PC WEENIES

Tag: Apple IIGS

  • The Pleasant Feeling of a Forced Reprieve

    The Pleasant Feeling of a Forced Reprieve

    A sobering fact: There’s not much you can do on a modern computer without the Internet.

    But there was a time when that didn’t matter. My first computer was an Apple IIGS. It came with a display, CPU, keyboard and a 3.5” and 5.25” floppy drive. I remember spending countless hours messing about on this wonderful little computer – exploring the file system, running AppleWorks, and playing a few games. All without any network connectivity whatsoever. 

    A few short years later, I remember begging my dad to purchase an Applied Engineering Datalink 2400 baud modem for my IIGS. With this device, I could connect to online services like GEnie or one of the many local bulliten boards in our town. GEnie was expensive ($6US per hour), so I used it sparingly. (I remember it took the better part of 40 minutes to download a Breakout clone.)

    I spent hours hopping from one BBS to another, all for the price of tying up our family’s phone line. “I’m on the modem!” was a common refrain I’d yell when my mom or dad tried to use our landline. I’m sure it was annoying for them, because within a few months they succumbed and purchased a dedicated phone line for my computer shenanigans

    I’m writing this post on my MacBook Pro. Our neighborhood has had no power or Internet for the past few hours, thanks to a thunderstorm. As I sit and type this, I feel a sense of solitude.

    So while there’s not much I can do with a modern computer when the Internet’s down, I don’t seem to really mind.

    -Krishna

  • FrugalMac: The Bloom is Off the Finder

    FrugalMac: The Bloom is Off the Finder

    The Finder.

    It’s been around since the original Mac rolled off the assembly line in 1984. Ironically, my first exposure to the Finder was not on a Mac, but rather, on an Apple IIGS running GS/OS. (But that’s a story for another day…)

    While the Finder has evolved with the Mac over the years, it still feels inefficient to work with, especially when it involves movings files around. 

    Finder windows.

    Let’s assume you have to copy or move a file from one location on your Mac to another location on your external storage device. To perform the task within macOS, two Finder windows are needed. One which shows the location of the source file, the other showing the intended destination. 

    We’re still moving files around like this in the year 2026.

    Bananas. 

    While Apple seems content with making small, incremental features to the Finder, it’s not enough for me.

    That’s where Bloom comes in. I’ve been using Bloom for many months now, and it truly delivers on its promise of providing a “refined Finder experience”. 

    Why do I like Bloom so much?

    1) Flexibility.

    Bloom includes many multi-panel layouts so that I can easily view, arrange and copy files and folders within one Bloom window pane. (I particularly like the 3-vertical stack option.)

    2) Better Search.

    Hit Command Shift Return and Bloom will bring up its search bar. Type what you want and get results at blazing speed. I know Apple will be overhauling search in macOS Golden Gate (macOS 27), but I can have it right now.

    3) Convenience.

    Superman has X-Ray vision. Bloom lets me see the contents within a compressed .zip file within its inspector. Bloom also works with Cloud storage like iCloud Drive, DropBox or OneDrive.

    4) Customization.

    Unlike the Finder, Bloom gives me the ability to change its appearance, including the color of the window, the type face for the main window and side bar, and so much more. The side bar can be completely customized to show only what you want. There’s also a handy rename feature to quickly change one or more filenames. It even supports RegEx!

    Bloom is what the Finder wishes it could be when it grows up. 

    Boom isn’t free, but I think it’s well worth its reasonable purchase price ($16US). The alternative is to wait for Apple to make improvements. But I’m not holding my breath.

    -Krishna