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<publisher@mymac.com or editor@mymac.com>
You are a life saver! ... I mean a Mac saver!
Your column (My Turn, July 1998) gives me hope. I have a Power Mac 7200/90Mhz with 58 megs of memory. I have a work related Windows Program I have to use. I bought SoftWindows v.5.0.. it is so very, very slow. Would any G3 Mac (including a PowerBook notebook) with at least 250MHz do the job in running Windows at a reasonable speed (faster than it runs now)? Would it be almost as fast as say a 233MHz PC? How much memory would I need? Could you possible advise?
I quite agree about the beauty of the Mac, and I wrote my dissertation on a 128k Mac back in 1984. Your column today, if it is really true, will save me alot of heartbreak, not to mention $ I'd have to invest in a Windows printer, software, etc. Also... where's the cheapest place to purchase Mac equipment, is it mail order or Frye's, etc.?
Nancy Smith <cathexis@earthlink.net>
Yes, a fast G3 will run any Windows emulator much faster than your 7200, but probably no faster than a 133MHz Pentium. I have tested SoftWindows on a 233/G3 and found it performed reliably and quite a bit faster than my 6500/250. I would imagine a 300/G3 with at least 128MB of memory would handle pretty much any Windows application with ease.
As for price, there are so many good deals out there right now and the competition is so intense that I'd hesitate to recommend one place over another. Of course, a good place to start your price-shopping would be at one of our sponsors, and their website URLs are listed on the preceding page. Hope this helps.
128k
I loved your column about the original 128k Mac. (June 1997, #38) I remember distinctly when I took delivery of mine in March of 1984. I had the same excitement and anticipation I had last week when FedEx brought my new G3 minitower! ;-)
However, your "original" has had one modification. They did NOT come with any kind of fan. Steve Jobs had an obsession about noise, and if you look closely you will notice that the case has vents on each side at the bottom, and a top vent near the handle. I had a third-party fan that slid perfectly into the slot where the handle is on top. There was another innovative company that had a clip-on, vibrating reed type fan that attached inside, just to add a little movement to the air.
Jobs was also obsessive about the cursor keys. He didn't allow them on the 128 or the 512K "Fat Mac." They first showed up on the Plus.
I love my G3, but Jobs was right about the fan noise. Too bad this much power has to be cooled.
Again, enjoyed your column.
Macs Owned:
128
512ke
Mac II
SE/30 (2)
PowerBook 170
Mac IIci
Power Mac 6100/60 AV
Performa 475
PowerBook 5300ce
Power Mac G3 266 MT
*** Mac exclusively since 1984 ***
Mark Johnson <mjohnlit@cei.net>
Regarding the fan: read this month's "My Turn" column.
Investment Software
Any idea of a Mac software maker for investment software? Please advise.
Thanks,
ds <dshoda.mx.serv.net@mx.serv.net>
I really don't know, so I figured we would open this one up to the readers. If you know of any investment software, please let us (and DS) know about it!
Other Macintosh Magazines
As for magazines still in print, there is also MacWEEK and MacFormat (although it IS British). Well, if you consider all international Mac mags there's a helluva lot more. There's another British mag, and there's MacLife. Also, The Mac Report will be in print soon, I think July 24th.
BTW, here's a newsbrief for u...MacSense is back (or MacSense Reviews at least)! Same place where they've always been, <http://www.macsense.com>
-Michael Huang <miclaur@sprintmail.com>
Thanks, Michael, for the listing. I can't imagine why a British Mac magazine would be any less relevant here in the United States than the magazines we do have already. A Mac is a Mac is a Mac, no? And yes, I see MacSense Reviews is back up, though as I write this, I have yet to see anything of real interest there yet. I hope that changes soon...
Free Startup Screens from My Mac
I just saw your Mac OS X startup screen and it's totally awesome. The only thing is, it's 640 x 480 resolution. Not many people use 640 x 480. Me, and a lot of other people are using 800 x 600. So if it's not too much trouble, could you create a new one with an 800 x 600 resolution? Thanks, I'd really appreciate it.
