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Welcome to My Turn

Have you got what it takes to write for the Mac Web? If so, My Turn is your place to share your opinion on Mac-related topics.

My Turn thinks different. Too many Web sites take your text, throw it up, and let the world see your writing - typos, poor punctuation, and all. We won't do that to you. Every article ever published on Low End Mac gets edited.

We can do this because I took a lot of writing courses in college, and because we're not going to publish just any submissions. They have to be good. If they're not, we'll send them back with a note explaining why. We'd rather do a few things right than do a lot of things poorly.

If you want to write for publication, please read Writing for My Turn and Writing for the Web. Then launch your favorite word processor and start writing.

We hope to hear from you soon. Send your submission to Dan Knight and be sure to put "My Turn" in the subject. (Unless you specifically request otherwise, we will link to your email address so readers can respond to you. We will also encrypt it to confuse spammers.)

Dan Knight, publisher, Low End Mac

Using low end Macs for Internet radio, Gordon R. Brown, 2008.08.18. When the local public radio station moved classical music to HD radio, it was time to find another way to listen. An old iMac with iTunes solved the problem.
'That's not a computer', CT Hildreth, 2008.07.30. Salvaging a broken PowerBook by turning it into a desktop computer.
Upgrading a Digital Audio G4 to work better in Leopard, Carl Nygren, 2008.06.02. In its original configuration, the dual 533 MHz Power Mac G4 was slow with Mac OS X 10.5, but add the right upgrades, and it runs Leopard quite nicely.
My 4 favorite PowerBooks, Carl Nygren, 2008.05.28. The PowerBook 150 has a big screen for a vintage PowerBook, the 165c has color, the 100 is diminutive, and Lombard has USB and a great keyboard.
Upgraded Quadra a great server for vintage Mac networking, Carl Nygren, 2008.05.21. The compact Quadra 610 runs quietly, and with a PowerPC upgrade, it rockets past regular 68040 Macs.
Leopard is the way to go, even on most old G4 Macs, Carl Nygren, 2008.05.14. The useful and just cool features in Mac OS X 10.5 make this the biggest step forward in the history of the Mac OS.
From Mac tinkerer to full time Mac user, Mike Tessitore, 2008.05.12. It started with buying old Macs on eBay and tinkering with them. But when the Windows PC died, the author learned that Macs could do everything he needed.
500 MHz iMac with Panther great for Internet, watching video, and more, Carl Nygren, 2008.05.08. At $65 with upgraded RAM and a bigger hard drive, it was too good to pass up, and it works very nicely with Mac OS X 10.3.
Maxed out WallStreet runs Tiger quite nicely, Brian Deuel, 2008.05.05. It's no speed demon, but with a 300 MHz CPU, 512 MB of RAM, and a newer hard drive, it's a cheap way to have a notebook Mac.
Restoring a half dead PowerBook 100 to full functionality, Carl Nygren, 2008.04.21. The old PowerBook was working from a floppy, but the hard drive simply refused to mount.
Graphite Clamshell iBook still a real eye catcher and useful tool, Carl Nygren, 2008.04.15. This one stood out from a batch of indigo iBooks for its color, extra processing power, and DVD-ROM drive.
Bringing a PowerBook 100 back from nearly dead, Carl Nygren, 2008.04.09. One of the PowerBooks is dead, and the other one has battery and hard drive problems.
Apple's MacBook hits a home run, Ryan Nelson, 2008.04.08. It's beautiful, it's fast, it runs Mac OS X, and it's the best laptop under US$1,500.
A vintage Mac network can be as useful as a modern one, Carl Nygren, 2008.04.08. Old Macs can exchange data and share an Internet connection very nicely using Apple's old LocalTalk networking.
Used Intel Mac mini vs. 867 MHz Power Mac G4 dual, Mark Garbowski, 2008.04.07. Can a dual processor Power Mac hold its own against a Core Duo Mac mini?
7 years on, Macs still 'just work', Dan Usmar, 2008.04.04. "The thought of buying another Windows machine had never even crossed my mind."
Mother of the MacBook Air, Ruffin Bailey, 2008.04.03. The original clamshell iBook was a runaway success despite a single USB port, no SCSI or FireWire, no PC Cards, no video out, and no DVD support.
PowerBook 150 still a winner, Carl Nygren, 2008.03.27. An ancient PowerBook can be a great portable for word processing and email - and it can even browse the Web.
14 years of useful service from a Macintosh LC III, Mark Shipp, 2008.02.26. Purchased in 1993, this LC III has been used as a multimedia center, word processing machine, mail server, Internet router, and print server.
Apple design in the MacBook Air era, John Muir, 2008.02.25. The MacBook Air represents Apple's first fully new Macintosh design since the Mac mini was introduced, and it's destined to shape the look of Macs to come.
