Low End Mac Editorial Archive
October 2007
- A (Mac) classic spookfest, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 10.31. How to set up those old compact Macs with screen savers to enhance your Halloween experience.
- Unsupported Leopard installation, Dan Knight, 10.31. How to install Mac OS X 10.5 on unsupported hardware - plus field reports.
- Unsupported Leopard reports: Sawtooth, Mystic, Digital Audio, Quicksilver, and TiBook success, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.31. Readers report that Leopard can be installed for PowerPC Macs from Intel Macs. Also success stories for AGP, Gigabit Ethernet, Digital Audio, Quicksilver, and a 400 MHz PowerBook G4.
- Hacking Mac OS 7.6.1 so many Mac OS 8 apps will run, Max Wallgren, Mac Daniel, 10.30. With a little ResEdit work and a second copy of your System Folder, you can run a lot of OS 8 apps with Mac OS 7.6.1.
- PCI Power Macs great for Mac OS X 10.2 and 10.3, Jonathan Haack, My Turn, 10.30. Thanks to XPostFacto, you don't need a modern Mac to run OS X, just a Power Mac with a G3 daughter card.
- Reasons for sticking with the Classic Mac OS, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 10.30. Whether it's the simplicity, elegance, speed, or desire not to replace lots of expensive hardware, there are lots of good reasons for sticking with Mac OS 9.
- CF in a clamshell iBook, Leopard on a 400 MHz AGP Power Mac, VGA ports on Macs, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.30. Also graphics card options for AGP Power Macs, KompoZer and Claris Home Page, installing Mac OS 8.6, and Zune price drop.
- Free and low cost ways to bring some Leopard features to Macs running Tiger, Brian Richards, Advantage Mac, 10.29. You can't make Mac OS X 10.4 do everything 10.5 can, but you can get about 80% of the way there with freeware and shareware utilities.
- It all started with a Mac Plus in the classroom, Robert Alpizar, My First Mac, 10.29. "Over time, as I began to see how much simpler the Macs were to use vs. the DOS computers, I began to explore them more."
- Leopard faster than Tiger on Intel, slower on PowerPC, and possible below 867 MHz, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.29. Early benchmarks indicate Mac OS X 10.5 is 10-15% slower than 10.4 on PowerPC, while 64-bit Leopard on Intel Core 2 hardware is over 5% faster. Also Sawtooth and Cube success stories.
- iBook G3 quality, 802.11g for older PowerBooks, installing Tiger on a CD-ROM eMac, and more, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.29. Also FireWire webcam options for the classic Mac OS and installing Leopard on an upgraded Power Mac G4.
- Leopard on a 1999 AGP Power Mac, Leopard upgrade problems, fixes for Menu Bar and Dock, and more, Mac News Review, 10.29. Also software updates from Apple, tips on using Time Machines and Spaces, a better volume control for OS X 10.5, and more.
- eMac virtual screen solution, PowerBook 3400 problem, IBM Model M and the Mac, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.26. Also G4 iMacs inspire lust, TrueType fonts and vintage Macs, deinterlacing DVDs, and Allegro USB sleep issues.
- Why the Blue and White G3 is the workhorse of the Mac world, Leo Titus LeBron V, Collection Spotlight, 10.26. Introduced in January 1999, the blue and white Power Mac G3 was powerful, expandable, and supported all the way through Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger'.
- Motorola, LG, Macs, and the iPhone, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 10.26. So many mobile phones get some things right and some glaringly wrong. No wonder Apple saw an opportunity and created the iPhone.
- Leopard install guides, Apple third in US sales, worst Apple products, Leap Finder, and more, Mac News Review, 10.26. Also free T-shirts from FastMac, Mac market share way up, Mac T-shirts for kids, Hitachi's low power 3.5" drives, and more.
- Leopard 'Book compatability, gold plated MacBook Pro, Wegener's 550 MHz G4 Pismo upgrade, and more, The 'Book Review, 10.26. Also the value of 17in PowerBooks, the 'compleat' guide to antique and collectable Mac notebooks, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,688.
- Making the case for a truly modern, up-to-date browser for Mac OS 9, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 10.25. Mac OS 9 is alive and well on a lot of older Macs, but it has fallen behind in the area of browsers. iCab and older versions of Mozilla are about it....
