Jo’s did.
The call came early this morning. It was Jo, at the radio station.
“I was working on invoices on my Mac,” she told me. “And my mouse just died. Do you have a spare one?”
Jo’s Mac is a Mac IIci. We’re talking a circa 1989 computer. She still uses it every day, with an Apple laser printer that’s equally ancient, to do the radio station’s invoicing.
Yes, that’s right: she’s using an 18-year-old computer daily to manage a radio station’s accounting.
We discussed the mouse’s problem. It was the clicker. It wasn’t clicking anymore. Not bad when you consider that she’s been clicking with it for 18 years.
I think she got her money’s worth.
Oddly enough, she didn’t buy the computer brand new. She used it when she worked at the local newspaper. They’d bought it brand new for their layout folks. As the layout folks got new computers, the old ones were shifted to other employees. Jo worked at the front desk and got this Mac IIci. When she retired, they sold it to her for a nominal price. So this is the computer’s third mission in its life.
I refuse to touch the computer. I figure that it’s lasted so long because no one has messed with it.
There’s an eMac with a G4 processor in the same room — I loaned it to them and installed it to do their WebCam and Internet broadcasting. She won’t touch it other than to periodically restart it when it gets confused and stops broadcasting.
The mouse she needed was an ADB mouse. ADB stands for Apple Desktop Bus. It’s the old interface for Apple computer mice and keyboards before Apple adopted the more universally used USB connections. Apple hasn’t made an ADB mouse for at least 10 years, so it wasn’t likely that she’d find one at Best Buys or Frys or even the Apple Store — all of which are in Phoenix, 40+ minutes away by car.
But Jo called the right person. You see, I’m one of those crazy people who keeps all that old computer stuff. I still own two SE/30s — one of which is in perfect working condition. Those computers use the same mice as Jo’s Mac IIci. So I opened up my big plastic storage box of old computer equipment, dug around for about three minutes, and pulled the mouse she needed out by its tail.
A half hour later, she was at my door, checking the clicker.
“Yes, this one still clicks,” she confirmed. She hugged me, then said quickly, “I don’t usually hug people, but I’m very happy about this.”
I was just happy that she’d come to pick it up and that I didn’t have to drive into town.
On October 11, 2008 at 10:10 am, 
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On October 6, 2008 at 5:58 pm, 
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49 responses so far ↓
1 Maria Valente // Aug 1, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Great story, Maria. :) (Yup, you are a crazy geek!)
2 Ronda diária: 2 Agosto ‘07 «  Mac² // Aug 2, 2007 at 6:19 am
[...] A Maria Langer, cujo blog eu gosto de seguir com atenção, publicou uma entrada sobre a longevidade de algum material da Apple; neste caso o velhinho “clickerâ€. Lembram-se dele? Em compensação o MacNightOwl tem um artigo sobre a imperfeição dos produtos da Apple. [...]
3 McCoodle // Aug 2, 2007 at 9:16 am
I still have a mint Quadra 800, No CD either, all the manuals still as new etc, that we only stopped using about 2yrs ago because we couldn’t get it on the web (at that time). I pulled it out the other day and it still works fine. Maybe when we get BB connected I’ll hook it up the web via a router.
4 Yacko // Aug 2, 2007 at 11:59 am
If you can, you should consider opening the mouse to try and repair it. Normal mouse switches are tiny snap action pin plunger types. Perhaps the part that touches the pin plunger is worn and can be repaired or glued. Or the switch itself is dead, any electronics hobbyist should have several perhaps of a suitable size to replace it. It is usually a commonly available electronics part. If you need more mice, Headgap has the ABDII mouse and We Love Macs Has 3 or 4 different ones, and the is also the Low End Mac swap list.
5 Maria Langer // Aug 2, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Not a bad idea, Yacko. I fixed the mouse button on a Mac laptop years ago with a drop of superglue. It was supposed to be a temporary fix until the replacement button arrived in the mail, but it held and I never did bother to put the new button in. (More trouble than it was worth just to open the computer.) But if Jo saved the old mouse — and I bet she did — I’ll have a go at fixing it. Then she can have a spare.
6 vuong pham // Aug 2, 2007 at 12:15 pm
uh.. your Apple ADB mouse has an error.. your photoshop work shows:
a USB cable attached!
Yes, I can still recall the “magic” of using an SE/30.. I waited and got a LC, as my first Mac, since color was soo cool.. The entire LC educational bundle was about 3.5 grand with the StyleWriter bubble jet printer and 12″ color display!
7 John // Aug 2, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Good for you!
My Mac Plus still works; 1985 vintage.
Also, the image you have of the mouse in question is a Photoshop-put-together. If you look carefully you will see that the image is part old ADB mouse and NEW USB cable!
