Luddite Mac is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek celebration of vintage Macs — and even Apple IIs. The point we always try to make at Low End Mac is that until it dies no computer is ever less capable than it was when you bought it, so try to make the most of it.
Our other focus is helping you know when upgrading your hardware and/or software makes sense, when it doesn’t, and when it’s simply time to invest in a new Mac, whether new or previously enjoyed.
We’re not really Luddites, but we do appreciate the value of older Macs, even if we have left them behind for our day-to-day work.
This site covers everything from the Lisa to the latest Macs – because sooner or later, every Mac becomes low end. Due to our focus on value, the primary focus of Luddite Mac is older models.
For the benefit of low-end users, this site uses no frames, no Java, no sound, and no QuickTime movies, — just text, tables, GIFs, PNGs , and JPEGs. We do make some use of image maps for navigation, so you are best off with a graphics-enabled Web browser. For best viewing, your browser cache should be on.
It was intentional that little of our site requirements have changed over the years, to continue backward compatibility with older Macs while paving a way forward. Since Late 2024 we have vastly increased the use of PNGs for site navigation (for a modern touch without the bloat), while remaining committed to keeping the site as low-resource as can be!
Site History
Low End Mac began in April 1997 with Daniel Knight as a way to keep track of older Macs he had to support at work. Over the years, Low End Mac has grown an online community around this website through our gmail lists, FaceBook Groups, and now we’re also on BlueSky.
Originally called The New Low End Mac User and served on Dan K’s personal Internet account at iserv.net, Low End Mac joined the MacTimes Network in November 1997. There it grew tenfold in popularity. During our months with MacTimes, we also created the iMac Channel, MacInSchool, and a lot of other content which would later be integrate with Low End Mac in the 00s.
In February 1999, we moved to the lowendmac.com domain as one of the few Mac-related sites served on a Macintosh computer. The Power Mac G3 server was capably managed by Innovative Technologies. At the end of March 1999, Low End Mac severed its relationship with MacTimes. We joined the infiniMedia Network in May 1999, moving to their server. Although it was a bit of a disappointment no longer being served on Mac hardware, the simple fact is that their Unix server was much faster.
In 2002 Low End Mac was hosted by BackBeat media who also handled the ads at the time. The site is running to this day on on Apache (Web server software) on the Linux operating system.
In April 2014, site traffic dropped to 12% of what it had been in 2007, when we averaged 1.43 million pages per month; ad income has diminished from what it once was. We are rebuilding from our low point in April 2014 – October 2024. But even with our uptick in traffic, we don’t receive enough from advertising to cover expenses, so we depend on readers for support. Help spread the word about our website!
After years of running the site, Dan Knight has decided to step down as captain of Low End Mac in 2021. He passed the baton over to Dan Bashur, Mark Sokolovsky, Greg Hrutkay, Carl Draper, Jay Vrij, Lucas Salzman, and Collin Mistr.
I started writing articles for Low End Mac in 2018 and became very busy with marketing management at the time, and circled back to writing on here in Mid-2023. It wasn’t until Fall 2024 when I had a genuine opportunity to take it upon myself to help revive this website, and the effort’s been going on ever since. While I am the primary writer/editor/designer for this website short of the web server itself, I keep close ties with all members of the team.
Dan Bashur writes articles too, is our site captain/chief editor, and we regularly communicate about article ideas and what can/should be done. I may not have found my dream IT career yet, but I very much enjoy helping continue this website by channeling my knowledge and skills into something that can help others.
Personal Mac History
It started in middle school pretty much – I was already a curious computer user but was stuck with an unstable Windows Vista PC on an old Pentium 4 until a friend of the family was kind enough to donate his 600 MHz Graphite iMac G3 to me. Since then I’ve mainly stuck to Macs, tinkering with them, working with all different kinds as a hobby as well as a promising/desired path for work. Life can throw you a curveball, but I always loved how computers can be built/disassembled like Legos while also helping you teach problem solving skills.
I’ve fixed many computers over the years for friends/family/acquaintances but was never sure what specific thing would turn out of my the computer hobby – anywhere I go I’m always the “computer guy” or “Apple guy”. I’ve also owned many, many of the PowerPC and early intel era of Macs at one point or another, and opted to have a smaller collection.
Surely if I had much more space, time, energy and (especially if Low End Mac were more a business than just a website) I’d have a larger collection. Though I think I got the angst of “wanting it all” or “a giant collection” out of my system.. not like I’ll be interacting with all those every day even if it’s convenient.
I don’t have my first ever Mac anymore, but I still have my second ever Mac: a 1999 Power Mac G4 sawtooth. I like to stay on the bleeding edge with an M4 MacBook Air 15″, and an i7 2018 mini does plenty for me as a desktop daily driver.
See More:
- Getting the Most from Your Older Mac – Luddite Mac 2001
- Low End Win – our April Fools 2000 idea of what a low-end Windows website might be.
- The Virtues of a G4 – High End Mac
- About High End Mac – Daniel Knight – 2001.04.01
- Luddite Mac – Luddite Mac was our 2002 April Fools parody looking back at the lowest of the low-end Macs.
- Getting the Most from Your Older Mac – Luddite Mac
Keywords: #ludditemac #aprilfools
searchword: ludditemac