- 1.4M iPhones sold, iPhone/iPod touch SDK promised, composite video from Apple TV, and more, iNews Review, 10.25. Also iPhone's 'outstanding' customer satisfaction, fixing iPhone signal loss, typing accented characters, iPod classic spinning disk bug, mobile learning with iPod touch, an iPod dock microphone, and more.
- Unsupported Leopard installation and the truth about Leopard DVD Player system requirements, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.25. How to create a hacked Leopard installer, and exactly what benefit you gain from a 1.6 GHz CPU with DVD Player under Leopard.
- The future of eMacs in the Age of Leopard, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.24. Early eMacs aren't officially supported under Mac OS X 10.5, but Leopard could run well with the right upgrades.
- Leopard DVD Player requires 1.6 GHz CPU, dual processor questions, and dual boot Macs, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.24. DVD Player currently runs on any G3 that supports Tiger, but the new version needs 1.6 GHz of power and other bloat in Leopard.
- The 10 worst Macs ever, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.23. The ten worst Macs of all time - and one of them came out just last year.
- Is a used iBook still a sensible low-end option?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.15. From 500 MHz G3s through 1.4 GHz G4s, used iBooks range in price from under $200 to over $700. Are they a good choice, or do reliability issues say otherwise?
- Leopard pales before Mac OS 8.5 for Macs left behind, dual processor benefits, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.23. Mac users may not remember that Mac OS 8.5 left behind some Macs just over two years old. Compared to that, Leopard users have it made.
- The future of G4 iBooks in the Age of Leopard, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.22. Almost all of the G4 iBooks are supported by Mac OS X 10.5, but 4200 rpm drives could be a real bottleneck.
- How Microsoft can turn Vista lemons into lemonade, John Carlson, The Lite Side, 10.22. How Microsoft could profit by no longer allowing manufacturers to sell new PCs with Windows XP installed.
- G4 iMac 'not half anything', LEM design comments, and more on Macs not supported by Leopard, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.22. The dual 800 MHz Power Mac may be supported, Apple is (or isn't) right to draw the line at 867 MHz, and an LC III that won't work with a PC display.
- Simple Macs for simple tasks, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 10.19. Long live 680x0 Macs and the classic Mac OS. For simple tasks such as writing, they can provide a great, low distraction environment.
- If a Mac Plus can run System 7.5.5, why can't an 800 MHz G4 run Leopard?, Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living, 10.19. Ten years after the Mac Plus was introduced, Apple still supported it with its latest operating system. Why are no Macs over six years old (and some just four years old) supported in Leopard?
- 4 hits, 2 misses: 6 new Macs introduced 15 years ago, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.19. The Macintosh IIvi and IIvx are better forgotten, but the first grayscale PowerBooks and the first PowerBook Duos moved Apple ahead.
- Leopard beautiful and unequaled, upgrading to Leopard, Flower Power iMac 'ugly', and more, Mac News Review, 10.19. Also speeding up a sluggish Mac, what the next Mac Pro should have, new versions of freeware EasyFind and PhotoStickies, and more.
- Apple owns 29% of high-end notebook market, MacBook revamp near?, 250 GB WD Scorpio drives, and more, The 'Book Review, 10.19. Also Apple patents multitouch notebook, Apple subnotebook anticipated, how to disconnect MagSafe safely, Inclinepro laptop support system, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,688, and more.
- The future of G4 iMacs in the Age of Leopard, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.18. Some G4 iMacs are officially supported under Mac OS X 10.5, but some aren't. Could Leopard run well on 700-800 MHz G4 iMacs?
- Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' and the Macs left behind, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.18. Thoughts on the Macs left behind by Leopard, the viability of Tiger in the long haul, and more on L3 caches and DDR memory.
- 22 iPhone tips, Greenpeace admits iPhone compliant, iPod 'best gadget ever', jailbreaking, and more, iNews Review, 10.18. Also 3 weeks using the iPhone as a main computer, iPhone trademark problem in Canada, iPod touch 'short on battery life', Apple TV powers in-car navigation system, Replug 'like MagSafe for earphones', and more.
- Back into the fold with a MacBook Pro, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 10.17. After five months with an Acer Aspire notebook and Windows XP, it was a treat to come back to Apple hardware, Mac OS X, and nearly five-hour battery life.
