Low End Mac Editorial Archive

December 2007

Eudora broken with dialup in Leopard, but where to go next?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 12.24. The old, fast, reliable, friendly, comfortable Eudora email program has worked through many versions of the Mac OS, but it's not able to send over dialup since going to Leopard.
The tables have turned as Apple grows market share, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 12.24. Ten years ago, the PC world was ready to write off Apple as the beleaguered company struggled for existence. Now Apple is number 3 in the US market.
My experiences with Mac OS X, Trevor Wale, One More Thing, 12.24. Frustrated with Windows, the author plunged into Mac OS X Panther in 2005, and he's never regretted the switch.
Think Secret: Struck down by Apple's Asteroid, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 12.24. It took years and years, but Apple has finally managed to shut down one gadfly Mac rumor site.
GeForce startup delay in Leopard solved, transclucent menu bar tied to CPU speed, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 12.24. Also why GeForce 5200 may not be a good choice, LeopardAssist automates unsupported installs, dual G4 Power Mac misreports CPU speed, and using a USB webcam with iChat.
'Is CompUSA going out of business?' or 'Can/will CompUSA reinvent itself?', Rodney O. Lain, 12.21. From the archive: "...CompUSA has not been at its financial zenith for a good while. And Mac users should be concerned, for reasons I hope to argue cogently."
The roots of the Mac OS, Trevor Wale, One More Thing, 12.21. Mac OS X has long, deep roots going back through the Classic Mac OS, the Lisa Office System, and work at Xerox PARC.
Build an $800 Hackintosh, why to switch to Mac, the Church of Mac, and more, Mac News Review, 12.21. Also FireWire S3200 vs. USB 3.0, Security Update 2007-009m FastMac 4x Blu-ray drive for Mac Pro and Power Mac G5, CrossOver for Mac updated, and more.
MacBook nano rumored, laptop sales strong for holidays, MacBook Software Update 1.1, and more, The 'Book Review, 12.21. Ultralight MacBook expected at Macworld Expo, Software Update for MacBook and MacBook Pro, Sonnet's ExpressCard/34 memory card reader, and bargain 'Books from $140 to $2,599.
My 13 years using Windows, Trevor Wale, One More Thing, 12.20. It started with Windows 3.1 in 1992 - and ended with frustration at Windows XP in 2005.
Land Rover LRX integrates iPhone, sell your old iPod, take control of your iPhone, and more, iNews Review, 12.13. Also another website for iPhone users, a portable iPhone charger, mobile phone wallpaper software, a clear iPhone case, and more.
It all started with an Apple IIc, John Hatchett, My First Mac, 12.19. The first computer was an Apple IIc, followed by some MS-DOS computers - and then discovery of the Macintosh.
Vintage Mac networking and file exchange, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple, 12.19. How to network vintage Macs with modern Macs and tips on exchanging files using floppies, Zip disks, and other media.
Flash drive reliability, going back to Tiger, Classic emulation, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 12.19. Also looking for good video card options for use with Leopard on older Macs, and one more unsupported Leopard report.
Better Classic emulation, Leopard on any G3?, CardBus and Compact Flash, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 12.18. Also where to find even older versions of BBEdit Lite, more oddball Mac video connections, installing System 7 on a PowerBook with no install disks, and lockups when faking out the Leopard installer.
Vintage Mac video and monitor mania, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple, 12.17. Vintage Macs and monitors didn't use VGA connectors. Tips on making modern monitors work with old Macs.
Moving data from Linux to the Mac, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac, 12.17. When switching operating systems, the best advice is to use standard cross-platform file formats whenever possible.
Other great USB keyboards, cooler running laptops, the value of old G3 Macs, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 12.17. Other alternatives to Apple's aluminum keyboards, booting OS 9 from RAID, weak AirPort reception, and cool running notebooks.
Getting inside vintage Macs and swapping out bad parts, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple, 12.14. When an old Mac dies, the best source of parts is usually another dead Mac with different failed parts.
Christmas in January: MacBook Pro and Lite widely anticipated for Macworld Expo, The 'Book Review, 12.14. Rumors of new Penryn-based MacBook Pro models, an ultralight MacBook, and a possible iTablet. Also bargain 'Books from $200 to $3,079.
Macs the top 2008 PC story, no media sharing with new drive, Office 2008 sneak peak, and more, Mac News Review, 12.14. Also the best alternative to Apple's keyboards, setting up a desktop printer in Leopard, Mac OS versions that shipped with Macs, five Leopard tips from David Pogue, and more.
Wishes for 2008: Apple TV content, task management for the iPhone, and the MacBook mini, Ed Eubanks Jr, The Efficient Mac User, 12.13. Apple TV is being held back due to limited content, the iPhone needs solid task management, and it's time for Apple to redefine the ultra-portable notebook market.
OS X on Flash in CardBus, Quartz Extreme benefits, fix or unload a Performa 550, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 12.13. Also suggestions for fixing a troublesome iMac, locating an ADB keyboard, finding old versions of BBEdit Lite, and dealing with ligature problems.
Free iPhone unlock, simple music streaming to iPhone, VOIP for the iPod touch, and more, iNews Review, 12.13. Also Google applications for the iPhone, cell phones replacing land lines for many, microphone input for the iPod touch, 80 GB Zune 'trumps iPod classic', and more.
Solving Mac startup problems, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple, 12.12. When your old Mac won't boot, the most likely culprits are a dead PRAM battery or a failed (or failing) hard drive.
Could the iPod touch be your next PDA?, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 12.12. If you're already happy with your mobile phone, the iPod touch can give you the whole Internet experience without switching to an iPhone.
iMac Rev. B nightmares, thousands vs. millions of colors performance, and unsupported Leopard, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 12.11. Problems restoring a Rev. B iMac, color depth and graphics performance, and more unsupported Leopard reports.
The best alternatives to Apple's USB keyboards, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 12.10. There are a lot of USB keyboards out there, even for the Mac, but these two have great keyboard action, are solidly built, and have features Apple's keyboard don't include.
Keeping those old Macs useful, David Passell, My Turn, 12.10. Long a fan of old Macs, the author oversees a computer recycling project that can repurpose most older Macs.
8 GB partition issue impacts OS 9, RAM for G3 iMacs, success with Open Firmware hack, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 12.10. Partitions over 8 GB can cause problems in the classic Mac OS, more unsupported Leopard reports, another vote against the iPhone, and millions vs. thousands of colors.
Bringing G3 iMacs and other G3 Macs into the Tiger Age, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 12.07. Tips on hard drives, memory, WiFi, and getting Mac OS X 10.4 installed on G3 iMacs and other older G3 Macs.
Why I can't buy an iPhone, and what I did about it, John Hatchett, My Turn, 12.07. Thanks to Apple's exclusive iPhone deal with AT&T and no local AT&T wireless coverage, the author had to find a different solution.
iPods, notebooks, and other modern electronics more readily replaced than repaired, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 12.07. Whether it's an intermittent failure or a broken display cable, more often than not it's cheaper to replace a broken electronics device than repair it.
Working with vintage Macs, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple, 12.07. Tips for dealing with dead PRAM batteries, failed drives, connecting monitors, networking, swapping out parts, and more.
Weak AirPort Extreme, Open Firmware hack, deleting old Systems, and spacing problems in Pages, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 12.07. Fixing a weak signal in AirPort Extreme, thoughts on the Open Firmware Leopard install hack, when it's safe to delete an old System, and line spacing issues in Pages.
MacBook Pro 'absolutely flies', not just for pros; mobile 'Penryn' to debut in January; and more, The 'Book Review, 12.07. Also 8 steps to buying a MacBook, MacBook nano "short of a sure thing" at Macworld Expo, more LED backlighting expected from Apple, Hitachi vs. Seagate 7200 rpm drives, bargain 'Books from $200 to $2,688, and more.
Mac hits 6.8% share on Net, Intel iMac screen problems, Classic on Leopard, and more, Mac News Review, 12.07. Also adding hierarchical menus to the Leopard Dock, speeding up Leopard with less colors, a new OS X email client, and Parallels Premium Edition.
Faking out the Leopard installer with Open Firmware, Dylan McDermond, Unsupported Leopard, 12.06. You don't have to hack the installer to make the Mac OS X 10.5 installer run on sub-867 MHz G4 Macs by using this simple Open Firmware trick.
The Swiss Army knife of notebook Macs, John Hatchett, My Turn, 12.06. The 2000 Pismo was the high point of PowerBook design and flexibility with a great keyboard, expandsion bays, two PC Card slots, and a wonderful curvaceous design.
AT&T's $39 iPhone exchange fee, Juice Pack double's iPhone time, unlocked iPhones, and more, iNews Review, 12.06. Also PC Magazine finds iPhone 'full of contradictions', using the iPhone in Canada, color earphones, iPhoneDrive updated, translation software, and more.
Fast, compact, light, quiet, cool, long battery life, large screen, affordable: You can't have it all, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 12.05. Notebook design involves trade-offs. Small, light, and quiet means a smaller screen, lower capacity batteries, and a slower, cooler running CPU.
Info-Mac reloaded, Rick Lawson, Pioneers in Mac Development, 12.05. The oldest online Mac community and software archive is back after a two-year hiatus.
Old Macs are practical, not just nostalgic, Chris Kilner, My First Mac, 2007.12.05. 10 Macs, five monitors, and two printers off for recycling, but still a dozen Macs at home for fun, nostalgia, and troubleshooting.
From the familiarity of Windows to the power of Mac, why 867 MHz for Leopard, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 12.05. Also the DAV connector on the Power Mac 8600, really old Mac System software, Aperture and vampire video, using an ImageWriter printer with USB, and more.
Why we acquire Macs, John Carlson, My Turn, 12.04. Mac users are an odd breed - we tend to buy new computers without ever tossing out our old Macs.
An indigo iBook: My first modern notebook Mac, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 12.04. The clamshell iBook majors in ruggedness, has a handle to increase portability, and can even run OS X (slowly) with just 128 MB of RAM.
MacBook replaces PowerBook: The name grows on you, Trevor Wale, One More Thing, 12.04. A PowerBook by any other name would be as sweet, but it took a while to get comfortable with the new MacBook name.
Mac approaching 25th birthday, OS 8 on Performa 630, Mac Classics in use 24/7, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 12.04. Also more thoughts on vampire video, realigning the Road Apple label, the fate of DropStuff, and an unidentified cable in a Power Mac 8600.
Switching to Mac tripled my productivity, Ted Bragg, My First Mac, 12.03. Tired of losing work and tech support, Bragg bought an iMac, switched to Mac versions of his apps, and tripled his output the first year.
Leopard on a G3 iMac (with a G4 upgrade), flashed video card problems, the cheapest G4 Mac, and More, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 12.03. More unsupported Leopard reports point to the importance of a good video card, success on a CRT iMac with a G4/550 upgrade, and whether Sawtooth or Quicksilver is a better buy.
Cooler laptops, a G4 recording studio, a fast Unicode text editor, and phantom email, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 12.03. Quieter, cooler running notebooks, a Power Mac G4-based recording studio using Mac OS 9, a fast text editor with great Unicode support, and phantom email in Mail in OS X 10.3.9.