Favorite computer in your collection?

[840quadra]

Just wanted to see what the collectors on Macrumors find the most valuable in their collection, sentimental or not. If my screen name isn't a good indication of what MY favorite collected computer is, then, well I give up :).

The reason the Quadra 840av is my favorite collectible apple has more to do with sentimental value then cash value. I first used the 840s back in High school when they were new. If you were in the Video Production program at my high school, you were given the username and password to log into one of the many Video hardware equipped Apple computers. You were also aloud to "play" on them during any study hall or other free time you had in school.

I had completed many projects on the Quadra computer, including an end of the year video back in 1994. That Video was played in front of most of my Sophomore class to kick off summer. that was also the only time I have EVER used Rap in a video.

In the 2 years we had the Quadra (they GAVE it to the Middle School for the 1994 - 1995 year) I had learned how to use the Speech recognition features, and the Quadra had "learned" my voice well enough for me to do much of my work by using only the mouse and my voice :) .

I currently still use my Quadra to digitize audio from Cassette tape, and in about a month, I will be digitizing vinyl records from my Mom's collection, so she can listen to them on her iPod. I know my G5 can do everything my Quadra can, and much faster, but there is something about the Quadra that makes it more fun.

Please share your stories in regards to your favorite Macintosh.

[mad jew]

Well, I'm gonna have to say the iBook I'm using right now. It was the first major purchase I ever did on my own (computer or otherwise). It's just a regular G4 but we've been through a lot together (mainly bad assignments to be honest) and we've seriously bonded. No kidding, my girlfriend gets jealous.

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I, too, think my current iBook is the most awsome machine ever...

Not to diminish the Pismo I upgraded from, which was and still is a great machine, but the leap from the Pismo to the iBook G4 was MUCH bigger than the previous one, from a G3 upgraded PowerMac 7500 to the Pismo...

(And my first Mac, a Performa 630CD, will always be remembered with a special fondness... ;))

[RacerX]

Well, my favorite Macintosh is my Quadra 950. I can recall when they (the 900/950) were released and I thought that they were dream systems. At the time there was no way I could afford a Quadra 950, so I kept working with my SE/30 (and kept dreaming of what I could do with a 950).

Well, a number of years later I was able to get myself one and I expanded it with most of the things that I had dreamed of earlier (added two video cards and expanded the onboard VRAM to 2 MB, put three 21" displays on it, put 136 MB of RAM in it, a couple nice size hard drives, a CD-ROM drive, A CDR drive, and finally a PowerPC 601 upgrade). All and all it is a great system... specially for it's age.

:rolleyes:

As for the subject of my favorite computer in my collection, I would have to say that my IBM ThinkPad ties my Quadra 950 in that respect.

Beyond the fact that it is a great little system that has been running wonderfully for years (and I could always depend on it), there is a certain amount of enjoyment that I get when I boot up an Apple OS on a PC in front of people. I've had Rhapsody running on that system since early 2000 (it replaced OPENSTEP that I had on it before that) and it has been one of the most trouble free systems I've ever seen.

So yeah, there is the coolness factor but also the amount of time I've spent on it that makes it such a special little system for me.

[aricher]

I have a soft spot for my 1989 Mac SE-30 because it was my first Mac. My Dad had a few before that but the SE-30 was the first one I bought on my own. It worked until last year now it's a fishtank. I REALLY love my 17" PB I have now though

[840quadra]

Awesome stories!!

Keep them coming, and yes "ANY" computer in your collection is welcome to be mentioned in this thread. I know a few of us have NeXt (sp? caps?) in their collection, so go ahead and post them, as well as X86 computers.

[Patmian212]

I loved my Powerbook 2400c, but I had to sell it to upgrade. I will always have a soft spot for it though.
I also loved my Compaq Presario AMD K-6 233mhz, it was my first computer ever at the age of 10.

