber/xmpp/facebook/etc. I am about halfway done with the mocking of the protocol... I have login, but so far haven't implemented buddy list, etc.

 

[el_jeffe]

@agent_js03 that’s very interesting. Are there other limitations besides the browser like the hardware or the OS that would prevent the page from loading? Would be neat if someone could develop a browser that could run on these older systems and handle the modern protocols. 

 

[Machead]

Mac Garden doesn't work with loband; I get a 403 error.

 

[Blougram]

Google works just fine on my SE/30 with Netscape 4.08 (and, I believe, earlier versions). I was also able to log in to Facebook and check notifications, though I couldn't get to the feed. Also, many newspapers work just fine, though you might have to do a fair bit of scrolling because of the lack of stylesheet support. But it seems that more and more sites are using HTTP over SSL, and I don't think there are any 68k browsers capable of handling that. You can't even get to Wikipedia.

 

[Themk]

Mac Garden doesn't work with loband; I get a 403 error.

Anybody know why the Garden or macgui doesn't due to that error? Is there a workaround?

 

[mraroid]

Google works just fine on my SE/30 with Netscape 4.08

Hello Blougram....

Are you able to get gmail to work using Netscape 4.08?

mraroid

 

[mraroid]

. This setup requires a sort of "middle box" (I am using a raspberry pi)

So far I am able to do email using my old client (I used pegasus; I think you should be able to use Eudora on a mac)

Hello Agent_js03....

I would *really* enjoy it if I could read my email on my Color Classic.  I am a long time Eudora user, but switched to gmail about 5 years ago.  I need an excuse to buy a raspberry pi.  Maybe this is it?  How is your project coming along?

mraroid

 

[Johnnya101]

If I remember right, theres sadly no email client (I don't THINK) that works with emails such as Gmail. There ARE email servers that do work, but they are no names if that doesn't matter.

I really think you should just get an ethernet card over pi for the CC as they are like $15 for the card plus software new... Ive got one sitting in a drawer just cause you can't go wrong buying them!

Edit: Oh your doing something else. Anyways, if you did just want to do simple browsing and such you can't go wrong with the card!

 

[mraroid]

Can someone suggest some browsers to use in my Color Classic runninmg 7.6?

I have disk one of two disks of iCab - but that is of no help.

Thanks

mraroid

 

[Johnnya101]

Well really, your limited with that screen res. I will recommend Macweb and wannabe for simple tasks. Wannabe is text only and is generally better for downloads. I have heard great stuff about Netscape 4.08 too, but not sure how it would be on the CC.

 

[Scott Baret]

Give this one a try. I haven't tested it on an old Mac, but it's old enough that it just may work.

It's a website for Three Rivers Stadium, former home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers (also used as a concert venue). The stadium was imploded 16 years ago but somehow the website still remains...

http://3riversstadium.com/index2.html

 

[mraroid]

Great find Scott!  It looks like the web site has not been touched since 1998!

I like the part where it says:

This site has been optimized for Netscape 3.0 or above and Internet Explorer 4.0 and above.



mraroid

 

[Themk]

The website of a multi-billion dollar company:

http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/

Works amazing on my SE/30!!!

 

[agent_js03]

@agent_js03 that’s very interesting. Are there other limitations besides the browser like the hardware or the OS that would prevent the page from loading? Would be neat if someone could develop a browser that could run on these older systems and handle the modern protocols. 

When it comes to things like YouTube, etc. then yes, hardware limitations would be pretty severe.

As to everything else... javascript is constantly changing, as is openssl and other client-side web technologies. Keeping up with them is not trivial.

There was a browser like you are describing for older macs, it was called icab... but support for earlier ppc macs has been dropped, and the latest version is pretty much out of date by today's standards. It is amazing how much on the Internet has changed just over the last 5-7 years. Back in 2010 I was able to surf the web pretty reasonably in iCab without too many problems. Now you are lucky if you can get a page to load.

 

[agent_js03]

Hello Agent_js03....

I would *really* enjoy it if I could read my email on my Color Classic.  I am a long time Eudora user, but switched to gmail about 5 years ago.  I need an excuse to buy a raspberry pi.  Maybe this is it?  How is your project coming along?

mraroid

If it is just email you are interested in, then that is easy. Here is a link to my howto wiki:

http://legacyweb.wikia.com/wiki/Modern_email_on_legacy_clients

Sorry about the wiki platform I am using. Hopefully one day I can change it. If you have issues setting up, like provider-specific problems, let me know. Let me know if you need help finding a client. With those instructions, you will need one that has SMTP authentication built in. (there is a way of getting email to work without that feature built in, but I forgot what it was... I will hopefully add that to the wiki one day)

 

[mraroid]

I have been using 68K MLA user 1008com's most excellent 68K friendly web site:
 
http://www.macfixer.com/vintage-software/
 
as my default web page. 
 
I have my 575 logic board installed and just configured Netscape Communicator 4.08. I am running 7.6.1 and 8.1
 
I am trying to keep this list of 68K friendly web sits updated.  If you know of a site, not on this list, please feel free to post.
 
Thanks
 
mraroid

 

[l008com]

I have been using 68K MLA user 1008com's most excellent 68K friendly web site:
 
http://www.macfixer.com/vintage-software/
 
as my default web page. 
 
I have my 575 logic board installed and just configured Netscape Communicator 4.08. I am running 7.6.1 and 8.1
 
I am trying to keep this list of 68K friendly web sits updated.  If you know of a site, not on this list, please feel free to post.
 
Thanks
 
mraroid

b:

Don't forget, http://www.whatsmyip.org also works for super old browsers, as long as they have virtual host support. So Netscape 2+ I believe. It does redirect old browsers to a different subdomain, but that redirect happens at the header level, meaning it's seamless even for old browsers. Thus I'd rather you add the full, proper domain, not the one you get redirected to. Know what I'm saying?

Also @mraroid, if you know of any good additions to the vintage software library, feel free to suggest them. I'm not going to add everything that's ever existed (like macintosh garden), but there's always one more "basic" piece of software you wish you could get your hands on!

 

[markyb86]

Here ya go. Was just given this link in school for part of an assignment.

http://ta.twi.tudelft.nl/users/vuik/wi211/disasters.html

even has quicktime .mov files for viewing  [] ]'>