Yellow Dog Linux on a Power Mac

Despite the use of the PowerPC in other computers, such as the IBM RS/6000 and even TiVo digital video recorders, the Apple Macintosh dominates the world of PowerPC computing, and as such, it’s Macs that Yellow Dog Linux (YDL) 7.2 is squarely aimed at.

Rodney Lain and Mark Flynn

This article was published on The Painful Truth website, “a collection of Facts, Opinions and Comments from survivors of Armstrongism and The Worldwide Church of God.” This was written after Rodney moved from Georgia to Minnesota.

Good-Bye, Rodney

Rodney O. Lain was one of the most erudite, informed, opinionated, and iconoclastic writers on the Mac Web. In other words, he thought for himself, spoke his mind, and did it well.

OS X from a Linux Perspective

Apple’s Mac OS X has been gaining a lot of column inches in the computer press, and for good reason. As you are no doubt sick of hearing, the new Mac operating system is not just another revision of a bloated and moribund, though elegant, desktop OS. It is Unix – BSD Unix to be […]

Open Source Reality Check

You would be forgiven for thinking that the open source in business debate had been finally put to bed with the likes of IBM backing Linux and even the notoriously secretive Apple opening parts of Mac OS X to the public. However, you’d be wrong.

Beyond Linux Apps: Mac on Linux

We’ve all heard it: Linux has no applications. Despite the availability of many professional desktop applications for Linux, such as Star Office and Corel WordPerfect Office, the rumour of the dearth of applications for Linux persists. In fact, it does have some truth in it, at least for users of nonstandard versions of Linux such […]

14″ 700 MHz iBook G3 (Mid 2002)

Didn’t think 600 MHz was fast enough? The May 2002 14″ iBook runs at 700 MHz and has a 512 KB level 2 cache, twice as large as its 600 MHz Early 2002 ancestor. The new Mobility Radeon graphics is also up to 35% faster, according to Apple, and it also has twice as much […]

12″ iBook G3 (Mid 2002)

Apple improved the already popular Dual USB iBook by boosting CPU speed 100 MHz and using a newer version of the G3 with a twice-as-large 512 KB level 2 cache. The entry-level 600 MHz model has a CD-ROM drive, while the 700 MHz one includes Apple’s  Combo (CD-RW/DVD) drive. The new Mobility Radeon is up […]

Bring Out the GIMP

The Mac. Graphic Design. These phrases are practically inseparable. Before 1984 there was an entire career option missing, that of “Mac operator.” The next generation Unix OS, Mac OS X will no doubt cement Apple’s domination of the creative industries further with its improvements to the system such as the Acrobat-based Quartz display layer, preemptive multitasking, […]

Xserve G4 (Mid 2002)

After years of repackaging off-the-shelf Macs for use as servers, Apple introduced Xserve in May 2002 as its second attack on the server market – and the industry’s first 1U dual processor RISC server. Xserve supports up to 480 GB of internal storage, one or two 1 GHz G4 CPUs, dual gigabit ethernet, RAID, hot swappable drives, […]

Why Linux Instead of OS X?

Anyone with an interest in computing – especially in Unix-based OSes – cannot have failed to notice the hype surrounding the release of Mac OS X. OS X is a whole new ball game in Macintosh computing. For many years Apple have been trying to find a suitable replacement for their sophisticated (but rapidly dated) Mac OS.

Toxic Computer Waste

One of the problems facing the computer industry today is the fact that so many computers are thrown out each day. You might think that when you toss your old 286, it’s gone for good. Think again – the world has probably not seen the last of your ancient PC.

15″ PowerBook G4 (DVI)

A bit more than six months after speed bumping the TiBook to 550 and 667 MHz, Apple overhauled the titanium workhorse with still faster processors (667 and 800 MHz); a brighter, higher resolution screen (1280 x 854 vs. 1152 x 768); and ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics with 32 MB of video memory. This is […]

eMac (2002)

Rumors of a 17″ iMac had been circulating since 1998. Apple finally did it by introducing the eMac to the education market at the end of April 2002 – and to the consumer market that June. The base 700 MHz CD-ROM model does not include a modem; all other models have one. The top-end 800 […]

PowerBook 5300: The Real PowerBook

The concept of Luddite Mac appeals to me at the gut level, because I am temperamentally resistant to change. When I have found something that works well for me, I’m happy to stick with it and reluctant to move along to the next big thing.

The $299 2 GHz iMac ‘040

2002 – The G4 has finally reached the 1 GHz mark. This comes even as chips from Intel and AMD surpass the 2 GHz level. Will Apple ever catch up, let alone surpass its PC counterparts in MHz? The answer may lie in revisiting a decision made over eight years ago.

Getting the Most from Your Older Mac

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 […]