8 Maria Langer // Aug 2, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Vuong & John, good catch! I was wondering if anyone would notice that. The only photo I could find of the original mouse was one that had been converted to USB — that’s why you see the USB connector in the photo. I should have taken a photo of the mouse before I let it go.
9 McCoodle // Aug 2, 2007 at 1:00 pm
A USB original Mac mouse cool. Mine is the rounded one.
10 Neil Anderson // Aug 2, 2007 at 2:38 pm
A mouse that lasted 18 years? Man, that’s even ancient for a cat!
11 Jason Pigott // Aug 2, 2007 at 11:35 pm
Great story, apple has always been known for its longevity as well as innovation. One word for you though… eBay would probably be your best bet. Looked for ya and there not too much money $20 tops. Good luck, Jason’s iPhone
12 twe4ked // Aug 3, 2007 at 12:22 am
i REALLY dont give a flying f*ck but heelloo from Digg
13 Can Your Mouse Last 18 Years? A Mac User gets her money’s worth | TechBurgh // Aug 3, 2007 at 3:11 am
[...] read more | digg story [...]
14 ERM // Aug 3, 2007 at 4:10 am
The world has been amazing me more and more. I am a computer geek - I built my last computer, my younger brother’s computer for college, and my father-in-law’s computer. If I were as rich as the movie stars I wouldn’t buy millions of cars, I’d always have the latest computer equipment.
So it recently surprised me that people are still using these “lame” old computers. For example, while learning about a new operating system called Haiku OS, which is a reimplementation of BeOS, I found out there were people still using their Be Boxes from the mid 90s. Even worse, there are still people out there using their Amigas! I know they were way ahead of their time and could do things in the late 80s/early 90s that no other computer could, but those days have passed. Now I hear about people still using the Apple IIci when there are those beautiful iMacs at the Mac store!
So I’ve learned, over the past few months, that, for a lot of people, computers are not just machines to tinker with, but objects they form an emotional bond with. Things they wish to keep forever and ever until it “dies”.
Pretty neat. Good think you had that extra mouse. Like you, I keep all the computer parts I can so I have about 4 keyboards and 3 mice that aren’t attached to any of my computers. I also even have a spare monitor for hooking up to my headless BSD computers whenever I need to diagnose them.
Nice blog post, I’ll have to stop by again.
15 Neuro // Aug 3, 2007 at 4:20 am
ERM
and what’s wrong with using Amigas pray tell :-)
16 MoonScryer // Aug 3, 2007 at 4:32 am
I still have a working Apple IIgs. My parents bought it brand new for me when we lived in California; I think I was 10 (??) when it came out, and they were one of the first private families to have one. I shall keep it until it dies.
17 James // Aug 3, 2007 at 4:33 am
Great story about an older Mac still in service. I’ll be discussing this on the next episode of my podcast about older Macs, the RetroMacCast at http://www.retromaccast.com.
18 Mike // Aug 3, 2007 at 4:59 am
I hope I get so lucky with my iMac … all the way to July 2025 :-)
19 Midou // Aug 3, 2007 at 5:04 am
Guess when you have only one button, very little can break.
20 Matthew // Aug 3, 2007 at 5:27 am
Did she ever get around to beating Oregon Trail on that thing?
21 Adam Smasher // Aug 3, 2007 at 6:04 am
My Apple II Plus still works, except for a few sticky keys.
22 Mac Mouse that last for 18 years! | Kizune - Mix interesting things up // Aug 3, 2007 at 6:18 am
[...] A Mac user get her computer mouse working after 18 years! That’s incredible as most of the mouse nowadays could hardly working after 2 years. I remember my previous Logitech mouse had used for 4 years and finally dead. After that, my mouse is getting shorter and shorter life span. They are because of the clicking not working or the optical malfunction. I do agree that the owner really get her money worth. But I wonder the currently Apple mouse able to work for so long or not? Bookmarks: [...]
23 Greg // Aug 3, 2007 at 6:31 am
nice pun with “more universally used USB” I don’t know if it was intentional but it’s still pretty good.
24 Manuel Mejia // Aug 3, 2007 at 6:54 am
Greetings:
By the gods ! Therte are STILL people using Mac II series machines from the pre-www days ?
I myself cannot afford an upgrade so I still use a Mac IIsi to do letters, newsletter editing, and perhaps a touchup on a web page I support–the oldest one still posted on the http://WWW. I designed it in the days of HTML #2 (1995) using a MAC LC 1.
Although it is not pretty, dot matrix image writers II do seem to be immortal. THis is what I use for printing.
Perhaps I should go back and contribute to Low Ed Mac. I did so back in the LAST century !
Manuel Mejia, Jr.
25 Azhrei // Aug 3, 2007 at 7:09 am
Are you kidding? I still use my C1351 mouse with my C64 and GEOS (all from the early eighties).
