Low End Mac Editorial Archive

March 2003

Quill gripless ergonomic mouse, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 03.31. Uniquely designed mouse reorients hand, greatly reduces stress on wrist and fingers.
Switching to Windows, angry about OS X, upgrade pricing, Kanga, Apple and Intel, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 03.31. Readers weigh in on leaving OS X for Windows XP, the cost of OS X upgrades, the existence of a Jaguar upgrade CD, the original PowerBook, and a Jobs-Intel relationship.
A damaged hard drive can ruin your whole day - hooray for backups!, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 03.28. Why Low End Mac wasn't updated for almost two days, and how multiple backups and some helpful software got us back on our feet.
DiskWarrior 3 preorders, FireWire/USB2 PC Card, DVD-R for G3 and G4 PowerBooks, and more, Charles Moore, The 'Book Review, 03.28. Also a very portable table, a sleeve for the 17 inch PowerBook, new FW/USB2 enclosures, spam kills another free email service, and bargain 'books from $59.99 to $2,639.
Six dead 'Books in six years: Is Apple quality control slipping?, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 03.28. "Quality control doesn't seem to be an issue with some computer manufacturers, but judging from my experiences with their laptops, Apple has a bit of work to do."
Need Macs for your classroom? Write a grant, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report, 03.27. No room in the budget for the equipment you need? Writing a grant could be just the ticket.
TextEdit, a hidden powerhouse that comes free with OS X, Eric Schwarz, The Power of Mac, 03.26. Although easily overlooked, TextEdit could be all the word processing software a lot of Mac users ever need.
The Panther upgrade fee letters and multiprocesor kudos, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 03.26. Readers swear Panther will be free or won't be out until long after WWDC. Others agree Apple must avoid another no discount upgrade fiasco.
5 things Apple is doing right - and 5 they could do better, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac, 03.25. Thoughts on Al Gore, Xserve clusters, Keynote, Virtual PC, death of the CRT iMac, education, and how Apple could own the PDA market.
Kanga a best buy, Kanga RAM, wireless for older 'Books, Western Digital problems, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 03.25. Also Lombard memory issues, yet another Apple going Intel rumor, Pismo and Lombard battery prices, and more problems with the Rev. 1 blue and white G3.
Jaguar today, Panther tomorrow, and another slap in the face?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 03.24. Why buy Jaguar today when Panther will probably ship in a few months with no discount to reward my loyalty?
Griffin iMate lets you use ADB pevices with USB ports, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 03.24. Griffin's compact, low-cost iMate lets you use most ADB mice, keyboards, and other peripherals with modern USB-equipped Macs.
Are two brains better than one?, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 03.24. It sounds reasonable that two processors are better than one, but how much better is a dual processor Power Mac G4 than a single processor model?
Western Digital drive issues, iBook questions, Mac manuals, Kanga feedback, the longest lived Mac, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 03.21. Powerline networking, NuBus SCSI card info, beige G3 memory and ROM revisions, and more on Quartz Extreme and PCI video.
Juice your 'Book and phone, ear-mounted LED, used iBooks from $700, and more, Charles W Moore, The 'Book Review, 03.21. Also new laptop cases, new mobile video solutions from ATI and Nvidia, nationwide Power Mac and iMac repair service, and gigabit ethernet deals.
Death of the G3 iMac? The G3 ain't dead yet, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 03.21. Apple may be phasing out the G3, but those old G3 desktops and 'Books have plenty of life left in them.
Pismo PowerBook a good value, but better than Lombard?, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 03.21. The "Pismo" PowerBook is a real powerhouse, but does it offer more value than the "Lombard" model?
The strong value of the Lombard PowerBook G3, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 03.19. Why the 333 MHz Lombard is a particularly good value in portable computing.
Whether you call it AirPort, WiFi, or 802.11 wireless networking, your portable should have it, Eric Schwarz, The Power of Mac, 03.19. With more wireless hot spots popping up, there are more reasons to have an AirPort card in your 'Book every day.
Intel to join Apple in debunking the megahertz myth?, Stephen Van Esch, Mac Scope, 03.19. Intel's new 1.6 GHz Centrino matches their 2.4 GHz mobile Pentium. Educating the consumer that MHz isn't everything can only help Apple.
PowerBook 1400 upgrades, expansion bay combo drives, death of a free email provider, and more, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 03.19. G3 and other upgrades for a PB 1400, two expansion bay combo drives, demise of subDimension, and an iBook drive upgrade tutorial.
How good a value is a used PowerBook G3 WallStreet?, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 03.18. How good a deal is the WallStreet PowerBook under the classic Mac OS - or for running Mac OS X?
Safe and secure online ordering, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac, 03.18. "By employing a few safeguards, you can greatly reduce the chances that you will fall victim to Internet fraud."
Is the original PowerBook G3 too limited today?, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 03.17. Once the world's fastest laptop, has the 'Kanga' PowerBook been left in the dust?
