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This is why I go dumpster diving...

bunnspecial

bunnspecial

macrumors G3
Original poster
May 3, 2014
8,240
6,204
Kentucky
I get laughed at a lot around the department(in a good-natured way) because anytime there's a box of computer-looking stuff lying around in the hallway, I always stop to paw through it. Some days are better than others, but I can usually find something. I've picked up a LOT of obscure Apple dongles and other stuff doing this, not to mention restore disks and all kinds of other ephemera.

Today's haul wasn't great, but still worth the time. There are some manuals, a SCSI terminator, and a boxed copy of Acrobat 5.0. Unfortunately, it's the Windows version, but I can still find a use for it.

IMG_1625.JPG
 
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eyoungren

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,133
25,616
bunnspecial said:
I get laughed at a lot around the department(in a good-natured way) because anytime there's a box of computer-looking stuff lying around in the hallway, I always stop to paw through it. Some days are better than others, but I can usually find something. I've picked up a LOT of obscure Apple dongles and other stuff doing this, not to mention restore disks and all kinds of other ephemera.

Today's haul wasn't great, but still worth the time. There are some manuals, a SCSI terminator, and a boxed copy of Acrobat 5.0. Unfortunately, it's the Windows version, but I can still find a use for it.

View attachment 560627
Click to expand...
Just a note on the copy of Acrobat. Acro 5 came out right around when Adobe was really starting to transition to OS X. If you had a Mac version the reader part would be both OS9 and OS X. Acrobat Distiller 5.0 is OS9 only however.

I still have Acro 5 on the Tiger G4 here at work just for those few times I really need a simplified EPS file from a PDF.

Acro 6 Pro was the first version that was OS X only.

But as you said, you have Windows. Here's one thing you can do with it, if you have a need for that.

Set up Acrobat Distiller on a PC and set up a watched folder. Any time you export or save an EPS or PS file into the watched folder Distiller will kick out a PDF. Before we switched to InDesign we had a workflow where we saved ads out as EPS to the watched folder. Distiller was running on our server so it spit out a PDF and depending on the insertion order number our Applescript server then took over and deposited the PDF into the correct folder for the ad rep.

Of course if you don't make a lot of PDFs then watched folders are probably not going to be that useful to you.
 
bunnspecial

bunnspecial

macrumors G3
Original poster
May 3, 2014
8,240
6,204
Kentucky
eyoungren said:
Just a note on the copy of Acrobat. Acro 5 came out right around when Adobe was really starting to transition to OS X. If you had a Mac version the reader part would be both OS9 and OS X. Acrobat Distiller 5.0 is OS9 only however.

I still have Acro 5 on the Tiger G4 here at work just for those few times I really need a simplified EPS file from a PDF.

Acro 6 Pro was the first version that was OS X only.

But as you said, you have Windows. Here's one thing you can do with it, if you have a need for that.

Set up Acrobat Distiller on a PC and set up a watched folder. Any time you export or save an EPS or PS file into the watched folder Distiller will kick out a PDF. Before we switched to InDesign we had a workflow where we saved ads out as EPS to the watched folder. Distiller was running on our server so it spit out a PDF and depending on the insertion order number our Applescript server then took over and deposited the PDF into the correct folder for the ad rep.

Of course if you don't make a lot of PDFs then watched folders are probably not going to be that useful to you.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips on the usefulness.

I know PS 7 and a couple of other programs I use are "Carbonized"(I think that's what it's called) so that they will run either in OS X or OS 9. I tend to prefer using them in OS 9, and I find that they are generally faster and more responsive. Of course, you don't directly get any benefit from dual processors, but at least PS 7 will use them.

I actually do handle a lot of PDFs-virtually every file I send out I send as one. I think it's actually important for educational materials, as they are not as easy to manipulate as are Word files. For what I do, though, I pretty much write everything in Word and save it as a PDF(both 2008 and 2011 can do this natively-I'm not sure about other versions).

For more "heavy duty" PDF stuff, I have Acrobat Pro 10 on my main MBP. I've been using it a lot this week, as I've needed to combine PDFs, insert pages, and things like that.
 
eyoungren

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,133
25,616
bunnspecial said:
Thanks for the tips on the usefulness.

I know PS 7 and a couple of other programs I use are "Carbonized"(I think that's what it's called) so that they will run either in OS X or OS 9. I tend to prefer using them in OS 9, and I find that they are generally faster and more responsive. Of course, you don't directly get any benefit from dual processors, but at least PS 7 will use them.

I actually do handle a lot of PDFs-virtually every file I send out I send as one. I think it's actually important for educational materials, as they are not as easy to manipulate as are Word files. For what I do, though, I pretty much write everything in Word and save it as a PDF(both 2008 and 2011 can do this natively-I'm not sure about other versions).

For more "heavy duty" PDF stuff, I have Acrobat Pro 10 on my main MBP. I've been using it a lot this week, as I've needed to combine PDFs, insert pages, and things like that.
Click to expand...
Yeah, Word 2008 and above does that natively as you said. Versions of Acrobat from 6 to 8 will install a plugin for Word 2004 and Word X though. You just press a button and the Adobe PDF virtual printer is invoked and you get a PDF.

