• Hello MLAers! We've re-enabled auto-approval for accounts. If you are still waiting on account approval, please check this thread for more information.

What Do You Do With Your Compact Mac?

Okay, a tad off topic, but since it was brought up I wanted to share this photo.

I finally got Metroid II for my GB.  It was a good deal $4 including shipping ...if/when I see the original Metroid for a good deal I'll snap it up too. :)
Good man! That's the one I was thinking of- Metroid II Return of Samus... great game

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I am using a Classic II at home at the moment. It serves as my "fun machine", but I'm also completing a (now delayed) project on it. It runs System 7.1, ClarisWorks 1.0, MacPaint (since ClarisWorks doesn't have a paint module), Print Shop, and Calendar Maker. I tend to use it a lot for "fun" things like creating training schedules for running, trip planning, occasionally a short story. It does have some games on it as well--Shufflepuck Cafe, Battle Chess, Star Wars, Lemmings, Cairo Shoot Out, Hardball II, Klondike, a Minesweeper clone, and Tetris Max. This is a pampered little Mac--it has a carrying bag, dust covers, an extra keyboard (I use the Extended II for writing), an extra mouse (a Kensington ADB), and has had both the analog and logic boards recapped. I'd like to put an SSD in it sometime, too. Oh, and it has the best screen saver you could ask for--the After Dark Disney Collection!!

(Ironically, my black and white Mickey Mouse plush sits next to the same machine which generates black and white Mickeys on its screen).

That Classic II has been around for a long time. I first came across it when I visited Columbus, Ohio for the first time. It was sitting in the window of a store called Macmobile. My cousin bought it for me for my 15th birthday, about a week after I spotted it there. I brought it home and was in for a HUGE surprise...inside was a FastMath Classic II math coprocessor!!! I know I don't really run anything which demands it, but still, it's a cool option to have just for the sake of having it--sort of like having a spoiler on an Oldsmobile Alero. It doesn't improve the car's performance one bit, but it sure is cool to have.

I also have a bunch of other compacts which get used with the kids. I've written about that numerous times on here, but at present, the "mobile lab" has eight compacts--five SEs (three have SuperDrives) and two Classics (one of which was re-capped last year, the other of which will hopefully get re-capped this summer). The lab also has a pair of LC IIs, a IIci, and a Performa 575. An LC will round it out for an even dozen once I get it working again.

 
You'd be surprised how many programs actually use the FPU. Someone recently mentioned a game where they found that it used the FPU, if present, to accelerate map generation

 
Good man! That's the one I was thinking of- Metroid II Return of Samus... great game
:)

Yeah, I spent about 15mins playing it yesterday ...I vaguely remember playing this one years ago, but I think it was borrowed from a friend (I remember swapping GB cartridges w/ friends).  

 
After selling my whole collection, several years ago, I'm getting back into it with very few Apple II's and Classic Mac's. I'm mostly using my Macintosh SE trying out Midi sequencers and all fun programs I can find. I'm also trying to source quality original MacPaint files to display and print (Imagewriter II). I'll soon be upgrading the onboard ram to 4 Mb, so I can fiddle with System 7 and "bigger" apps ;)

 
Once I get my SE/30 recapped, I'd love to:

  • Write crappy fiction on Word 5.1 without getting distracted by social media alerts, or tumbling down Wikipedia rabbit holes. I'd also like to complete at least one chapter of my dissertation on my SE/30
  • Play new interactive fiction, as well as vintage games. I'm thinking Rogue-likes, such as Angband and Moria, as well as text adventures. My Infocom backlog is embarrassing.
  • Do some basic programming in C and Python (if I can find a 68k version gathering virtual dust in a mirror of a mirror somewhere). I'm at the "Hello World!" stage and don't have a programming bone in my body, but hey, it's fun.
  • Get it online, and play blitz chess on the Free Internet Chess Server. I'd also like to find an email service that's compatible with 68k clients. And oh, is IRC still around? What about Usenet?
 
SE/30 with minimal 7.1 and QuickTime/OpenTransport, used for playing MIDI and MOD tunes. It'll run almost anything made for B&W Macs. It also now has a new CRT, sweep, and logic board with a socketed 68030. There's also the Performa 200 with no yellowing and maximum RAM, but it limits my options with its lack of network ports. I have repeatedly considered selling that one.

 
What I intend to do is connect SE/30 to the 'Net via some kind of SLIP connection using Raspberry Pi with limited graphics browsing, mainly text browsing, IRC and  Usenet. There's so much interesting tech stuff in text only (incl. net.micro.* groups from the 80s). Plus HyperCard stacks I use on SE/30 to learn foreign languages, not to mention retro games and apps. 

 
Back
Top