- The future of titanium PowerBooks in the Age of Leopard, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.17. Most of the 'titanium' PowerBooks aren't officially supported under Mac OS X 10.5, but with maximum RAM and a fast hard drive, they should be able to handle it.
- iMac 350 a workhorse, priority of Level 2 cache, confusion about Macs and microphones, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.17. Also Leopard won't install on a Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics), finding a copy of BBEdit Lite to download, and falling in love with Macs.
- It's official: Leopard ships October 26, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.16. Apple is now taking preorders for Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' at the online Apple Store. These should reach customers on Oct. 26.
- 350 MHz iMac G3, Dan Knight, Road Apples, 10.16. The 350 MHz iMacs were pretty good computers, but the lack of FireWire means no Target Disk Mode, external DVD burner, or iPod support.
- Faster flash memory makes a big difference, more RAM or a faster CPU?, OS X 10.4.10 problems, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.16. Also Level 2 vs. Level 3 cache, the 64-bitness of Mac OS X, another Road Apple nomination, and gaming on Macs.
- When to pick Tux over Windows and Mac OS X, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac, 10.15. There are two areas where Linux wins over Macs and Windows: the cost and flexibility of a Linux-based server and the verifiably high levels of security.
- Is the SteelSeries 4D the best mousepad ever?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.15. This large, double-sided mousepad was optimized for gamers, but it makes a fine addition to any mouse user's work area.
- Upcoming expiration of Boot Camp does not mean Windows will stop running on OS X 10.4 Macs, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 10.15. Although the Boot Camp Assistant may stop running, your Boot Camp setup and Windows installation will continue to function.
- On the irrational rantings of an Intel hater, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.15. Readers weigh in on last week's 'Bastard Offspring' article concerning Intel-based Macs.
- Road Apple nominations, OS X 10.5 on MDD Power Macs, UMPCs and Apple, and a broken power button, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.12. Whether some additional Macs merit the 'Road Apple' label, Leopard on Mirrored Drive Doors Power Macs, the usefulness of ultrasmall computers, and dealing with an iMac with a broken power button.
- OS X MacBook 'blows Vista out of the water', PB 150 boots from Compact Flash, iDock laptop stands, and more, The 'Book Review, 10.12. Also Seagate Momentus hybrid hard drive speeds booting and extends battery life, Apple MagSafe airline adapter, calibrating your 'Book's battery, replacement batteries, bargain 'Books from $200 to $2,688, and more.
- Leopard to slow down PowerPC Macs?, powerline networking, iMac freeze up, Mac Pro in color, and more, Mac News Review, 10.12. Also 10 years since Michael Dell said 'shut down Apple', Mac use quadruples at Princeton, new Mac keyboard prevents accidental caps lock, a Flash decompiler for the Mac, and more.
- iPhone sales up 56%, coming to Canada, unleashed, and amplified, life from a nearly dead iPod, and more, iNews Review, 10.11. Also Apple Component Cable works with iPhone, iPod nano spews flames, fixing dark spots on iPod classic video, whiten your teeth with your iPod, and more.
- External $100 Sony DVD burner likes Macs, Brian Gray, Fruitful Editing, 10.10. The box and manual say nothing about Mac compatibility, but this 18x USB 2.0 DVD burner is plug-and-play (at least with Tiger).
- Leopard on G4 Power Macs, Quicksilver and big drives, and pros and cons of schools leasing computers, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.10. Thoughts on the Mac OS X 10.5 installer, big drive support in the 2001 Quicksilver, differences between 2 GHz G5 Power Macs, and whether schools should lease computers or not.
- The future of 'Mirrored Drive Doors' Power Macs in the Age of Leopard, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.09. Every indication is that the MDD Power Macs will be full supported by Leopard. Here's what makes them a good bet for OS X 10.5.
- Digitizing video, unpaid rebates, Low End Mac gaming, handheld PCs, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.09. Also why leasing computers makes no sense for schools, a misleading headline, problems using Compact Flash as a hard drive, and the OS 9 file system.
- The future of 'Quicksilver' Power Macs in the Age of Leopard, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.08. If the rumored cutoff at 800 MHz or 867 MHz for Leopard is correct, these should be among the oldest Macs supported by Mac OS X 10.5.
