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The power button on the Macintosh IIsi could be turned with a flat-head screwdriver to achieve the same thing you describe (locking it in the permanently-powered state): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_IIsi#/media/File:Mac...

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This was a neat hack in many of the early Macs between the 'big switch' ones (like the Mac Plus and SE) and the 'pushbutton' ones (like the Performas and Quadras).

You could even do it with your fingernail; just push in and twist the power button, and it would stay in forever, and the Mac would automatically boot when you plug it in.

My Quadra 700 has this too

Oh nice—and a true classic, that's the one from Jurassic Park, right?

Yea verily, although it was a free street find in 2014 and not something I sought out because it was in the movie. Here she is: https://i.ibb.co/1YkhpHzv/Quadra700-Stack.jpg

Oh man that's nice. When I was in high school slugging along with a Mac LC, I dreamt of having the amazing Quadra 700 with its superior speed and graphics. Crazy that the price was $5,700 ($14K in 2026) and you just picked it out of the trash.

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