Low End Mac Editorial Archive
May 2007
- What does Palm's subnotebook Foleo mean for Mac users?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 05.31. Palm's compact Foleo has a full-size keyboard, a widescreen display, and weighs under 2.5 lb. Could it be a good Mac companion? Could Apple go the subnotebook route?
- The summer of Macs: Mac mini, MacBook Pro, and iMac overdue for an upgrade, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 05.30. Eight to nine months since their last revision, these models are past due for an update. What can we expect at WWDC?
- Macs for seniors, death of the Mac mini, and more on running Macs from Compact Flash, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.30. More on teaching retirees to use Macs, thoughts on what may replace the Mac mini, and further feedback on running PowerBooks using flash memory.
- Operation FlashBook: Running Tiger from flash on a PowerBook G4, John Muir, Mac Daniel, 05.29. With the hard drive failing and Compact Flash prices falling, it was time to consider running the PowerBook G4 from flash. Looking back at 6 months, was it worth it?
- If the Mac mini is dead, what will replace it?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 05.29. Was Apple discovered that selling a low-end computer for $599 doesn't work when the market has a $299 mindset? If so, how can they reach the low-end market?
- Bean: Free word processor is fast and lean and looks great, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 05.29. Bean is a great tool for basic word processing, but it doesn't support the kind of high-end features some users may depend upon.
- Making new Mac users with old iMacs and Tiger, buying newer vs. upgrading, booting Compact Flash, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.29. Getting seniors online with old iMacs, buying a newer Mac rather than upgrading an old one, booting PowerBooks from Compact Flash, and questions about video conferencing.
- Is more RAM more important than matched RAM in the MacBook?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 05.25. Other World Computing has benchmarked 15 configurations with six programs and concluded that more memory is better than matched modules. Are they right?
- Running a PowerBook in OS X from flash memory, CPU upgrades and cache size, USB and older Macs, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.25. Also thoughts on booting old PowerBooks from Compact Flash, better testbeds, and the lack of Tiger drivers for many Lexmark printers.
- Apple sued over MacBook display, new MacBook benchmarked, more RAM vs. paired RAM, and more, The 'Book Review, 05.25. Also 'Santa Rosa' expected in June MacBook Pro, optical drive noise, external display issue in clamshell mode, Battery Drain utility, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,299, and more.
- iMac update in June?, OS 9/X file sharing fixed, Apple offers free recycling to schools, and more, Mac News Review, 05.25. Also an iChat headset, a happy Apple service story, new technology for future Intel CPUs, 802.11n for 24" iMac, and more.
- PowerPC G5: Apple's last fling with PowerPC architecture, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 05.24. Teaming up with IBM, Apple adopted the PowerPC G5 in 2003 - and phased out the last G5 Power Mac three years later.
- The PowerPC G4: From 350 MHz to 2.0 GHz, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 05.24. AltiVec and dual processor support made the G4 a big improvement over the earlier G3 processor.
- The PowerPC G3 story: From 233 MHz to 1.1 GHz, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 05.24. The history of the PowerPC 750 family and its use in Apple computers from 1997 through 2004.
- Silence is golden: Running your existing notebook using flash memory, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Reviews, 05.23. With a new adapter from Addonics, you can replace your laptop's IDE hard drive inexpensively and boot silently from a Compact Flash card.
- Appearance Manager allows Internet Explorer 5.1.7 to work with Mac OS 7.6.1, Max Wallgren, Mac Daniel, 05.23. Want a fairly modern browser with an old, fast operating system? Mac OS 7.6.1 plus the Appearance Manager and Internet Explorer may be just what you want.
- Millions of colors is an illusion, getting a Dell printer working with a Mac, Core Image, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.23. Also an autofocus webcam for PCs and Macs, problems installing OS 9 on a beige G3, upgrading an eMac's hard drive, and a solution to the AFP connection problem.
- The truth about CRTs and shock danger, Tom Lee, Online Tech Journal, 05.22. You've been warned that CRT voltage can injure and even kill. The truth is that this danger is overstated - and takes attention away from a greater danger.
- Andy Ihnatko on Macs, writing, innovation, and the Macquarium, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 05.22. "And as any writer will tell you, most of the work you do is preparing the soil, so to speak, so that when you sit down to write, Good Things Will Happen."
- 3 CPU upgrades for Mirror Drive Door G4 Power Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 05.22. If your Mirrored Drive Doors Power Mac isn't fast enough, here are three CPU upgrade option to get you to 1.33, 1.6, and 1.8 GHz.
- Code doesn't rust, Core Image and G4 Macs, and a fallback plan for losing G3 support, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.17. Old versions of the Mac OS are just fine, Core Image requirements, alternatives to Apple's discontinued AirPort Card, G4 Mac mini GPU doesn't support Core Image, and more.
- Apple sued: Can 262,144 colors be considered 'millions'?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 05.16. A new class action lawsuit claims Apple is deceiving buyers when it claims to display "millions of colors" on its notebook computers. What's really going on here?
- Can you put 3 GB in a Mac mini?, where are the Mirrored Drive Doors CPU upgrades?, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.21. Also a challenge to 'Mac-ify' the Interweb, more on CRT voltage dangers, and fixing Low End Mac's navigation bar in Firefox for Linux.
- Why I won't be getting an iPhone this year, Ed Eubanks Jr, The Efficient Mac User, 05.21. The iPhone is likely to have early problems, prices are bound to come down, and the current service contract won't allow the switch until January 2008.
- Most durable 'Book, prepping a blue & white G3 for OS X, 7200 rpm drive too hot for Pismo?, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 05.21. Also how the need to run "Tiger" is a problem, an iBook G4 with serious shutdown issues, and burning CDs at a lower speed may make them easier to read in older Macs.
- Tough iPod protection: YoTank's iTank Nano 2 case, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 05.18. This iPod case is made from machined aluminum, held together with hex bolts, and has a Lexan cover to protect the screen.
- MacBook improved, Apple's 9.9% notebook market share, 3 GB MacBook upgrade, and more, The 'Book Review, 05.18. Also Apple acknowledges MacBook cracks, flash MacBook confirmed, sleek portable hard drive designed by Pininfarina, CoolBook software, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,299, and more.
- Italy's 'Vintage Mac' museum, guide to external drives, pray the rosary on your iPod, and more, Mac News Review, 05.18. Also Lexar's secure JumpDrive with a capacity meter, NewerTech's RAID 1 drive, CrossOver Mac updated, iSoftPhone, and more.
- World's fastest G3, Core Image unsupported in most G4 Macs, and other thoughts on OS X 10.5, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.17. Where a 1.1 GHz G3 really rocks, too many G3 Macs in use to drop them with Leopard, and whether Core Image might be the technology that determines which Macs can't run OS X 10.5.
- The May 2007 MacBook value equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 05.16. Bigger hard drives, 8% more processing power, 802.11n WiFi, and a faster SuperDrive make the updated MacBook better than its predecessor, but is it a better buy than the close-out model?
- 3 GB in a MacBook, CRT danger, need for 'Tiger' already a problem, a BeOS for Mac source, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.16. Also a display problem in Safari, MS Office for OS X 10.2, G4 upgrades for Pismo, an improved Extended Keyboard clone, the Backspace key, and how the Enter key puts the Finder in rename mode.
- Too stressed to even think about computers, Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living, 05.16. "I've been so preoccupied that I haven't been able to think about computers, much less write about them."
- 8 free apps every Mac user should know about, Trevor Wale, One More Thing, 05.15. Free alternatives for browsing, backup, video conversion, watching video, unstuffing files, playing with DOS apps, and more.
- More G3 support in Leopard letters, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.15. Readers weigh in with some new points regarding whether Leopard should support G3 Macs.
- Low End Mac readers weigh in with suggestions to improve the site, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 05.15. Suggestions include splitting off newer Macs, more photos, search and sort by feature, and adding a comment system.
