Getting the Most Value from Your Macs and iOS Devices

The mission of Low End Mac is helping users get the most value from their Macs and iOS devices. We're not concerned with having the fastest, most tweaked out computer possible. We're not concerned with keeping ancient Macs in use long after they've become bottlenecks. We are concerned with value - getting the most use from your hardware for the money, whether that means an upgrade to your existing hardware or a newer model.

Low End Mac (LEM) covers everything from the Lisa to the latest Macs and iOS devices - because sooner or later, everything becomes low-end. Due to our focus on value, the primary focus of LEM is older models.

For the benefit of low-end users, this site uses no frames, no Java, no sound, no QuickTime movies, no PNGs - just text, GIFs, JPEGs, CSS, and a little Javascript. For best viewing, your browser cache should be on.

Site History

I began Low End Mac in April 1997 as a way to keep track of the older Macs I had to support at work. (That was the year we finally began retiring Macs at Baker Publishing - by selling our beige Mac Plus with a GCC HyperDrive to one of our employees. Although the drive has since expired, "Blitz" is still running.)

Originally called The New Low End Mac User and served on my personal Internet account at iserv.net, Low End Mac joined the MacTimes Network in November 1997. There it grew tenfold in popularity. During our months with MacTimes, we also created the iMac Channel, MacInSchool, and a lot of other content which would later be integrate with LEM.

In February 1999, we moved to the lowendmac.com domain as one of the few Mac-related sites served on a Macintosh computer. The Power Mac G3 server was capably managed by Innovative Technologies.

At the end of March 1999, Low End Mac severed its relationship with MacTimes. We joined the infiniMedia Network in May 1999, moving to their server. Although it was a bit of a disappointment no longer being served on Mac hardware, the simple fact is that their Unix server was much faster.

Low End Mac is currently hosted by BackBeat Media, which also handles our ads. The site is running on Apache (Web server software) on the Linux operating system.

Personal Mac History

For several years, I worked as information systems manager for Baker Publishing (then Baker Book House). Baker used Macs for over a decade and had a network of about over 90 when I left in January 2001. Since then, I've been working full time for Cobweb Publishing, Inc., the company I formed to publish Low End Mac and my other Web projects.

I've been working with Macs since 1986, began selling them in 1987, and got my first Mac (a Plus) in 1990 or 1991. Owning that Mac converted me from being a DOS geek and put me on the path to becoming a Mac guru.

Not only did I have a lot of older Macs when I worked for Baker, I've also acquired a small collection of low-end Macs for personal use and testing. We have a 512K, Plus, SE, Classic, SE/30, Classic II, Mac II, IIcx, IIsi, IIci, IIfx, PowerBook 150, LC, LC II, Color Classic, Centris 610, Centris 660av, Quadra 950, Radius 81/110, SuperMac J700, clamshell iBook, Beige G3, Blue & White G3, three G4 Power Macs, several iMacs, and a 2007 Mac mini, our first Intel-based Mac, among others. Most of these are in storage, but I have three Macs that I use daily.

My Mac II, built in 1988, has 8 MB RAM, a 160 MB hard drive, and an ethernet card. It functioned day in and day out as a personal web server (running NetPresenz) and mail list manager (running Macjordomo) for my reformed.net domain for several months. (The site was subsequently hosted on a Mac IIfx, and later moved to a Quadra 650.)

In 2000, I reacquired my first Mac - a platinum Plus with a 16 MHz Brainstorm upgrade, 4 MB RAM, an external 800 KB floppy, and a wicked fast, rock solid Microtech hard drive with a 40 MB Quantum mechanism (well, it was wicked fast when I bought it) - from its third owner. I even have a genuine Apple carrying case: black with a stitched Apple logo. Except for the drive being dead, everything works just fine.

For fun, I've obtained a Portable, a IIfx, Centris 660av, and lots of other vintage Macs and started a personal collection, the Low End Mac Computer Museum (donations gladly accepted).

Interviews with Dan Knight, publisher

• Interview with Dan Knight, Ian Sidle, MacWrite.com, 2001.03.13
• Low End Mac's Dan Knight, MacMilitia, 2000.01.14