Mostly because the pickle and others got tired of posting some of the same answers to the same questions over and over to the lists and they finally decided to do something about it. It was generally concluded that a FAQ would also be a great contribution to the Mac community at large.
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3.2 - Who helped out?
This FAQ wouldn't have been possible without the help of (in no particular order) Gregg Eshelman, JAG, b.b., Steve Strahm, Gamba, Chris Lawson, Paul Cherubini, Gina Wallace, Aqua, Mike Ford, Ben Koh, Leon Sargent, CP Jacobs, Dave Kraemer (the guy who suggested that someone put together a FAQ in their spare time instead of trying to figure out how to put a G4 into an SE), Dean Arthur, William Ahearn, Greta Heinse, Lasar Liepens and Nick Osborn (who started a FAQ that sort of died out) and without the inspiration of Dan Knight, who administers the mailing lists that got this whole thing started. If you want to thank them, e-mail the pickle and the message will get passed on.
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3.3 - Revision History
31 July 2003: Minor cleaning, fixed some dead links, brought full FAQ up-to-date.
04 Feb 2003: Buncha links checked and fixed.
20 Jan 2003: Oodles of stuff added, corrected, and updated. I'm too lazy to figure out what it all was, but a big thanks to Tom Lee and "Martin" for some of the info I added.
20 Nov 2002: Broken links to LEM fixed.
22 Oct 2002: Added Danish Torx supplier and split off Torx info into a separate page. Added Plus analogue board replacement parts list link to 2.1.4 and cleaned up full FAQ a bit to include Torx, browser, Plus analogue board, and startup key information.
08 Oct 2002: More Iomega floptical info and some Plus PRAM battery info added.
20 Sep 2002: Video adjustment tool info, Iomega floptical info, and a tip on using Back to Black to restore a discoloured Mac TV case added.
05 Aug 2002: Lots of battery info updates, a Torx update for Germany, some small corrections elsewhere, and updated info on MpegDec.
09 Jul 2002: Added SE ROM info and external floppy info to Floppy section and added remote control info to Miscellaneous Hardware section.
13 May 2002: A couple more additions to the s/n decoder and lots of cleanup work all over the FAQ. All the links should be fully functional at this point.
20 Mar 2002: Re-wrote serial number decoder in Perl so that it works with any browser supporting forms, regardless of platform or version.
16 Mar 2002: Added video adjustment tool information to the Graphics HW section.
05 Mar 2002: Added serial number decoding information to the Miscellaneous HW section.
11 Feb 2002: Added UK sources for Torx drivers and 800K floppies. Updated information concerning 68Ks playing MP3s. Added RAM disk information to the Memory section. Updated a couple errors about iCab on the Browsers page.
25 Jan 2002: A few more HTML tweaks to optimise display in newer browsers.
17 Jan 2002: Updated all HTML to 4.01 Transitional (doesn't require CSS!) and re-validated. Added OS X-System 6 connectivity info to the Networking section.
04 Jan 2002: Two minor updates on the Browsers page.
24 Dec 2001: Some HTML cleanup and a few slight clarifications all over the place.
17 Dec 2001: Corrected a slight technical error in section 2.8.6 - thanks, Gamba.
09 Dec 2001: Added yet another case cleaning product to the Miscellaneous section and updated a few more HTML tidbits throughout the FAQ.
12 Nov 2001: Updated all links to Gamba's material to reflect his new server. Fixed a bit of behind-the-scenes HTML stuff, mostly META tags and the like, to correct some Google indexing problems.
17 Oct 2001: Added maximum HD size info to the Hard Disk section.
14 Oct 2001: Added some soldering information and some more Torx driver info to the Hardware section thanks to Martin Perras and Bill Brown.
11 Oct 2001: Added a link for buying Mac Plus PRAM batteries for US$8.
28 Sep 2001: Added information about cleaning floppy drives to the Floppy Drive section. Fixed a couple dead links and added a few more links for buying 4.5V PRAM batteries.
30 Aug 2001: Fixed some stupid HTML mistakes in both versions of the FAQ.
29 Aug 2001: Fixed a few errors in the software section (thanks, Marten). Added some tidbits in several spots in hardware. Added a note about the extras to add to 7.1 to make it more like 7.5. Added info about Mac Plus PRAM batteries to the Logic Board section. Actually remembered to update the full HTML file this time.
