Some bedtime reading

Posted 2022-12-03 | Back to blog index

Some bedtime reading

The cover of MacUser November 1986 featuring a full page display for compact Macs

Imagine being able to view up to EIGHT MacWrite documents from within any application for instant cut and paste!

A magazine ad for TopDesk

I had actually just seen this for sale on Yahoo Auctions earlier today, serendipity

Description of the app Puppy Love in a magazine A screenshot of a boxed copy of the app Puppy Love on Yahoo auctions

TIL that Burrell and Herzfeld worked on the original Radius displays for the compact Macs.

Did that "different menu bar on each display" thing ever happen? That sounds really cool!

Love the buttons with the cursive font on this control panel. That is pure Skeumorphism!

Also neat to see options for a double size cursor and menu bar for a "massive" 15 inch screen! Apple never added those officially to classic MacOS

Is your floppy drive 246% LOUDER? How can you even live with a floppy drive that's that loud!!?! Ours has an LED because otherwise you won't even know it's on!!

The discussions of copy protection are interesting - lots of ads boast "no copy protection!" As well as actual review copy saying stuff like "they finally removed their controversial copy protection".

Meanwhile there are several ads for "software rental" services...

From the Tips and Tricks page in MacUser Nov 1986.

36 years later I've literally used this same trick to fix cut off italics in a UILabel in an iOS app.

OTOH this sounds like a TERRIBLE idea!

I love everything about this ad - the crazy font and layout choices, the ImageWriter ribbon re-inker that looks like a 1800's patent and needs a Shut-off timer!?!?, the ongoing evaluation of "SCUZZY", and the accessory that will make any brit giggle

Honestly I have no idea why this ad is trying to tell me

Just as relevant in 1986 as in 2022: "Quickly turn fashionable ideas into T-shirts" aka "Chest-top publishing"

And cats

Well it's 2 AM, it's time for bed and I've reached the end of the magazine. Good night. You can un-mute me now.

Of course the magazine ends with a column by professional troll John C. Dvorak @Johncdvorak

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