Lunduke
News • Science & Tech
AppleWorld 1987: When the Mac got color and expandability
Steve Jobs was against color screens and expansion bays, but after he was forced out of Apple... they arrived!
June 04, 2024
post photo preview

In March of 1987, Apple held an event at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.

That event, “AppleWorld ‘87”, was where Apple announced two of the most critical Macintosh hardware updates in history: The Macintosh II and the Mac SE.

The Macintosh II, in particularly, was a big move for Apple. For multiple reasons:

  • The very first Macintosh without a built-in monitor.

  • The very first Macintosh capable of color graphics.

  • The first Macintosh (along with the SE) to use the ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) for connecting peripherals like keyboards. (ADB was first introduced 6 months earlier with the Apple IIgs.)

  • The first “modular” Macintosh — with multiple drive bays and six NuBus expansion slots (which could drive up to six monitors at once).

 

The Macintosh II was much more “PC Clone” like than previous Macs. Big, rectangular box filled with expansion slots. With a monitor stacked on top.

 

That’s a heck of a lot of firsts.

Fun historical tidbit: Steve Jobs was opposed to the Macintosh line having color displays. He felt that everything displayed on a Macintosh must be able to be printed on a standard printer (he was an avid believer in true WYSIWYG). And, since color printers were rare, Jobs was firmly opposed to a color display on a Macintosh.

 

Steve Jobs was also opposed to expansion slots, of any kind, in a Macintosh. Jobs felt strongly that the Macintosh should be a sealed box — not user serviceable or upgradeable — with no internal expandability, relying solely on serial ports for accessories.

 

To get around this… the Macintosh II project was started, in 1985, completely without Jobs’ knowledge. After Jobs was forced out of Apple, later that same year, the project became more prominent.

The next year, in 1988, Apple would announce the second operating system for the Macintosh II: A/UX.

A/UX, Apple’s first release of a UNIX based operating system, was absolutely fascinating. A full, multitasking UNIX — running on a Mac II — with Macintosh System Software running on top. Which means you could run both UNIX and Mac software, side by side, a full decade before the first release of Mac OS X (OS X Server 1.0, in 1999).

 

A/UX being all A/UX-y.

 

Want to know something even more crazy?

Not only could the Macintosh II run “Macintosh System Software” and “A/UX”… but there was also a NuBus expansion card called “Mac286” that added an entire 286 DOS computer to the Mac II.

 

The two NuBus cards of the Mac286.

 

The Mac286 was two big NuBus cards, connected together with a ribbon cable. One card containing the 286 CPU, the second card containing the memory and drive controller. 1 MB of RAM, CGA display, and full access to the Macintosh hard drive (via a “D:” that provided access to the Mac hard drive).

Yeah. That’s right. Mac OS, UNIX, and DOS. All on the same rig. Awesome.

Ok. Back to AppleWorld 1987.

Below is the keynote from the event, with the new hardware being introduced by Jean-Louis Gassée — who was, at the time, a Vice President at Apple. I highly recommend watching this keynote in full. It is a gateway into a critical time in computer history.

One fun Jean-Louis Gassée tidbit:

During Memorial Day weekend of 1985, John Sculley (who was the CEO of Apple at the time), was in travelling China. Steve Jobs, who was feeling super grumpy at Sculley, hatched a plan to remove Sculley from the Company. Well, Jean-Louis Gassée, who was the Director of European Operations for Apple, found out about Steve Jobs’ dastardly plan. What did Gassée do? He told the board of Apple, who were not too pleased with Jobs (to put it mildly). This directly led to Steve Jobs getting the boot from Apple.

John Sculley then appointed Gassée to be the new head of Macintosh Development… Steve Jobs’ old role. Brutal, right?

During his time in the role, Gassée would introduce the Mac II, and create the Macintosh laptop line… starting with the Macintosh Portable. It could be argued that Gassée had a bigger impact on what the Macintosh would become… than even Jobs himself.

Gassée would later go on to found Be, inc., and create the legendary BeOS. The impact he has had on the broader computer industry is nothing short of astounding.

