'I' in iMac for Inferior?

4 November 1999 - Evan Kleiman

The "I" in iMac must stand for inferior. Because after installing Mac OS 9 on your iMac, you'll feel inferior to your little computer. OS 9, Apple's latest operating system for the Mac, is sure to make your iMac work for you.

You could say that this operating system adds a lot of functionality, but it doesn't. It adds a ton of bells and whistles. It makes your computer much more convenient, and it makes your Windows friends very jealous.

The first bell and or whistle it adds is one that will make me and anyone else that has little snooping brothers or sisters happy. With OS 9.0 you can set up At-Ease-like profiles for everyone who uses your computer - and you can password protect them. Each person can have their own tastes, because every profile on the computer can have its own preferences. So if your family doesn't like your Shawn Michaels wallpaper, they can get their own. Also, it lets you keep all of your documents to yourself if you share your computer.

But, hey, some people are even too lazy to type in their passwords. So, OS 9 even has a bell and whistle for that: Voice print login! Yes, all you need to do is say your pass phrase, and your in! (For those still too lazy to even do this, telepathic login is coming soon.)

The keychain was a great new feature back when it was introduced with System 7.5 many years ago, and now it's been reinvented. With OS 9, you can store all kinds of passwords, not just AppleTalk network ones like with the old version.

Many people like to buy things over the internet, but many times we can't find out where to buy them. But, of course, OS 9 helps you do that, too. Sherlock 2.0 is included with OS 9. This program will not only search the net and your hard drive, it will let you search online stores for the items you need. Now you won't need to spend three hours trying to find that Jan Brady miniature figurine.

One of the smart features of Windows 98 was the ability to have it update itself automatically. Windows' much better Mac counterpart had no such feature (all together now: Microsoft came up with an idea of their own?). But, with OS 9, you have that feature, too. You can tell your little Mac when to update itself, so it will also have the latest system software.

With all of these great goodies, Mac users lives will be much easier. All we need now is a new extension that has your iMac make dinner for you. . . . 

Recent Mac Happens Columns

• MP3 Forever!, 6/26/00. Closing down Napster will not help already rich artists, but may prevent new ones from being discovered.
• Internet radio, 6/9/00. Internet radio solves problems with poor radio reception, but also lets you listen to radio from around the world.
• Software to make life easier, 5/23/00. Helpful software you may never have heard of.
• Mac Happens index
• Evansite, Evan's own site.

Recent Content on Low End Mac

• Looking for a Content Management System That's as Easy as Mac, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 08.29. Low End Mac needs to move to a content management system, but the few we've tried just don't cut it for people used to the simple elegance of the Mac.
• First 3 Million Mac Quarter, Skinny on Mac mini Pricing, Mac-like gOS, and More, Mac News Review, 08.29. More plan to buy Apple products than ever before, complete reset can fix MobileMac synch problems, Apple boosting computer and smartphone share, and more.
• New 'Books Likely in September, 17" PowerBook Display Fault Site, SSD Security, and More, The 'Book Review, 08.29. Also 6 ways to speed up your MacBook, next generation MacBook Air CPU, MacBook Air Update, LapStrap carrying solution, rise and fall of ultraportables, bargains from $220 to $2,699, and more.
• iPhone 3G Reception 'Completely Normal', AT&T International Data Plans for iPhone, and More, iNews Review, 08.29. Also longer life for iPod earbuds, an alternative to MobileMe, new cases and apps for iPhone, AppStoreGems website launched, and more.
• 10 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 08.28. A look at Internet Explorer, Radon, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, Flock, and Camino running in Leopard.
• Clone and Boot: Another Advantage of the Mac OS, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 08.28. Unlike Windows, Apple makes it possible to clone a bootable drive (Classic Mac OS or OS X) and use it with another supported Mac.

Latest Deals on Low End Mac

• Best Power Mac G4 Deals, 08.29. Used 450 MHz AGP, $75; 500, $99; 800 QS, $199; 1.25 GHz MDD, $375; 450 MHz dual, $179; 867 dual, $300; 1 GHz dual, $395; 1.42 dual, $575.
• Best iBook G3 Deals, 08.29. Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 500 CD, $150; 800, $200; 600 CD-RW, $240; 900 Combo, $300; 14" 600, $360; 900, $400.
• Best iPod nano Deals, 08.29. Used 2 GB iPod nano, $89; refurb 3G 4 GB, $99; new, $140; refurb 8 GB, $149; new, $179.
• Best MacBook Deals, 08.28. Used 1.83 GHz, $799; 2.0 black, $875; refurb 2.1 GHz, $899; 2.4, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1, $1,019 after rebate; 22, $1,094; 2.4, $1,219 a/r; black, $1,394 a/r.
• Best iMac G5 Deals, 08.28. Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $499; 1.8 SuperDrive, $530; 2.0, $600; 1.9 iSight, $625; 20" 1.8 GHz, $580; 2.0, $650; 2.1 iSight, $700.
• Best classic Mac OS Deals, 08.28. System 6, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5.1, $4; Mac OS 7.6, $13; 8.0, $13; 8.1, $48; 8.5, $25; 8.6, $20; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $20; more.
• More links in our archive.

Mac Happens copyright 1999-2000 by Evan Kleiman. � Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2008 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, PowerBook, MacBook, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.