[sushi]

Just wanted to see what the collectors on Macrumors find the most valuable in their collection, sentimental or not.
As I mentioned before, I really liked my 840av. Great computer.

As for my favorite, I would have to say my TAM (20th Anniversary Mac). It is so unique and cool. The sound is awesome. Just wish that I could upgrade it to run Panther.

Sushi

[840quadra]

As I mentioned before, I really liked my 840av. Great computer.

As for my favorite, I would have to say my TAM (20th Anniversary Mac). It is so unique and cool. The sound is awesome. Just wish that I could upgrade it to run Panther.

Sushi

The TAM is the (no pun intended) apple of my eye!

I would love to get my hands on one, but the prices are STILL high, and I doubt they will ever go any lower. I do remember you talking about the 840. Too bad it gave you so much grief in the end of it's life. :(

[mkjj]

The TAM is the (no pun intended) apple of my eye!

My TAM is my favourite, upgraded to a G3 500/128 with a network card it sits upstairs linked to my G4 iMac downstairs, it is a special machine!

www.mac-collection.co.uk

[sushi]

My TAM is my favourite, upgraded to a G3 500/128 with a network card it sits upstairs linked to my G4 iMac downstairs, it is a special machine!

www.mac-collection.co.uk
Sweet!

I have considered getting a Sonnettech Crescendo/L2 G3 BG3-500-1M accelerrator.

Can't beat the sound! :D

Sushi

[iGary]

I miss my Bondi iMac. :(

We had an original Macintosh that I miss, too.

I'd have to say that my G4 MDD 1.25 is my fav.

The iMac G5 is next.

Then the iBook.

(Sorry iBook owners).

[szark]

My favorite would have to be my 500 MHz Cube.

Second to that would be my first computer ever, my trusty Atari 800. :)

[Lord Blackadder]

My first Mac, a Quadra 610, would have to be the sentimental favorite. After that its a close tie between my Rev. C Lime iMac, which got me through college, and my current G4, the most powerful computer I've owned.

[5300cs]

I love my TAM, too. I paid a lot of money for it though.
I was given an 840av by my wife, she used it all through college. It's in the US now sitting in storage (no room for it over here.)
I use my MP2100 on a regular basis. I love that thing :D
I don't have 1 favorite of them all, that's why I have so many!

[MacEffects]

Well, I have more Macs then I can list but, I would say my most favorite My Newton 2100, QuickTake 200, Lisa 2/5, and Lisa 2/10... But then again I love all my Macs (I have like 200 Plus {I know} Macs)... I think the coolest items are the rare Apple Items.

[Jovian9]

I no longer have it but......
my 15" 800MHz iMac G4 Superdrive was by far my favorite of all time. There may never be another........... :)

[iLikeMyiMac]

If my screen name isn't a good indication of what MY favorite collected computer is, then, well I give up :)..
I'm similar in the was that my screen name is a clue to my favorite computer that I own. It's a 1ghz G4 15" with 512 MB RAM.

[840quadra]

I'm similar in the was that my screen name is a clue to my favorite computer that I own. It's a 1ghz G4 15" with 512 MB RAM.

sometimes it is nice to be open about what you like in life :)

[CanadaRAM]

Gotta be the Mini.

I've got the Mac Plus that was my first Mac, and SE 2/40 (megabytes that is, not Gigabytes) and the SE/30, but honestly -- 9" screen for PageMaker 1.2???
and the II and the IIci, and the IIfx (OK, it's colour, but why does a Photoshop layout take 45 seconds to redraw on the screen?), and the 6100 (*@#^ did I hate that machine - ugg-ly) and the Quadra 700, and the 950 (dogs, both of them) and the 8100, don't have the Powerbook 170 anymore (stolen) and the 8500 (that was OK, my first Sonnet G3 but a B$&#@ to get at the motherboard), the 9600 (Used that for quite a while), the Beige G3 workhorse, the Dual 500, gone now, traded in on the Dual 1.25. Never quite warmed up to the iBook G3 500 before it got stolen.

