Carloselvis

Q: First Mac with internet connection?

Hi! I was wondering,.. Witch was the first Mac with internet connection?

I saw in every mac.com that the Centris 610 (1993) was one of the first that has the AAUI-15 ethernet port. Is this right?


http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_centris/specs/mac_centris_610.html#mac specs2


Thanks in advance!


Carlos

Macintosh SE

Posted on Sep 23, 2015 6:13 AM

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Q: First Mac with internet connection?

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  • by laz,Helpful

    laz laz Sep 23, 2015 11:35 AM in response to Carloselvis
    Level 4 (1,545 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 23, 2015 11:35 AM in response to Carloselvis

    If you mean, built-in Ethernet, then I think you're right. But there were definitely NuBus, PCI, PDS(?), and AAUI Ethernet adapters/Cards.

    I remember in ~88-89 checking VI mail on a Mac Plus via a Telnet client.

     

    yep - here's a list:

    http://www.atpm.com/network/products/ethernet_adapters.htm

     

    Laz

  • by JustSomeGuy,

    JustSomeGuy JustSomeGuy Sep 23, 2015 11:33 AM in response to laz
    Level 3 (586 points)
    Sep 23, 2015 11:33 AM in response to laz

    For sure, Internet connectivity goes way back.  I would say that the iMac (the original, berry-colored ones) were the first to be marketed as Internet-ready machines (hence the "i" in their name...).  So definitely not the first with an i-connection, but they were the first to popularize it, I'd say.  Even if those first machines tended to be connected via modem back then...

  • by Carloselvis,

    Carloselvis Carloselvis Sep 23, 2015 11:36 AM in response to laz
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Old Hardware
    Sep 23, 2015 11:36 AM in response to laz

    Great! so, the internet was possible with a mac plus? how can you make the connection? witch port was used?

  • by Jan Hedlund,Solvedanswer

    Jan Hedlund Jan Hedlund Sep 24, 2015 6:32 AM in response to Carloselvis
    Level 6 (9,869 points)
    Sep 24, 2015 6:32 AM in response to Carloselvis

    Hi Carlos,

     

    The "real" start of the Internet for Macintosh computers was with the arrival of usable web browsers around 1994 and 1995. As has been indicated already, a typical way of accessing the Internet at that time was via a (dial-up) modem.

     

    For a Macintosh SE (with an internal or external hard drive) or a Macintosh Plus (with an external hard drive), the following would allow dial-up Internet access:

     

    1. 2.5 or 4 MB of RAM.

     

    2. External serial modem. Almost any modem with a speed between 2.4 kbps and 56 kbps can be used (a "PC-style" modem with a DB-25F port would require a DB-25M to MiniDIN-8M Mac modem cable). Connect the modem to the Modem port of the computer.

     

    3. System 7.0 (or higher).

     

    4. MacTCP. This software handles the Internet protocol on the computer.

     

    5. MacPPP 2.0.1 (http://archive.info-mac.org/_Communication/_Internet/_Connections/_PPP/).

     

    6. A suitable web browser (such as MacWeb 1.00A3.2).

     

    7. If necessary, an email program. This could be an early version of Eudora. However, please note that SMTP authentication required by many/most ISPs often prevents the use of an old email program.

     

    8. If necessary, an FTP application (for example, Fetch).

     

    For Ethernet-based Internet access, an Ethernet card could be used in a Macintosh SE. A Macintosh Plus would have to rely on an external solution (SCSI-to-Ethernet adapter).

     

    BTW, with the correct software and hardware, it is even possible to set up a Macintosh SE or a Macintosh Plus as a web server.

  • by Ziatron,

    Ziatron Ziatron Sep 24, 2015 7:54 PM in response to Carloselvis
    Level 4 (3,924 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 24, 2015 7:54 PM in response to Carloselvis

    For what it's worth, I used to have a Quadra 700 that I pluged a card into one of the slots which gave me an ethernet port. This allowed me to use the Internet.

  • by Road Hazard,

    Road Hazard Road Hazard Oct 28, 2015 9:20 AM in response to Ziatron
    Level 2 (249 points)
    Desktops
    Oct 28, 2015 9:20 AM in response to Ziatron

    My Quadra 800 (1993) had an ethernet connection but I seem to recall that an adapter was necessary.  Seems like the max speed it could handle was 60Mbps (2000).  Phone line prior to 2000.

  • by Roger Wilmut1,

    Roger Wilmut1 Roger Wilmut1 Oct 28, 2015 9:27 AM in response to Road Hazard
    Level 9 (77,920 points)
    iTunes
    Oct 28, 2015 9:27 AM in response to Road Hazard

    After I'd got an internet diial-up account in 1997 on a later Mac I was able to connect using an external modem on an LCII (in it's marketed form as a 'Performa 400'). I used it only for email, though I seem to remember that it actual had 'Mosaic', the web browser that preceded Internet Explorer.

     

    Dial-up is another world and long dead, thank Heaven. My present internet connection is nearly five thousand times the speed of my first one.