14 Aug 2001: Fixed the broken TIL and TIL archive article links. Dropped PDF version of FAQ.
17 Jul 2001: Added more PRAM battery information and clarified the differences in PRAM batteries across 68K models. Fixed some more HTML validation stuff that was causing broken links (thanks, Alex!). Updated information about getting an OS on your Mac using only a PC.
02 Jul 2001: Revised video information for Mac IIsi/ci in Graphics Hardware section to make it more comprehensible.
28 Jun 2001: Updated a bit more ROM SIMM information in the Logic Board section. Added Jeff Garrison's new wonder-clean compound to the Miscellaneous section. Fixed a few silly blunders in the concatenated HTML version of the FAQ.
27 Jun 2001: Updated a bunch of ROM SIMM information in the Logic Board section. Added the IIsi to the list of Macs known to have an auto-restart-capable power supply. Changed all the links to ASU to point at Apple's FTP site, since Apple decided to retire ASU and replaced it with a piece of JUNK called the "Knowledge Base."
25 Jun 2001: Standalone HTML and PDF versions now available for you folks who like offline access. Thanks go out to OJ Lougheed for doing most of the background work that inspired it and giving me the kick in the pants I needed to do this. (And thanks to my girlfriend's roommate, who got me Acrobat 5 for free.)
07 Jun 2001: Full HTML spec and spell check. Caught a few little bugs but nothing major. Fixed a misspelled link in the Hard Disk section, but that's about it. Plans for a PDF version of the FAQ are now underway; I'll probably post something late next week.
23 May 2001: Fixed a dead link for Mode32. Thanks, Andre. Added 68K pinout information to Hardware section. Fixed the Loten am Mac link to point to the new location of the site.
04 May 2001: Fixed a couple more broken links and added startup key combo information to the System Software section. The site I had linked to before disappeared completely about three days later; the new page is permanently here in the FAQ and is more focused on 68K Macs.
25 April 2001: Fixed a couple broken links (although the Alliance Power Tools link is still dead; I'm working on this one), added a lot of information about Drive Setup to the HD section, added some more information on where to get old 68K software to the Software section, and added startup key combo information to the System Software section. Noted that hyperlinks will not properly work in the downloadable version of the FAQ. Added some more ROM SIMM information to the Logic Board section. Zapped all the resource forks in the HTML files so the FAQ should load even faster now. (It's also about half the size it was before.)
16 April 2001: Updated GURU information in the RAM upgrade section, added a bunch of HD formatter links to the HD section, and added a link to System 6.0.8L to the System Software page. (We broke 12000 hits this week!)
10 April 2001: Fixed the link to termination resistors at Computer Geeks and added a question about termination resistors to the HD section. Added a link to Glenn Anderson's Ethernet card drivers in the Expansion/Upgrade card section. Added link to Japanese System 6 in the Mac OS section. Added link to German site with ports and pinouts on it.
05 April 2001: Fixed the accidental deletion of Q2.1.1; the new version is better than the old one was. Added a couple links to it as well.
01 April 2001: Fixed a bunch of unreliable links on ftp.apple.com by changing them to ftp.info.apple.com, which doesn't seem to have the problem. Happy April Fool's Day, everybody! Oh, and I added Gregg Eshelman's information about playing MP3s on a 68K - no kidding - to the Software section.
20 March 2001: Updated information on the Browsers page including new links for several browsers and a slight more-logical rearrangement of the notes for each browser. Fixed a couple mistakes in the SSI code that left out two recently-added (08 March 2000) questions in the Removable Media and Graphics Hardware sections. Added a link to System 6 Heaven in the "Ideal OS" question and added a note about Apple's newest software licencing stupidity to the Mac OS section. Added a question in Software about where to get productivity SW besides WP software, and links to System 6 Heaven and Jag's House.
14 March 2001: Moved FAQ to its new permanent home on Nathan Pralle. There will be a domain change in a couple months but the files are staying where they are now. No content updates on this one; just the move :)
10-11 March 2001: Lots of HTML revisions in an attempt to make the FAQ as compliant as possible with the HTML 3.2 spec (though it should work just fine on earlier browsers that don't know HTML 3.2). I absolutely refuse to go to v4.0 because it *requires* the use of cascading style sheets, among other things, which WILL break older browsers. There are a couple URLs that are giving non-compliance in the W3C checker but I think that's the checker's fault since hrefs shouldn't be affecting HTML markup at all anyway.
