Embracing Obsolescence

Nathan Thompson is an aspiring writer who has a hankering for technological gadgets - especially those gadgets he can "wrap his feeble brain around". When that occasion arrives, he doesn't like to let go and continues to use his favored friends until the ones and zeros stop transmitting. Consequently, you will find Nathan writing mostly about older Macs, including both the 68k Mac and pre-OS X PowerPC models.

Nathan's credentials are admittedly meager, he writes. "I have worked with a variety of Tire Sales/Automotive Repair shops, doing misc. computer related support, assisting local promotional efforts, and helping establish better customer service processes. Currently, when not contributing to Low End Mac, I do some freelance work for Levelfield. Luckily, while my clients use a variety of computer solutions, I remain solely Mac-based."

"From my first Mac in 1992, an LC II (amazingly still gets rotated in and out of service as my needs dictate) until today, I have remained Windows free. I do dabble with - big gasp - Linux when I need more power. I use OS X occasionally, mostly to keep my mother's snow iMac DV SE in tip top operating condition.

"My most frequently used computers are an LC 580 (Mac OS 8.1) - sort of a central media device, file server, and Internet terminal - and a PowerBook 520c (System 7.5 and Mac OS 8.1 dual boot). Think travel companion and Timbuktu /VNC client when home.

"My third friendly device is an old NEC Ready 9883 (boo hiss) running Ubuntu Linux. It works well as a server, modern audio player, and modern web device."

