With the Macintosh now 25 years old, several sites have been discussing which was the best Mac ever. I made up my mind fully before clicking through, and was happy to see so many people agreed with me.
The SE/30 wasn’t my first Mac, but it was the one that carried me the longest. It was compact, speedy, and for its time better than all challengers. Yes, there’s a degree of Golden Age nostalgia; you love the things of your youth partly because you loved being young.
But I think I love the SE/30 because it felt pure. Its limited hardware and software were perfectly matched in a way I haven’t seen again until the iPhone.
I just emailed my Mom to see if it’s still in a closet somewhere.