Distiller is really only useful for EPS, PS and PRN files so if your app does not export those (such as Word) then this is not really useful to you.

Honestly, unless you can find another specific use case on a PC box for Acro 5 it's probably going to collect dust as it's feature set has been surpassed. You can still add/delete and combine pages but the newer versions will just do it all better.
 
JessH

JessH

macrumors newbie
Mar 6, 2015
26
2
Out East
When I was 14 (10 years ago), I got an internship working for a professor in the pathology dept at the university where I still work. I remember the first week I was there I dug in the garbage when I saw a thick beige SCSI cable peeking out. I found dozens of manuals, ADB mice and keyboards (also an adjustable keyboard), hundreds of sysdisks, floppy drives, zip drives, quantum drives, jaz drives.

It was the best day of my life (except when I got my G5 for Christmas the year before).

Unfortunately, I went though a couple year period when I was a Jr-Senior in HS where I was having trouble accepting my obsession. In an attempt to change myself to be cool in HS, I purged all of that gear along with tons of vintage beige macs and old PC stuff.

Never ever making that mistake again.
 
M

Macarriffic

macrumors newbie
Jun 29, 2015
18
0
JessH said:
When I was 14 (10 years ago), I got an internship working for a professor in the pathology dept at the university where I still work. I remember the first week I was there I dug in the garbage when I saw a thick beige SCSI cable peeking out. I found dozens of manuals, ADB mice and keyboards (also an adjustable keyboard), hundreds of sysdisks, floppy drives, zip drives, quantum drives, jaz drives.

It was the best day of my life (except when I got my G5 for Christmas the year before).

Unfortunately, I went though a couple year period when I was a Jr-Senior in HS where I was having trouble accepting my obsession. In an attempt to change myself to be cool in HS, I purged all of that gear along with tons of vintage beige macs and old PC stuff.

Never ever making that mistake again.
Click to expand...


i chucked my perfectly working Apple IIGS in the dumpster. dude, i got tons of thick beige scsi cables though. heheh
 
M

Macarriffic

macrumors newbie
Jun 29, 2015
18
0
Altemose said:
@Macarriffic That post made me sad! If only there was an unlike button for posts about destroying Macs...
Click to expand...


im gonna get ride of these 3 machines,

powerbook 3400c - doesnt work anymore, but i have all the accessories, 2 batteries, original genuine apple carry bag, manual, cdrom, etc

powerpc 9600/233 - works. this is my baby, but i think its time to let it go.

powermac g4 667 (3.4) - works.

plus an apple 20 inch monitor...

apple-20-inch-monitor.jpg


(not my photo)



...so the question is, how much is it all worth, do i even bother? do i chuck it in the dumpster and upset altemose?
 
bunnspecial

bunnspecial

macrumors G3
Original poster
May 3, 2014
8,240
6,204
Kentucky
I love 9600s, although they're not worth a whole lot. The G4 is probably a $20-40 computer these days.

Where are you located?
 
bunnspecial

bunnspecial

macrumors G3
Original poster
May 3, 2014
8,240
6,204
Kentucky
Altemose said:
@bunnspecial I would like to see a whole thread documenting your dumpster diving experience and scores!
Click to expand...

I'll see it I can get together a list of stuff(if I can even remember everything).

There was the(working) HD20, a box full of ADB peripherals(grapics tablet and a few other odds and ends), a box full of early Macintosh peripherals including three "telephone plug" keyboards(two Apple and one aftermarket), a mouse, a tablet, and maybe one or two other odds and ends, and a big box full of 800K floppies. I've grabbed a lot of networking stuff lately, including some long Cat5e cables and a bunch of 10 and 20 port 10/100 switches. I just wish that I could grab Gigabit switches :)
 
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Gamer9430

Gamer9430

macrumors 68020
Apr 22, 2014
2,244
1,395
USA
Macarriffic said:
im gonna get ride of these 3 machines,

powerbook 3400c - doesnt work anymore, but i have all the accessories, 2 batteries, original genuine apple carry bag, manual, cdrom, etc

powerpc 9600/233 - works. this is my baby, but i think its time to let it go.

powermac g4 667 (3.4) - works.

plus an apple 20 inch monitor...

apple-20-inch-monitor.jpg


(not my photo)



...so the question is, how much is it all worth, do i even bother? do i chuck it in the dumpster and upset altemose?
Click to expand...

id take the 3400c. What happens, it just doesn't turn on when you push the power button?
 
Gamer9430

Gamer9430

macrumors 68020
Apr 22, 2014
2,244
1,395
USA
I'm thinking of starting the Gamer9430 Home for Unwanted Computers :D. Here's the tag line; "Don't toss it in the trash, toss it to Gamer9430!"

More the less, I'm just joking about this, but in all seriousness, I'd be glad to take any unwanted computers, fix them up, and find good homes for them (or keep a certain one for myself if i really like it ;) )
 
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