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Forget The Pentium, Hack The 68K

Mr. Groove writes: "Hey foo, think your PIII is killer? Imagine running Photoshop on one of these!" Frugal or insane -- only you can decide.

10 of 181 comments (clear)

  1. Trollers' Paradise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5

    As I scroll through the stories, see the mods are on meth
    I take a look at my karma, realize there's none left
    'Cause I've been trolling and flaming so long that
    Even Trollmastah thinks that my mind is gone
    But I ain't never crossed a post that didn't deserve it
    Me be modded up at all, you know that's unheard of
    You better watch how Katz's talking, courting the masses
    If I ever meet his homies I'll kick their asses
    I really hate to troll but I gotta say
    VA pays the bills, that means Hemos is gay... fool
    I'm the kinda troll that script kiddies wanna be like
    On Slashdot in the night, trollin' to set this earth right

    They been spending most their lives living in a trollin' paradise
    They been spending most their lives living in a trollin' paradise
    We been spending most our lives living in a trollin' paradise
    We been spending most our lives living in a trollin' paradise

    They got the moderation, they rule the nation
    I can't post a normal post, I tried -- no route to host!
    So I gotta be down with the Slashdoterati
    Too much videotape watching got me chasing Natalie
    I'm an anonymous fool with hot grits on my mind
    Got pancakes in my hand and first posts in my eye
    I'm an open source caveman from k-stuff-inchfan
    And my homies is down so don't even try that ban ... fool
    First ain't nothing but a heart beat away
    I'm owning you left and right, what can I say
    I'm -3; never will I whore to hit 25
    The way we're going just won't survive
    Tell me why are we so blind to see
    That the ones we mod aren't just ACs

    They been spending most their lives living in a trollin' paradise
    They been spending most their lives living in a trollin' paradise
    We been spending most our lives living in a trollin' paradise
    We been spending most our lives living in a trollin' paradise

    Karma and the stories, stories and the karma
    Zealot after zealot, dogma after dogma
    Everybody's posting, but half of them ain't thinking
    What's going on in Andover, something must be stinking
    They say I've got to log in; nobody talks to ACs
    If they can't even read it, how can they raise me
    I guess they can't
    I guess they won't
    I guess they front
    That's why I know my life is out of luck... fool

    Tell me why are we so blind to see
    That the ones we mod aren't just ACs
    Tell me why are we so blind to see
    That the ones we mod aren't just ACs

  2. This page isn't about 68k @ all by linuxonceleron · · Score: 4

    The webpage referenced descibes modifications to the Mac Color Classic (and Color Classic II which was never released in the US) Almost all of the mods are done by replacing the Classic motherboard with one from an All-In-One mac like the educational models. Since the motherboards are similar enough, they can be hacked to fit into the case of the classic. Also, most people tweak the little 9" trinitron to 640x480 so it can actually be used for real work. Some people even go as far as to replace the 603e in the LC motherboard with a G3 upgrade chip, making one crazy fast classic. To me this seems like crazy stuff, but I'm sure some people enjoyed doing it. Looks like a sweet hack.

    --

    Shine on, you crazy diamond.
  3. What's wrong with 68k? by Grant+Elliott · · Score: 4

    You'd be surprised what can run off a 68k chip. They truly are an example of excellent versatile design. These things have been in common use since the 70's when they ran the first Macs. Since then, they've found their way into everything from robots to calculators. They provide an excellent chip for robotists (hobby and professional) as they are highly versatile and can be programmed using Interactive C (designed to be similar to a language most programmers already know). Check out the Rug Warrior for an example of a robot running off a 68k. Now, they run the TI-89 and TI-92(+) graphing calculators. 68k assembly is remarkably capable. Plus, they can be overclocked from the intended 10 mHz up to a whopping 12 mHz very easily (even farther with a little work). Despite the speed limitations of the chip, a good assembly or C programmer can use one of these things for just about anything.

    Of course, my calculator is more powerful than those Macs...