Fun side note: There was a period of time, during the late 1980s were Apple was producing four distinct operating Systems:

  • ProDOS for the Apple II line (including IIgs)

  • GS/OS for the Apple IIgs

  • Macintosh System Software (before it became known as Mac OS)

  • and A/UX (Apple’s UNIX version)

Four Operating Systems from Apple.  Plus the ability to run DOS via an expansion card.  And two completely different computer architectures -- both with similar, color graphical interface -- competing for survival (the Macintosh II and the Apple IIgs).

It was a crazy few years at Apple.

 

Advertisement for Apple IIgs (intruduced in 1986).  Which, in many ways, was directly competing with the Macintosh line (and the color Mac II specifically).

 

During that same time, Steve Jobs -- after getting the boot from Apple -- was off building NeXTStep… which would eventually get tweaked and renamed to MacOS X. (But that… is a different story.)

community logo
Join the Lunduke Community
To read more articles like this, sign up and join my community today
1
What else you may like…
Videos
Podcasts
Posts
Articles
October 29, 2025
KDE Says X Users Are Nazis

GNOME & Fedora call Jews "Nazis". Canonical, Debian, & GNOME call XLibre "Nazis". NixOS calls Conservatives "Nazis". And now KDE says Elon Musk, and all X users, are "Nazis".

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:18:42
October 28, 2025
Python Says Discriminatory DEI Policies More Important Than $1.5 Million Dollars

The Python Software Foundation has turned down a $1.5 Million Dollar grant from the US government, as it would require them to cease discriminatory Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion practices.

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:19:23
October 27, 2025
$20,000 Bounty Offered to Bribe FFmpeg Team to Fire Contributor

A popular YouTuber named Theo Browne offered $20k to the Open Source FFmpeg team if they remove their social media person, who Theo calls a "motherf***er".

The X Thread:
https://x.com/LundukeJournal/status/1982569289237352620

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:26:32
November 22, 2023
The futility of Ad-Blockers

Ads are filling the entirety of the Web -- websites, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. -- at an increasing rate. Prices for those ad placements are plummeting. Consumers are desperate to use ad-blockers to make the web palatable. Google (and others) are desperate to break and block ad-blockers. All of which results in... more ads and lower pay for creators.

It's a fascinatingly annoying cycle. And there's only one viable way out of it.

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links? Check here:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

The futility of Ad-Blockers
November 21, 2023
openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"

Those in power with openSUSE make it clear they will not allow me anywhere near anything related to the openSUSE project. Ever. For any reason.

Well, that settles that, then! Guess I won't be contributing to openSUSE! 🤣

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links?
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"
September 13, 2023
"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

This episode is free for all to enjoy and share.

Be sure to subscribe here at Lunduke.Locals.com to get all shows & articles (including interviews with other amazing nerds).

"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

@Lunduke this seems like it would be in your wheelhouse. wordpress did a sudden TOS change, and used it as an excuse to nuke the site of this arms accessory maker. https://x.com/L6_Underground/status/1983966847977341066

🤔 If A.I. Is So Great at "Vibe Coding" - then Let It Prove Itself with 100% DevOps in PHP.
😼

post photo preview
9 hours ago

Windows 11 tracking runs deep...

Your Windows 11 Computer’s Hidden Spy: The Dark Truth About TPM Chips - YouTube

50% Off The Lunduke Journal through Oct 31

Holy moly, there’s a lot of new Free Subscribers to The Lunduke Journal!

As a way of saying “Welcome!” to all of you new people, here’s a little (well… big) discount on full subscriptions.

50% off all types of Subscriptions (Monthly, Yearly, and Lifetime) through October 31st (Friday).

All of these discounted Subscriptions come with all of the perks:

  • DRM-Free MP4 Downloads of all videos.

  • Full access to the exclusive forum.

  • And a bunch of nerdy eBooks.

Scroll down. Pick whichever subscription type makes sense to you — ranging from a $3 monthly sub… to a Lifetime subscription (I highly recommend picking one up, it is so choice).

