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One of the reasons older
computers seem so slow has to do with the amount of memory that
newer software programs use. The latest versions of Internet
Explorer and Netscape have some nice features and will do a lot
of things, but both use quite a bit of memory in order to do
them. Older computers often cannot meet the demands of these
memory intensive programs but can still be put to good use on
the Internet. They can be used as dedicated email machines using
specific email software such as Eudora. They can even be used
to surf the web with either older versions of Netscape or with
some of the alternative web browsers available. The links below
will lead you to websites where you can download some of this
software for free.
Macintosh
- Eudora This free email program works great and
the older versions use very little memory. I currently use an
older version of Eudora with a Macintosh SE/30 for student email
access in my classroom.
- iCab An alternative web browser for Macintosh
computers.
- MacLynx A text only browser for Macintosh computers.
This may be a good option if you have an old black and white
Mac.
- Netscape
Older and leaner versions of Netscape can be downloaded (scroll down to find the version that best matches your operating system). My
students have successfully used Netscape 2.0 on an old Macintosh LC.
- Opera
for Mac Opera is a newer
web browser that not only has smaller memory requirements, it
is also faster. Although Opera began as a Windows only program,
it now is available for Macintosh and other operating systems
as well.
- Old Macs on the Internet MacWeb and other Internet software is
available on this page along with instructions on how to get
them onto an older Mac.
Windows
- Eudora This free email program works great and
the older versions use very little memory.
- Netscape
Nearly all of the older and leaner versions of the Netscape web
browser can be downloaded and used on older machines.
- Opera for Windows
Opera is a newer web browser that not only has smaller memory
requirements, it is also faster. It is a great option!
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