A. General Information
1. What is a Newton?
Well, this question is certainly a good place to start.
Basically, a Newton is a portable personal digital assistant (PDA) and computing platform developed and marketed by Apple in the 1990s. Newton is also a general name given to any handheld and portable device that runs the Newton OS, including those manufactured by third party companies who licensed the technology from Apple.
See also: What are the various Newton models?
Newton devices include a stylus which is used to input data and interact with the user interface via a touchscreen. Handwriting recognition facilitates the conversion of digital “ink” created using the stylus into live text. The operating system includes built-in applications for taking notes, organizing lists, managing contacts, as well as setting reminders and appointments.
See also: Using Newton OS
2. What is a FAQ?
FAQ is an acronym for “Frequently Asked Questions” and is generally considered to be a list or document containing a set of questions and answers pertaining to a given topic.
FAQ can be pronounced as individual letters “F - A - Q” or more literally as “fack”.
For more information, see FAQs about FAQs.
3. What is the Newton FAQ?
This document began as a simple FAQ related to common questions and issues pertaining to Apple’s Newton computing platform — the hardware, software, technologies, and other relevant information.
Over the course of several years and iterations, it grew into a huge database of Newton knowledge or “Newtledge” … as Gregory J. Wayman referred to it on the NewtonTalk mailing list.
The Newton FAQ is by no means a simple tool only for Newton newbies, it is historical repository of information and links for anyone interested in the Newton.
4. Where can I find the latest version?
The most current version is available on the newtonfaq.com website.
Sylvain Pilet also hosts a copy of the FAQ on his website, although it may not be the most recent version.
The source for the Newton FAQ resides in a public GitHub repository and is published automatically to the aforementioned site whenever an update or edit is committed to the repository.
It’s like magic.
5. Where can I find previous versions?
The first edition of the Newton FAQ was compiled and published by Paul Guyot on August 18th, 1999.
Beginning in October 1999, the FAQ was updated monthly in HTML format. It was also posted as plain text in the comp.sys.newton.misc, comp.answers, and news.answers newsgroups on the same monthly schedule.
In September 2001, the FAQ was automatically posted to several websites serving as hosts and mirrors of the document.
Previous editions can be found in the following locations:
a. HTML format
- September 1999
- January 2001
- March 2001
- April 2001
- May 2001
- June 2001
- July 2001
- September 2001
- October 2001
- November 2001
- December 2001
- January 2002
- February 2002
- March 2002
- April 2002
- May 2002
- June 2002
- July 2002
- August 2002
- September 2002
- October 2002
- November 2002
- December 2002
- March 2003
- November 2003
b. Plain text format
- April 2001
- May 2001
- June 2001
- July 2001
- September 2001
- October 2001
- November 2001
- December 2001
- January 2002
- February 2002
- March 2002
- April 2002
- May 2002
- June 2002
- July 2002
- August 2002
- September 2002
- October 2002
c. Newton Book format
- November 2000 published by Mark Rollins
6. Who can I contact for corrections, suggestions, or comments?
Grant Hutchinson currently maintains and publishes updates to the Newton FAQ and the associated website.
Please contact us using the Issues interface on GitHub.
Questions, corrections, edits, and comments may also be submitted through the NewtonTalk mailing list.
Please note that the FAQ isn’t just a compilation of knowledge from contributors to the project. It’s a compilation of knowledge from the entire Newton community. Consequently, we’re not necessarily the best people to ask if you’re having a specific problem with your Newton. You’d be better off to post your questions in the related groups and forums.
B. Resources
1. Where can I find other FAQs about the Newton?
a. General FAQs
- Robert Sexton’s Newton FAQ (1999)
- Andree Dettmer’s Newton Meta FAQ (2002)
- Jean-Christophe Bousson’s Newton MessagePad Facts and FAQs (1995) is useful for Newton OS 1.x models.
b. Specialized FAQs & Resources
- Grant Hutchinson’s Newton Glossary (Current)
- The Newton section of the Apple Wiki compiles information from several sources. (Current)
- The Apple Newton section of the Higher Intellect Vintage Computing Wiki is another great resource. (Current)
- C. W. Otto Sohn’s NewTIL provides an interface to the long defunct AppleCare Knowledge Archive.
- Stand Alone’s Frequently Asked Questions About the Newton and Stand Alone (1999)
- Hardy Macia’s Handwriting Tips for Newton Power Users (1998)
- Daniel Domberger’s Newton Heap Mini-FAQ (1997)
- David Arnold’s Newton Infrared FAQ (1998)
- Newton Underground’s NCU/IrDA Connectivity Mini-FAQ (1999)
- Joseph N. Hall & Eric Damien Berna’s Newton Battery FAQ (1998)
- Peter R. Payne’s The Newton & eMate Pre-Buyers’ Guide (1998)
- Hardy Macia’s Stuffit and Windows Mini-FAQ
- Ben Truesdale’s Newton Connection FAQ (2001)
- Clay Irving’s Newton Reference is a vast collection of software, accessories, and other resources.
- Victor Rehorst’s Ethernet Information
c. Translated & International FAQs & Resources
- Tetsuya Iinuma’s Newton FAQ (日本語版) (1997) is a Japanese translation of Robert Sexton’s English version.
- Guido Heer’s German Newton FAQ (2003)
- Pascal B. Kreil’s Systemwechsel (System Change) FAQ (2002) has information about switching from the Newton platform.
- Pascal B. Kreil’s NewtonWiki (2001) provides a variety of Newton information in German.
- Qu’est-ce que le Newton? is a short French FAQ published by the Regroupement des Amis du Newton Dévoués Ostensiblement à leurs Machines. (2002)
C. Acknowledgments
1. Who is responsible for the Newton FAQ?
Over the past two decades, numerous individuals have been involved in the creation, maintenance, and hosting of the Newton FAQ.
The Newton FAQ project began in August 1999, led by Paul Guyot, Sean Luke, Peter Rand, and Steve Weyer.
In August 2002, Paul Guyot stepped back from compiling and publishing the monthly FAQ updates, handing the reigns over to Daniel Padilla.
In October 2003, Grant Hutchinson took over the role of FAQ dad and is still maintaining the document and website.
2. Who else has helped with the Newton FAQ?
We’d like to acknowledge the following people for provided their time, knowledge, and other resources to this project.
- Frank Gründel
- Paul Guyot
- Grant Hutchinson
- Anthony V. Jeancola
- Rich “This Old Newt” Lindsay
- Sean Luke
- Daniel Padilla
- Peter Rand
- Victor Rehorst
- Mark Rollins
- Bill Shamam
- Chris Stephens
- Steve Weyer
We’d also like to thank Robert Sexton for his hard work over the first few years of this project, David Arnold for compiling his extensive site aimed at Newton developers, as well as Laura Painter from Planet Newton.
Finally, we’d want to thank the entire Newton community for its ongoing spirit and support. The depth and breadth of this FAQ couldn’t have been accomplished without the all of the comments, suggestions, additions, and corrections from Newton users like you.
Cheers!