Then grab some of those perks and pat yourself on the back for keeping truly independent, Big-Tech free Tech Journalism alive and kicking!

50% Off Yearly or Monthly Subscriptions:

Available via both Locals and Substack. (This includes full access the community Forum, and all other perks.)

That means $3 / Month. Or $27 / Year (which works out to $2.25 / Month).

Via Lunduke.Locals.com:

Via Lunduke.Substack.com:

Note: You can also grab a Monthly subscription via X, YouTube, or Patreon. There’s no way to offer a discount on those platforms. But those are still good options!

The Famous Lifetime Subscription:

The “World Famous Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription” is exactly what it sounds like. Pay once and get full access to The Lunduke Journal. For life.

Now, through Monday, October 31st, you can snag one at a crazy discount. Normally these are $300… but you can grab one for $150. (You can also pay more if you’d like to donate a little extra.)

The Lifetime Subscription can be obtained via Locals, Substack, or using Bitcoin. All three options work great and are super easy (& all three include access to all of the perks). Scroll down and choose your option.

Note: The Lifetime Subscription only applies to Substack and Locals. Other platforms (such as X, Patreon, & YouTube) do not provide the functionality necessary to create Lifetime Subscriptions.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Select “Give Once“.

  3. Enter “150“ (or more) into the amount field.

  4. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Substack:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Substack.com/subscribe.

  2. Select the “Lifetime Subscription” option.

  3. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

If you would also like full, Lifetime access to Lunduke.Locals.com (which is included):

  1. Make a free account on Lunduke.Locals.com.

  2. Email “bryan at lunduke.com” with the email address you use on both Substack and Locals (can be different email addresses).

  3. Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status on Locals.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

You can also obtain a Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email “bryan at lunduke.com” with the following information: What time you made the transaction, how much was sent (in Bitcoin), and the email address you use (or plan to use) on Locals.com or Substack.com (or both).

No matter which type of subscription you choose, thank you for your support! Every subscription goes directly towards keeping The Lunduke Journal running well into the future.

-Lunduke

Read full Article
October 15, 2025
post photo preview
The Unpublished Anti-Lunduke Hit-Piece
A Tech Journalist interviewed me for a hit-piece article. But the questions made them look bad, and they shelved the story. So I'm publishing their hit-piece for them.

Back in September, shortly after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, I was contacted by a Tech Journalist writing for FossForce.com (a smaller, Open Source focused publication) who was working on an article around Open Source, Antifa, and the Lunduke Journal’s coverage of those topics.

This particular outlet had, several months prior, run an “anti-Lunduke” hit piece without first reaching out for comment — which resulted in their most popular article (at least on social media) in quite some time.

With that in mind, it seemed reasonable that they’d want to repeat that success with another “anti-Lunduke” story.

This time they were doing the responsible thing. They reached out to the subject of the hit-piece article with questions. I like encouraging Tech Journalists when they do actual journalism, so I answered each and every query with easy-to-quote responses.

But, it would appear that the answers they received were not conducive to creating the hit-piece they were hoping for — my guess is they realized their questions made them look like the villain in the story. The villain they, clearly, hoped to portray me as.

They opted to not publish the piece.

So I’m publishing their hit-piece for them.

Below is every question — and every answer (with no edits) — which I was asked, on September 19th, by a Tech Journalist by the name of Christine Hall, writing for FossForce.

Fair warning: This is very, very politically charged.

Enjoy.


September 19th

Hall:

The last time I mentioned you in an article, you castigated me for not reaching out to you beforehand. Well, I’m reaching out now. We’ll see what comes of this.

You do recognize that the vast majority of organizations using the term antifa as a descriptor are not in the least bit terrorist and pose no threat to society -- and indeed, the only threats they might pose to fascist groups are not physical or life-harming?

Lunduke:

Hello Christine! Nice to hear from you!

Many, if not most, of those proclaiming support for Antifa (within Open Source) have also made statements encouraging or supporting violence and discrimination.

Regardless of that fact -- which I have documented extensively in Lunduke Journal coverage -- when violent acts are committed (such as murder, riots, and lynchings) in the name of “Antifa”, to turn around and immediately declare yourself to be “Antifa” is a clear declaration of support of that violence.

