The Early Days of Computers: A New Era of User Experience

In the early 1980s, computers were vastly different from what we know today. Most computers were complex and difficult to operate, requiring users to know specific command line functions to get a program started. Once a user had opened a program, their only means of interaction was with the keyboard. This was the case across the board for computer manufacturers at that time.

The advent of a new way of doing things came from Apple with the introduction of the Apple Lisa in the early 1980s. Taking cues from the Xerox Star, the Lisa used a graphical user interface, or GUI. This revolutionary approach replaced the command line with easily understood icons and windows, providing users with a more intuitive and accessible means of interacting with their computers. The use of an input device, known as a mouse, was also introduced for the first time.

The computer itself that powered the Lisa was massive and expensive, making it inaccessible to most people at that time. Despite its limitations, the Lisa marked an important turning point in the history of computing, demonstrating the potential for GUIs to revolutionize the way we interact with computers.

Fast forward to 1984, a year that would change the face of computers forever. Apple introduced the Macintosh, which built upon the same GUI and mouse technology developed by the Lisa. The Macintosh was smaller, more affordable, and more accessible than its predecessor, making it an instant hit in the market. The success of the Macintosh also inspired other operating systems like Microsoft Windows, GEM, and many others to adopt similar approaches.

The original Macintosh that came out in 1984 is known for its impressive specs, including 128K of RAM. It was designated as the Macintosh Model M-0001, a nod to its pioneering status in the world of computing. However, it's worth noting that the same machine was also referred to by another name.

