Hard to believe this was 9 years ago.<br><br>The link is to the flash video at Google and there is a downloadable .avi there, but it only plays in VLC and seems to have a sync problem, so I found the inline flash version the best. <br><br>

Thanks for the link!! I've never seen it before.<br><br>Wow, Apple.... you've come a LONG way !!!! <br><br>

Isn't that amazing? Hard to believe they almost went completely out of business. It could have happened. <br><br>

Some promises broken, some kept. Thank goodness for the iPod and OS X!<br><br>Thanks for the link, Bryan. An interesting trip down memory lane.<br><br>- alec

Thanks for the link, it was a good Friday Night video. I went to that MacWorld Expo. (They had OS8 T-shirts in eggs compressed down.) That was one weird speech. Steve could have taken Apple and driven it into the dirt. Why not? For the three previous years that was where Apple was heading. Not for the users but those graphs of Mac purchasing heading down and Mac clones and Gil and that Pepsi seller screwing things up so the company seemed to be circling the drain. <br><br>Steve Jobs took control of a company that could have continued to go south. But he did what we now see as the obvious. He deserves the accolades. He sold Kool-Aid but it was great Kool-Aid. It's still the best around.<br><br><br><br><br><br>(__*__)

The Microsoft deal, in retrospect, was an obvious move. Apple was fighting the good fight....Mac vs. PC and all....but that war had long been lost. Apple was slowly going under. Sad is it was, they needed Microsoft's "blessing" (curse?) to build excitement in the press and on Wall Street. Plus they got free browser and e-mail development out of it for several years. <br><br>That was when I came on board with the Mac...that original iMac that came out in '98. I don't think I will ever replicate the excitement of first learning the Mac OS and actually having stuff work. MDK...FaxStf...Clarisworks...those were the days!<br><br>

You're so right. Both the iPod and OSX have saved Apple's butt. That movie clip puts into good perspective the struggle that must have gone on to get as far as they have. They haven't lost sight of "Think Different" and searching for different markets. They were smart not to try and compete one on one with Microsoft but instead to pave their own way in the computer market.<br><br>

I was there, too. But not at the keynote. My system at that time was a Performa desktop. 6310, I think. 75mhz, 500MB HD, but maxxed out to 40MB of RAM! <br><br>(Remember RAM Doubler?)<br><br>

Performa 630CD here. Whoa! You had a 500 mb hd? I thought mine was huge at 250 mb. <br>I still have RamDoubler. Box and all. I was going through an old desk that had quite a bit of old computer stuff and I just didn't have the heart to throw it away.<br><br>

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>I don't think I will ever replicate the excitement of first learning the Mac OS and actually having stuff work. MDK...FaxStf...Clarisworks...those were the days!<p><hr></blockquote><p> <br>I can't replicate the fun I had learning to program in HyperCard ten years earlier. Ah, DNA Inspector in 1986 and then HyperBlast. Went to that MacWorld Expo too.<br><br><br><br><br>(__*__)

Remember when, in January of 2000 at Macworld Jobs unveiled the Aqua interface for the first time? I thought he was insane. Took me until 10.1.2 shipped on my flat panel iMac I bought in 2002 to accept OS X. <br><br>

Cut my teeth on an Apple II's right out of college in 1984. The small company I worked for had just bought two Apple II's and this software suite...<br><br> Raxis, a vertical market systems integrator, specialized in computerized management services for the manufactured housing, RV and marine industries. From 1979 through 1986, Raxis sold over 850 computer systems (approximately $10,000,000 in systems sales and services) based on the Apple II product line. It also provided system-level software, notably a database manager, a rewrite of Apple's basic language (Applesoft), and a high-performance extension to Apple's disk operating system. <br><br> and said..here, you should know about these things, you're in charge of learning and implementing this for our business. We used that software and two dutiful Apple II's until 1994. <br><br>The math just caught my eye. Ten million dollars in sales for 850 units is $11,764 a system. I don't think we paid much over $20,000 for our initial set-up. <P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by mojo_jojo on 01/27/06 08:54 PM (server time).</EM></FONT></P>

From my blog at the time as I hyped buttons on my site I stole from Apple. I still use them:<br><br><hr>Friday, February 11,2000<br>Everyone like the new buttons? They are the superficial top layer of Apple's new OsX. The more important features are hidden such as true multiprocessing and protected memory. These are the last vestiges of things that unix people had that the proletariat did without. You can even run Red Hat without emulation if you really want unix.<br><hr><br><br>So yeah, I liked the aqua right out of the gate. It took forever to wake up a laptop running OSX at the time but the protected memory was the cat's meow. I was running programs which would crash everything but unix. Having the program crash in OSX but never have to restart the system was amazing. It took me a while to get out of the habit of restarting thinking that I was helping things. <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>(__*__)

Yeah..I came to realize 7/8/9 are just antiquated pieces of crap now. <br><br>I remember for the longest time.....printing...burning a CD....many things hogged the entire computer. And it would freeze all the time. In the middle of a song. Anything. Had a hearty supply of straightened-out paperclips next to the iMac. <br><br>