See ya
Kevin H. <buddy@ihug.co.nz>
The startup screen you refer to was created by me on one of my more creative days. Glad you liked it! To be honest, I create them for my own personal use and enjoyment, but I also like to share:-) I will try and create the same graphic when time permits in the size you want, and all future startup screens and desktop pictures will be in many different screen sizes.
Also, if you have created a cool startup screen / desktop picture but have no where to display it and share it with other Mac users, let me know! I would be happy to showcase some our readers cool artwork. (Tim)
iMac
People simply amaze me. For years, the Mac faithful have begged for a machine like the iMac, something affordable, fast and stylish. Now Apple is actually building the damn thing and before it even ships, there are complaints...
I think we've all been hyper-exposed to PC paranoia. If it doesn't have six slots and every type of storage option known to man, we think it must be incomplete or inherently inferior. The beauty of the iMac is that you don't have to pay extra just because somebody else thinks you need a certain configuration. If you want a floppy drive, buy one and plug it in. It's that simple. If you have needs which can't be addressed through USB, you probably need a bigger machine, so buy a G3 tower and be done with it.
For the rest of us, the iMac is a welcome sight. It signals Apple's return to the type of thinking that made the original Macintosh so outrageously popular. For the first time in a long time, Apple is thinking like an end user... making a machine which is friendlier, sexier, and smarter than anything else in its price range. The fact that its also faster than a 400MHz Pentium II and looks like a piece of sculpture is merely icing on the cake...
David Randall <koffedrnkr@webtv.net>
July Cover
Hey, I'd just like to say the cover for the July magazine is HILARIOUS!!!
Ben A. <benny@cyberdude.com>
The true ones are always the funniest!
ScanMon
Yo,
It's a little late for April Fool. The URL in My Mac brings up an AIDS commercial. Search for Jason Rainbows' does the same.
ScanMon sounded like the perfect demo to show PCrs. Is it real?
Thanks
Paul E. Giroux <hico@strato.net>
<http://www.fla-usa.com/>
I'm not sure what happened to Jason's website. His software is really great and his website was one to see. But apparently sometime between the time I wrote my review and when the issue went to print his website URL changed. I informed Paul that ScanMon could also be downloaded from a link on our website, and after a quick visit, Paul wrote back:
...and ScanMon works just like the review said... and it's great! Thanks!
You're welcome, Paul. Have fun with it!
Hang2000
Just got back to NH from a long weekend down the NJ shore for my nephew's wedding... and saw your review of Hang2000. I'm delighted you liked it and wrote so positively about it. Thanks very much for taking the time to review it. (And, I definitely thanked my father who first put me on to your great site!)
Thanks again, Tim...regards,
Ken Winograd <ken@winograd.com>
Anytime! I really like to do reviews and share my thoughts on products I enjoy and which I think other Mac users will dig. Hang2000 is one of those, and I hope many readers will give it a try. If they do, I think they will enjoy it as much as I do. It's a really fun game!
Thanks also for creating software for the Mac. Keep up this kind of quality work and you're sure to be a huge hit with all Mac users!
Orb
Does anyone have any information about the release of the Orb storage device from Castlewood Systems? <http://www. castlewoodsystems.com> About 6 months ago there were mentions in a few of the Mac publications about this great new low cost storage device. There is even a website but the information there isn't very accurate or helpful. Any inside info or rumours?
Thanks, Ed <edwa@mediaone.net>
And a day later from Ed...
They have finally updated their site saying it was now going to be released sometime in the 3rd quarter. Just the same, you should take a look at their product; it's very interesting! Unfortunately, they keep postponing the release.
I guess I'm going to have to limp along with my Zips for longer than I hoped. Retrospect has me already using over a dozen of them for my backups.
I contacted Castlewood Systems about a review of The Orb, and I hope they decide to send a unit for review. It does indeed look like a very promising backup device. At My Mac, we're always on the lookout for new and interesting Macintosh peripherals.
 
Be sure to drop us a note with any thoughts, corrections, or problems you may have. We all love to hear from you, and we do need to fill this page every month! (Remember to let us know if you'd prefer to not have your email address printed.) So write in!
Tim Robertson is the Publisher of My Mac, and unless otherwise noted answers all the email on this page.