Hall:

And why did you feel it necessary to call out Danielle Foré’s [the founder of the elementary OS Linux Distribution] trans status in such an ugly manner?

Lunduke:

There is a noteworthy overlap between “Trans activism” and support for political violence -- including in the recent murder of Charlie Kirk (the murderer’s boyfriend was “Trans”).

In the case of Daniel Fore, he, a leader of an Open Source project, regularly calls for discrimination (and violence) against people he disagrees with -- often in conjunction with his self-declaration as “Trans”.

Thus, his declaration of being “Trans” becomes a part of the overall story.

It is worth noting here that The Lunduke Journal has never -- and would never -- call for discrimination or violence against someone because of how they identify or who they may (or may not) vote for.

This is in stark contrast those, such as Mr. Fore, who consider themselves “Trans” or “Antifa” -- who actively advocate for both discrimination and violence.

Hall:

Mentioning a person’s trans status in ways that are pertinent to your argument necessates rudeness such as calling her a “dude who likes to wear dresses”?

Lunduke:

Dan Fore is, in fact, a dude who likes to wear dresses.

The only reason to view that as a negative is if you view dudes wearing dresses as a negative.

Hall:

I’ll quote you on that, which I’m pretty sure won’t bother you in the least.

Lunduke:

Absolutely! Quote anything I say here. In fact, I suggest quoting absolutely everything I’ve written to you here, today.

Hall:

You also understand, don’t you, that voicing disagreement with an assessment made by POTUS is not only legal but a healthy part of the national dialog.

Lunduke:

Absolutely! Did I say somewhere that it was illegal to disagree with a politician? It seems unlikely that I have ever said that.

Hall:

Also, how would you reply to this:

There have been very few murders linked to individuals associated with Antifa, some incidents of rioting attributed to Antifa supporters, and no credible evidence of lynchings conducted in the name of Antifa. Compared to far-right groups, violence attributed to Antifa is much less frequent and lethal, with only one suspected kill—Aaron Danielson in Portland, by an anti-fascist activist—officially confirmed in recent U.S. history.

Lunduke:

Murder is bad. I am opposed to all murder.

In the context of these discussions, bearing in mind the Kirk murder is important (as many statements were made in response to it). The murderer of Kirk appears to have been pro-Trans and pro-Antifa (based on all available information).

Hall:

Is there any evidence that the suspect was part of an antifa group? I haven’t seen any.

Lunduke:

I have seen some reporting to this effect (including statements from family and messages he wrote).

But, far more important to this story, is the response to the murder among Antifa supporters (including those within Open Source). A large portion of Antifa supporters have celebrated the murder as justified because it killed someone they considered to be a “fascist”.

Hall:

Also, no group should be held responsible for what some deranged person who identifies with the group has done.

Lunduke:

I agree that a broader group should not be held responsible for the actions of a small number of individuals.

However, and this is critically important, it is entirely appropriate to hold people responsible for their own statements and actions.

With that in mind: The overall messaging of Antifa (and Antifa supporters) tends heavily towards violence. Punching, killing, molotov cocktails, etc. are all common messaging used by Antifa (including by those I quote within the Open Source world -- many of whom have advocated violence against myself).

Advocating for violence, then celebrating when violence is committed, are not good things.

Yet we see a great deal of that among Open Source supporters of Antifa.

Read full Article
October 13, 2025
Sale ends in a few hours, Lifetime Subs set up.

Holy moly, you guys are amazing.

A few days ago I published a “50% off” sale for Lunduke Journal subscriptions… and all of you showed up. In a big way.

To everyone who grabbed a Lifetime Subscription over the last few days: All of you are set to full Lifetime access. You should have a confirmation email in your inbox. If not, email me and I’ll make sure you’re setup properly.

That “50% off” sale ends tonight at midnight. So you have a few hours to snag a discounted subscription, if you haven’t already.

A huge thank you to everyone who supports this work. Couldn’t do it without you.

-Lunduke

Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals