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My Turn is Low End Mac's column for reader-submitted
articles. It's your turn to share your thoughts on all things
Mac (or iPhone, iPod, etc.) and write for the Mac web. Email your
submission to Dan Knight
.
Having the choice of whether or not to see ads is fine. Well, I
hate 'em. And I don't see them at LEM anyhow, because I use iCab (registered user).
And I have all your ads blocked, one by one, time after time. I
hate 'em.
But the thing I am very unhappy about at MacFixit is that they are
following the path so many others have since the Web came into
being - trying to capture things people have been writing in public
for the good of everyone and locking up access, or the archive, so
only paying customers can see it.
That strikes me as the worst kind of stealing from the common
shared body of knowledge.
MacFixit is certainly not the first (nor the thousandth) company
to try to do this.
They all basically are trying to siphon off the good will and
generosity that has built up around the world thanks to the Usenet
newsgroups.
Why is there any hope they can succeed? In one word - no
killfile tool on Web browsers.
Google's "groups" is polluting the newsgroups by
bringing in users with an interface that doesn't allow
killfiles. It undercuts, belies, destroys, makes
almost unimaginable the single, simple form of self-restraint that
allowed the newsgroups to function for so many people for so long -
the killfile tool on all the good newsreaders.
Again we see people flaming those they don't want to see - and
being unable to imagine what in the newsgroups was the
overwhelmingly standard advice, use your killfile.
So rip open the newsgroups with the 20 year archive (Google);
start leading in new users using tools that lack killfiles
(everyone); make the commons less attractive (ditto); start setting
up alternatives (many groups, including LEM and MacFixit and
Google).
And then steal from the poor - by making money be the gatekeeper
for the information.
So, I very much applaud LEM for not going to the locked
archive/paid user model, and staying with the
annoying-but-filterable advertising model.
I hope you will appreciate that it's worth paying you, not to
avoid the ads that I don't have to see, but to applaud you for
keeping the information all your readers have put on your page
available to future readers.
Thanks.
Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.
Recent My Turn articles
Using Low End Macs for Internet Radio, 08.18.
When the local public radio station moved classical music to HD radio, it was time to find another way to listen. An old iMac with iTunes solved the problem.
'That's Not a Computer', 07.30.
Salvaging a broken PowerBook by turning it into a desktop computer.
My 4 favorite PowerBooks, 05.28.
The PowerBook 150 has a big screen for a vintage PowerBook, the 165c has color, the 100 is diminutive, and Lombard has USB and a great keyboard.
Mac of the Day: PowerBook 170, Oct. 1991 - At 25 MHz, the PB 170 was at the top of the original PowerBook line.
List of the Day: The iPhone List Low End Mac's forum for discussing and supporting Apple's iPhone.
August 30 in LEM history: 99: The truth about USB speed - 00: Could Eazel kill the Mac? - Mac OS 8.1 on a IIci and LC III - 01: Beyond MHz and GHz - Getting a handle on email - Thanks for the IBM PC, Dad - Apple's anniversaries - 02: Mac OS X v10.2 - iBook video out - 04: Things that freak out my students - 06: Nvu and SeaMonkey can't replace Home Page - 07: DVD-RAM support
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.
Best Power Mac G4 Deals, Low End Mac 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, Low End Mac 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, Low End Mac Deals, 08.29.
Used 2 GB iPod nano, $89; refurb 3G 4 GB, $99; new, $140; refurb 8 GB, $149; new, $179.
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.
Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac 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, Low End Mac 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, Low End Mac 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.
CrossOver Strikes Out, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 08.27.
Running Windows apps on a Mac without paying for Windows is great in theory, but actually getting Windows software working is another story.
MacDrought: 4 Months with No New Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 08.27.
The most recent Mac update was over four months ago, and the Mac mini has been unchanged for over a year.
Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27.
Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $625; 20", $599; 2.16, $749; 24", $950; refurb 20" 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; new 3.06, $2,094 after rebate; more.
Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27.
Used 1.25 GHz Combo, $600; SuperDrive, $650; 1.33 Combo, $640; 1.5, $680; SD, $725; 1.67, $730; hi-res, $800.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27.
500 GB Time Capsule, $294; 1 TB, $468; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; 802.11n Base Station, $166; 802.11g AirPort Express, $60; 802.11n, $98.
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