    --

    "I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy." -Richard Feynman

  4. oh no! by soulsteal · · Score: 4
    [sung to the tune of "georgie girl]

    hey there, power mac,
    swinging round the mouse so fancy free
    nobody you meet could ever see the source code in there...
    inside you

    hey there, power mac,
    why do most fanatics pass you by?
    could it be you just don't try?
    or is it the case you wear?

    you're always window shopping
    but never trying to change
    this won't get newer people in range.....
    as customers..

    hey there, power mac,
    there's another OS deep inside
    BSD is really neat but darwin it came to be...
    the world will see....

    a new power mac!

    [Fade music out]

  5. Breath of fresh air by Witchblade · · Score: 4
    With the deluge of political battles, legal battles, market wars, and marketing bullshit we're bombarded with these days it was so refreshing to read something that makes you say, "Damn, it feels good to be a hacker!"

    Thanks, Slashdot, this story made my day. :)

  6. Yup...holy shit.. by fluxrad · · Score: 5

    I'm not sure this is exactly newsworthy. I mean...it's just a guy who basically gutted an old mac and put new shit in it. What other articles are we going to see??

    Learn how to make your own 500hp Ugo
    John Holmes writes: it's the craziest thing...you have to have m4d sk33lz to figure this out. Basically, we put an engine from a Z28 into an old ass Ugo, we put new headers and an exhaust kit on it, as well as a K&R filter and new plugs and wires. A subframe connecter, and a new racing tranny. But the badges are still the same.

    Oops - that's going to be posted on /. tomorrow. oh well - you heard it first.


    FluX
    After 16 years, MTV has finally completed its deevolution into the shiny things network

    --
    "It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once." -David Hume
    1. Re:Yup...holy shit.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4

      I HACKED A PICKLE JAR TO STORE APPLESAUCE!

  7. 680x0 as workhorse. by RennieScum · · Score: 4

    For years I had a Quadra 700, which I did tons of graphic design work on. People would ask how fast it was, and were amazed when I told them 25mHz. It was completely stable, and you could work ahead of the processor, as in punch in several keystrokes (Cut, New, Enter, Paste, F11) and it would do all of them, something Windoze won't do. (Does GIMP do this, anyone?)

    Granted, it sucked at web browsing, but it produced many beautiful images for years.

    Its death came (at 21,000 hours total runtime) because a mouse (the furry, wall-chewing kind) moved into the case, leaving droppings on the motherboard. I've since moved on to multitasking systems with more than one mouse button, but I wish I would have had the foresight to duct tape shut the PCI slot that was open.

    --
    ...Time is the best teacher, unfortunately it kills all of its students.
  8. sorry in advance... by option8 · · Score: 5

    man, is this old news (look at the dates on the site). but, if you're still interested in 68k, apple hardware, or if you're looking for cool cases and some other really interesting hardware hacks - including links to the power colo(u)r classic among others - take a gander at AppleFritter.com - a site dedicated to apple hacks, prototypes and rarities.

    and as for all the rest of you, why do so many of you spell "Mac" "MAC"? what do you think it stands for? Mac is short for Macintosh. not McIntosh or even MacIntosh, and certainly isn't an acronym. those of you in the northern US, where an A.T.M. is sometimes called a M.A.C. i can understand, but these are not cash machines!

  9. Apple Hardware pretty cool? by dbm00 · · Score: 5

    One thing that really impressed me about the original Macintosh machinese was that the Apple engineers were really creative about how they built the hardware-- not just what the box itself looked like.

    For example, I was really impressed when I learned that the Macintosh SE/30 included custom ICs to accelerate the normal windowing GUI operations. This was YEARS before the PC saw any kind of real 2D acceleration... and it was a great idea. Anybody who ever played with an SE/30 and a PC of the same era would see the awesome performance advantage the SE/30 had.

    That being said, I was reading through some of "Inside Macintosh" books circa the SE/30 and these guys looked like they were BEASTS to program-- people really had to write assembly language GUI programs? I guess I'm a spoiled product of the OOPY late 90s, but that seems like a deathwish if ever I heard one.

    Another interesting tidbit-- the Apple Macintosh OS is more INfamouse than famous, we all know, but those from around the San Jose area will appreciate the code name Apple engineers had for the OS: Winchester Mystery OS -- signal traps and jumps to null addresses etc... I laughed hard at that one...