But I like the Mini.

[ReanimationLP]

My Powermac. It still handles things like a champ. Does anything I throw at it. I love it. :)

[yg17]

I'd say my iBook G3 because its the first computer that I purchased on my own and worked my ass off for quite some time and saved when I was 17 to buy it. Although I use my PMG5 more often. The money for it didn't come out of my own pocket, but was from a student loan which I'll be paying for later.

[Sly]

I have quite a soft spot for the Powerbook 1400. It’s a good looking machine, far better than the 5300 preceding it or the 3400 that followed. It is really well built with one of the best keyboards ever. It’s the only Powerbook that allows for easy processor upgrades (up to a 400mhz G3) crippled by its 64mb ram ceiling though. The customisable top case is a great feature too. Mine runs OS 8.6 (the best pre OSX system) like a dream, and has no issues with joining in on my wireless network.

[Otto Rehhagel]

Mine is the Macintosh IIsi. Not quite a IIci but better than an LC. OS 7, clarisworks, and my 13" CRT (Cinema Display :p ) I still love the sound of that humming fan...

By the way, it runs pretty fast at 25 MHz. It only has 8 mb Ram, 80 mb hard drive. Probably one of the most efficient computers I own.

[mkjj]

Well, I have more Macs then I can list but, I would say my most favorite My Newton 2100, QuickTake 200, Lisa 2/5, and Lisa 2/10... But then again I love all my Macs (I have like 200 Plus {I know} Macs)... I think the coolest items are the rare Apple Items.


I thought I had a lot! How do you store them/use them?

[sigamy]

Well, I just realized that I don't need (read, can't afford) to upgrade my current iMac G4 17" to a new iMac G5 so my current iMac is my favorite Mac. It is a beautiful and functional machine and my plan is to never sell it off.

My favorite machine overall is my NeXTstation Color. The slab. The pizza box.

I don't remember the date but I'll never forget the day I got it. It was some time in 1996 or 1997. I found an ad over on Usenet where a guy less than an hour from me had a few NeXTstations. I drove over with my girlfriend of just 3 months. She thought I was crazy to buy some computer that was 10 years old. But she could see how happy I was. I got the NeXTstation, soundbox, mouse, keyboard and heavy as hell 21" color monitor for $300. I later added a NeXT Laser printer.

I kept the NeXTstation and the girl. We were married in 1999. We now have 2 kids, 3 Macs and one NeXT. And I've even converted my wife a bit--I showed her the Flower Power iMac and she just has to have one for our toddler daughter.

[RacerX]

It was some time in 1996 or 1997... She thought I was crazy to buy some computer that was 10 years old.
NeXT started shipping Color NeXTstations about half way through 1991... so the system was only 5 or 6 years old at the time.

Still a really cool system though... and that price was unbelievable for 96/97!

[wrldwzrd89]

My favorite old Mac is my PowerMac 7200/75 - the original Ethernet card died and the machine spends the vast majority of its time turned off, but it still works!

[mduser63]

It's hard to say, but I like my Timex Sinclair quite a bit. My Commodore 64 is another one that I really like. My favorite Mac would have to be my 12" Powerbook, but if we're talking about old computers, then it would be my Macintosh II running System 6.0.5.

[Xtremehkr]

My iMac G5 20". There is nothing like the new iMacs available anywhere else. I have a feeling that the design will become an industry standard. The only shortfall is the lack of upgradeable components. If certain features could be upgraded it would be darn near perfect.

[Spock]

Im not sure what Mac I like the best out of my collection I like all of the ones I have, thats why I paid for them!! I do like dusting off the old Mac Classic and Stylewriter II for some work every now and then and the ol Newton 120 is still fun.

[Azurael]

I quite like my Amiga 500... And the 1200... But I like the PowerBook 1400/G3 upgraded too, even if it doesn't run OS X. I'm not sure, my PCs are all in pretty modded cases too.