Steve Jobs stirs up the DRM hornet's nest, 2007.02.12. Stripping DRM would level the playing field for players and allow digital music services to compete on price, quality, and selection.
SoundApp an audio workhorse for PowerPC, 680x0 Macs, 2006.12.22. For those using the classic Mac OS, SoundApp can convert tracks, play music, and look up CD tracks online.
The iAudio G3: More features than an iPod nano at an iPod shuffle price, 2006.12.14. The iAudio G3 lets you avoid DRM lock-in while providing multiformat support, more features than an iPod nano, and a price lower than Apple's iPod shuffle.
Does Zune improve the DRM landscape or just increase confusion?, 2006.12.08. Microsoft has forsaken backward compatibility with its own PlaysForSure standard to take on the iPod. Won't that just further confuse potential customers?
Libraries not playing nice with Macs or iPods, 2006.12.06. Digital restrictions limit the library's digital audiobooks and ebooks to Windows users who own MP3 players that support DRM. No Macs. No Linux. No iPods. No generic MP3 players.
SATA and PCI Power Macs: No OS X joy, but you can boot OS 9, 2006.11.17. Weeks of experimention find that while you can't seem to boot a pre-G3 Power Mac into OS X from a SATA hard drive, you can at least boot OS 9 from it.
Musings on low-end SATA cards in PCI Power Macs, 2006.11.06. Thoughts on why the inexpensive SATA card might almost work in a pre-G3 PCI Power Mac.
Old Power Macs and SATA not a marriage made in heaven, 2006.11.03. The PCI SATA card said blue & white G3 or newer and Mac OS 8.6 or later, but maybe it would work in an older pre-G3 Power Mac....
iPod birthday articles foster DRM confusion, 2006.10.24. While complaining about the iPod's FairPlay restrictions, writers seem content to ignore the digital restrictions imposed by Microsoft and others.
Customizing Mac OS 9, 2006.08.01. Fiddling with themes, picking a browser, and making the Classic Mac OS work just the way you want it to.
PowerBook 1400 one of the best PowerBooks ever, 2006.07.21. "How embarrassing for me to be so taken my a computer, but I am greatly impressed."
Panther on a G3 iMac, B&W G3 sold, and the state of my other Macs, 2006.07.18. Although running OS X 10.3.9 on a 6-year-old iMac, the author still maintains his stable of older Macs running the Classic Mac OS.
A pair of application switchers for the classic Mac OS, 2006.06.06. Both LiteSwitch and ApplWindows let you quickly switch between apps, but AppleWindows has a lot more features.
MpegDec on 68030, more on DRM, and another MP3 player for PowerPC Macs, 2006.05.24. Hands-on testing shows a 16 MHz LC II isn't up to MP3s, Apple's DRM is less bad than Microsoft's, and a look at Mint Audio, a promising but frustrating discontinued commercial app.
Setting up a 68040-based Mac media center, 2006.05.12. Yes, that old '040-based Quadra or Performa just might make a decent media center for listening to MP3s and watching videos.
Getting the Mac digital jukebox up and running, 2006.05.08. Connecting your PowerPC Mac to your stereo and remote control options for running a headless digital audio jukebox.
DRM increasingly restricts what you can do with your CDs, DVDs, and downloaded tunes, 2006.05.01. "The more media is a hassle to transfer from device to device, the better the opportunity the various corporations have to sell consumers the same product over and over."
Free and low cost online music services with no DRM, 2006.04.21. Two free and two low-cost online music services let anyone with Internet access download DRM-free music.
Mac digital jukebox: Importing audio from your CDs, 2006.04.11. A look at lossy vs. lossless encoding, different encoding formats, and ripping software for the Classic Mac OS.
Blue and White Power Mac G3 helps salvage Mac jukebox project, 2006.03.30. "Onboard FireWire, USB, and 10/100 ethernet, a 100 MHz bus speed, and a boldly attractive case design combine to make for a solid upgrade from a Beige G3 or earlier G3-upgraded Power Mac."
Happy 5th birthday OS X from a Jaguar user, 2006.03.24. Apple's transition to OS X, officially begun five years ago today, has been a real success. So much so that the author hasn't seen any need to go beyond 10.2.x.
MpegDec: Play MP3s and streaming audio on 680x0 and old PowerPC Macs, 2006.03.14. 680x0 Macs can play anything short of 128kbps stereo MP3s, and even the oldest PowerPC Macs have no trouble at all with those recordings.
Free MP3 and Ogg Vorbis software for old Macs and the classic Mac OS, 2006.03.08. Yes, you can play MP3s on 68030 Macs with System 7 - and even listen to Ogg Vorbis files using 68040-based Macs.
The Low End Mac Media Center, 2006.03.02. The most important step in picking a media center Mac is choosing a computer that will do everything you need.
TopXNotes Classic: A powerful, easy to use, low cost information organizer for OS 9, 2006.02.10. TopXNotes goes far beyond replacing Apple's Notepad and allows you complete organizational control of your notes.
Netscape 7, Internet Explorer 5, iCab, MacLynx, WaMCom, WannaBe, MachTen, and more movies made on Macs, 2006.02.03. A look at favorite and unfavorite browsers for the classic Mac OS and three other movies produced on Macs.
Voices of a Distant Star: A brisk, breathtaking anime film made on a Power Mac, 2006.01.26. A good story well told by Makoto Shinkai - and produced on a 400 MHz Power Mac G4.
File sharing nightmare with OS X and the classic Mac OS, 2006.01.20. If you need to transfer more than 2 GB of files from an OS X Mac to one with the classic Mac OS, none of the usual methods are going to work. But there's always FTP.
Enhancing the WannaBe browser with Sherlock and Mozilla Plugins, 2006.01.06. WannaBe is a fairly basic text-only Web browser, but plugins give it a lot of flexibility.
Low-end Mac treasure trove found on Craigslist, 2006.01.06. A nighttime jaunt ads a Performa 6400, Power Mac 7600, and assorted Mac peripherals to the author's Mac collection.
Web browser tips for the classic Mac OS, 2006.01.03. Tips on getting the most out of WaMCom, Mozilla, Internet Explorer, iCab, Opera, and WannaBe using the classic Mac OS.
The best browsers for PowerPC Macs and the classic Mac OS, 2005.12.16. Two browsers stand out from the pack: iCab 3 is modern and remains under development, and WaMCom brings Mozilla to older Macs.
Two browsers, an email client, and a 68k Mac, 2005.12.07. WannaBe, iCab, and SweetMail - programs that let your vintage Mac work with the modern Web and current email services.