OS X: Of Docks and Roadblocks

2002 – As I said last time, the more I use Mac OS X, the more I like it. This is especially true since replacing the stock 10 GB Toshiba drive (4200 rpm, 1 MB cache) with a larger, faster 20 GB IBM Travelstar drive (5400 rpm, 8 MB cache).

I Want to Switch But…

2002 – For years the Mac faithful heard promises about Apple’s next generation operating system. Copland or Rhapsody (or whatever it was being called at the time) would be fully buzzword compliant, would run on any Power Mac ever made, and have us chomping at the bit to upgrade.

OS X: The Best of Amiga, Linux, and the Mac OS

The first computer I can remember using was our family’s Amiga 500. We got it around 1990, when I was 10. It continued to be used by everyone for five years, until both my father and I decided independently of each other that we’d like our own PC.

Going Ten, Part 3: Progressing Slowly

2002 – Let me be right up front and state that it’s going to be a while before I stop booting into Mac OS 9.x to get my work done. I’ve developed habits that depend on classic Mac features like a series of popup windows at the bottom of my screen and being able to […]

Installing OS X on a SuperMac S900

Like many of you out there, I had been salivating over Mac OS X since it arrived last year. There was one small issue: I was using a Umax SuperMac S900, and 604e support was less than forthcoming from Apple, so unless there was a new Apple G3 or G4 machine in my future, I was […]

Going Ten, Step 1: Preparation

2002 – This is the first on an ongoing series as Low End Mac prepares for and jumps into the world of Mac OS X. Unlike others who submit articles for 10 Forward, I haven’t used 10.1 yet, but I’m preparing to.

OS X: Take the Bitter with the Better

2000: Like it or not, Mac OS X will be a reality in a few short months. All of the hand-wringing, hair tearing, and general sighs of resignation (along with a few cheers) will be done, and OS X will make its debut – and it’s in your best interest to swallow the medicine (sweet […]

OS X Dooms Apple

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.

Bring Back Beige

2000: The buzz in building around Mac OS X. If early signs are any indication, OS X will be the hit Apple hopes it will be. A good indicator of the popularity of the new operating system is the demand from the Wintel side to have OS X ported to their hardware of choice. With […]

OS X on Pre-G3 Power Macs

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.

Are Aqua-Skeptics Luddites?

2000: In Bryan Chaffin’s latest The Back Page column on The Mac Observer, he argues that Apple was brilliant for showing Mac OS X’s new “lickable” Aqua user interface now, and he sharply chides the foot-draggers (your humble servant included) who have expressed misgivings about the GUI course that Apple has chosen to follow in […]

Should I Wait for OS X Before Upgrading My Macs?

1999 – I enjoyed your article, Is It Time to Buy an iMac? Personally, I’m still using my 6-1/2 year old Quadra 800 quite successfully. I know that $5,500 was a lot of money back in Spring ’93, and I’m squeezing every last bit of power out of it. For most tasks, it seems about […]

How Can I Be Ready for Mac OS X?

1998 – GD writes: I am an end user and have been a dedicated Macintosh user ever since I knew what a computer was. In high school, I used an Apple IIe. In college, I used a Macintosh Plus, which I upgraded to a severe 2 MB RAM! WOW!

Mac OS X: Unix to the Core

1998: If you cut your teeth on the Mac or even a Windows machine, count yourself fortunate. A graphical operating system lets you play around and figure out how things work. It’s user-friendly, which is why the Macintosh caught on and influenced the shape of the dominant PC operating systems. The same concepts are playing […]