[rdas7]

Ha ha, I've gotta say: awesome thread! Great idea!

My favorite machine has got to be my WallStreet G3. I was at university in California when they came out, and picked up a 233 and 266 for myself and my sister. My 266 went through the war with me: through university, a year down to Australia, and all the way back to London where I currently live. This thing must have been on and RUNNING for something like 3 years non-stop. Mail, music, work, you name it 24/7! I even did a multitrack music studio recording on it! When it came out, there was nothing like it, design-wise. Just so elegant... so BLACK!

This little puppy has never failed me and when my iBook G3 recently got sent back to Apple for repair under their logic board replacement program, I pulled out the WallStreet for one last tour of duty. It's currently my only machine, the machine I work on at home (can you call it work?) with the following WHOPPING spec:

266MHz, 96MB RAM, 2GB hard drive

I've swapped out the parts back and forth between what used to be my sister's machine, and this machine so many times, that I've lost track of which piece belongs to which, but since "one" of them had a power sub-board failure and screen hinges died, I cannablized it to keep at least one fully functioning WallStreet.

My respect to all the designers and developers involved on that project. For all their succeess with iPod, this is what Apple's heritage is about.

[Azurael]

Wallstreets are a classic too... I have a 14.1" model with a Sonnet 500MHz G4 in it... Didn't do much for the graphics performance though ;)

[Eniregnat]

I pick a favorite of my children. I was heartbroken when my tangerinE iBook died. I love my eMate300, though I don't use it anymore. It's formfactor is the best of any portable computer I ever used. I love my 12" PB which is a great machine, but I wouldn't take it hikeing. For places of danger I take my QuickPad Pro.

I suppose if I could squeeze my PB into my old iBook case I would, perhaps a project for another day.

[HardcoreBanjo]

My PowerPC 9600, but of course. It almost seems as if there are no limits to upgrading that thing. 12 RAM slots, pc card slots, SCSI; can't go wrong. It's a great computer. Right now I have 2 hard drives in it and 350+ megs of RAM(that take up all 12 slots :D ).

[cubist]

Well ya know, I really loved my Cube... and I have a G5 and an iBook G4 now... but I also have this Sawtooth which has been kicking around here for years, and you know what? It's had several different hard drives and several different opticals, and it's never had any problem at all. It's easy to open and work on. It's had to play second fiddle to every shiney new computer that came the house, but it never complains. It runs Tiger now, slow of course. So is it my favorite?

Well... like duh, the G5 is more than four times as fast, OK? I mean, how much would you drive a 356B when a Turbo Targa's in the driveway, eh? It's only hardware...

[5300cs]

My PowerPC 9600, but of course. ... Right now I have 2 hard drives in it and 350+ megs of RAM(that take up all 12 slots :D ).

You win :eek:

[Dagless]

i gave away my fave machine to my girlfriend. had a brilliant IBM R91 (i think it was). 14" of love. but now my Powerbook is my best friend. although im spending a lot of time on my other old laptop (gave to parents) at the moment because im working on a game :)

[peterparker]

iMac G4 17"

[wrldwzrd89]

Hmm...it seems a fair number of us have 17" iMac G4s. Not all of us consider that iMac our favorite, though. This sounds like a perfect opportunity for Doctor Q to use those statistical analysis skills.

[Apple]

I love my blue imac G3. Its awesome because I sometimes have to use it for word processing and it is only running 10.0

[Pierre Films]

My Powerbook 2400c (used to belong to Patmian212) is my favorite mac. It goes everywhere with me and does all of my multimedia stuff perfectly. With 80mb of ram and a 20gb hard drive running Mac OS 9.1, I use Photoshop 5, Illustrator 9, Flash 5, QuickTimeVR Studio, Bryce 4, Office 2001, and tons of other apps to do my daily work. I have a soft spot for my old SE/30, which i sold recently, but my Powerbook 2400c is my favorite.

