Classic Macs in the Intel Age

Leopard Is the Way to Go, Even on Most Old G4 Macs

- 2008.05.14 - Tip Jar

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 .

First off, I'd just like to say "Wow!" I can't believe this is my seventh article on Low End Mac. It sure has been a lot of fun writing these articles, and I hope you've enjoyed reading them.

Anyway, to get on with today's topic....

When a screen shot of Leopard first reached my hard drive, I was stunned at that new interface. How pretty!

But I thought Leopard just had a new UI and nothing else. So I stuck with Panther and Tiger on my Macs.

But when I saw Leopard "live" in the local Apple Store, I simply couldn't say no. An hour later, Leopard was installing on my Dual 533 Power Mac (using LeopardAssist).

Nice UI! Leopard had tons of new features, but sadly the stock Nvidia GeForce2 MX video card in my Power Mac couldn't handle them all. I had to go back to Tiger (which runs at incredible speeds).

Two weeks passed. When I was offered an eMac with 512 MB of RAM (now upgraded to 1 GB), a 40 GB drive, and Radeon graphics for $105, I got out my checkbook. Now that very eMac, which shipped with Mac OS X 10.2.8, runs Leopard at awesome speeds. It is now my main Mac, and I will never regret that purchase.

Anyway, with the eMac's Radeon chip, I was able to use every cool feature of Leopard. I'd like to talk about the most important and make this kind of a "mini-guide" to Leopard.

Cover Flow: Cover Flow in the Finder has got to be the best idea since sliced bread. It looks cool and works even cooler. Sweet.

Time Machine: Sadly, it's not a DeLorean. But still, cool! This feature backs up your files to another drive every hour, and, if you accidentally delete something, it lets you go back and find it. This wipes the floor with Windows' System Restore!

Photo Booth: Now shipping on every Mac. This pretty piece of software lets you take funny pictures of yourself, friends, and extraterrestrials that landed in your back yard.

Front Row: Just like Apple TV. Awesome for hooking your Mac up to your television. I actually hooked the eMac up to my 32" JVC TV. Once again, wipes the floor with Microsoft, this time the Media Center. (Why does Microsoft have such boring names for its software?)

Spaces: Cool. Lets you have multiple desktops/workspaces.

Mail: This version of Mail has some awesome new features. It has a new interface and lets you see the progress of receiving/sending mail. Just like Outlook Express!

Stacks: I cannot believe how I have lived without this. Pretty little thing that lets you drag folders to the Dock, and view them as lists, fans, or grids. Sweet.

Windows server mounted in Leopard Insulting Microsoft: That's right. Every Windows PC on your network appears as an old beige monitor showing the Blue Screen of Death. Hilarious!

Boot Camp: Intel folks will be happy to know they can install Windows on their Mac now, without any problems. Perhaps the most anticipated feature of Leopard, it works great!

New UI: Semitransparent Finder bar. 3D Dock. These are two examples of the extreme goodness known as Leopard's UI. Some icons have been changed too, for example the System Preferences icon, now a lot more professional.

TextEdit: That's right, the little piece of software I'm using to write this right now. Now opens Word documents without any trouble, and has some cool new features. Doesn't beat iWork or AppleWorks, but still very good.

Eject Button in Finder: There is now a little "Eject" button in the Finder menu bar. Very useful for ejecting CDs! [Editor's note: You can add a menu bar eject button to earlier versions of OS X, which I have been doing for years. Invaluable! dk]

The Intro Video: The video that plays after installing Leopard is just great! You should be able to find it on YouTube.

These are just a few of the cool new features in Leopard. If you have a supported machine, get it. If you don't have a supported machine, get it. LeopardAssist makes it very easy to install Leopard on most unsupported G4 Macs, and it always works fine. I've used it on a 350 MHz Power Mac just fine. I did have the Radeon card, though.

I tend to end my articles with a conclusion. So what is it this time? It's that Leopard is the coolest, biggest update to the Mac OS since the very first System Software 1.0. The features are just too cool to describe - you have to try it.

Leopard is definitely the future of operating systems, and I advise Microsoft to copy Mac OS X a little better the next time - and try making it fast.

Resources

Go to the index of articles by Carl Nygren.

Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.

Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Recent My Turn articles

Back to Mac OS 9 Because It's All I Need, 2011.01.26. Sebastian Patting sold his Intel Macs and went back to PowerPC Macs and Mac OS 9. Here's why.
Using Low End Macs for Internet Radio, 2008.08.18. 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', 2008.07.30. Salvaging a broken PowerBook by turning it into a desktop computer.
More in the My Turn index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
February 14 in LEM history: 98: A perfect compact Mac - 00: Extended computer warranties worth the cost? - Making your PC work with your Mac - 01: Customize Microsoft Word - 02: Quadra revives a passion for computing - 03: Real world performance - DIY Pismo screen replacement - Best Mac for writing - 03: Fastest browser on the Mac - 06: 15" MacBook Pro - Impressions of a newly acquired Lisa - Finding and using free WiFi - Apple should liberate OS 9 - 07: New Mac mini cheaper than upgrading a Power Mac - 08: Falling in love with OS X
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, 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.
Advice is 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.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. 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.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay