{"id":1669,"date":"2023-02-27T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T05:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/debradalgleish.com\/blog\/?p=1669"},"modified":"2023-02-27T00:06:04","modified_gmt":"2023-02-27T05:06:04","slug":"long-ago-work-from-home-macintosh-computer-modem-1200","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debradalgleish.com\/blog\/2023\/02\/27\/long-ago-work-from-home-macintosh-computer-modem-1200\/","title":{"rendered":"Long Ago Work From Home Macintosh Computer Modem 1200"},"content":{"rendered":"

Way back in 1985, I started working from home, using one of the original Apple Macintosh 128K computers. I’ve got a much faster computer and modem now, but was happy with that early computer equipment.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Working From Home<\/h3>\n

My first home “office” was a small table in the family room, where I could keep an eye on our two children. It was a small house, so I had a view of the entire downstairs, and the back yard too!<\/p>\n

Somehow, despite the Mom duties, I managed to get client projects done, using MacWrite, MacDraw, and Multiplan.<\/p>\n

Eventually I upgraded to Microsoft Word, FileMaker and Microsoft Excel (my favourite).<\/p>\n

And instead of working at a small table, I set up an office space in our basement, with a real desk! We made a smart choice with that white panelling, so the basement didn’t feel like a cold, dark dungeon.<\/p>\n

In the photo below, you can see my basement office, and the Mac, which had been upgraded to 512K, and had an external hard drive.<\/p>\n

There’s also a glass of wine<\/a> on the desk, so I guess it was cocktail hour, and I was still working! And don’t you love my big 80s hair, and giant eyeglasses?<\/p>\n

\"Debra<\/a><\/p>\n

Going Online<\/h3>\n

We got an Apple Modem 1200 with our Mac, but I didn’t use that for client work. No, I picked up their work, and took it home. Later, I printed things out, and drove to my clients’ offices.<\/p>\n

In the early 1990s, we got online, using CompuServe, I think. We also used a Bulletin Board system, based in Toronto, and later used Netscape to explore the World Wide Web.<\/p>\n

In the early days though, husband used the modem to connect to servers at his office, and that tied up our phone line for hours!<\/p>\n

My memory is hazy on those early internet days, but there’s lots of information online, like this Internet in Canada article<\/a> in The Canadian Encyclopedia.<\/p>\n

\"Apple<\/a><\/p>\n

Apple Modem 1200 Details<\/h3>\n

In the next photo, you can see the bottom of the modem, with all the manufacturing details, but no date that I can see.<\/p>\n

\"bottom<\/a><\/p>\n

And here’s a page from the user guide that came with our modem. According to the diagram, we could connect to another Macintosh, or a mainframe computer, or “another personal computer”.<\/p>\n

There’s no mention of what type of computer that might be. \"Winking<\/p>\n

Anyway, it was exciting to have that Macintosh back in the 80s, and it let me start working from home<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, I’m glad we’ve got faster computers now, and faster (and quieter) modems!<\/p>\n

\"applemodem1200manual_01\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Your Early Home Computer Days<\/h3>\n

Do you have memories from long-ago home computing? Let me know!<\/p>\n