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Mac Spectrum

Simon Royal is a child of the 1970s (albeit by only two months). He started computing with the likes of a Commodore 64 and Acorn 3010, and later bought an old 486 from his first employer, his first step into the Windows world.

He entered the Mac world in 2001 on an old Mac Quadra at the publishing house where he worked. A year later, he got a free Beige G3/333 MHz tower running OS 9. From that, he upgraded to a 450 MHz iMac G3 running Mac OS X, and after a few years he bought a 1 GHz eMac, his first brand new Mac.

Over the years he has owned and used a 'WallStreet' PowerBook G3, 'Lombard' PowerBook G3, a G4 PowerBook, a Clamshell G3 iBook, a 'Dual USB' iBook G3, a PowerBook 1400cs, numerous iMac G3s and eMacs and G3 Power Macs, a Power Mac G4 Cube, an iMac Core Duo, an SE/30, a Classic II, some LC IIs, and a Newton 2000.

He currently owns an 867 MHz 15" PowerBook G4.

Royal has used every version of Windows and the Mac OS since the early 90s, and has "strayed even further" by delving into the world of Linux. He has ripped open every computer he's owned (except for the Intel iMac). He states, "From building a PC from scratch, replacing hard drives and optical drives in iBooks, fitting new hard drives in eMacs, or logic board replacements in iMacs - to name but a few - I have developed a wealth of knowledge."

Royal will no longer be writing for Low End Mac and says he may even be leaving the Mac world, which would be a shame. His research and writing have helped bring many older Macs into the modern world, especially his columns on WiFi for PowerBooks. Royal also had his own Mac website.