I think I can beat you. I bought one of the first Apple II's from Ferranti-Dege in Boston. They were the only Apple reseller at the time. Cassette tape drive soon to be replaced by a 5 and 1/4 drive and I had a friend write a program I used to measure DNA in electron micrographs. <br><br>The problem I had was we had to write a grant to get the money to up the memory to 64KB. A little pricey but it kept me from having to save to floppy disk every ten seconds.<br><br><br><br><br>(__*__)

You got me beat. Our Apple II's had the mid unit betwen the monitor and the cpu. Dual 5 1/4" drives that sounded like bloated jumbo jets taking off.<br><br>

i had a 7300 clone at that time (i think that time). it was made by M*Power -- i think it was a rare clone. but it worked well and it still works well for me when i turn it on from time to time. <br><br>--<br>"I am mindful that diversity is one of the strengths of the country" --president bush on 9/27/05

WoW Mojo you had a 630 - ya was hopping<br><br>My first Mac was a Performa 600 CD super killer fast 32 mhz 030 with 5 megs hardwired Ram and a 160 mb HD <-- shiit I was flying so fast I could not spell check - LOL - well non was available <br><br>Brought home on "Sears" credit 3,500 buckaroos <br>600 CD - 14 inch color Apple display - Apple Style Writer II - Apple 3 year customer care. Later got some need for speed and some big balls upgraded the ram to 16 megs for the tune of 649 bucks and that was on sale<br><br>How times have changed <br><br>

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p> It took forever to wake up a laptop running OSX at the time but the protected memory was the cat's meow. <p><hr></blockquote><p>Huh, that's weird. It was just the opposite for me. Waking from sleep was (and still is) nearly instantaneous in even the first versions of OSX, but was a slow process in OS9 and before.<br><br>

I cut my Mac teeth on a Mac Plus in '85. Just before I left Brooklyn, I found one on the curb amongst trash waiting for pickup. I scooped it up and brought it home. Power supply is good, but it needs a video card and input devices. Right now it's a paper weight, but one of these days I'm gonna try to fix it up.<br><br>

It was only Mac OS X 10.0.0.2 (or something like that.) Apple was giving some of us a first look at the operating system. Now that I think of it, it wasn't waking up, but the switching from Classic to OSX. It may have taken over ten minutes for the swap. They fixed that problem before blister pack shipping.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br>(__*__)

I was using a Quadra 605 that I upgraded to from my Perfoma 450 at that time.<br><br>I was "lucky," in the summer of 1998, I had a lighting strike and I was able to upgrade my Perfoma to a G3 desktop through my insurance company.<br><br>Ahh, the old days:<br><br><br><br><br><br>_______<br>For unique Raku pottery, visit Mole Hill Studios at: http://www.molehillstudios.com

Finally took the time to watch it. Some observations <br><br>Mac culture <br>1 - Lots of BOooooooos , Ellison tips the miter<br>2 - Standing ovations <br><br>Today whats gone<br>1 - Standing ovations<br>2 - Culture vibrancy <br><br>Now has the culture changed like there is a new generation of Mac users who don't have the same passion as those 9 years ago ? View the last keynote the audience seem to me to be far less engaging then the one 9 years ago ?<br><br>

I agree. Apple has lost some of it's specialness, in my opinion, with the Mac. There was something exciting about the OS 8 and 9 days....now it's just another OS upgrade. <br><br>

Yeah something is lost<br><br>Last years keynote when Job brought out Paul and announced the switch to Intel - the 9 year ago audience would have gone friggin nuts, rioting in the streets you name it. Last year audience some clapping and a few laughs , go figure.<br><br>

I don't know what you guys are talking about. <br><br>I've been using Mac's since about 1990 and I think this nostalgia about OS8 and 9 is bizzare. Have you forgotten the often daily system-wide freezes? How about extension conflicts? The abominable memory management? In comparison to OSX those operating systems just plain SUCKED! Good riddance, I say, let's work towards something better.<br><br>

"Now has the culture changed like there is a new generation of Mac users who don't have the same passion as those 9 years ago ?"<br><br>Easy answer - iPod/iTunes. That's about the only thing holding Apple together today. The "cult of the Mac" is much smaller and appears to be shrinking. Sure, some switchers have added to the flock; but by no means will they ever likely be considered part of the core cult.<br><br>I would suggest Apple's future will be found in audio/video hardware, content and distribution. The computer business model may end up in the hands of another company.<br><br>- alec

Oh you young whippersnappers! Yeats says it best:<br><br>That is no country for old men. The young<br>In one another's arms, birds in the trees -<br>Those dying generations - at their song,<br>The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,<br>Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long<br>Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.<br>Caught in that sensual music all neglect<br>Pre-X systems of unageing intellect.<br><br>OK, so I changed the last line a little bit. <br><br>. . . . . Here's lookin' at [color:red]you</font color=red> kid.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by yoyo52 on 01/28/06 02:24 PM (server time).</EM></FONT></P>