Pierre Films http://www.photobucket.com/albums/v208/PierreFilms/icon_idea.png

[5300cs]

My Powerbook 2400c (used to belong to Patmian212) is my favorite mac. It goes everywhere with me and does all of my multimedia stuff perfectly. With 80mb of ram and a 20gb hard drive running Mac OS 9.1, I use Photoshop 5, Illustrator 9, Flash 5, QuickTimeVR Studio, Bryce 4, Office 2001, and tons of other apps to do my daily work. I have a soft spot for my old SE/30, which i sold recently, but my Powerbook 2400c is my favorite.

I like hearing stories about how people keep using "obsolete" (in some people's opinions) machines. :cool:

I would like to use my 2400 as a main machine, but the battery is pretty much toast, the screen flickers sometimes, I need to change the HD (taking the 2400 apart is not fun) and I cannot use USB with it (not CardBus compliant) :(

[LimeiBook86]

My favorite Apple collectibles:

Apple PowerCD - Never got the working base part but, it was so cool before my iPod

Lime iBook FW/SE/DVD/466mhz - My first GOOD laptop, I love that thing! :D

PowerBook G4 12" 867z/RevA - It let's me do what I need to do and is pretty quick about it too!

[5300cs]

... Lime iBook ... PowerBook G4 12" 867z/RevA

I didn't used to think much about the original iBooks until getting one. I love my Tangerine one. The keyboard on it is outstanding.

I have that same 12" PB and the fan is on constantly. It's also heats up a lot, but it is a mobile powerhouse :cool:

I suppose I could narrow down my favorites to:

Tangerine iBook
Pismo
TiBook
17" PB
12" PB
G3 iBook (cursed logic board model)

[LimeiBook86]

I didn't used to think much about the original iBooks until getting one. I love my Tangerine one. The keyboard on it is outstanding.

I have that same 12" PB and the fan is on constantly. It's also heats up a lot, but it is a mobile powerhouse :cool:

I suppose I could narrow down my favorites to:

Tangerine iBook
Pismo
TiBook
17" PB
12" PB
G3 iBook (cursed logic board model)

My poor little Lime iBook's AC socket is broken :(... seems like I'll have to order a replacement since soldering it only was a short-term solution. Sure after going through countless AC adapters the socket is busted...btw not to get too off topic but there is a court case going on about the G3 iBook/PowerBook Yo-Yo AC Adapters...I think you can get some cash back for them if the case goes through. :)

[5300cs]

My poor little Lime iBook's AC socket is broken :(... Always sucks when a favorite machine become unusable. "You never know what you have until it's gone."
...btw not to get too off topic but there is a court case going on about the G3 iBook/PowerBook Yo-Yo AC Adapters...I think you can get some cash back for them if the case goes through. :)
OFF TOPIC: Does that include the original white iBook (500Mhz) too? I went through 2 AC adapters, and the little pin in the middle ended up breaking off into the socket! :eek: Even if I had gotten another AC adapter, it wouldn't have worked anymore :mad: That was my first Mac and my favorite :( /OFF TOPIC

[840quadra]

I like hearing stories about how people keep using "obsolete" (in some people's opinions) machines. :cool:

Same here.. I still like to use my 68k Quadra quite often. It is powered on 90% more often then my newer 6500/275 Powermac. I intend on using the 275 more often after I get a G3 Upgrade card for it. The Cable TV and Video card in the 275 is quite fun though.

[pubwvj]

#1 Exidy Sorcerer. Not a Mac - predated it by a bit.

#2 PDP-11/70 - yup, got one when my university was cleaning the closet!

#3 Mac128K upgraded to 512K upgraded to MacPlus hand upgraded the RAM added a Radius accellerator, internal fan, internal harddrive (whopping 5MB!!!!) replaced the power board capacitors (toasty!) replaced the tube replaced the floppy drive but its still got the original case with the signatures! :)

[TastyOther]

Overall, my favourite 'Mac' was my Lisa, but right now I'd have to say either my G5 or Workgroup Server 95.

