2002 – It all started with the purchase of a refurbished iceBook three months ago. No longer would I have to retreat to my study to check my emails – instead I could sit in the lounge, keeping half an eye on the TV, and being part of the family at the same time. Other […]
Category Archives: My Turn
2001 – Gathering software for older Macs has become my latest Macintosh obsession. I am copying the installers onto hard drives and Zip disks for posterity’s sake. There is a lot of useful shareware, freeware, and commercial software available at little or no cost to the hordes of “vintage” Mac users. Some are distributed by […]
In Just for Fun, Linus Torvalds’ recent memoir of the early days of Linux, Torvalds recounts meeting Steve Jobs and Apple technical chief Avie Tevanian.
Here are two books that warrant the attention of serious Low End Mac readers: The Second Coming of Steve Jobs and Free For All.
2000 – In one of my Mac Lab Report columns, I discussed the usual arguments that fly between passionate users regarding the superiority of the Mac vs. the PC platform. However, a dispassionate outside observer might listen to such an argument and rightfully ask, “What difference does it make? Just get on with your work,” […]
It’s a good time to be reading about (and writing about) Macs. After the slow years of 1996 and 1997, we’ve seen a trickle of Mac books turn into a respectable stream. Part of the stream is two books that got their start in the early 90s and have just been updated. Enough has changed in […]
I think we have enough time now with Mac OS X Public Beta to reach a painful conclusion: The transition will not work, at least not well enough to sustain the Apple we know.
I recommend Rita Lewis’s Mac OS in a Nutshell – with mild reservations. The book is a concise (360 pages), inexpensive ($24.95) guide to Mac OS 8.x, with a primary emphasis on OS 8.5.
As far as I’m concerned, the best news of the week came from Sonnet Technologies, which announced some of its G3 and G4 upgrade cards will be compatible with Mac OS X.
One of the mistakes computer users make is confusing “complicated” with “complex.” Complicated means “Strap yourself in. The learning curve is about to get seriously steep.” Complex means “You can do really neat stuff with this program.”
Let me ask you this question: On a PowerBook, have you ever seen an out of memory warning? If not, you must have a newer machine. Every time I use my PowerBook 190cs, I get the same warning, but now that problem is gone. You could even say a birdie told me. A camera birdie […]
My first computer was a 386 PC loaded with an elegant, almost forgotten program called GeoWorks. It was an impulse purchase in the fall of ’92, during a personal crisis. I badly wanted a distraction, something I could throw myself into. I dropped $1,300 on a credit card, carted home three boxes in my Honda, and […]
I was just starting out as a reporter back in 1976 and had to have a 35mm camera. The problem was, the Nikons at the little camera store in my town were way too much money – so I bought a clone.
I have a horrid confession to make: I like Microsoft Word. Oh, and I balance my budget at home using Excel spreadsheets. And I use Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) for my web browsing.
