Low End Mac Archive for August 25

August 25 in Apple and Low End Mac History

The voom factor, Paulo Rodrigues, Mac Musings. "Apple computer has cleaned up the computer industry."

Quadras still useful, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive. Although showing their age, Quadras remain very productive computers.

The next G3, Emailer vs. spam, Mac OS 9 stability tips, USB voodoo, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings. Also Mac vs. Windows changes, Power Mac 7500 advice, an odd cable, and more on the Sleep of Death.
iBook and *nix ruminations from Heathrow, Dirk Pilat, Down But Not Out. The only Apple portable in a terminal filled with Dells, Gateways, and HPs.

Macs are great but still have room to improve, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. "I still think Macs are the best information appliance on the market, but until they are as reliable and easy to use as my toaster or refrigerator, there's room for improvement."
Finishing (in) the Studio: Printers, backup, and graphics tablets, Jason Walsh, The Low End Designer. Why you may not need a high-end printer, better have a CD burner, and might want a graphics tablet in your design studio.

Intel moving to lower power, lower speed, cooler, more efficient CPUs; Apple vs. OSx86; and more, The Macintel Report. Intel's new CPU roadmap, Mac developers taking to Intel, and more on the Macintel future.
iPod outsells Sony in Japan, Sony takes on iPod shuffle, Tux stands, PivotDock, TuneSync, and more, iPod News Review. Also iPod mini going flash?, IBM's iPod-based wearable PC, flexible iPod shuffle car charger, iDJ mixing console, and more.

The Apple vs. Microsoft GUI lawsuit, Tom Hormby, Orchard. In an ironic twist of fate, John Sculley gave away the farm to get Microsoft to develop Word and Excel for the Mac.
Writely, Google's free word processor: What's the catch?, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive. Writely isn't going to replace Microsoft Word for high-end word processing, but for most users most of the time, this free program should be plenty good enough.
PowerBook/iBook battery recall, Sony battery woes, MacBook cooling fix always runs fans, and more, The 'Book Review. Also AirPort Express exonerated in WiFi hack, MacBook RIP, Apple tops in tech support, Lapinator insulates user from notebook heat, bargain 'Books from $119 to $1,400, and more.
G3 support in Leopard, 512 MB inadequate for Tiger, free battery recycling, vintage and obsolete Macs, and more, Mac News Review. Also one Ubuntu switcher is now a 'Macboy' again, security costs make Windows more expensive than OS X, Mac Pro tips and reviews, hand carved iPod stands, and more.

8 free POP3 email options, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.08.25. In recent years, a lot of free POP3 email providers have started charging or left the field. Here are 8 choices you may want to consider.
iPod touch or Cowon A3: What's a Mac user to choose?, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing. For Internet access and integration with the Mac, the iPod touch is the way to go. But for media recording and playback, the Cowon has it all over the iPod.
Mac OS X has more problems than Vista, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz. All it takes is a simple Google search to demonstrate that Mac OS X has more problems than Windows - and way more than Vista.
Upgrading your Lombard PowerBook G3, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum. Step-by-step instructions for getting inside the Lombard PowerBook to upgrade RAM, replace the hard drive, and swap out the CPU card.

Protect your notebook against loss, theft, data loss, and security breaches, Charles W Moore, 'Book Value. 10 percent of laptops are lost or stolen every year. Tips on preventing theft, securing your data, and recovering from a lost, stolen, or broken notebook.
Mac mini the best value in desktop Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings. Although the iMac is faster all around, the Mac mini provides plenty of power at half the price. Even with the cost of upgrades, it's the value champion.

How I learned to stop worrying and hate my netbook, Jason Walsh, Mac Life. Jason Walsh bought a Dell Mini 10V because it was small, cheap, and capable of running Mac OS X - and now barely tolerates it.

Succeeding Steve Jobs at Apple: The Moneyball Approach, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market. Steve Jobs saved Apple and has a great team in place. It may never be necessary for him to come back as CEO.
20 years of Linux: Where is it going?, Low End Mac Round Table. Low End Mac's staff looks at Linux, its failure to gain traction on the desktop, and its importance for the future.
Linux on a PlayStation 3 or not: My personal struggle, Dan Bashur, Apple, Tech, and Gaming. The PS3 was originally designed to support a second operating system, such as Linux, but firmware 3.15 disabled it. Is it better to install Linux on your PS3 or have up-to-date firmware?