Vintage Mac Living
has been intrigued by computers since he was five years old, began using Macs in third grade, and has acquired a nice collection of vintage Macs. He learned a lot about getting the most out of them from Low End Mac, and now he's returning the favor so others can get more from their vintage Macs.
- What a waste! Some schools would rather store old computers than put them to use, 2007.09.12. Denver Public Schools is one example of a school district so ready to buy new computers that it has tens of thousands of old, usable computers sitting in storage.
- My incredible $110 Lombard and Power Mac G4 deal, 2007.07.11. Sometimes pawn shops can be a great source for older Macs, such as turning up a Lombard PowerBook and a very upgraded Power Mac G4 Digital Audio for just $110!
- Too stressed to even think about computers, 2007.05.16. "I've been so preoccupied that I haven't been able to think about computers, much less write about them."
- 10 years using low end Macs, 2007.04.06. April 1997: Apple's 20th birthday, Mac OS 7.6.1 released, Low End Mac begins, and the author gets his first Mac.
- Using Apple's Lisa for real work, 2007.04.02. The Lisa Office System has some advantages of modern computers for word processing and other production work.
- Bringing my Apple Lisa back to life, 2007.03.26. The floppy drive wasn't working the keyboard was rough. Some homebrew fixes got everything working again.
- Interview with Ray Arachelian, creator of the Lisa emulator, 2007.03.13. Ray Arachelian spent most of a decade creating the world's first working Lisa emulator. Why he did it and some of the obstacles he had to overcome.
- Lisa emulator released, allows OS X and Windows users to experience Apple's Lisa, 2007.02.27. Nearly a decade in the making, the Lisa Emulator Project now has a working Lisa emulator for Windows PCs and OS X Macs.
- 30 days of old school computing: Getting real work done, 2007.02.19. Personal computers were invented so we could get more work done and be more productive. Doesn't all the eye candy and multimedia just get in the way?
- Working with Macs, 2007.01.22. The author shares two work experiences with Macintosh computers.
- Setting up a NetBoot server for your Macs, 2007.01.18. If you have an ethernet network and several NewWorld Macs, NetBoot will let you run several Macs with the same disk image and setup.
- How much PowerBook or iBook do you need to run Mac OS X?, 2007.01.15. You don't need the latest and greatest Mac to be productive in OS X. Here are six iBook and PowerBook suggestions built between 2000 and 2003.
- Walking in a winter wonderland, 2006.12.22. Report from Denver: Snow. Lots and lots of snow.
- Beyond the GUI: The Spoken Word User Interface, 2006.12.20. Macs have been talking since 1984 and responding to voice commands since 1993. When will we see a voice-based OS?
- Acura Legend, the car that changed the way we look at Japanese cars, 2006.11.30. Some products, like the Macintosh and the Acura Legend, simply pull us in with their intelligent design, feature set, and value.
- How much Mac do you really need to run OS X?, 2006.11.16. You don't need dual-core Intel processors to read email or use the Web. Here are some 1999-2001 Macs that could be all you need.
- Pre-2006 software: The big reason you shouldn't buy an Intel Mac today, 2006.11.09. If you work with software that predates the Intel transition, you may be better off sticking with PowerPC Macs. And if you use classic apps, you definitely want to avoid Intel.
- 24 hours in cyberspace, 7 days with dated browsers, 2006.10.31. The "24 Hours in Cyberspace" project from 1996 inspires a one week experiment of living with fifth-generation browsers.
- 30 days of old school computing: No real hardships, 2006.10.11. These old black-and-white Macs are just fine for messaging, word processing, spreadsheets, scheduling, contact management, and browsing the Web.
- 30 days of old school computing: Increasing battery life with a RAM disk, 2006.09.14. When using the hard drive, the old battery ran out of juice within 30 minutes, but running from a RAM disk it still has a 50% charge after half an hour.
- 30 days of old school computing: Computing at work with a PowerBook 170, 2006.09.08. This vintage Mac laptop's battery still holds a charge, and it's a competent performer for browsing the Web, email, writing, and instant messaging.
- 30 days of old school computing: A partnership and weird network problems, 2006.09.08. Another participant in 'Vintage Mac Survivor' and troubleshooting some very strange server behavior.
