The Lite Side

You've heard of the Dark Side - Microsoft, Intel, and the multitude of drones, IT professionals, and virus creators who love it.

This isn't about that. The Lite Side is the fun side of computing, the light side of using Macs (or picking on Microsoft).

• You Might Be a Computer Geek If..., John Hatchett, 2009.06.17. 20 signs that you just might possibly be a computer geek.
• What If Apple Thought Like a PC Company?, Dan Knight, 2007.11.01. Apple has innovated and blazed its own trail. But what if it had followed the path taken by the PC copycats?
• How Microsoft Can Turn Vista Lemons into Lemonade, John Carlson, 2007.10.22. How Microsoft could profit by no longer allowing manufacturers to sell new PCs with Windows XP installed.
• iPods That Never Passed Beta or Focus Groups, 2007.09.13. "What most Apple fans don't realize is that there were a few iPod variants that never made it out of beta testing and the focus group stage."
• Pigs Fly, Snow in Death Valley, and Dvorak Uses a Mac, 2007.08.03. What has the world come to when John Dvorak, founding member of the Axis of Macevil, walks into the temple of All Things Macintosh?
• Follow-up Interview to Bill Gates' Newsweek Meltdown, 2007.02.07. "What's shocking about it is the severe state of denial that Gates apparently lives in - and the motivations he has regarding his recent emphasis on philanthropy."
• Low End Mac Sued Over New Mascot, Hardy Menagh, 2007.02.05. Low End Mac's new mascot has come to the attention of the people behind the 1971 cult classic, Silent Running.
• Marketing Campaign Bombs in Redmond, Anne Onymus, 2007.02.01. Low End Mac's guerilla marketing campaign caused widespread panic in Redmond, Washington, yesterday.
• How the Microsoft-Ferrari Fiasco Plays Out in the Media, 2007.01.02. Free Ferrari laptops from Microsoft for select bloggers, their recall, and the way the media deals with the fiasco.
• Mathematical and Astronomical Underpinnings of the Blogosphere, 2006.12.14. The mathematics that underly the blogosphere and the astronomical terms that define it.
• Microsoft Pwnd™: All Your Documents Are Belong to Us, 2006.11.27. DRM, limited-use document sharing, Secure Digital Paper™, and proprietary data formats among highlights of new Tablet Publishing Solution™.
• Roadmap to Intel's Past, Present, and Future Icons, 2006.11.21. From a simple "intel", Intel's logo has gained "inside", leaped ahead, and gone Core. Here's what you can expect in the years ahead.
• The Lite Side's ABC Link List Primer, 2006.11.14. Around the Web in 26 links from A through Z.
• You Might be a Mac Fanatic If..., 2006.08.28. You might be a Mac fanatic if you named your Mac's hard drive some cute name like 'Froggy Bottom' instead of 'C:'.
• Microsoft Out of Acquisition Targets, May Acquire Self, Jeff Adkins, 2006.06.06. With a dearth of worthwhile companies to swallow up, Microsoft might to well to look in the mirror and contemplate buying the Redmond Behemoth and doing a massive reorg.
• The Lite Side's Guide to Mac Humor on the Web, Jeff Adkins, 2006.06.02. What, the Lite Side isn't enough humor for you? Here are five more Mac-related humor sites to sink your teeth into.
• Windows Growing, Will Eventually Require a Googol of RAM, Jeff Adkins, 2006.05.30. Based on pretty consistent trends from Windows 3.1 through Vista, Windows will grow to require gigabytes, terabytes, petabytes, and eventually googols of RAM.
• Other Stuff I'd Like to Sync with My iPod, Jeff Adkins, 2006.05.24. You can already sync your iPod to iTunes, iCal, Address Book, digicam memory cards, and now even Nikes. What other great ideas are just around the corner?
• Apple's New Ads: Spokespeople for Other Operating Systems, Jeff Adkins, 2006.05.04. Apple's new ads pit a Mac user against a Windows XP user, but what about all of those other operating systems?
• The Amazing WiFi iPod/Mac mini Combo-Pak™, Jeff Adkins, 2006.04.25. Apple's 'next great thing' will combine a WiFi iPod with an Intel-based Mac mini and add some great new features.
• Apple Product Development and Sales Cycle, Jeff Adkins, 2006.04.17. If you've ever wondered how an Apple product makes it from initial idea to finished, marketed product, here's the answer.
• Apple's Original Boot Camp Installation Instructions, 2006.04.11. "Was it just me, or did anyone else catch those little jabs at Windows on the Boot Camp installation page? 'If your computer becomes infected, well, what did you expect?' and so on."
• Vista Pun Headlines Evade Editors, Jeff Adkins, 2006.04.04. "No Headline Editor in his right mind will be able to write a decent Vista headline."
• Thanks for 30 Strange Years: Bumper Snickers, Rumor Generators, the Dell Dude, and More, Jeff Adkins, 2006.03.31. Waxing nostalgic for the Apple II, dot matrix printers, Road Apple Macs, and other events in Apple's 30-year history.
• With WinXP Hacked for Macintel, Apple Announces 3 New Competitions, Jeff Adkins, 2006.03.20. Apple has thrown down the gauntlet with the PodPortPro, extreme iPod, and MacGyver competitions.
• Apple's Next 3 World Changing Things: iHubbub, iSticker, and iRide for Free, Jeff Adkins, 2006.03.06. For those who think last week's leather, mini, and hi-fi announcements weren't going to change the world, Steve Jobs has three more tricks up his sleeve.
• Dvorak: Will Microsoft Adopt OS X?, Jeff Adkins, 2006.02.28. John Dvorak does a 180-degree turnabout, suggests Microsoft will switch to Mac OS X, not vice versa
• 'Hammer' Exploits Mac User Vulnerability, Jeff Adkins, 2006.02.23. There's a new threat to your Mac on the Internet that could result in serious damage to your hardware.
• Apple's Blender-based Naming Strategy, 2006.01.11. Apple has exchanged Power for Mac in the PowerBook's name. What might they come up with next?
• 23 Events That May Compromise Your Windows Computer, 2006.01.02. "If any of the following should occur, your Windows computer may be infected with a virus or subjected to a worm or other type of malicious software (malware)."
• How Microsoft Could Profit by Selling Internet Explorer for Mac, Jeff Adkins, 2006.01.02. A surprising number of people are undoubtedly gullible enough to pay to use the browsers that Microsoft gave away for free.
• lots more in the Lite Side 2001-04 archive and 2005 archive

Pre-Lite Side Articles

• The World Wide Intercom, John C. Foster, My Turn, 2000.10.26. "The one interest that transcends language, social status, and background is the vibrant desire to learn about computers and the Internet."
• Internet Grandma, John C. Foster, My Turn, 2000.09.22. You'll laugh out loud as John Foster explains how he helped his 70-year-old mother get on the Internet.
• Gullibility Virus Spread over Internet!, anonymous. "The Gullibility Virus, as it is called, apparently makes people believe and forward copies of silly hoaxes...."

April Fools

• Luddite Mac, April 1, 2002.
• High End Mac, April 1, 2001.
• Low End Win, April 1, 2000.