. | Mac Daniel & FriendsSurfing With Low RAM Macs- Manuel
Mejia, Jr.
9 Nov. 1999
Q. My old Mac has the maximum number of RAM in it (or
the maximum that I will install). I have 4-14 MB. What
options do I have for Internet access? A. As pointed out by Julie Fugett in her
Oct. 26, 1999 Mac Daniel article on web access, 16 MB is
the tolerable minimum that one can have for graphical
(image) based browsers. While it is nice to look at pretty
pictures, it can be somewhat of a distraction when one is
doing archival research. In some cases, people will shut
down the graphic viewer portion of Netscape or Internet
Explorer to speed up the information transfer process. For a number of low end Macs like the 68000-based
compacts and monochrome screen PowerBooks, the web browser
of choice is Lynx. Lynx is a text based browser that allows
one to select topics of interest through a number of
menus. Lynx can be downloaded from sites such as the
Lynx site. Lynx is useful for those who are setting up a
BBS (Bulletin Board Service) where one dials in. Most of the time, classic Mac users do not have to
download Lynx in order to use it. In most cases, Lynx is the
standard browser that is used for UNIX shell based
"Freenets" that have been set up around the country and
other parts of the world. Freenets are the great equalizers for Internet access. As
the name implies, it costs nothing (other than an occasional
small donation) to join. For those individuals that use
second hand computer equipment with older modems or
otherwise lack access to a high speed data link, the
freenets are one of the few ways to access to the Internet.
This is especially true for rural parts of the US or the
developing Third World. Best of all, freenets do not require much in terms of
computer power for access. A 1 or 2 MB Mac Plus with a modem
and a terminal emulation program like Red Ryder or Z-Term
will suffice. 
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 keeps a Mac II with System
6.0.7 on standby so he can help out with System 6 questions. (Manuel
doesn't have a Power Mac, so please don't ask Power Mac
questions.) Have a question to ask Mac Daniel & Friends? Visit our
staff page and pick an expert.
Recent Mac Daniel & Friends columns- Raising the dead, Manuel Mejia Jr.,
Mac Daniel, 1/18/2000
- Storage Devices for Older Macs,
Manuel Mejia Jr., 12/31/1999
- SCSI or IDE hard drive?, Charlie
Ruggiero, 12/28/1999
- Why System 6 for Mac IIs?, Manuel
Mejia, 12/13/1999
- Should I Wait for OS X?, Dan
Knight, 11/29/1999
- Why System 6 for Compact Macs?,
Manuel Mejia, 11/26/1999
- Should I buy a USB card?, Charlie
Ruggiero, 11/23/1999
- Online with a PowerBook Duo, Julie
Fugett, Mac Daniel, 11/17/1999
- Time to buy an iMac?, Dan Knight,
11/15/1999
- 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. Dan Knight, webmaster, Low
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