The Legacy of Steve Jobs

Today, the legend of Apple and the Macintosh lives on through the eyes of suburban, culturally aware, sweater-wearing hipsters who are often credited with keeping the spirit of innovation alive. The influence of Steve Jobs, a visionary entrepreneur who played a pivotal role in shaping the company's future, is still felt across the globe. His commitment to design, simplicity, and accessibility continues to inspire new generations of designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs. As we look back on the history of computing, it's clear that the Macintosh was more than just a machine - it was a catalyst for change, paving the way for a world where technology is more accessible and user-friendly than ever before.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enIn the early 1980s, most computers were unruly and complicated beasts.If you wanted to use a program, you had to know the proper command line functions in order to get a program started.And once you had the program open, the only practical way to interact with it was with the keyboard.This was the case across the board for computer manufacturers,but then came a new way of doing things from Apple with the Apple Lisa.Taking cues from the Xerox Star, it used a graphical user interface, or GUI.It replaced the command line with easily understood icons and windowsalong with an input device to use it, known as a mouse.The computer itself was huge though, with a price tag to match,and it ultimately failed to make a dent in the marketplace.But in 1984 came something that changed the face of computers forever.The Macintosh.It used the same GUI and mouse as the Lisa, but came in smaller, more affordable package.It sold quite well and went on to inspire Microsoft Windows, GEM and a host of other OSes.And may its legend continue through suburban, culturally aware, sweater-wearing hipsterstoday and forever more in the name of Steve Jobs. Amen.The original Macintosh came with 128K of RAM and is known as the Macintosh Model M-0001.When looking to acquire one, be aware that the machine is also known as the \"128K,\" or \"Macintosh 128.\"This can either refer to the launch model version of the machineor the later version of the Macintosh, the 128.This later one is relabeled as the 128 on the back of the machine, where the original is not.The machine was essentially the same thing, just retroactively labeledthe \"128K\" to differentiate between it and the recently released \"512K.\"There are several other models which came later like the Plus and the SE,but these are outfitted which much different hardware than the original Mac,though they can mostly run the same programs.I got my original Macintosh for $50I got it from an ad on Craigslist from a guy who had bought the machine around May of 1984,just a few months after it was released.It didn't come with a mouse or keyboard, so I had to get those separately on eBay.In total, it came to $90 for a complete machine.If you're looking for mice, there are a few to choose from,with those from the Lisa 2 and the Mac Plus working fine with it as well.The model number is M-0100 and can vary between beige and platinum gray colors.There is also the 128 keyboard, which can be difficult to find.The original is model number M-0110, but you can use the later Mac Plus keyboard,which includes a numeric keypad.The keyboard itself isn't so hard to find as the cord is.It uses a detachable cord that looks just like a phone cord, but it isn't.It's actually wired differently and while you can make your own keyboard cord using a phone cord,having the original is just proand will save you a lot of trouble.The Mac itself contains 128K of RAMan 8 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, a 3.5\" floppy drive and no hard drive.The only way to get input into the machine is by booting into MacOS from a 400K system disk.This can also be another pain if yours didn't come with the disks,since it uses that odd Macintosh file structure for 400K disks that aren't useable on PCs.And even if you have a later Macintosh with a 3.5\" drive, you'll need a proper disk image,special software and the correct OS version to write it to a disk that is readable.Once it loads the OS, you can then swap disks to run a program.Naturally, being as this only has 128 KB of RAM and the slowest 68000 processor, you are really limitedto what you can run.Mine came with a third-party 2MB RAM expansion with a SCSI port in the back,so it gives me more freedom to run larger programsand I could also attach an external SCSI drive if I wanted.While this is not necessary, it's actually quite nice to have and it was apparently a pretty common upgrade.And thanks to its appliance-like design,setting up and starting the machine is amazingly simple.Groovy...However, loading a program can be a huge hassle.Now the MacOS GUI is greatand certainly makes things really nice and easy when compared to a command line interface,but that does not help with the endless disk swapping.For instance, you'll need to load part of a game,but then maybe the OS will need some information, so you'll need to swap disks again.And then again back to the OS, and then back and forth and back and forth. It gets old instantly.And you can't run more than one thing at once at all,so you can't just load something into RAM and be done with it.You'll need to swap those disk for anything that's not on the operating system disk,which is probably just about everything, and then swap again once you're done.And probably a couple of times in between that.Seriously, you almost need to get an external drive like the M-0130, or it's just impossibly aggravating.So, what can you actually do with the thing?Well, if somehow you haven't noticed, it houses a built-in 9\" monochrome display,so you wont' be seeing any colors.Uh, unless you drop some acid first, I guess.This screen was the real killer feature that made the Macintosh attractive,as computers like the IBM XT were still using low-res CGA, so any graphic and design appliactionswere really fruitless endeavors.But the screen really is tiny, so it not very well suited for serious graphical work.And there's no real sound either, other than some simple bleeps and bongs.Well, you can use MacWrite to write about how since you now own a Mac,you have the sudden urge to purchase a bicycle and vote libertarian.Or you can use MacPaint to create delightfully postmodern digital Banksy ripoffs.Do watch out though, as I discovered participating in such activities on a Mac can have undesirable side effects.Curse you, Steve Jobs!!There are a few games that you can play,though they can be extremely difficult to find nowadays.Gaming on the Macintosh really didn't start to take off for another couple of years,so most of the games will require more RAM or more processing power to run.But there a few notable titles, and here are some of those for the 128.Eh, like I said, these games can be seriously hard to find.Mostly what I've done is perused the wonderful Macintosh Garden website.It may be of dubious legality, but the site is awesome and the files come in a formatthat can usually be written to disk on other Macswith an Internet connection and a disk drive.And of course, it's always worth mentioning that there are a few notable emulators for the system,like Mini vMac, which really do a good job of emulating the machine.Really, if you're going to emulate a Macintosh, why not emulate a system that can do stuff.So, is the original Apple Macintosh 128 worth buying or not?Well that depends *completely* on what you want it for.As far as historical value is concerned,it's extremely valuable... historically.Tons of collectors want this thing.I've seen it go for a couple of hundred dollars for just a system.So, in that regard, yes. It's very, very collectible.But on the other hand, it does practically nothing.Most of the games that I showed earlier I had to download,and then when I did, most of it didn't even work.I only showed a few that I actually got to work. Most simply didn't run.And it is an absolute endless pain to try to get those disks written, even on a later Macintosh.But don't take that to mean that I hate the 128.I don't. I just think think it's useless.If you want something for historical value,if you're a true collector, then yes.Get the 128 by all means becauseit is the first Macintosh.But if you just wanna play some games, or mess around with the software or Apple Mac stuffon the 68K processor systems, thenget an SE or something that'll actually do some thingswithout a ton of hassle and weird disk formats.\n"