An Ode to the PowerBook 5300

An Ode To The PowerBook 5300

Ah computers, what sweet joy comes to mind whenever I hear that word.

I have owned and worked on so many in my life, from the old IBM and Data General minis to my old VIC 20,to modern desktops and laptops.

But of all the computers I have owned my favorite all time machine has to the Apple PowerBook 5300.

The PB5300 came out in the mid nineties during the years that Steve Jobs was in exile. It could run Mac OS8.1 to OS9.1, with 640MB of Ram, a 12 inch screen and generally a 1-4GB HD (it came with less, but it could be upgraded), and an internal modem. Of course it had no USB, there wasn't any in the day, nor wireless or even a CD-ROM drive (don't even ask about DVDs!). But it did have the old HDSI port which allowed one to hook up an external CD-ROM/CD-R drive, which I did.

The best part of this machine was its small footprint. The size made it a wonderful travel companion and easy to use on a commuter train. Back in the day I would be taking a Metra train from the South Side of Chicago into Downtown every day, and I would have this machine on my lap and peck away. Heck even at the libraries, jury duty waiting rooms, and conventions this machine was the perfect companion to ease the boredom and ennui brought on from the siting and waiting.

It also was small and light enough where I was able to take it to the lake or park (or the back yard) and work on things there.

Sure there was one drawback, that is I heard rumors of the battery exploding and burning people's hands and laps, but I never experienced that personally. And besides it was before I purchased my machine so it had the newly configured battery that didn't threaten the user's life.

I started my writing career on that machine, writing Fan Fic for Dr Who in those days to get started, and I felt I was in heaven.

This machine took a lot of knocks and bumps and bruises, but still soldiered on. Rain, snow, cold, heat, cats and turnstiles were it's enemies, but it defeated them all with gusto. It was a well built and well designed little warrior of a machine.

Eventually the machine went kaput. I guess I could have bought another one on ebay, but the price wasn't right for the time. Plus just because one is a similar model doesn't mean it has the same soul.

You see time has passed the PB5300 by, and eventually it became too obsolete, even for a fanboy like me. Rest in peace you faithful and dependable old friend.

Of course by then I had discovered ibooks and Linux on the T2X series of IBM ThinkPads, but those are stories for another time....