- Ready to give the MacBook a second chance?, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 05.14. After three bad experiences with the original MacBook and a subsequent switch back to Windows, this lawyer is considering the Core 2 Duo MacBook as his next computer.
- Apple on mini CDs, 74 minute CD-Rs more compatible, iBook G4 reliability, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 05.14. Also installing OS X using Target Disk Mode, partitioning your hard drive, Google's tool to simplify web pages, Canada and copyright law, and more.
- LED backlight coming to MacBooks, Intel's new Centrino CPUs, Danish iBook G4 complaint, and more, The 'Book Review, 05.11. Also different drive sizes, manganese could double battery life, using a MacBook with the display turned off, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,299, and more.
- Apple ramps up distribution, future of the Mac mini, a fast and free word processor, and more, Mac News Review, 05.11. Also the NeoOffice option, Miglia TVMax+, OS X keyboard shortcuts, PowerLogix CPU Director updated, a memory optimizer for OS X, and more.
- The MacBook is much more than just an iBook with 'Intel inside', Trevor Wale, One More Thing, 05.10. With a bright widescreen display and the same dual-core CPU as the MacBook Pro, the MacBook is a nearly perfect notebook computer.
- OS X on a 6500, a Macquarium, and the debate over G3 support in Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard', Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.09. Also where to look for BeOS for the Mac and CRT dangers are very much overstated.
- Why Apple must continue G3 support in Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard', Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 05.08. "We're worried about what happens if Apple unchecks that box in Xcode to include the instructions necessary to run OS X on G3 processors at all."
- New ideas for Low End Mac?, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 05.08. Have an idea for making Low End Mac even better? Send us an email.
- Is Canada a 'haven for pirates' or a sovereign nation with it's own copyright laws?, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 05.07. The International Intellectual Property Alliance is asking the US government to put pressure on Canada to adopt laws as draconian as the Digital Millennium Copyright Law.
- The 'Less than Intelligent Design' letters, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.07. Feedback on last week's "Less than Intelligent Design in Electronics and Computing".
- Low End Mac: A wealth of information for 10 years, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 05.04. Looking back at a heritage of low-end Mac support - and a surprise in the near future.
- G3s and Leopard, SuperMac help, and more on 30 Mac user mistakes, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.04. Most G3 Macs too old to do well with OS X 10.5, an unbootable SuperMac, another internal USB/FireWire option, and more feedback on "30 Mac User Mistakes".
- MacBooks drive Mac sales, LED backlighting this year, flash laptops, battery update, and more, The 'Book Review, 05.04. Also cracking MacBooks, RAID in your 'Book, battery issues, a rugged USB flash drive, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,299, and more.
- Intel V8 clones Mac Pro mobo, Star Wars flash drives, $500 Blu-ray for pro Macs, and more, Mac News Review, 05.04. Also Parallels launches Parallels Technology Network, Apple updates Security Update 2007-004, Hitachi ships first 1 TB hard drive, Google Desktop for Mac, and more.
- Less than intelligent design in electronics and computing, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 05.03. Stupid design includes VCRs that have to be shut off to record, boom boxes that can't remember a radio station, mice with hidden buttons, and iPods with no obvious way to replace the battery.
- 'Only' 6% to buy iPhone? That's a lot of iPhones!, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 05.02. Markitecture has determined that "only" 6% of cell phone owners will buy Apple's iPhone in its first year. That's about 12 million phones!
- User mistakes or Mac mistakes?, Backspace vs. Delete, and it's too easy to zap an icon in the Dock, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.02. Readers weigh in on "30 Top Mac User Mistakes" with explanations, history lessons, and personal experience.
- Importance of G3 support in 10.5, clever USB/FireWire solution, upgrade options, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 05.01. Also the loss of the PowerBook brand, upgrading to an Intel iMac, Korg and the Mac, Quadra boot problems, and the value of a Mac Classic.
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