On 6/30/02 10:45 AM, "Nancy Butts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hi everyone, > > I need some advice from all you Mac wizards. My sister, who has never > used a Mac in her life, has commissioned me to buy a used Powerbook > for her eleven-year-old daughter. Her requirements are simple: > > 1) Cost $100 or less > 2) Simple and reliable > 3) Can run some version of PowerPoint > > Internet connectivity is not an issue (my sister allows supervised > Net access only via her PC with cable modem). So what Powerbook would > you recommend? What version of the OS? I would echo some of the comments made by others regarding the Duos. However, there is one thing in your list that you may have some problems with and that is item #2. I've spent a lot of years working on Macs for a living. I'm not Apple certified; I'm an independent consultant. In those years I've worked on just about every Mac there has been. More importantly, I've supported users during that time using a wide variety of PowerBooks. I love the Duos. The suggestions that you have gotten that you should look at a 280c or a 2300c are all good suggestions. I would add the 270c to the list, but truly, any of them would be fine. I gave each of my daughters (one was 6 and one was 9 at the time) a nicely equipped 2300c. They love 'em. Just the right size and since they don't need the capabilities of the newer machines, they can do everything they need to do and pretty much everything they want to do on a computer. They can even hook them into the network at home and get DSL service to the 'net. However... the Duos have some issues. In general, they tend to be not quite as stable as the 500 series PowerBooks. You don't want to run anything newer than 8.1 on a Duo, but I recommend at least 8.1 due to stability issues. It will be a little slower than 7.x, but more stable. If you need a bit more speed than you will get with 8.1, then 7.6.1 is a pretty decent incarnation of the OS as well. 7.1 is also incredibly stable, but since it is pretty old, it does lack some features. The Duos and the 500 series PowerBooks both have problems with the batteries. They are all at the age now where they have started to die natural deaths from old age and it is hard to find one that works anymore. If battery power is an issue for her, you need to be aware of that and you need to be aware that replacement batteries, even on ebay, can be kind of expensive. If you buy a Duo or a 500 series PowerBook, unless you are getting a new battery with it, you should just count on either getting a battery that doesn't work or one that is going to die on you within a year. You might get lucky, but like I said earlier, they (unfortunately) don't last forever it is just near the end of the life cycle for these batteries. The 500 series PowerBooks are great. They are like tanks; nearly indestructible. The keyboards feel great, the screen is beautiful and you have all the ports built in vs. the Duo where they have to be added. They are stable and run just about anything. You can upgrade them if you want to PPC. (Well, you can do the same with the Duos, but it isn't as easy.) If your niece is a touch typist and has built up any speed, the keyboard should be a consideration. (Hey, it happens... they taught my oldest last year when she was 9...) She can fly on the 500 series, but she will have some problems with the Duos. They weren't built for speed. On the other, other hand, the duo keyboard is smaller and easier sometimes for little hands to navigate. Then again, you need to consider how she is going to output the data. If she plans to print, you'll need to get a serial cable for the Duo and be able to connect somehow to a serial connection (LocalTalk network or direct to serial printer). Or, you'll need to get her an external floppy and some type of dock that will allow her to connect it to the Duo. Or... well, you get the idea. Lots of options. The 500 series PowerBooks of course come with the floppy installed and have all connectivity options built in: ethernet, serial port as well as an ADB port. > > My niece loves to do two things: write, and play with PowerPoint. > I've got every word processor known to man, so I thought I could > install WordPerfect, which is free, and an old copy of Word 5.1 that > I no longer use. These would integrate smoothly with Windows-versions > on my sister's PC, so my niece could copy a file to a PC-formatted > floppy and print via the PC. Word 5.1 would be great. I used it years ago and loved it. You may find that you will want to choose one or the other, since the disk space is going to be a bit limited on these older models. There are lots of freeware programs for productivity and entertainment they she may want to get as well. > > What I don't know about is PowerPoint. I don't know anything about > its version history and compatibility with various versions of the > Mac OS-and I don't know where to get my hands on a vintage version. The one that came with the version of Office that contained Word 5.1 should work great. I believe that version number would be PowerPoint 3. Anything older than that should work too, but in general it is better for compatibility to stay with as new a version as you can use, just in case she needs to transfer files. > One source for these computers is ebay of course. However, I have found the Low End Mac swap list to be a great place to find vintage gear. The people who populate that list are very nice people and work very hard to make sure that every sale that happens is a good one. You can sign up for the list at http://lowendmac.com/lists/. No need to stay on it once you've gotten what you want if you find the traffic too high. And, you can always post a 'want to buy' note to the list outlining what you are looking for. I'm sure you'll get more options than you can imagine. Plus, you'll find a lot of software being offered on that list that will be great for these machines. And the prices are good too. If you're not in any hurry, I've got about 10 500 series PowerBooks and about 30 Duos of all types (with accessories for both) that I hope to list on the Swap List soon. I have wanted to do this for a while, but always seem to get sidetracked with other projects. Kind of weird seeing your note here, 'cuz I was planning to post my list with the suggestion that potential buyers consider these for pre-teen children. I gave those Duos to my kids after doing some shopping at various stores looking for something that resembled a laptop. Both of them saw some toys that were made to look like laptops and they just *had* to have one. But they were so limited in what they could do that I wasn't interested in buying them. It came to me one night when I was working on cleaning up my stash of Macs that I could spend less on buying a Duo than I would pay for one of the toys and they would have a real computer, not a plaything. Turned out to be a great thing. When they got them, my 6 year old opened it thinking it was one of the toys from Toys 'r Us. She was excited, but not greatly so. When she pressed the power button and saw the happy Mac she went nuts... "It's a *real* computer, Dad!!!*. (They have both had their own Macs since they could walk, so she knows a good thing when she sees it <g>). You won't go wrong no matter what you decide to do. However, no matter what you decide to do, you will find each option will have some limitations. And as long as I'm covering all bases, I probably should mention the 180c PowerBook. These can be had for a very decent price, they work *great* and are also built like tanks. You'll find some of the same limitations as the 500 series: batteries are probably dead, limited disk space. And they have a max of 14 megs (I think) of RAM, but with the right programs, that will work just fine. And last thing about the machines... for simplicity, look to the 500 series or the 180c. Both will be easier to understand and work with than the Duos, especially if you have to deal with any functions beyond just what is built inside the box. Good luck with the project. Your niece is gonna love it... Jim -- PowerBooks is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... 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