Apple has done something really different with the Mac Pro, and it’s taken a few days to put it all in perspective.
The Mac Pro group is for those using Mac Pro computers. The group was begun on 2006.08.08.
2006 – While browsing a local thrift shop the other day, I decided to take a look at the computer section. Not that I was expecting to find anything good, as most of what they tend to carry are 10-year-old PCs. Surprisingly, amidst 10-15 beige box PCs sat a single iMac – with a $25 price […]
The new MacBook Pros and MacBooks run hot – almost hot enough to fry eggs. Indeed, Apple no longer advertises its portable computers as laptops, presumably fearing product liability lawsuits should someone singe their thighs.
2006 – Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger ships on DVD media, which is great if you have a Mac equipped with a DVD drive (as most of us do these days), since the entire set of installer files can be contained on one disc, eliminating the necessity of disc-swapping in the middle of the process. […]
2006: One common recommendation for the use of System 6 is word processing and creative writing. I’ve tested three System 6 machines against a typical modern computer – and the results may surprise you!
TopXNotes is Tropical Software’s solution for creating, working with, and managing text-based notes – another entry in the increasingly crowded field of Classic Mac OS Note Pad replacements for OS X. The program supports to-do lists, Web account information, software serial numbers, and just about anything else you need to store – another spin on the theme […]
This article is taken from MacFacts 95. Scott Baret wrote and drew the original work in 1995 at the age of eight and began revising it a year ago. For more about this document’s history and Baret’s experiences with Macs through his school years, see About This Article at the end of the page.
2006 – There is one laptop upgrade that gives no performance benefit, but it adds a long-desired feature of frequent travelers, which is a swap of the built-in Combo or SuperDrive for a different model, because Apple’s PowerBooks and MacBooks use Matsushita (Panasonic) optical drives, and it’s, impossible to flash firmware on these drives.
2006 – Over the past few years, I’ve been cutting back on some of the old Macs lying around the house. At one point I had an example of just about every Mac made until the late 1990s. As software is updated and time goes on, most of these computers become less and less useful […]
2006: Classic Mac audio software: Free and low-cost ways for vintage and classic Macs to perform in the studio.
Ted Hodges’ recent article, The Sun Has Set on the G4, brought to light one mostly overlooked facts about the MacBook’s introduction: The G4 is now out of Apple’s lineup.
2006 – “The clueless shall inherit the earth, because there are so many of them.” The latest example of that truism comes from Mike Langberg in his Monday column in the Mercury News. In Apple’s iTunes Solo Act Is Getting Competition (free subscription required), he explains both the Windows monopoly monoculture and the closed iPod/iTMS system.
Everyone already knows that Mac OS X is a Unix variant and that it can run Unix software. Many just leave it at that, assuming that Unix software means things that run in the Terminal – but there’s also a whole wide world of graphical apps in the Unix world that run in what’s known […]
May 2006: Back when I was 13 years old, I wrote an article for Low End Mac called Guide to P1 Features (1999.02.24). The article was just me being excited about the rumored Apple iBook (codenamed P1), and I talked about what I thought Apple might release.
2006 – This installment of our ongoing digital audio jukebox series will take a moment to deal with errata from past installments (things I mistakenly omitted or just flat out got wrong) and also follow a detour into my distaste for DRM-laden media.
Low End Mac’s Panther group is for those using Mac OS X 10.3. Panther Group was begun on 2006.04.08.
2006 – A few days ago I had an opportunity to get some WallStreet PowerBooks. They were from one of my local suppliers, and he was offering me a whole box of them and a bunch of parts for one price.
Low End Mac’s Jaguar Group is for those using Mac OS X 10.2. The group was begun 2006.03.29.
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.”
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 […]