Connecting with the Broader Macintosh Community
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
LA Computer Company: LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, Apple Displays, MacBooks, iMac's, MacBook Pros, Laptop and iPod accessories and more. Apple A/C Adapters for laptops starting at $25.00 Call 1-800-941-7654 or Click Here.
OWC: Burn DVDs, DVD-DL, CDs, DVD-Ram - FAST! Superdrive upgrades from OWC starting from $31.99 with options for nearly every Mac. Models with Lightscribe, Blu-Ray too!
Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.
MacPro Memory 667Mhz With Apple Spec Heat Sink 2GB $90 / 4GB $134 / 8GB $264. Click to Maximize your Macs...
Stephen Van Esch - 2007.04.06
Bookmark in del.icio.usTen years? It's been that long? Well, not necessarily for me.
Dan Knight, Low End Mac's publisher, dropped me an email back in 2000 asking if I'd like to contribute to this fine website. Young enough to have the time, I figured why not? A column every two weeks seemed easy enough, and the exposure would be good for a young tech writer.
So off we went. Little did I know that when your writing is out there, it's out there - especially on a well-trafficked site like Low End Mac.
People were actually reading my stuff - in reasonably large numbers as well! Along with a tiny little bit of fame came email both passionate and sometime vitriolic. One fellow in particular seemed to take great joy in hanging around LEM waiting for a column so he could fire off a nice little flame email.
Those were the days.
But beyond the very minor celebrity status that came with being published on Low End Mac, it gave me a real opportunity to participate in the Mac community. Macs, while not on the brink of death back then, were still not nearly as mainstream as they are today. Having a Mac still made you something of a weirdo - and now my local WiFi cafe is covered with the things.
LEM gave me a real chance to connect with other Mac users and hear what was on their minds. The local Mac User Group was fine but just didn't seem as plugged in as LEM readers. Sitting around with a bunch of old folks learning about the ins and outs of an iSight is not as enlightening as reading why the iPod is destined to doom Apple.
Low End Mac has evolved over the years, and its longevity is a tribute to the hard work of Dan and the countless writers who strive to create a readable and useful website for the masses.
As with all good things, though, everything must come to an end. While punditry is a great little thing, it does take effort - and when the well is dry, the deadline doesn't change. Career and family eventually put Mac Scope out to pasture.
While I've faded from view (no more flames for me - then again, no more praise either), there are occasional ramblings out there regarding the state of the Mac. Hardly traffic spinners, they serve as a reminder of the good old days when thousands would stop by to see what had come out of my head the night before.
To Dan and those who have taken up the torch, may the Mac be with
you always. 
Stephen Van Esch is the founder and president of the E-learning Foundry, an online training resource for Mac users. Steve loves the Mac and is doubly bilingual, since he's also fluent in Windows and French.
Recently on Mac Scope
- Hardware failure, that rare Mac headache, 07.09. Macs are usually pretty reliable, but a hardware failure after just two-and-a-half years is still disappointing.
- Still waiting for iTunes Music Store Canada, sort of, 06.23. While the pay-per-tune model makes sense, Apple's post-purchase copy management flies in the face of Canadian copyright law.
- PearPC's slow Mac emulation - What's the point?, 05.26. "For all those Windows folks who are gussying up Windows to look like OS X and getting excited over PearPC, please just buy a Mac."
- More in the Mac Scope index.
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Mac Pro overclocking, Windependence with Darwine, Blu-ray for Macs, and more, Mac News Review, 07.04. Also more on running Leopard on non-Apple hardware, Ubuntu on a Mac mini, the first autofocus webcam with Zeiss optics for Macs, and more.
- Wouldn't life be great with an iSlate?, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 07.04. PDAs and smartphones are too small for some tasks, full-fledged Tablet PCs are overkill, and ebook readers are too limited. Apple has the tech to own this niche.
- Mac of the Day: 'Kanga' PowerBook G3 Nov. 1997 - the first PowerBook G3 runs at 250 MHz, is limited to 160 MB of RAM.
- List of the Day: NewtonList supports Newton users.
- The Macintosh Portable started a notebook revolution, Carl Nygren, Classic Macs in the Intel Age, 07.03. Before Apple introduced the Mac Portable, notebook computers were text-based and ran MS-DOS. Ever since, graphical interfaces have been the norm for laptops.
- More links in our archive.
About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts
Have a question?
Ask an expert!
Navigation
Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System
6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
Mac FAQ
Abandonware
Petition
Mac vs. PC Info
Affiliates
The Apple
Store
Mac
Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial
Memory
batteries.com
Advertise