A Place for the Classic Mac OS in the Age of Snow Leopard, 2009.10.19. Mac OS 9 has been out of production for nine years, but for basic tasks, such as word processing and email, it provides plenty of power.
Adding USB 2.0 to a Titanium PowerBook G4, 2009.08.20. TiBooks have built-in USB 1.1, but with a compatible USB 2.0 CardBus card, you can go 2.0. Problem is, not all cards work.
'Snow Leopard' and the End of PowerPC Macs, 2009.08.14. Mac OS X 10.6 will be the first version of OS X without PowerPC support. That marks the beginning of the end for G4 and G5 Macs.
Lombard, the Forgotten PowerBook, 2009.05.06. Sitting between the legendary WallStreet and the widely known Pismo, Lombard provides great value and handles OS X nicely.
Does Using Matched RAM Make Your Mac Faster or More Stable?, 2009.04.28. Most Macs don't need matched memory modules and seem to run just fine with mismatched brands and capacities, but matching modules may be a bit faster.
Hacking a WiFi PC Card to Work in Apple's AirPort Card Slot, 2009.04.21. Apple's AirPort Card has become expensive since it was discontinued. Here's how you may be able to adapt an 802.11b PC Card to replace it.
Is Leopard Slower than Tiger on G4 Macs?, 2009.04.17. Truth be told, when you have 1 GB of RAM, Leopard benchmarks an insigificant 4% slower than Tiger.
Is It Worth Maxing the RAM in Old G3 and G4 Macs?, 2009.04.15. Increasing memory can make your old Mac faster and make you more productive, but it probably won't improve resale value by the amount you spend.
Safari 4 Beta Is Lightning Fast, 2009.02.26. The beta of Safari 4 zips through HTML and JavaScript, and Flash performance is also better.
Is Running Leopard on a Sawtooth Power Mac G4 Worth Doing?, 2009.02.02. There are several ways to get Leopard running on an AGP Power Mac G4, but a slow CPU, limited RAM, a slow hard drive, and an old video card can bog it down.
Do G4 Macs Have What It Takes to Remain Useful in a Multicore World?, 2009.01.15. With dual-core Intel CPUs running beyond 2 GHz, is any G4 Mac a practical choice?
The Road Ahead: Snow Leopard, Windows 7, and Mac OS X 10.7, 2009.01.12. With 'Snow Leopard' expected to be a minor upgrade to 'Leopard', don't expect significant changes until Mac OSX 10.7, which should arrive a bit after Windows 7.
Leopard on an 867 MHz G4 Trounces Vista on a 2 GHz Core Duo Notebook, 2008.12.16. Apple makes sure that each version of OS X runs well on the minimum supported hardware, while PCs well above minimum spec struggle under Microsoft's latest version of Windows.
The Leopard Experience at 867 MHz, 2008.12.02. Mac OS X 10.5 requires an 867 MHz G4 with 512 MB of memory, but is performance really acceptable on a minimum spec system?
Will Snow Leopard Support Some PowerPC Macs?, 2008.11.26. It just doesn't make sense that Apple would ship a new OS that won't support Macs sold less than three years ago.
Could Linux Ever Replace Mac OS X?, 2008.11.24. Linux has become more powerful and more friendly month after month, but can it compare with the Mac OS X experience?
Leopard Runs Very Nicely on PowerPC Macs, 2008.11.19. Some claim that Mac OS X 10.5 is so optimized for Intel Macs that it runs poorly on PowerPC hardware. That's simply not the case.
Free Alternatives to Microsoft Office, 2008.11.17. Microsoft Office is powerful and expensive. OpenOffice provides a full alternative, and Bean and AbiWord are excellent options for word processing.
The Future of PowerPC Macs and Software as 'Snow Leopard' Approaches, 2008.11.13. Apple phased out Classic Mode and G3 support with 'Leopard' last year, and next year's OS X 10.6 won't support any PowerPC Macs. Will other developers abandon PowerPC as well?
Is Running Leopard on a Sawtooth Power Mac G4 Worth Doing?, 2008.10.27. There are several ways to get Leopard running on an AGP Power Mac G4, but a slow CPU, limited RAM, a slow hard drive, and an old video card can bog it down.
G3 and Low End G4 Mac Performance Comparison, 2008.10.15. Factors that impact performance are the version of CPU, the size and speed of the Level 2 cache, and how much RAM is installed.
How to Clone Mac OS X to a New Hard Drive, 2008.10.07. Whether you want to put a bigger, faster drive in your Mac or clone OS X for use in another Mac, here's the simple process.
Getting the Most from Your G3 Mac, 2008.10.03. Most G3 Macs can be upgraded so they can run Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' quite nicely. Here's how.
What is a Low-End Mac?, 2008.09.30. By definition, a low-end Mac is enough Mac to do what you need to do without slowing you down significantly.
9 Browsers for G3 and Older G4 Macs Compared, 2008.09.26. The latest versions of Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Radon, Firefox, Demeter, Sunrise, and Camino that run on Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger".
Mac or Windows: Does It Even Matter Any More?, 2008.09.25. Today computing is all about applications and the Internet. Does it really matter whether you're using the Mac OS, Windows, or Linux?
Tiger vs. Leopard: Which Is Best for You?, 2008.09.22. Two great versions of Mac OS X, but unless your Mac is well above the minimum spec for Leopard and has lots of RAM, stick with Tiger.
Can Smart Phones Replace Laptops?, 2008.09.16. Smart phones and mini notebooks are all the rage, but can even the iPhone replace your notebook computer?
Are G3 Macs Still Viable Work Machines?, 2008.09.08. For basic tasks - writing, email, and using the Web - a G3 Mac with Mac OS X 10.4 and sufficient memory provides plenty of power.
11 Mac Browsers Compared, 2008.09.03. The latest versions of Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Radon, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, SeaMonkey, Flock, and Camino tested in Leopard.
10 Mac Browsers Compared, 2008.08.28. A look at Internet Explorer, Radon, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, Flock, and Camino running in Leopard.
Upgrading Your Lombard PowerBook G3, 2008.08.25. Step-by-step instructions for getting inside the Lombard PowerBook to upgrade RAM, replace the hard drive, and swap out the CPU card.
Replacing Your Lombard or Pismo Optical Drive with a SuperDrive, 2008.08.15. It's not difficult to swap out the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive in a Lombard or Pismo PowerBook with a CD- and DVD-burning SuperDrive.
WiFi Cards for PowerBooks with PC Card Slots, 2008.08.12. PC Card and CardBus 802.11b and 802.11g cards known to be compatible with Apple's PowerBooks.
Macs are where I want to be, 2008.07.28. From his first exposure to the Mac in 2001, Simon Royal has been hooked by the 'better alternative' to Windows.
Hooked on Macs, new and old, 2008.07.15. Starting with an old Quadra in 2000, Royal left behind Windows and began acquiring his own stable of Macs.

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