- 30 days of old school computing: Setting up a Mac Classic II, 2006.09.07. Fond memories of using a Classic II in elementary school lead to it being the first Mac set up for a month of vintage, very low-end computing.
- Lisa repaired, now preparing for 30 days with black and white Macs, 2006.08.30. Inspired by "30 Days" on FX, Ted Hodges will spend 30 days using just 1-bit black & white Macs.
- Apple's Intel transition hurts elementary education, 2006.08.21. While dual-core Intel CPUs may be a plus in many ways, their lack of support for the Classic programs widely used in education makes them a bitter pill for some schools to swallow.
- PowerPC vs. Intel: Has Apple been lying to us?, 2006.08.17. From the 1997 introduction of the G3 through 2005, Apple claimed PowerPC was much faster than Intel's Pentium family of chips. Today they claim Intel's Core chips are twice as fast as PowerPC. What gives?
- The secret life of computers, 2006.06.26. Fiction: What kind of things are your Macs up to while you're asleep? They just might be plaing games.
- Elsie, a prototype of the Macintosh LC, 2006.06.26. This LC prototype has "confidential" ROMs, a reset button on the motherboard, and only supports 1-bit video.
- The sun has set on the G4, 2006.05.23. After seven years with the G4, Apple has discontinued the last model to use it, but that doesn't make these machines obsolete.
- Old Macs are still fun to use and productive tools, 2006.05.15. Dusting off the old Macs, turning them on, and using them again provides a reminder of how enjoyable they were to use and how productive they can be.
- The sad state of today's music: Rap brings out the worst, 2006.05.05. iPod's let you listen to the music you like privately. Why is it that so many rap fans feel the need to crank it up and force their music on everyone?
- Modern computing: First impressions of a $10 PowerBook G3, 2006.04.26. The price was right, assuming it worked, but how beat up and underpowered would this $10 PowerBook be?
- Bigger, faster, more: You need it all!, 2006.04.21. Computer users are an odd crowd. They consider old computers essentially useless, yet don't hesitate to buy a new computer that will grow equally old and useless.
- Making the move from Jaguar (OS X 10.2) to Panther (10.3), 2006.04.11. One advantage of Apple's "no upgrades" policy for OS X - someone can give you their old copy after upgrading without worrying about violating their license.
- What to buy when the old Beige G3 is just too sluggish, 2006.03.27. When your old Power Mac G3 just can't keep up with your needs under OS X, it's time to look at the used Power Mac G4 market. The difference in speed can be astounding.
- MacBook Pro: What's up with bumping the speed when Apple can't even meet demand?, 2006.02.16. More speed for the same price is nice, but why not concentrate on meeting demand first? And what's with that $300 premium for the 2.16 GHz model?
- Retro computing: First impressions of a newly acquired Apple Lisa, 2006.02.14. Saved from the trash and given a new home, this old Lisa is a slow, friendly computer.
- One bad apple spoils things for everyone, 2006.12.18. Setting up a couple old Macs in the break room at work seemed like a good idea - until someone decided to mess one up.
- When did a computer's visual appearance become more important than the hardware inside?, 2005.12.20. Apple's iMac played a big role in moving computers from ugly beige boxes into visual statements.
- Why we need modern browsers and email clients for vintage Macs, 2005.11.22. There's a lot of life in those old Macs, especially for those who can't afford newer hardware. But to be useful, we need up-to-date browsers and email clients.
- The trials and tribulations of email on vintage Macs, 2005.11.15. Got a vintage Mac? Got a free POP3 email account? Good luck actually getting them to work together.
- Five Ways to Use Your Old Compact Mac, 2005.11.09. Those ancient black-and-white Macs can be used for email, surfing the Web, keeping a log, managing your schedule, playing games, and as eye candy.
- Bringing new life to vintage Macs, 2005.11.03. Low End Mac's newest columnist talks about his life-long love for computers and abiding passion for vintage Macs.
- My Turn: Bigger, faster, more: Enough already!, 2005.05.16. Stop lusting after new hardware. Dust off your old Macs and see what they're really capable of.
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