08 March 2001: Added information on identifying 800K vs 1.44MB floppy drives, new links to Half.com and eBay, and information about Mac (and Apple video card) video output resolutions. Added sponsor banners on index page in anticipation that I'll have to find new hosting in a while and I'll need to save up some cash to pay for it.
24 February 2001: Added lots of information to the browser profile page. Thanks, Gamba...
22-23 February 2001: Added information about the built-in debugger screen that pops up occasionally to the Misc SW section. Added more info about browser downloads to the browser profile page. Added a bit about StarGate in the PC-to-Mac transfer question. Corrected slightly misleading info about CRT swapping among Compact Macs. Added link to Low End Mac's video card database in the Graphics HW section. Added information about the Apple Hard Disk 20 (serial-based) to the HD section.
05 January 2001: Added S. Hamada's site about the SE and SE/30 repairs to the Graphics Hardware and Misc Hardware sections. I don't know why this wasn't in there before. Fixed a couple broken links, no thanks to Apple and Aladdin Systems.
19 December 2000: More behind-the-scenes HTML maintenance. I've finally got the FAQ broken into its 83 separate questions. Adding new questions and general maintenance will be significantly easier now. I know I keep saying this will be the last update for a while...this probably will be the last update for a while, but then again, I said that last time...
18 December 2000: Fixed some minor HTML issues and updated information on Born Again in the Mac OS section. One of these days, maybe before Christmas, I'm going to break up the FAQ into individual questions (though you won't notice a difference) to make it easier to maintain.
10 December 2000: Fixed some HTML that was causing problems in older browsers and added no-cache tags to the rest of the FAQ (non-Hardware) pages to get around the problem of annoying cache proxies.
07 December 2000: Added hack (with images! Don't worry - it's only about 15K worth of .gifs.) for installing Mac OS 8.6 on a Turbo IIci (thanks, Leon) to Mac OS SW section and added 68K browser profiles to Internet SW section.
01 December 2000: Corrected and added some information in the Hard Disk HW section. Fixed some HTML irregularities. Updated a few bits in the History section.
30 November 2000: Added a bit about the jumper block on the LC475/Q605 and its use to the Logic Board HW section. Clarified and corrected some power supply information in Logic Board HW. Added Macintosh ED info and a guide to reducing case yellowing to the Misc HW section. Corrected and clarified some of the information about Larry Pina's books in Misc HW. Added a table of Apple CD-ROM speeds to the Removable Media HW section. Added a link to the Apple Museum's early Mac OS version history page to the System SW section. Updated "How to get your Mac online" to reflect the fact that you actually don't need a HD. Added a link to Felix's Emailer to that section as well.
27 November 2000: Fixed some HTML coding to make text easier to read.
20 November 2000: Added Alex Harrington's directions for getting a Mac OS on your Mac using only a PC running Win 9x or NT.
11 November 2000: Added a bit about case cleaning and more Torx information to the Miscellaneous HW section. Added information about inkjet printers to the Printing HW section. Added more ROM SIMM information to the Logic Board HW section. Revised the question in Logic Board HW about PRAM batteries and their relationship to lack of video output. Added a note on the IIcx and IIci lockable power buttons to Logic Board HW. Updated information on playing MP3s on 68K Macs in Miscellaneous SW to reflect Ben Koh's comments on the 68040 FPU. Added a note on determining early (pre-Plus) Mac type to the Miscellaneous HW section. (Thanks, Dave Kraemer.) Added information about wiping out FWB formatting on hard disks to the Hard Disk HW section. Added information about getting old Macs set up for e-mail, WWW browsing, and WWW serving to the Internet SW section.
09 November 2000: Added link for Disk Copy in System/Mac OS SW section.
07 November 2000: Fixed a really stupid typo on the Networking Software page :) Ooops...
05 November 2000: Corrected a link in the Graphics Hardware section about monitor pinout information and fixed a problem with the SSI code on the Logic Board Hardware page.