Powerline networking, Quartz Extreme and maximum memory on a beige G3, all about AGP, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 03.17. Also USB modems, USB-to-ethernet adapters, locating an old Mac manual, and booting the PowerBook 500 series using flash memory.
Pismo G3/800 upgrade, dock for iceBooks, USB keyboard lights, the return of FireDino, and more, Charles Moore, The 'Book Review, 03.14. Also new cases, keyboard protection, 'Book accessories, higher capacity laptop drives, and bargain 'Books from $190 to $1,899.
Are older Macs lower than low end?, Eric Schwarz, The Power of Mac, 03.14. Are low-end Mac users finding happiness with newer low-end Mac?
Fuel cells: Better batteries mean better portables, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 03.14. Fuel cells could provide power for a full day of computing and reduce the weight of laptops. Are there any drawbacks?
Answers to student questions about the Mac, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report, 03.13. Where is the Internet? How do I eject my CD? and other questions students ask in the classroom.
USB for wireless networking, the rev. A b&w G3, beige G3 memory upgrades, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 03.12. Reports from the field, further reports on Sawtooth AGP incompatibility, and a possible lawsuit against Apple over the *nix core of OS X.
A sentimental Mac journey with a PowerBook 3400, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac, 03.11. "Experiencing an attack of nostalgia, I got out the 3400c today. In fact, I am typing this column on it...."
Apple-Microsoft cold war turns hot, Jeff Adkins, The Lite Side, 03.11. Situation quickly escalates as one-time partners take off the gloves and go for the jugular.
Recent and coming changes at Low End Mac, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 03.10. A look at some recent design tweaks at Low End Mac - and projects we're working on for the near future.
More on b&w G3s, beige G3s, motherboard revisions, AGP video in Sawtooth, and wireless networking, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 03.10. Importance of Revision 2 motherboards, ADC limitations of the Sawtooth Power Mac G4, ethernet vs. USB for wireless networking, and a wired alternative to ethernet.
9 free POP3 email services and 2 low cost ones, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 03.10. Nine no cost email sources that work with your email software - and two low-cost alternatives.
An incredible B&W G3 deal, more on the G4 that wouldn't work, Apple's G4 that wouldn't work, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 03.07. Also upgrading vs. replacing your old Mac, the best version of OS 9, slot count in the G3 Power Macs, and more on USB bandwidth.
500 MHz WallStreet upgrade, laptops for teens, more secure flash drives, new cases, and more, Charles Moore, The 'Book Review, 03.07. Also PB Medic's online store, new two-slot PCI expansion chassis, Acme Made's screen cover, and bargain 'Books from $769 to $3,101.
Macs: Beyond multimedia and megahertz, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 03.07. "Maybe a day will come when processor speed will lose its importance and people will buy computers based on their abilities."
Upgrading your G3 iMac, Evan Kleiman, Mac Daniel, 03.07. Three types of upgrades that can improve your old iMac for less than the cost of buying a new one.
Fast ethernet surprise, Mozilla HTML editor useful, comments on beige G3 and blue & white G3, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 03.06. Also a possible risk using Drive Setup, the lowdown on SCSI throughput on the oldest Macs with SCSI, and setting up a wireless network with pre-AirPort Macs.
Defending the Mac in three minutes or less, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report, 03.06. "I believe this argument isn't really about Mac vs. PC; in fact, I think it is more about teachers making professional judgments about what are the right tools to get the job done."
Looking for a Power Mac G4? Here's why you want an AGP model, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 03.06. Why a used Power Mac G4 with AGP video is a much better value than a Power Mac G4 with PCI video.
Mac users to be test case for legit music downloads, Stephen Van Esch, Mac Scope, 03.05. "I personally don't have any doubts that Apple will provide a great music buying experience."
Really wiping a hard drive, OS X and the beige G3, viruses, a Mac that won't shut down, flash memory PowerBooks, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 03.05. Also more on printing from an older Mac, where to get Claris Home Page, a switcher's request, and the value of the beige G3.
Pismo G4 upgrade report, PB 1400 G3 upgrade question, FireWire hot swap concerns, and 'Book repair, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 03.05. Field report on the NuPower G4 Pismo upgrade, advice on upgrading a PB 1400, dangers of hot swapping during startup, and a couple questions about PowerBook repair.
Yikes! This Power Mac G4 just isn't worth the money, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 03.05. If you're looking for a budget Power Mac with G4 power, this isn't the one you want at today's prices.
Some haxies worse than others, Web page design options, free email warning, really wiping a drive, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 03.03. Also the cost of a big onboard cache, more on switching from Macs to PCs, a source for CD drivers, and tips on printing from an older Mac.
The value and limitations of the beige G3, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 03.03. As used G3 prices plummet, has the beige G3 become a best buy, or are there good reasons to avoid it?