SK8ing Down the Wrong Path (2019)

SK8ing Down the Wrong Path (2019)

Author: Derek October 8, 2023 Duration: 7:51

QuickDraw GX, meet unfinished developer tool prototype.

Original text by Cameron Esfahani who is still at Apple today, ~30 years later.

Chris Espinosa replied to the original: “Cam, with this thread you got maybe 500 people interested in SK8, which is a lot more than Jim Spohrer and I ever did.”

Someone resurrected the SK8 section of www.research.apple.com as it stood in 1997.

Download SK8, the source code, look at a screenshot of it, or read the user guide.

In addressing QuickDraw’s deficiencies by completely uprooting it, QuickDraw GX was naturally a bit of a compatibility nightmare. Like virtual memory and A/UX, you heard about it somewhat frequently through shareware README files, usually followed by “disable it” and/or “you’re out of luck”. Like many things at Apple in the ’90s, it also shipped years behind schedule: QuickDraw GX will start shipping as an optional part of System 7.5 installs starting in September 1994.

Note that while three developers personally confronted Steve Jobs about OpenDoc at his famous WWDC 1997 Q&A session, nobody even mentioned QuickDraw GX in passing.

Macworld readers respond to QuickDraw GX.

A Quick Look At QuickDraw GX and another quick look.


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.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Mac Folklore Radio
Podcast Episodes
Claris Redux (1992) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:01
Steven Levy on why Macintosh developers aren’t scared of Claris, the software company backed by Apple Computer. Original text from Macworld Magazine, June 1992. ClarisWorks and other seemingly Macintosh-only products did…
Bob Hearn - A Brief History of ClarisWorks (2003) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:03
The story of how “the best-loved application for the Mac” took on Microsoft Works as told by programmer [Bob Hearn in 2003][bob]. Read Macworld’s roundup of integrated packages to see how ClarisWorks 1.0 stacked up again…
folklore.org: Quick, Hide In This Closet! (1983) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:07
Steve Jobs temporarily forbid the Macintosh team from working with Sony. Original text from folklore.org. Bill Gates Twiggy drive clip from All Things D5, 2007, 3m54s. Alternate source.
Code and Dagger (1990) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:59
The FBI’s attempted investigation of the nuPrometheus League. I wish there was a dramatic conclusion to this 1990 editorial, but we’ve heard nothing from the nuPrometheus League since their first and only dispatch. Origi…
The Dirt on Apple Security (1989) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:35
The early days of Apple’s culture of secrecy. If you had people digging through the garbage bins outside your corporate headquarters, you would be paranoid too! Original text from Macworld Magazine, November 1989. Introd…
The First Macintosh Clone (1989) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:57
Steven Levy on a little-known Macintosh clone project from 1989. Original text from Macworld Magazine, April 1989. Our sponsor for April 1st: The Mac Zone!
Duo Trouble (1993) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:12
Is it too late for Apple’s lightweight laptops? Steven Levy’s summary of the awkward PowerBook Duo situation. Original text from Macworld Magazine, December 1993. PowerBook Duo commercials courtesy of the RetroMacCast on…
David Pogue - PowerBook Duo and Duo Dock Review (1993) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:40
David Pogue reviews the PowerBook Duo 210/230 and the companion Duo Dock. NuBus and SCSI weren’t hot pluggable, meaning you had to shut down the machine every time you docked or undocked! Original text from Macworld Maga…
folklore.org - Macintosh Launch Day 3-Pack (1984) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:05
Happy Birthday, Macintosh! Andy Hertzfeld and company rush to complete the first release of the Macintosh system software, then cobble together a demo before launch day. Original text at folklore.org: Real Artists Ship,…