04 November 2000: Added information for Torx drivers in Belgium in the Miscellaneous HW section. Fixed a dead link in the System SW section. Added a note about Mode32 to the Memory HW section. Sorry about the up-and-down problems over the past week or two; the server has been a bit flaky and I've been messing with SSI stuff some more too.
03 November 2000: added a counter (well, OK, that was back on 01 November, but who's really keeping track?) and the PicoSearch search engine. This should make the FAQ easier to use.
26 Oct 2000 update 2: First time I've updated twice in one day. Impressive. Didn't really add anything to this one but changed over all the HTML to server-side includes (thanks, Dan Knight) in preparation for that downloadable version you people have been begging me for. Actually made the downloadable, single-file version.
26 Oct 2000: Added monitor port pinout information to the Graphics Hardware section. Added a bit about the maximum length of LocalTalk networks to the Networking section. Added information on Localtalk Bridge to the Networking section. Noted the ATI Graphics Accelerator extension for 8*24GC acceleration is PPC-only. Added a note about black borders on monitors to the Graphics section.
25 Oct 2000: The FAQ gets christened by Luc Verhelst.
23 Oct 2000: Added a Ports and Pinouts link in the Logic Board section and a link to Hardware Tech Note #25 in the Memory section.
18 Oct 2000: Removed Section 1 as the FAQ is expanding to cover all 68K desktop Macs and re-numbered other sections to reflect this. Added a question in Software about disk images and what they are. Clarified a couple unclear questions in Hardware, one about CRT swapping and one about USB on 68K Macs. Dropped video card info page in favour of new section on Low End Mac.
13 Oct 2000: Corrected a couple of errors in the Daystar upgrade cards section.
10 Oct 2000: Split up Software and Hardware sections into multiple HTML files for easier browsing on a slow connection. Added a page about video cards that lists compatibility information for most Mac Nubus (as well as pre-PPC PDS, where applicable) video cards ever made. Still a work in progress. [This page has been removed. See 18 Oct 2000 update above.]
06 Oct 2000: Added a bit about System Enablers in Software.
05 Oct 2000: Added a couple more links for downloading WordPerfect 3.5e, a link for Nisus Writer, and URLs for Mariner Write and WriteNow information in Software. Added more ROM SIMM information and a bit about third-party CD-ROM drives in Hardware.
04 Oct 2000: Clarified the Drive Setup requirements, added a bit about Daystar CPU upgrades, and added a question about getting the MAC address of Ethernet cards in the Hardware section.
18 Sep 2000: Added a link to the M68K FAQ at JMUG and added some upgrading questions about the 68K chip. Reorganised the software section in preparation for some big additions. Added link to possible source for SCSI hard disk termination resistors.
11 Sep 2000: Fixed a few broken links and changed the System Software download links to point at the files directly because Apple nuked the ASU pages describing them (DAMMIT!).
26-28 August 2000: Fixed silly mistake in adding expansion card information about the IIvi and vx. Added questions about System 6 File Sharing, USB on Nubus Macs, Sad Mac error codes, updated Torx information for the UK, and added a question about solder and soldering irons for use in repairing electronics (the information is actually generally applicable, not just to Macs, but to any electronics). Added information about Born Again and running Mac OS 8.x on Vintage/Compact Macs. Added LC III+ information to list of ideal OS information (oops). Added a link to a standalone PC Exchange so people don't have to download all 40MB of the System 7.5.3 Unified Release to get it. Added information about TransMac to go with the 16-18 August update. Checked spelling on everything and found some really funny mistakes. No, you can't see what they were now :-P
16-18 August 2000: Added question in Software about PC to Mac transfer. Added general information on expansion cards.
28-29 July 2000: A few corrections, some additions to the Ethernet information made. Talking Mac bit added, as well as a section on Printing (in Hardware, combined with Networking).
02-03 July 2000: Minor revisions, some new information added. Switched pages to new e-mail address for the pickle.
13-14 Jun 2000: Lots more hardware information posted. Link to the pickle's archive added to software section.
12 May 2000: First "real" version posted.
up to 12 May 2000: preliminary work began, general structure outlined.
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Last Modified on 06 November 2013
by the pickle
All layout, HTML code, and text content is ©2000-5 by the pickle. Quotations from other sources used by permission. While every effort is made to verify information, the pickle takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of external links. If you break something as a result of what you read here, it is exclusively your own fault.