[DuoList] Home for a Duo 2300 (grayscale?)

[Hansel Chung]

Let's see.... here's how I recall the history:

In 1994, my dad let me take all my savings and purchase a used Duo  
210. I was in 7th grade at the time. So yeah, it impressed the heck  
out of all my friends and teachers to see a kid in elementary school  
have a laptop and know how to use it.
I used it for word processing, BBSs, running little games like Glider  
4.0. Also learning about the Mac in general, Appletalk networks and  
stuff. Even was on eWorld and the first Mac version of AOL Instant  
Messenger. I even started learning C on it.
So right before the end of middle school, I was actually hired for a  
small summer job of hooking up macs and setting up a network at the  
school.
In high school, I continued to use it for word processing, internet  
access, all the usual stuff we do now on our overpowered desktops. But  
I had an itch to overclock it and I did. The consequence was that I  
accidentally dropped a little bit of solder which messed up the power  
systems. This resulted in not being able to use batteries. :(
I struck an agreement with my parents again to have a 2300 upgrade put  
in if I get straight A's for that semester. (Note, this was the only  
time I had ever gotten straight A's for a semester ever :))
So they footed the bill, and I got a 2300.
I then bought a dead 280c off ebay for the screen and had a color 2300  
which I used for high school journalism, papers, reports, photoshop,  
etc.
And then something died. I think it may have been the screen; can't  
imagine it was anything else since every other significant piece is  
still here with me and running.
Somewhat saddened, I called up MacWarehouse to find they had a few  
2400c's for sale (discontinued). My parents bought one and the 64meg  
chip for me and used that for about 2 years until GLOD hit me.
At the same time, I got a 280c screen off ebay for cheap, fixed up the  
Duo, gave it to my sister.
She used it for a while, and then tripped over it one evening,  
cracking the screen. So I got a 210 screen for cheap and that's how it  
is now.
I prepped it for a little cousin in Taiwan but then realized that  
there's really nothing he can do with it these days, so I set it aside  
on a shelf for a couple years.

Somewhere along the way, I used it for learning a little Newton  
development too.

The 2400c was replaced by a TiBook 400 which was replaced by a AlBook  
12" G4 867. And then finally work now provides me with a evilBook Pro,  
er, I mean MacBook Pro.

It's a funny coincidence that a month or two before a new generation  
of Apple notebook design comes out, my previous one dies in a non- 
trivial manner. And I always end up with a first gen of some design.  
The evilBook is the first Mac laptop I've received while the previous  
one was working. But I sold the 12 inch anyways since I couldn't find  
use for two laptops, and it was still worth a good chunk on ebay. And  
the 2400c got repaired by DT&T since the store was a couple blocks  
down from where my college roommate lived.

-Hansel
On Jun 20, 2007, at 10:37 AM, Goodwin, Greg P. wrote:

>
> 	Yep, I'll never forget you.  :)
>
> 	So what did you use the 2300 for (just a fun question).  I
> tended to use mine for playing MP3's, and I think I liked BBS'ing, web
> browsing, and writing text files.
>      It was in the summer of 2004 I was in a retro contest with a
> computer before 1993 and decided to use an Atari 800 for the most  
> points
> in the retro contest.   It was during that time I learned I didn't
> really need a portable computer.  So the Duos and Newtons got retired
> for the most part.
> 	Didn't pick up a portable computer again till I got a 12"
> aluminum G4 powerbook.  In form sense the Duo lives on in those more
> recent computers.
>
> Greg / Doc Clu
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 12:33 PM
> To: A place to discuss Apple's sub-portable computers.
> Subject: Re: [DuoList] Home for a Duo 2300 (grayscale?)
>
> Hehe, strangely enough, I'm a Chinese guy with a German first name
> living in California... not quite the usual name but hey, it makes it
> more memorable, eh?
>
>
> On Jun 20, 2007, at 5:42 AM, Goodwin, Greg P. wrote:
>
>> I'm guessing with a name like Hansel you are in Europe somewhere?
>>
>> 2300 with a 210 screen?  LOL!  That's what I did to make mine smaller
>> and use less power.  :)
>>
>> Greg / Doc Clu
>>