The Apple I always come back to, though, is the Apple IIgs. Mine is flaky as hell right now (the Transwarp Cable is suspect), but I won't part with it.

[Chundles]

OK, my current "collection" includes a HP Pavillion Celeron 633MHz with 256MB RAM and a 15GB HDD and an iBook G4 1.2GHz 12" with 512MB RAM and a 30GB HDD.

Hmmmm.... Not exactly the money or the box.

[LimeiBook86]

Besides my favorite Macs I have some favorite Newtons :D

http://homepage.mac.com/ibook238/art/apple/eMate-and-Newton.jpg
More Pics:
http://homepage.mac.com/ibook238/art/apple/eMate.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/ibook238/art/apple/Newton-2000.jpg

Sorry for the bad quality I was using my iSight in rather dark conditions, had to use Photoshop to lighten them up because my camera is charging :)
Looks like I was using an Apple QuickTake...:D

[aussie_geek]

My favourite is my old Colour Classic. It took me through Uni - it still has all of my work on it. I turn it on say about once a year to see that it still works. I still can't believe that it's nearly 15 and still chugging along.

I remember being stirred for buying a Mac back then. By the end of my degree, I was the only one with the same computer. :D

aussie_geek

[5300cs]

I love my Newtons, too.

[LimeiBook86]

HOW the heck did I double-post?! *delete this*

[LimeiBook86]

I love my Newtons, too.
I didn't know you had Newtons!? Yay! :D

I'll post better pics when I find my camera cable :eek: Also I think i should post pictures of my Color "Mystic" Classic, I love that little guy :)

[chatin]

This was a clone of the IIfx, and sold well to publishing houses in 1991. This was the fastest Macintosh money could buy in 1991, clocking in at an amazing 50mhz. It has several noteable features including an uninteruptible power supply built into its hudge white case, and all cabling under a top mounted shroud.

:D

[aquajet]

My favs are the Mac SE my dad bought in 1989, and my first Mac Plus I bought on auction for $75 in 1992. I later upgraded it with a 16 mhz Brainstorm accelerator. Sold the Plus two years later for $395! Ha, I still laugh about that one. Also fond of the Atari 800, my first computer ever. The Atari ST series were really cool too.

[macg4]

I would say my fav is my orginal all black Macintosh TV with matching black keyboard and mouse. :)

[ReanimationLP]

My Powermac G4. :D

Hey, you know, the best might as well be the favorite! :D

[mpw]

My recently revived G3 iBook was the first Apple product and I think it's my favourite for sentimental reasons.

My iMac does the majority of the work however and is the more useful machine.

[Tupring]

I would have to say my 9600.

[RacerX]

I would have to say my 9600.The 9600s (and 8600s) are definitely beautiful hardware. Considering the speed of the 300 MHz and 350 MHz models (specially in floating point calculations) it was sad to see Apple turn away from the PowerPC 604ev just as it was hitting it's stride (and just as Apple had perfected the cache and bus design on those systems)

It is interesting to note that IBM continued to sell 604-based workstations until late 2002 (single, dual and quad processor systems running at 375 MHz).

[mkaake]

I've got a soft spot for the plus, as it was the first mac I ever used... many hours were spent playing hardball on that machine.

That was when I was growing up. Now that I've got a few classic macs of my own, I'd have to go with the SE/30 being my favorite... there's just something about that face that sets it apart from the other classic macs.

For portables, my Newt 2100 rocks, but it's a junker... bought it nice and cheap. It was fairly nice when I got it at first, but the 2100 I paid for came, and despite the 2100 case, it was a 2000... so I sent it back to the seller, who promptly replaced the main board, and returned it. When it came back, the case no longer snapped shut in the corner and the speaker clicked anytime it was supposed to make noise. Very sad. But I still love the thing. I've got people who still ask where they can buy it - they're shocked at first by how big it is, but when they see that there's handwriting recognition that actually *works*, they want one for themselves...

And for laptops, I never owned one, but I drooled over many a 1400cs and 540c...

[mkjj]

Besides my TAM, my Newtons also are cool

www.mac-collection.co.uk

[ijimk]

My sig CPU, 2nd mac i ever owned and by far the best. :cool:

[boatofcar]

I've bought and sold many Macs over the past, but my favorites are always my first (Mac Plus) and my current (1ghz iBook).

Just over the past 3 years, I've owned:

500mhz iBook (first modern Mac, sold it to help pay for G5 tower)

Performa 630CD (saved from junkyard from the school I taught at)

1.6 PowerMac G5 (bought it when I started working at the Apple Store, sold when I decided I liked portability)

Powerbook 3400c (bought and sold on eBay about the same time I sold the G5)

...and my current iBook.

[kalisphoenix]

This was a clone of the IIfx, and sold well to publishing houses in 1991. This was the fastest Macintosh money could buy in 1991, clocking in at an amazing 50mhz. It has several noteable features including an uninteruptible power supply built into its hudge white case, and all cabling under a top mounted shroud.

:D

That's a fascinating machine. I'm surprised yours still works -- a machine overclocked by 25% and running for fourteen years? Yowza.

I've had a lot of beautiful machines. I love my Apples, but the ones I'm most attached to are for some reason weird UNIX boxes.

Tied for the lead:
SGI Indy R5K/180MHz/256MB RAM 24-bit video :eek:
NeXTStation Mono /25MHz/128MB RAM :P

But those machines were basically just aesthetic pleasures. Well, and the NeXTStation's keyboard was by far the most incredible thing I've ever typed on. Beats the old IBM keyboards, even, at least in my opinion. But I never cared much for IRIX and NeXTSTEP is just too much OS for the slabs to run effectively. More of Steve's eyes being bigger than his stomach.

I also have the machines in my signature, and I wildly adore both of them, but even they just don't have the glow of the Indy or the slab.

[RacerX]

...NeXTSTEP is just too much OS for the slabs to run effectively. More of Steve's eyes being bigger than his stomach.Actually NEXTSTEP (up to 3.3) should run quite nicely on a slab with enough RAM. It would, on the other hand, be sluggish running OPENSTEP... but this really had nothing to do with Jobs doing anything.

The thing you should remember is that Black Tuesday (the day NeXT closed down the hardware side of the business) was on February 10, 1993. OPENSTEP 4.0 was released in the summer of 1996 (and 4.2 was released early in 1997 after the merger with Apple had started). That means that the newest NeXTstation was three and a half years old at the release of OPENSTEP and was four years old at the time of the final release.

This would be roughly equivalent to running Mac OS 8 on a Quadra 700... you can do it, but if you are used to seeing Mac OS 8 on a PowerPC system, it's going to seem a little under powered.

And you need to also recall that OPENSTEP was really meant for Intel based systems of 1996, and that the ability to run it on old NeXT hardware was more or less an after thought.

Minimums that I usually recommend for NeXTstations are 64 MB for NEXTSTEP 3.3 and 128 MB for OPENSTEP 4.2 (noting that 3.3 and 4.2 are the only NeXT operating systems that Apple made Y2K compliant). If you are running at 16 or 32 MB of RAM, even NEXTSTEP 3.x would start to drag a little with more than a couple apps open (depending on which apps you are using). And RAM can only make up so much in performance, the 68040 at 25 MHz (or 33 MHz if you have a turbo slab) isn't the fastest processor to be working with using a mid-90s operating system.

Even I notice a slow down on my ThinkPad (Pentium at 133 MHz) running OPENSTEP 4.2 with 80 MB of RAM (oddly enough, Rhapsody with the same hardware runs much better).