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Vintage Mac Living

10 Years Using Low End Macs

- 2007.04.06

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It was 10 years ago that Dan Knight turned his personal web space into Low End Mac. It wasn't originally called Low End Mac; it was called The New Low End User, and it had profiles for Macs from the Plus (1986) to the Performa 460 (1994). It didn't support Quadras, Power Macs, or PowerBooks (or the 128K through 512Ke for that matter). It didn't have any editorial columns, just computer profiles and outside links.

I first discovered Low End Mac in April 1999, when I first got online. I remember thinking how cool Low End Mac was - not only did it have specs on every Mac ever built, it also had really cool editorial columns, email lists, and helpful information on how to do just about anything on an older Mac

If it weren't for Low End Mac, I wouldn't know what I know about Macs today. Low End Mac has always been very informative, and it always has been one of the best online resources for older Macs.

I wasn't online when Low End Mac first started, but some of my favorite articles are from 1998 through 2001. Here is a short list:

Gullibility virus spread over Internet!, anonymous, 2001
No $500 PCs this year, Dan Knight, 1998
Y2K: Mac owners beware, Dan Knight, 1998
"I" in iMac = Intel?, Dan Knight, 1999
One to many: Building a computer lab from scratch, Jeff Adkins, 2000

And that's just my short list.

Back in '01 when the Internet bubble burst, Low End Mac almost went under. Thanks to the generosity of our readers, Low End Mac managed to stay afloat. It really is amazing how many people visit Low End Mac - and how many people care about it.

And now Low End Mac is 10 years old. This makes Low End Mac one of the oldest Mac-related websites on the Internet. It's hard to imagine that Low End Mac almost didn't make it.

Here we are, 10 years later, and stronger than ever.

I've become a fairly well known writer for Low End Mac, and if it weren't for Low End Mac, I doubt if I would know nearly as much about Macs, much less be writing for the Mac Web.

I've only been writing for Low End Mac for the past two years, and it has been really fun. My latest article, Using Apple's Lisa for Real Work (published this past Monday), was read over 40,000 times - that's a record for me. I guess people really must enjoy my work.

Not only is this Low End Mac's 10th anniversary, it's also been 10 years since I got my first computer, a Mac IIcx. (Small world - not only Did LEM start in April of '97, I got my first computer in April '97, which was also Apple's 20th anniversary!)

I want to wish Low End Mac a very happy 10th birthday, and hopefully we'll have another 10 great years ahead of us!

Recent Vintage Mac Living articles

If a Mac Plus can run System 7.5.5, why can't an 800 MHz G4 run Leopard?, 10.19. Apple supported the Mac Plus for over 10 years after its introduction. Why should Leopard cut off support for Macs released 4-6 years ago?
60 Mac models left behind: The ridiculously high cost of Leopard, 10.17. Mac OS X 10.5 officially doesn't support any G3 Macs, most G4 Power Macs, most titanium PowerBooks, half the G4 iMacs, early eMacs, or the first 12" G4 iBook.
What a waste! Some schools would rather store old computers than put them to use, 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.
Why I don't want an iPhone - and really want an iPod touch, 09.06. The iPhone offers a lot of capabilities, but at too high a cost for someone who doesn't need a mobile phone or doesn't want to change carriers. The iPod touch is nearly perfect.
More in the Vintage Mac Living index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: 15" MacBook Pro Core Duo, Jan. 2006 - The first Intel-based MacBook launched at 1.83-2.0 GHz, had several teething problems.
Group of the Day: System 6 is the email list for those who choose System 6.
November 21 in LEM history: 00: OS upgrades, downgrades - AltiVec vs. Pentium III - 01: Saved by the clones - Computer of the future - 02: Apple Education: Let's get to it - 03: Panther lets Macs and PCs work together, - Lombard SCSI bug - 05: 3 survivors from the 1970s - Real world battery life inadequate - Windows to Mac file transfer with Zip disks - $99 alternative to Microsoft Office - 06: Parallels 1.0 far more polished than beta
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Recent Deals

Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
Best Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac Box Set Deals, 11.18. "Snow Leopard", single user, $25; 5 users, $45; Mac Box Set, single user, $139; 5 users, $180; Server, $414. Shipping included.
Best Xserve Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $649; 2.3 dual G5, $795; 3.0 4-core Xeon, $1,899; refurb 2.26 4-core, $2,499; new, $2,888; refurb 8-core, $2,999; new, $3,449; more.
Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 11.17. Used 1.83 GHz, $750; 2.16, $800; 2.33, $900; refurb 2.4, $1,299; 2.53, $1,449; 2.66, $1,699; 2.8, $1,899; new 2.53, $1,579; 2.66, $1,799; more.
Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, 11.17. Used 400 MHz, $50; 933 MHz, $80; 500 dual, $60; 867 dual, $90; 1 GHz dual, $150; 1.25 GHz dual, $225; 1.42 GHz, $499.
Best Mac OS X 10.5 Deals, 11.17. "Leopard" upgrade, $80; single user license, $135; 5 users, $173; Mac Box Set, 5 users, $230; Server, 10 users, $340; unlimited, $850. Shipping included.
Best Mac mini Deals, 11.16. Used 1.42 GHz G4 mini, $379; 1.66 GHz Core Solo, $419; 2.0 Core 2, $450; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $769; Server, $990.
Best iBook G4 Deals, 11.16. Used 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $210; 1.33 GHz, $298; 14" 1.33 GHz, $398; 1.42 GHz, $479; SuperDrive, $498.
Best iPod shuffle Deals, 11.16. Used 1 GB, $35; 4 GB, $65; refurb 1 GB, $39; 2 GB, $59; new 2 GB, $55, 4 GB, $75. New and refurb prices include shipping.
More deals in our archive.

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