Geo,
To clarify some things:

- Mode32 is a System Extension file, meaning that it is like a .dll file under Windows. The file is designed to "patch" a Mac that was "crippled" with 24-bit addressing. The architecture is 32-bit, but for some reason, Apple released the model as 24-bit addressing. Without that Mode32, or equivalent, the Mac won't address anything higher than 8 megabytes of RAM. The system was addressing 24-bits and Mode32 patches in that missing 8 bits of code.

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Ok, gotcha. So once I get a SE/30 or Classic II, I should look to see if "Mode32" is on the system? Where would I get it if it doesn't have it?

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You'll need to look within the Extensions Folder inside the System Folder of the hard drive. If it's not listed there, you can download it free from The pickle's Low-End Mac website, System 6 Heaven, and Apple Inc.'s Old Software List (look for the file, "32-bit System Enabler"). Download the file, expand it using Stuffit Expander and place the expanded file into the Extensions Folder inside the System Folder of the hard drive.

- Asante makes both a SCSI to Ethernet adapter and LocalTalk to Ethernet adapter. LocalTalk is the 8-pin jack(s) on the back of each Mac. You will need either adapter to translate Ethernet to an older Mac. You will be able to file share, Internet access and send documents to a printer on an ethernet network.

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Now in terms of the file sharing I SHOULD be able to do that even if my other PC's are Windows right?

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Well, you'll have the hardware connectivity taken care of, but now you need to make sure that the right System Extensions are installed for networking on your Mac. More pressing, Windows, with exception to Windows NT 3.xx and 4, doesn't translate the Macintosh platform on a Windows machine. So in order for you to see a Mac on the Windows desktop, you'll need to get a software that will do that for System 7.x.x. Timbuktu Pro for Mac and Windows comes to mind (I have the Mac version at home, if you need it) or Windows 3.x.x/4.x.x. Before I go further, I'm talking about file-sharing across your home network, not Internet. Windows uses samba as a means to communicate across local ethernet networks; Macs before OS X use AppleTalk, a totally different language. You'd need to either make all your Macs support samba or all your Windows machines support AppleTalk. Another easier way might be to set up an ftp server and use an ftp software to send and receive files back and forth.

- You can use either the LocalTalk or SCSI ports to send and receive special hardware controls on projects. I'm not familiar with how exactly to do so on SCSI, but with LocalTalk, you'll be having better luck overall. The LocalTalk Modem port is a serial port (RS-422) and you'd be sending that type of level of control on the projects. I can assume that compatibility is more supported via serial verses SCSI.

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Is the Local Talk port any different from the two serial ports on the back of the machine? At any rate, most of the serial interfaces I have worked with with the PC were RS-232 and for MOST applications, it was fast enough. From what I been reading, RS-422 is even faster...so I might not even need to use the SCSI port.

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Both 8-pin serial ports on the back ARE LocalTalk. Apple just named one of them the Modem port and the other Printer port, since they figured most users will use them for THOSE purposes. As said before, the serial/LocalTalk/RS-422 ports are fully compatible with RS-232 standards. SCSI, is a bit faster since it supports up to 1.5 megabytes per second. It has to in order for external SCSI devices to transfer quickly, especially if you have an external SCSI hard drive.

Now...next (but slightly off topic) question guys. MIDI. This is something that the Mac was famous for and I do believe that these older Macs could handle that, correct? If so then I would again need some kind of adapter. What programs were made for the 68k Macs that could do MIDI work?
Thanx,

Geo

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As far as MIDI goes, get in contact with 68KMLA forum member ditabeardmemo. He has already been doing this on classic Macs for a while. He can provide you some good advice on what to do and how to set it up.

73s de Phreakout. :rambo: