A while back, I wrote about Camino, a Mozilla project that brings Gecko rendering goodness to a truly native Mac OS X interface. Since then, Camino has been my primary browser, and I know I’m not alone. I started reading a lot of articles around the Mac web singing Camino’s praises shortly after my piece ran.
I’m a big fan of the optical mouse known simply as The Mouse. It was originally sold by MacMice and is now being marketed directly by its maker, the Chwang Yi Company.* By whatever name, it’s one of the the smoothest, slickest, most comfortable conventional computer mice I’ve ever used.
One of the most frustrating things for Mac fans in the Intel transition is that Apple’s been confounding their expectations all the way.
2006 – It seems that you can’t win for trying. Apple and Microsoft have each developed DRM (Digital Restrictions Management) technology that provides enough security for the recording industry to allow online music sales.
Most of us remember the days when Mac databases pretty much meant one thing: FileMaker Pro. Based on technology that Apple acquired from Nashoba Systems in the late 1980s when they purchased FileMaker, Apple’s Claris software division released FileMaker Pro 1.0 in 1990.
2006 – What’s the better value, a 2.7 GHz dual processor Power Mac G5 or a 2.3 GHz Power Mac G5 with dual cores? With both currently available refurbished for the same US$2,149 price from the Apple Store, that’s a good question.
Charles W. Moore’s essay on copyright law (see Copyright Bullies May Win Some Battles but Must Lose Their War) raised a lot of good points about the way vested interests (such as the RIAA and MPAA) have changed the nature of copyright from something that serves the public interest into something that only serves publishers.
March 2006 – “We know first hand what living with a disability is like. Like a crutch, a walker, a wheelchair, our computer is another tool, albeit an extremely powerful one.”
The Mac mini was the third Mac to make the switch to Intel CPUs. Both Early 2006 versions of the Intel-based Mini include AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 2.0, Apple’s remote control, gigabit ethernet, and Front Row with Bonjour. In addition to this 1.66 GHz Core Duo model, Apple also sold an entry-level Mac mini with a […]
We cannot recommend the Core Solo version of the Mac mini unless you plan to upgrade to a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo CPU. Performance of the Core Solo model is so sluggish that most buyers who have written us express regret at their purchase. We call the Core Solo Mac mini a Compromised Mac. Because […]
February 2006 – A good mattress isn’t cheap, most cheap mattresses aren’t very good, and waterbeds remain a popular choice for people who loathe spring mattresses or can’t afford a good conventional mattress.
John Sculley’s childhood was the antithesis of Steve Jobs’. His father was strict and had impossibly high standards for his son.
2006 – A few weeks ago I received an email from a young family member. It said, “Thomas, do you know of any place where I could get an older laptop computer? Nothing too expensive, just something to play games on and use some old programs.”
There are pros and cons to working with an external hard drive. On the plus side, you can easily move your operating system, applications, and work files from one computer to another. And you can pick as big and fast a drive as fits your budget. And you can avoid having to open up a […]
A Macworld editorial that ran shortly after January’s Macworld Expo suggested that Apple is no longer really interested in breaking into the enterprise market.
I received a Lisa in the mail on my birthday, Saturday, February 4th. That was perfect timing. I brought it in the house and opened the package.
The MacBook group is for anyone using a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air. The group was begun on 2006.02.11.
While compiling what was to be my latest article for Low End Mac, a column detailing my media center project, I was simultaneously testing a program for review. I’m sure my adventures setting up a Mac media center are positively engrossing and will be sorely missed, but TopXNotes Classic has proven itself a helpful addition to […]
Judge James Ware of the US District Court of Northern California says a lawsuit against Apple for “tying” can go ahead. The suit alleges that Apple’s iPod and iTunes Music Store are tied together in such a way that it violates the Sherman Antitrust Act.
I don’t own a Mac mini, and I don’t plan on buying one, so why in the world would I be interested in the NewerTech miniStack? For those not familiar with the miniStack, it’s one of many “zero footprint” drives designed to sit under the Mac mini and match its design.
How many functions does your favorite software package perform? Most of the time, we’re happy to pay for an app that has one or two core functions, as long as it does those functions well. How about a freeware package that sports about three dozen different functions? Unbelievable, but it’s true in the form of […]
2006 – At our local Mac Users Group in Kansas City, I lead a small class called the New User’s SIG. It’s basically a big question and answer session about anything Mac-related.
Each version of OS X has done a better job than its predecessors of “playing nice” with Windows networks. OS X 10.0 didn’t have Windows networking at all; as with the classic Mac OS, 10.0 users needed a third-party program like Thursby’s Dave to connect to shared Windows folders.
2006: Last week, I had the chance to view a fantastic short anime film that absolutely blew me away. To think, I almost passed on the opportunity because the hour was late and my eyes were droopy.
Will we ever be able to live with just one web browser on our Macs? It seems unlikely for a number of reasons.
January 2006 – During my separation, I lived alone in a one bedroom apartment, and my electric bill never hit $10 a month. How’s that for frugal?
A very good day to all of you, still reading this adopted Stepmother-in-Law of all Mac sites. I have been rather silent over the last 26 months since writing my previous columns, but as I recently had my own “Elvis is in the building” moment, I thought that I’d better get back to writing for […]
As expected by the Mac rumor community and several big-name technology analysts, Apple introduced the first Intel Macs at Macworld San Francisco last week.
2006 – Although I have been disabled for over a decade and a half and am usually strapped for cash, I have a good life – maybe even better than it was when I was healthy.
2006 – I broke in my fifth pair of Kodiak boots last winter. Kodiaks are not the cheapest work boots on the market by a long shot, but they offer superior comfort and last a long time, which in my books equates to true low end living value. A good analogy is Apple computers. They […]
2006 – January 16th marks the 20th anniversary of the Mac Plus, the first Mac with a SCSI port, LocalTalk networking, and several other things. It’s hard to believe this machine is 20 years old – the one I use still works fine, and at times I almost find myself using it more than my newer […]
The Mac mini group is for anyone using a Mac mini, whether the G4 or an Intel-based model. Group begun 2006.01.11.
The Macintel group is for those using Intel-based Macs. The group was begun on 2006.01.11.
The first Intel-based iMac changes the value equation for the entire realm of desktop Macs.
Like many Mac users, part of the reason I started using a Mac was the graphical interface and not having to use a command line. It was a big selling point for Apple in the early days of the Mac, with their literature often belittling Unix and DOS/Windows systems for their reliance on “obscure commands”.