Mac Folklore Radio

Mac Folklore Radio

Author: Derek Language: English Episodes: 100
Derek hosts Mac Folklore Radio, a podcast that serves as a warm, nostalgic conversation about the machines that defined personal computing for a generation. This isn't a dry technical history, but rather a collection of stories, memories, and shared experiences centered on the Macintosh ecosystem from its early beige-box days through the colorful iMac era and beyond. Each episode feels like digging through a box of old software manuals and rediscovering the community, the quirks, and the sheer sense of possibility those computers inspired. You'll hear tales of first setups, beloved and baffling peripherals, the games that consumed hours, and the software that felt like magic. It's crafted specifically for those who lived through it-the users, tinkerers, and enthusiasts who remember the hum of a CRT and the distinct scent of a warm motherboard. Tune in for a dose of genuine, fond reminiscence that functions as comfort food for the Apple-centric soul, preserving the personal side of tech history one story at a time. This podcast is a love letter to the culture built around these machines, celebrating the folklore that official manuals never recorded.
Episodes
The Desktop Critic - Mac OS 8 and Why It's Great (1997) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:48
“The gang at Apple Computer does its best work when its collective back is against the wall.” Oh 1997 David Pogue, if only you knew. :-( Written by David Pogue, The Desktop Critic, Macworld December 1997. Clip of Apple’s…
The Iconoclast - Is That All There Is? (1992) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:07
After the System 7 switch, some users are wondering what got into them. Written by Steven Levy, The Iconoclast, Macworld May 1992. Stanford University System 7.0 segment from The Computer Chronicles. Randall Rothenberg (…
folklore.org: Mea Culpa (2004) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:12
Revisiting the design decisions and constraints behind the original Macintosh 128. Original text by Andy Hertzfeld at folklore.org. Steven Levy on “unauthorized” modifications to the original Mac: “A Shut and Open Case”…
Verbatim - Interview with Andy Hertzfeld (1987) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:47
In an interview conducted shortly before the dawn of the Macintosh II, Andy Hertzfeld talks about product design, NeXT, leadership, PostScript, designing products for the broadest possible audience, Windows 1.0, copyrigh…
Landon Dyer - Sorry I Almost Got You Fired (1989) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:43
How the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, GNU Emacs, and the Macintosh Programmer’s Workshop converged. Written by Landon Dyer at dadhacker.com in 2009. Gary Davidian quote from his CHM Oral History (video 1, 2; transcript 1,…
Landon Dyer - Flash Memories (1992) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:09
Of Newton MessagePad data store resilience and Mars Rover reboot loops. Written by Landon Dyer at dadhacker.com in 2004. Excerpt of Steve Capps (ex-Newton) and Donna Dubinsky, former CEO of Palm and ex-Claris VP, from th…
Chris MacAskill - Steve Jobs, AutoCAD, and Focus Groups (1991) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:50
If Unix workstations were cars, what kind of cars would they be? Written by Chris MacAskill at cake.co (defunct, 2021). Watch a bakeoff between Sun’s DevGuide and NeXTSTEP, InterfaceBuilder, and Objective-C. Apple’s 45-m…
Conspicuous Consumer - Smart Company, Foolish Choices (1992) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:20
Deborah Branscum’s Conspicuous Consumer column puts Apple’s active matrix LCD defect apathy under the microscope. At 77dpi in pure black and white–no greyscale, and no RGB subpixels–you definitely noticed dead pixels! Or…
Review: Envisio Notebook Display Adapter (1992) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:49
Hello listeners who found me via Michael Tsai! David Pogue reviews a smoking hot new video output product for the PowerBook 100/140/170. And you thought your laptop-and-projector troubles were bad… Original text from Mac…
PowerBook 100 Series Introduction (1991) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:12
Apple’s apology for the gigantic expensive Macintosh Portable. Original text from Macworld, December 1991. Audio clips courtesy of The Unofficial Apple VHS Archive’s collection of Apple User Group Connection tapes, which…