- FastMac 8x SuperDrive and BurnAgain DVD: Fast and easy multisession disc burning, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.08. FastMac's 8x SuperDrive upgrade is remarkably fast compared with older PowerBook burners, and BurnAgain DVD makes it easy to append files to a previously burned CD or DVD.
- Pages line spacing, subscript problems, and printing booklets, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.08. More discussion of linespacing problems in Pages, AppleWorks, and browsers, and another free solution for printing booklets.
- The benefits and possible pitfalls of software updates, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple, 10.05. Software updates can improve security, fix bugs, and introduce new problems. When and why to update - and when not to.
- The future of 'Digital Audio' Power Macs in the Age of Leopard, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.05. With a faster system bus and AGP 4x graphics, these just might be the best of the older Power Macs for running Leopard - if Apple will let you.
- Disadvantage Macintosh debunked, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.05. With Mac OS X 10.4, the default CD burning format works with Macs and PCs. If the disc can't be read, suspect a hardware failure.
- Boot Camp Beta expires with Leopard release, Macs left behind by Leopard, the future of PowerPC and OS X, and more, Mac News Review, 10.05. Also AnyDrive USB hard drive adapter, third gen Fujitsu SnapScan scanner, Mailplane puts Gmail on the desktop, AOL Desktop coming to the Mac, and more.
- Premature Momentus failure in MacBook, superfast ExpressCard Compact Flash adapter, the LED future, and more, The 'Book Review, 20.10.05. Also which MacBook to buy, Battery Update 1.3 for 15" MacBook Pro, new bags, and bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,688.
- Tom Pittman on HyperCard, programming, and operating systems, Rick Lawson, Pioneers in Mac Development, 10.04. Bill Atkinson said there could never be a HyperCard compiler, but Tom Pittman proved him wrong with CompileIt, a HyperCard compiler created in HyperCard.
- The future of early G4 Power Macs in the Age of Leopard, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.04. Mac OS X 10.5 ships this month. Even if it can run on Yikes, Sawtooth, and Mystic Power Mac G4 models, can you expect it to run well?
- Replacing Home Page, Compact Flash in Lombard, Leopard hardware requirements, mini upgrades, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.04. Also the problems with using old computers in school, rebate problems, free imposition software, and a dead LC 520.
- iPhone Update 1.1.1 breaks apps, can be undone; behind-the-neck iPod holder; Lobie earbud holder; and more, iNews Review, 10.04. Also possible class action suit over iPhone lock, NY woman sues over iPhone price cut, battery lifecycles, iPhone headset with call and music controls, volume limiting earbuds, and more.
- Disadvantage Macintosh, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.03. Most of the time it's wonderful being a Mac user, but something as simple as exporting iPhoto images to a CD others can use isn't one of them.
- Making DVDs from videotape with and without Macs, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.03. Thoughts on using iMovie and iDVD - and on using strictly hardware solutions to burn videotapes to DVD.
- A Mac Plus for college, Ben Stafford, My First Mac, 10.02. It was 1995, and a Pentium system sold for $1,400. Could a $400 used Mac Plus system be good enough for college?
- Line spacing problem with Apple's Pages software solved, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 10.02. Pages does have a way to fix line spacing, but it's not something you're going to find easily.
- Typography problem makes Pages unsuitable for serious printing, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.01. Apple's Pages word processor is user friendly and powerful, but one annoying glitch drove this user to Microsoft Word so the project would print correctly.
- Days of shock and hope, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 10.01. When a friend is fighting for her life, your priorities change - and you want to do all you can to help.
- WiFi options for Lombard, installing Tiger on a DVD-less eMac, 3D home design software, and more, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.01. Two PC Card 802.11g options for the Lombard PowerBook, PowerPC version of OS X needed for eMac, three programs for home design, and a source for downloading old Mac software.
- Danes refunded for defective G4 iBooks, rumored Mac minitablet, handle for MacBooks, and more, The 'Book Review, 10.01. Also software update for MacBook and MacBook Pro, Give 1 Get 1 XO laptop program, CardBus adapter for ExpressCard notebooks, and bargain 'Books from $130 to $2,688.
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