Info-Mac
Encyclopedia
Info-Mac is an online community
, news aggregator and shareware
file hosting service
covering Apple Inc. products, including the iPhone
, iPod
and especially the Macintosh
. Established in 1984 as an electronic mailing list
, Info-Mac is notable as being the first online community for Apple's then-new Macintosh computer. Info-Mac was the dominant Internet
resource for Mac OS
software and community-based support throughout the 1980s
and 1990s
.
and shareware
available for the Macintosh, and the Info-Mac Digest, an electronic mailing list open to public participation. Both the Info-Mac Archive and Info-Mac Digest were operated by volunteers.
servers, and was itself archived on the Info-Mac Archive. At its height, the Info-Mac Digest was read daily by several thousand people, and was mirrored in the Usenet
group comp.sys.mac.digest.
The Info-Mac Digest was published in "volumes" that covered the period of one calendar year, with some exceptions.
located around the world. At the time, disk space on a server was cost-prohibitive. Free archives such as Info-Mac were often the only means for shareware authors to deliver their product over the Internet. Some early commercial software download sites, like CNET's
Shareware.com, were originally mirrors of the Info-Mac Archive.
Due to the low bandwidth common of early Internet users, Info-Mac also partnered with Pacific HiTech to periodically publish CD-ROMs
containing selected shareware and freeware from the archive, to be sold through Mac-related magazines and publications. This allowed wider distribution to users who could not spare the long download times associated with software applications. Starting with the Info-Mac VI CD-ROM, the discs included the utility "Spelunker" which allowed users to search the archive in a user-friendly manner. Starting with the Info-Mac VIII CD-ROM, the package included two discs to offer twice the shareware and freeware.
In December 2007, Info-Mac was redesigned and relaunched with a Web 2.0
interface, combining previous Info-Mac Digest and Info-Mac Archive content with a modernized forum-based community and news aggregator. Today, Info-Mac has expanded to cover all Apple product lines. A new, opt in
Info-Mac Digest automatically generated from forum content is published daily. Info-Mac also distributes an iOS app called iForum on the App Store.
Online community
An online community is a virtual community that exists online and whose members enable its existence through taking part in membership ritual. An online community can take the form of an information system where anyone can post content, such as a Bulletin board system or one where only a restricted...
, news aggregator and shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
file hosting service
File hosting service
A file hosting service, online file storage provider, or cyberlocker is an Internet hosting service specifically designed to host user files. Typically they allow HTTP and FTP access. Related services are content-displaying hosting services A file hosting service, online file storage provider, or...
covering Apple Inc. products, including the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
and especially the Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
. Established in 1984 as an electronic mailing list
Electronic mailing list
An electronic mailing list is a special usage of email that allows for widespread distribution of information to many Internet users. It is similar to a traditional mailing list — a list of names and addresses — as might be kept by an organization for sending publications to...
, Info-Mac is notable as being the first online community for Apple's then-new Macintosh computer. Info-Mac was the dominant Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
resource for Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
software and community-based support throughout the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
and 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
.
Original Format
Info-Mac consisted of two distinct services: the Info-Mac Archive, a user-submitted collection of nearly all contemporary freewareFreeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
and shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
available for the Macintosh, and the Info-Mac Digest, an electronic mailing list open to public participation. Both the Info-Mac Archive and Info-Mac Digest were operated by volunteers.
Info-Mac Digest
The Info-Mac Digest was published daily via Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
servers, and was itself archived on the Info-Mac Archive. At its height, the Info-Mac Digest was read daily by several thousand people, and was mirrored in the Usenet
Usenet
Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
group comp.sys.mac.digest.
The Info-Mac Digest was published in "volumes" that covered the period of one calendar year, with some exceptions.
Info-Mac Archive
The Info-Mac Archive was the centralized collection of Macintosh software with over 100 mirror sitesMirror (computing)
In computing, a mirror is an exact copy of a data set. On the Internet, a mirror site is an exact copy of another Internet site.Mirror sites are most commonly used to provide multiple sources of the same information, and are of particular value as a way of providing reliable access to large downloads...
located around the world. At the time, disk space on a server was cost-prohibitive. Free archives such as Info-Mac were often the only means for shareware authors to deliver their product over the Internet. Some early commercial software download sites, like CNET's
CNET
CNET is a tech media website that publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Originally founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition...
Shareware.com, were originally mirrors of the Info-Mac Archive.
Due to the low bandwidth common of early Internet users, Info-Mac also partnered with Pacific HiTech to periodically publish CD-ROMs
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
containing selected shareware and freeware from the archive, to be sold through Mac-related magazines and publications. This allowed wider distribution to users who could not spare the long download times associated with software applications. Starting with the Info-Mac VI CD-ROM, the discs included the utility "Spelunker" which allowed users to search the archive in a user-friendly manner. Starting with the Info-Mac VIII CD-ROM, the package included two discs to offer twice the shareware and freeware.
Decline and 2007 Relaunch
The popularity of Info-Mac services in their original format waned in the early 2000s. Unable to maintain relevance on the rapidly evolving Internet, the Info-Mac Digest was discontinued in November 2002, while the Info-Mac Archive stopped accepting new file submissions in December 2005.In December 2007, Info-Mac was redesigned and relaunched with a Web 2.0
Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
interface, combining previous Info-Mac Digest and Info-Mac Archive content with a modernized forum-based community and news aggregator. Today, Info-Mac has expanded to cover all Apple product lines. A new, opt in
Opt in e-mail
Opt in email is a term used when someone is given the option to receive "bulk" email, that is, email that is sent to many people at the same time. Typically, this is some sort of mailing list, newsletter, or advertising...
Info-Mac Digest automatically generated from forum content is published daily. Info-Mac also distributes an iOS app called iForum on the App Store.