Haha! <br><br><br>Screw Yeats, I have a better analogy. I may fantasize a little about my old girlfriends... but that doesn't mean I want them back! <br><br>

What we are talking about as Alex mentioned the "cult of the Mac" has changed the passion has diminished. Compare the audience today to that one 9 years ago.<br><br>IMO<br>9 years ago the cult was strong. I believe because it was that us -vs- them a rivalry that bonded everyone together for a common goal. Back then I had to defend myself for using a Mac , now no one cares what I use , who gives a shiit anymore ?<br><br>

I do know what you mean. If you look back in this forum, even as recent as a couple years ago, we had discussions all the time about Mac marketshare. Now we hardly ever do, and even the MWSF keynote excitement only lasts for a day or two.<br><br>I think the reason there was so much passion was that Apple was against the ropes then, and the thought of being forced to use a Windows PC really brought people together. Presently that threat is pretty much gone. With the success of the iPod, OSX, the deals with IBM and Intel, the Mac is here to stay. Ahhhhhhhh.... time to relax, at least while Steve Jobs is still running the show.<br><br>

LINK<br><br>Just an old guy's opinion. <br><br>Old farts, the hidden caulk of civilization. Jim Atkinson

Ultimately, I believe Apple will go the way of AT&T. For nearly a century, AT&T was the household word for anything telephone. First, in the 80's, they spun off the Lucent brand for their equipment. A few years ago, their Wireless division was absorbed by Cingular (sort of reverse digestion, since Cingular is part of BellSouth, which used to be one of the Baby Bells). Then recently AT&T got out of the long distance market. While many thought the brand was gone, it merely evolved again, and is now back as a broadband giant.<br><br>Similarly, I see many Apple products as we know them today also spinning off into who knows what category, while the Apple brand continues to evolve and move into new markets.<br><br><br><br><br>*Wow* Did you just hear choir music and hosannas? <br><br>

That was awesome! <br><br>

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>Then recently AT&T got out of the long distance market. While many thought the brand was gone, it merely evolved again, and is now back as a broadband giant.<p><hr></blockquote><p>Huh? SBC acquired AT&T and took the name. SBC (now AT&T) is my phone carrier but can't supply me with broadband.<br><br>Old farts, the hidden caulk of civilization. Jim Atkinson

Before they sold out to SBC, AT&T scaled back their long lines division...essentially just focusing on business customers. <br><br>Really, all SBC bought was those customers and the name. There wasn't much of AT&T left. Everything had been parted out...Western Electric became Lucent..a part of which became Avaya.....AT&T Wireless was sold to Cingular (As Steve poinuted out, a partnership between SBC and Bellsouth.)<br><br>It's just a bunch of corporate reshuffling..producing nothing <br><br>

You're married to dial-up anyway. So what're you kvetching about? <br><br>

Hey Doc...<br><br>I'm assuming you got no cable option..<br><br>Have you run your phone number through DSLReports.com recently? How far are you from the CO? Phone companies are adding remote DSLAMs all the time to provide DSL service. <br><br>

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>It's just a bunch of corporate reshuffling..producing nothing<p><hr></blockquote><p><br>Except headaches trying to figure out what your stock holdings are...and where the he!! they're keeping it.<br><br>Old farts, the hidden caulk of civilization. Jim Atkinson

Cable option is Charter...a monopoly here. Apparently, SBC offers DSL but not to my number. I've met one person here who has SBC DSL (they're happy with it). TDS Metrocom say they can provide DSL, but only with a whole phone package which I don't want. I've looked at DSLReports without much luck. <br><br>My wife bitches about how slow eBay is (that's maybe a good thing ) but when I suggest getting cable it doesn't fly.<br><br><br>Old farts, the hidden caulk of civilization. Jim Atkinson

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>You're married to dial-up anyway.<p><hr></blockquote><p>After 45 years, I sometimes wish that were true. Then I could just hang up.<br><br>Old farts, the hidden caulk of civilization. Jim Atkinson

Well, a couple things...<br><br>DSLReports has an SBC prequalification forum that is staffed by SBC techs...they can test the loop and be for sure that you can or cannot get any kind of DSL. Anyone that claims to offer you DSL is just going to be reselling SBC's last mile. <br><br>As for Charter, see what their Internet-only plans are. You don't have to have cable TV. I had Earthlink over Time-Warner's lines...cable-TV free. <br><br>

"While many thought the brand was gone, it merely evolved again, and is now back as a broadband giant."<br><br>Complete with a new butt-ugly logo that looks like it was done by a first-year design student.<br><br><br>

I worked on the AT&T account in the 90's. The old meatball was well designed and carefully thought out, and came with a zillion-page style guide to dictate how to apply it in different layouts. But, yeah, the new iteration is as ugly as it gets. A one-page, 3-word style guide would be adequate: Chapter one. Do Not Use! <br><br>

That logo the SBC guys came up with is terrible. <br><br>