The Land Before Silicon- Manuel
Mejia, Jr.
16 August 2000
I am back! Those of you who review the LEM Help Desk periodically will note
that I was touring Russia for a month. Having returned and put some
immediate needs in order, I can get back to answering questions. Although this column is geared to those working on getting the
most value out of their classic Macs, the observations that I made
about the use of computers in Russia were interesting enough that I
felt that you would want to know what I encountered. Those of you who watch CNN will get a good bombardment of
commercials touting Internet services to the business community. The
regular use of email, the Web, word processors, 3D graphics, and
other computer tools have permeated American society. Allegedly,
there is a big market out there for all things Internet and Internet
related -- or so we think. In Russia, the American visitor is presented with a country that
is living in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, all at one time.
While there I stayed at a lodge as a guest of the Bolshoi Theater.
The kitchen was a sight to see. The ovens were 19th century
monstrosities powered by coal that had to be shoveled into a furnace
every 3-6 hours. The chief of the operations was a "new Russian" who
drove to the lodge using an early 1970s vintage Corvette (20th
Century) and kept communications with his family using a Nokia cell
phone (21st Century). New Russians are the ones most likely to own a computer. They make
up only a small portion of the Russian population. The rest live on
more meager incomes and often lack conveniences like telephones and
private cars. Electricity is not always available due to periodic
blackouts. Many of these people make a living as merchants. When they are
processing a sale, they will use pre-computer age tools like
mechanical cash registers, paper ledger books, and abacuses. For an
old Mac user like myself, seeing these people in action was quite a
refreshing culture shock. There are some computers available for use. Many require
clearances or other permissions or high use fees. There are two
inexpensive terminals that the public can use in the Moscow
Telegraph/Post Office. This was about all there was in terms of
computer access for nonbusiness tycoons like myself. Even if you do
get access to a computer, using the phone lines can be difficult,
since one can only connect half of the time to the entity that you
wish to contact. Once a connection is made, be patient when loading a
web page, since the 75 MHz barrier has yet to be breached at most
sites. Since the Russians are strapped for funds, older Wintel/DOS
machines dominate. One could probably find a Mac somewhere if you
looked hard enough. The one computer item that is easy to find in Russia is software.
Russia is not acquainted with U.S. copyright law. Every software and
music title that one can think of is available in pirated form at a
number of kiosks throughout Moscow. Although Microsoft has been suing
in Russian civil court to put a stop to the sales of pirated copies
of Windows 98 and 2000, there is no enforcement of judgments there.
Russia is the Internet version of the Wild West. My break from the computer age also had some value in terms of
troubleshooting my PowerBook 100. When
we last visited that machine, I had
managed to overcome the lead acid
battery problem with a wooden adapter. However, I did not take into
account the importance of the three "Type 2430" lithium button cells
that maintain the parameter settings and the "soft power" turn-on
function. A stock PowerBook 100 with a lead acid battery will usually draw
power for the parameter settings and soft power startup from either
the AC power supply or the lead acid batteries themselves. The button
cells are only used by the Mac in the few moments of time when both
the lead acid battery and the AC power supply are disconnected. In a PowerBook 100 that has been modified with a wood adapter,
there is no lead acid battery, so the NiCad battery that is used has
to be charged using a separate power supply. As a result, only the
button cells are left to run the parameters and soft power startup
function. Those cells only last 45 days or so when used continuously
by the PB 100. Once those cells are discharged, the parameters are
lost and soft power startup is not an option unless AC power supply
is used. Not even the NiCad battery pack help on startup. Fortunately for the PowerBook 100 user, the Type 2430 button cells
are easily accessible and can be changed monthly for a low cost. This
seems the best way to deal with this issue. One other task of importance to all laptop users is the movement
of said device from one place to another without smashing it to bits.
I have been looking for a proper carrying case for my laptops for a
few years now. I finally found one in an odd location. American Eagle Outfitters is
selling a small book bag that can be used as a briefcase, shoulder
bag, or as a backpack. The book bag come with a separate hand-carry
bag that is heavily padded. The separate bag is designed for a
notebook computer. The bag protect the computer from other objects
inside the book bag as well as from outside threats. When the computer is not needed, you can leave it inside the hand
carry bag at home while using the rest of the book bag. The book bag
itself has special pockets for disks, expands to 6 inches in width,
and has two solid nylon rain shields that are sewn to the ends of the
bag. The shields can be tuck away or clipped together for use on wet
days. There is even a place to stow both the shoulder strap and the
backpack straps so that one could stroll into a Wall Street law firm
or brokerage house without getting as much as a second glance. The
backpack and should strap can be saved for more informal occasions or
for excursions to college. I got mine for less than US$42 -- a bargain considering the how
versatile the bag is. I have paid more for bags without the features
and for bags that scream to robbers, "Steal me, I'm a laptop!"
- <this article available in a printer-friendly
format>
Manuel Mejia is familiar
with Mac IIs, LCs, and older PowerBooks. He uses both a PowerBook
145B and a Mac IIcx with System 7.1 on a regular basis. He also owns
the Pina books on repairing compact Macs from 128k through the SE and
is willing to look up answers. And he kept a Mac II with System 6.0.7
on standby so he could help out with System 6 questions, but it
finally died. He just added an LC to his collection. (Manuel doesn't
have a Power Mac, so please don't ask him Power Mac questions.) Have a question to ask Mac Daniel & Friends? Visit our
staff page and pick an expert. Recent Mac Daniel columns- The Land Before Silicon, Manuel
Mejia, 8/16/00. Travels in Russia with a PowerBook 100.
- Macster on the iMac, 8/14/00.
There are some problems with Macster on the iMac. Evan explains
how to work around them.
- Upgrading a Power Mac 7500, Chris
Lawson, 7/28/00. A look at memory, video, hard drive, and
processor upgrades for one of Apple's most upgradable Power
Macs.
- Resurrected Centris, part 2, Chris
Lawson, 7/5/00. New drives and memory for the Centris 650, but
there's another problem.
- more on the Mac Daniel index
Not sure if you should upgrade your old Mac or replace it? Check
the index to see if we've already addressed
your problem recently -- and look in the
archive if it's not in the recent columns. If not, visit our
staff page for the names of several people
who may be able to help you. Elsewhere on Low End Mac- Building rumors, fooling
Slashdot, Anne Onymus with Dan Knight, 8/18. We didn't set out
to fool Slashdot or anyone else -- and we explain how to build
your own rumors.
- Don't upgrade that Quadra
630, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 8/18. Most upgrades for
this particular model just don't make economic sense.
- Browse different, Dan
Knight, Mac Musings, 8/18. One way browsers could improve the Web
surfing experience.
- Mac-N-DOS list. Yes, it's
a bad pun, but if you have to use both Macs and Windows, this new
list could be a great resource.
- New iMacs: Something for
everyone, Kel Taylor, Mac to the Future, 8/17. "...the iMac
has grown into a family, and a large one at that."
- Apple ditching G4, Anne
Onymus, 8/17. Apple embraces IBM and the G5, leaving Motorola
behind.
- Happy Birthday, iMac!, Dan
Knight, iMac Channel, 8/16. "The iMac has redefined the industry
and redefined Apple as a trendsetter."
- Be thankful for Apple
secrecy, Stephen Van Esch, Mac Scope, 8/16. There really is a
good side to Apple secrecy.
- The G4 Cube and Radeon fans,
Paulo Rodrigues, Tangerine Fusion, 8/16. How ATI spilled a trade
secret. Oops.
- My First Mac Clone, Spencer, My
First Mac, 8/15. Sometimes your first Mac isn't even made by
Apple.
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