26 Maria Langer // Aug 3, 2007 at 7:45 am
It’s great to hear about all the other “antique” hardware out there in use. But if it does the job, why shouldn’t you use it? Right? If we spent half the money we do on upgrading our computer hardware, just think of all the money we’d have lying around to spend on other stuff. (But not software, of course, because the new software needs the new hardware…)
27 t.s // Aug 3, 2007 at 7:58 am
The ASU Surplus store (locally off the 101 and Univ/Broadway area in Tempe) is a great resource for old Mac/Apple junk cheap BTW
Keep the faith!
28 Cartoons Plugin » Blog Archive » lilo and stitch sexy Can Your Mouse Last 18 Years? A Mac User gets her money’s worth // Aug 3, 2007 at 9:46 am
[...] lilo and stitch sexy “I was working on invoices on my Mac, ” she told me. “And my mouse just died.” Jo’s Mac is a Mac IIci. We’re talking a circa 1989 computer; We discussed the mouse’s problem. It was the clicker. It wasn’t clicking anymore. Not bad when you consider that she’s been clicking with it for 18 years. I think she got her money’s worth. lilo and stitch nanis assread more | digg story [...]
29 Alex Tirrell // Aug 3, 2007 at 12:36 pm
I still have our old Mac Classic in a closet somewhere at home. My family has many Macs, and I have a 9600 and some beige G3s in my room that are available for various retro purposes or data storage (20GB SCSI drives are useful!)
There was a time that we did get our Mac IIsis online. This was around 10 years ago…
I think many classic Macs would still be in great use today if there were modern web browsers developed for them. IE 5 just doesn’t cut it.
30 links for 2007-08-03 | blog.ftofani.com // Aug 3, 2007 at 1:19 pm
[...] Maria Langer, the Official Web Site* » Can YOUR Mouse Last 18 Years? O mouse que durou 18 anos (tags: apple hardware history mac mouse) [...]
31 mids // Aug 3, 2007 at 1:41 pm
Mice are for the weak. Learn the keyboard, its much more productive..
32 kunz // Aug 3, 2007 at 2:02 pm
eh.. so? whats the big deal?
33 Joris // Aug 3, 2007 at 2:20 pm
Funny story :)
34 John Lumgair // Aug 3, 2007 at 3:41 pm
nice story! I’m glad she is still using the Mac IIci I’m sure it will out last any Iphone! I had to painfully part with our old family computer performa 630 a few years ago due to space (It still worked) I will always look back on it with nostalgia.
35 Eric Seiden // Aug 3, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Hey, I’ve got some ADB mice if you need one. I had a IIcx back in the day. If you want ‘em email me.
36 zeem // Aug 3, 2007 at 6:55 pm
I’ve fixed a few old mice with problems like this, by spraying a little contact cleaner lubricant into the switch contacts. Works a treat.
Also nice to see an old Mac like that in productive use. I’ve got a loads of old Macs including a couple of IIci’s, a couple of Pluses, and more. They really are superb little machines.
37 skeletor // Aug 3, 2007 at 7:01 pm
wow,,great story..glad to see one of the olde 68k macs, still doing it’s thing…I went thru my garage box of older mac parts..and found 10-20
of those old apple mouses..the square and then the ’rounded’ one
that shipped with the quadra series…of all my old macs, I love
the SE/30, the best..and my apple lisa….the quadra series, especially
the centris-quadra 650, and 840av, ain’t too shabby as well.
and yeah, i’m probably an olde apple geek…oh well…
38 SkFb // Aug 3, 2007 at 8:15 pm
But what is Apple Care doing, she ain’t got a 20 years contract with her Macintosh IIci ?
ADB mice will cost more than the original computer in a few time :-))
39 Mike // Aug 3, 2007 at 8:20 pm
You are really dis servicing your customer by not explaining that she really needs to upgrade to protect the business. It takes money to make money and IT services are just like water and electricity. It is a commodity or utility these days.
40 TechTitansâ„¢ ‘Your Great Source For Technology News’ Can YOUR Mouse Last 18 Years? « // Aug 3, 2007 at 9:20 pm
[...] Article Source: Maria Langer, the Official Web Site Posted in Articles. [...]
41 links for 2007-08-04 | pristina.org | everything design // Aug 4, 2007 at 2:23 am
[...] Maria Langer, the Official Web Site* » Can YOUR Mouse Last 18 Years? O mouse que durou 18 anos (tags: apple hardware history mac mouse) Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
42 syahid ali // Aug 4, 2007 at 3:43 am
my logitech optical still works for me after 6 years. but yours is much more superb. i am going to take care of mine so i can beat yours. :D
43 Maria Langer // Aug 4, 2007 at 7:27 am
Hey, Mike — you’re kidding, right? Didn’t you ever hear the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”?
She loves her old Mac and it does everything she needs it to do. They run the radio station’s broadcast on a PC and I can’t advise them on that. The Internet simulcasting is on an eMac, which is doing the job just fine.
I think I’d be doing her a disservice by recommending newer, upgraded equipment and software that she doesn’t know how to use. Why waste her time and money and get her all frustrated when she’s happy?
So you were kidding, right?
44 Sebastian Lewis // Aug 5, 2007 at 2:28 am
I don’t think Mike was kidding.
“IT Services are just like water and electricity.”
That pretty much explains it, he’s an IT guy and the last thing I would ever do is turn my Mac over to someone in some IT department. Fortunately most of them don’t seem to support Macs anyways so that won’t be a problem.
Or maybe he was kidding, he called her your customer because you gave her an old Apple mouse. :-D
Sebastian
45 A Scott // Aug 5, 2007 at 5:57 am
Environmentalism.
Hey - if old gear does the job why ditch it to fill some hole in the ground. Keep old kit in a job as long as you can. I still have SCSI kit attached to my G3 on a network and use them when I need them. Scanner in particular.
I’m typing this via a Mac mini connected to a fourteen year old radius monitor.
I know it should be useless but it’s next to a two year old monitor and comparing the two - the only wear visible in the old one is the brightness is not what it should be. Colour and contrast is still good for what I do. I’m a graphic designer and have always worked to keep monitor colour and reproduction up to scratch. when it does fall below par it will go.
On the note of retired kit see this: http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2007/08/01/what-happens-to-robots-when-they-retire/
46 mac IIci noch im dauereinsatz ! : iSimplyApple // Aug 5, 2007 at 5:58 am
[...] “Arbeitet ihre Maus schon seit 18 Jahren”? fragt die Weblog-Schreiberin und Mac-Journalistin Maria Langer derzeit ihre Leser. Was bei den meisten schon längst zum alten Eisen gehört, ist bei einer Freundin von ihr noch immer im Dauereinsatz: Ein Apple Mac IIci steht bei ihr in einer Radiostation und schreibt dort durch Benutzung einer alten Apple-Maus alle Rechnungen, die auch noch auf einem alten Apple-Drucker ausgedruckt werden. Der Mac ist wie seine Peripherie Baujahr 1989 und läuft und läuft und läuft …Nur die Maus machte jetzt schlapp und ging kaputt - nach 18 Jahren hatte sich ihr Anschaffungspreis mehrfach ausgezahlt. Keine leichte Aufgabe allerdings, hierfür Ersatz zu finden, denn der alte Mac nutzt noch die gute alte ADB-Schnittstellentechnologie (ADB steht für Apple Desktop Bus). Dergleichen wird seit über 10 Jahren nicht mehr hergestellt und gehört damit eigentlich schon fast ins Museum. Maria Langer aber fand in ihrem privaten Fundus noch Ersatz. Vielleicht kann der Mac IIci also noch die kommenden 18 Jahre weiter sein Werk verrichten.Wer weiß, vielleicht sind da draußen noch mehr alte Macs im täglichen Dauereinsatz, als manch einer ahnt. Die gute Qualität und die einfache Nutzung machen es einem leicht, die Hardware - so lange sie läuft - noch weiter einzusetzen. Und wie lange ist Ihr Mac nun schon bei Ihnen im Einsatz? [...]
47 Joe // Aug 8, 2007 at 9:29 pm
More often than not, mouse failures are due to collected dust, muck and hair inside the mouse. Take the mouse apart and clean the trackball and rollers (you may have to do a little scraping on the rollers with a toothpick to get the gummy stuff off) and remove any other gummy, hairy crap from around the button contacts or anywhere else inside. Most likely once you get the mouse back together it will be working again.
48 Maria Langer // Aug 9, 2007 at 6:09 am
Joe, That was the first thing I suggested, too. But it was the clicker that was broken, not the trackball. I might be able to fix it if I open it up, find the broken plastic piece, and apply some glue. (I was successfully doing this on a very old laptop mouse button; well, it wasn’t old at the time.)
49 Chay // Aug 16, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Wow, a II/Ci still in use after all these years, just goes to show that these fine machines had longevity built in. Talking of which, a few years back, I rescued an old II/Ci from a friends shed, the machine was damp from rainwater, and mice had built a nest in it (I think it had been in there at least a year). Just for a challenge I took it apart, cleaned all the boards in soapy water and then with alcohol and left to dry for a few days. Floppy and hard drives were understandably dead, so they had to go. After assembling the machine, it booted up first time! (after replacing the disks and the PRAM battery). The machine’s still working as well as it did when it was new. That’s what I call wel engineered!
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