How long have you been on MR?

[maflynn]

I know of, at minimum, at least four MR members that are female.

I know of a handful of woman, but truth be told I think there's probably a decent amount of members who present themselves as one gender when in fact they're not. So I try to be neutral and not assume, regardless of the userid or avatar.

 

[eyoungren]

I know of a handful of woman, but truth be told I think there's probably a decent amount of members who present themselves as one gender when in fact they're not. So I try to be neutral and not assume, regardless of the userid or avatar.

Yes, I agree. I said at least four, because those particular four I am 99% certain based on conversations with them.

I've been involved with forums since 2001 and with BBS's since 1985. So, I follow a 'unless you reveal it publicly yourself' (or tell me it's okay to reveal) it's not my right to do so policy. Privacy matters and at the risk of sounding arrogant, my reputation in the forums also matters. You don't get far revealing publicly what others have mentioned or inferred privately. I'd prefer to be trusted by other members here and in other places.

Outside of forums, IRL, I'm the same way. My mother was a teacher and entrusted with personal and private details of the pupils she taught and that's long been part of me. You don't reveal anything that hasn't been first revealed publicly without permission.

So yeah, in that context I treat everyone the same. And in the long run, I don't really see it as relevant. I mean, what's that got to do with how to teardown a Mac or set up iMessage and so on?

I get that females tend to see things different, but in a lot of cases here, hardware and software are gender neutral. It's going to work or not work, and whether your viewpoint is influenced or not by your gender, that is going to be the result - it either works or it doesn't.

 

[maflynn]

So, I follow a 'unless you reveal it publicly yourself'

Exactly, I'd rather try to treat everyone fairly, regardless of what I see as their 'Tar or username.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I think MR has some great women posters. But as above it’s not always clear what gender a poster is. Especially as many of us post under fake name.

Not me though. Apple fanboy is my real name.

 

[SkyBell]

I realize this thread is primarily a discussion of time based membership with a few posts expounding on the impetus for visiting. And oddly enough (or not) the subject matter got me to thinking about a broader (and acknowledge by me) indirect subset of the subject.

As much as I enjoy and appreciate what MR shares and provides staff and membership wise, I would like to see more open female nerd involvement. The reason I say that is because it has been my experience over the years, that the ladies will often provide a different and salient point of view or advice tempered with respect sans the blind cheerleading we often see here. I think it would also add to the numbers as well as the quality of membership. Sometimes, this place echoes way too much.

I'm not very active here anymore, but I'm one of the female members around. Back in the day I made no secret of my gender, even using my obviously feminine real first name as my username (I never claimed to be a smart kid!). But I ended up changing it a couple years after joining because I was receiving far too many creepy PM's from guys that either didn't realize or didn't care that I was a minor.

I certainly was a "nerd" when I was a teenager and joined this place. I still am to some extent, just not as much on the technology side of it as I used to be. I still use Macs, but I'm just not passionate about them or the rest of Apple's products like I once was. Definitely still have a lot of affinity for the older stuff though, and I kept my favorite devices from the collection that I used to have until this day.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I'm not very active here anymore, but I'm one of the female members around. Back in the day I made no secret of my gender, even using my obviously feminine real first name as my username (I never claimed to be a smart kid!). But I ended up changing it a couple years after joining because I was receiving far too many creepy PM's from guys that either didn't realize or didn't care that I was a minor.

I certainly was a "nerd" when I was a teenager and joined this place. I still am to some extent, just not as much on the technology side of it as I used to be. I still use Macs, but I'm just not passionate about them or the rest of Apple's products like I once was. Definitely still have a lot of affinity for the older stuff though, and I kept my favorite devices from the collection that I used to have until this day.

I hate to read you were harassed. That kind of thing should never happen. Conversely, I am glad that you didn’t allow it to keep you away from a good forum.

Maybe I am a dinosaur but, a guy should ask a lady if he can PM her, unless she takes the initiative.

 

[decafjava]

I hate to read you were harassed. That kind of thing should never happen. Conversely, I am glad that you didn’t allow it to keep young a way from a good forum.

Maybe I am a dinosaur but, a guy should ask a lady if he can PM her, unless she takes the initiative.

Agree 100% I have mentioned elsewhere the harrasement that women face online.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I'm not very active here anymore, but I'm one of the female members around. Back in the day I made no secret of my gender, even using my obviously feminine real first name as my username (I never claimed to be a smart kid!). But I ended up changing it a couple years after joining because I was receiving far too many creepy PM's from guys that either didn't realize or didn't care that I was a minor.

I certainly was a "nerd" when I was a teenager and joined this place. I still am to some extent, just not as much on the technology side of it as I used to be. I still use Macs, but I'm just not passionate about them or the rest of Apple's products like I once was. Definitely still have a lot of affinity for the older stuff though, and I kept my favorite devices from the collection that I used to have until this day.

Sorry to hear you were harassed. Hopefully those members have moved on.
I know of several active female members on here (of course there are many I don’t know what their gender is). I always felt there was quite a good balance and not any (noticeable) harassment of female members. But of course if it’s happening via PM that’s sad.

Hopefully a distant memory for you.

 

[SkyBell]

I hate to read you were harassed. That kind of thing should never happen. Conversely, I am glad that you didn’t allow it to keep you away from a good forum.

Maybe I am a dinosaur but, a guy should ask a lady if he can PM her, unless she takes the initiative.

Sorry to hear you were harassed. Hopefully those members have moved on.
I know of several active female members on here (of course there are many I don’t know what their gender is). I always felt there was quite a good balance and not any (noticeable) harassment of female members. But of course if it’s happening via PM that’s sad.

Hopefully a distant memory for you.

Thanks, its been a long time and honestly it was more just really annoying than it was traumatic or anything like that. FWIW it was always a low-post, new member kind of account that did so, and I had many good interactions with established members here over the years. This place was a real hoot during a lot of my formative years otherwise, so it was definitely a net positive being here overall!

Bugs me a lot that Reddit and Discord have almost completely wiped out this kind of place. Still a few forums out there hanging around with active communities, and I'm genuinely glad MR is one of them. But I do sorely miss others that withered away and disappeared. I'll have been a member here for 20 years come September, and as I'm in my early/mid 30's now I'm starting to wonder if things really have changed for the worse or if I'm starting to fall victim to the nostalgia trap that makes you look at the past with rose-tinted glasses. Growing up, I always saw people yearning for their past, and others pointing out how things were actually better than they used to be. I told myself for years that I would be objective about that kind of thing, but now I'm discovering that that's much easier said than done! 😅

 

[Apple fanboy]

Thanks, its been a long time and honestly it was more just really annoying than it was traumatic or anything like that. FWIW it was always a low-post, new member kind of account that did so, and I had many good interactions with established members here over the years. This place was a real hoot during a lot of my formative years otherwise, so it was definitely a net positive being here overall!

Bugs me a lot that Reddit and Discord have almost completely wiped out this kind of place. Still a few forums out there hanging around with active communities, and I'm genuinely glad MR is one of them. But I do sorely miss others that withered away and disappeared. I'll have been a member here for 20 years come September, and as I'm in my early/mid 30's now I'm starting to wonder if things really have changed for the worse or if I'm starting to fall victim to the nostalgia trap that makes you look at the past with rose-tinted glasses. Growing up, I always saw people yearning for their past, and others pointing out how things were actually better than they used to be. I told myself for years that I would be objective about that kind of thing, but now I'm discovering that that's much easier said than done! 😅

Things WERE better 30 odd years ago. I remember for sure.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Things WERE better 30 odd years ago. I remember for sure.

Seems like yesterday to me.

 

[MacCheetah3]

Officially, more than two decades. Although the early years were probably scarcely active as my forum usage was mostly focused on the Macworld message boards, that is, until they were shut down (due to moderation challenges and ethics).

 

[AL2TEACH]

2/2007

 

[MacCheetah3]

I think in 2003 I got a titanium G4 Powerbook.

Same here... I recall the wifi card was an extra $100 or so and the shop I bought it from had to install the card for me.

I bought it on a whim while we were on vacation in San Luis Obispo CA.

I had a PB G4 Ti (1 GHz), which was $2,999. The only other (purchased) Mac price tag I continue to easily recall was the original iMac at $1,299. Anyway, the 1 GHz Ti was the last of that series. The subsequent year introduced the 17-inch MacBook with an aluminum body.

The PowerBook G4/1.0 17" was the first notebook to ship with a 17" display and a fiber optic based "ambient light sensor" that automatically "measures ambient light and works with integrated software to adjust keyboard illumination and screen brightness based on user preferences". It also was the first Mac to include a Firewire "800" port.

PowerBook G4 1.0 17" (Al) Specs (17-Inch, M8793LL/A, PowerBook5,1, A1013, N/A): EveryMac.com

Technical specifications for the PowerBook G4 1.0 17" (Al). Dates sold, processor type, memory info, hard drive details, price and more.

everymac.com

Fortunately, I didn’t give into the new MacBook FOMO.

Also, if something feels familiar… 😉😆

Why Apple Traded Titanium for Aluminum on iPhone 17 Pro

Alright, let’s get this out of the way. The iPhone 17 Pro ditching titanium for aluminum isn’t a downgrade or a cost-cutting move. It’s a pure engineering play, a big-brain move that solves the physics problem the Pro lineup was starting to face. Here’s the deal: the A19 Pro chip is clearly...

www.macobserver.com

I don’t recall the same type of scrutiny or fan-fare back then, though it may just be forgotten.

 

[Black_Mage]

I have known about Mac Rumors for several years. I treated it as a news site for a long time and didn't get involved in the forums until after DSL Reports closed. I didn't create an account and participate in the forums until June 2025.

 

[Performa460]

I know of a handful of woman, but truth be told I think there's probably a decent amount of members who present themselves as one gender when in fact they're not. So I try to be neutral and not assume, regardless of the userid or avatar.

I think this is true, as well. Many--if not the majority--of Internet spaces just aren't friendly to girls/women, and people of color.

People can be very dismissive, if not outright hostile.

Now...imagine you fall into both categories (as some of us do).

A lot of us just don't want to make it obvious what demographic we belong to.

So I don't think it's that anyone is trying to actively hide who they are for any malicious reason. It's more that we know how things are and are trying to not call undue attention to ourselves--and that's everywhere online for the most part.

It's called "reading the room."

All that having been said, I've only been on this forum for ten years, but I've been on the Internet in general for over 30, and the more things change, the more they stay the same.