Falling in love with Mac OS X, Germán Rotondo, 2008.02.14. Helping a friend get an iMac up and running was the author's first exposure to Macs. Today he only wishes he'd discovered Mac OS X sooner.
I needed to find an older Mac, Nick Sava, 2008.02.13. Getting nostalgic for old Mac games that don't work under Mac OS 9.2.2, the author decides to find an old Mac to play them on.
Could a wireless dock be in the MacBook Air's future?, John Hatchett, 2008.02.11. The MacBook Air is too limited in terms of connectivity, but what if Apple thought outside the box and created a MacBook Dock that connected by WiFi?
The top 11 reasons to choose Macs over PCs, Frank Fox, 2008.02.06. The 11 most important reasons for choosing a Mac over a Windows PC.
The MacBook Air makes a statement, Frank Fox, 2008.01.23. Apple's MacBook Air isn't designed to be all things to all users. It's designed to tell the world "this is all I need when away from my desk."
MacBook Air: What do you do when there's no WiFi?, John Hatchett, 2008.01.22. Every modern PowerBook had ethernet and a modem, but how do you connect the MacBook Air when there's no WiFi service?
The MacBook Air misses the mark, Barry Shell, 2008.01.17. As sexy as the MacBook Air is, the 12" PowerBook G4 beats it hands down in terms of practicality.
This old Pismo, John Hatchett, 2008.01.08. Tips on upgrading a used Pismo for better performance under Mac OS X.
Upgrading a Power Mac G4 on the cheap, Mark Garbowski, 2008.01.04. For under $200, the author upgraded memory, dropped in a SuperDrive, added a better video card, and moved up to USB 2.0.
Keeping those old Macs useful, David Passell, 2007.12.10. Long a fan of old Macs, the author oversees a computer recycling project that can repurpose most older Macs.
Why I can't buy an iPhone, and what I did about it, John Hatchett, 2007.12.07. Thanks to Apple's exclusive iPhone deal with AT&T and no local AT&T wireless coverage, the author had to find a different solution.
The Swiss Army knife of notebook Macs, John Hatchett, 2007.12.06. The 2000 Pismo was the high point of PowerBook design and flexibility with a great keyboard, expandsion bays, two PC Card slots, and a wonderful curvaceous design.
Why we acquire Macs, John Carlson, 2007.12.04. Mac users are an odd breed - we tend to buy new computers without ever tossing out our old Macs.
PCI Power Macs great for Mac OS X 10.2 and 10.3, Jonathan Haack, 2007.10.30. Thanks to XPostFacto, you don't need a modern Mac to run OS X, just a Power Mac with a G3 daughter card.
Free software for the creative Mac, Daniel Andrés Prieto García, 2007.08.03. "It's not the tool, it's the way you use it." Free software for creative Mac users.
Old Macs and new can be great tools in the creative process, Daniel Andrés Prieto García, 2007.07.30. "Macs came and went, some died, and some were given away, but they always were and still are important in my formative and creative processes."
The TiBook marches on: 400 MHz productivity in the 2 GHz era, Neil Hokanson, 2007.07.26. "Even though my PowerBook isn't the fastest or latest and greatest, it works, and the low-end marches on."
Does a college freshman need to run Windows on a MacBook?, Al Poulin, 2007.07.24. While you can run Windows on today's Intel-based Macs, is there any reason most college students would want to or need to?
Apple's iPhone: A 21st century Newton, Scott Baret, 2007.07.13. The iPhone is more than most people need in a phone - and overpriced as well.
How low can you go? Looking at the low end of Mac, Linux, and Windows computing, Ryan Butler, 2007.04.23. What's the least hardware you can get by with? Well, it depends on what you plan to do with your computer.
Project Quadra: Building a FrankenMac from a Quadra 700, IIci, and IIvx, Joseph Burke, 2007.04.19. How a found Mac IIci plus an eBayed Q700 mainboard ended up in a Mac IIvx found at a neighbor's yard sale.
Mac nostalgia: Why Apple should introduce a modern Pismo and SE/30, Matthew Wright, 2006.06.14. The best PowerBook ever made and the iconic all-in-one compact Mac are just crying out to be reinvented for our nostalgic "everything old is new again" retro culture.
PowerBook 1400 still a favorite nearly 10 years on, Heather Anne Hurd, 2006.06.07. "Even as I type this, I am amazed by this old PowerBook. It's keyboard feels great, and I love the 1400's small form factor."
MacTablet, MacBook mini, and MacDock: Resurrecting the dockable 'Book, Matthew Wright, 2006.05.31. Apple had a great idea with the PowerBook Duo and Duo Dock. Here's how they could resurrect the concept for the 21st century.
Why I wish Apple were more like Microsoft, Jamie Gruener, , 2006.05.18. When Macs work, they're wonderful. But when you have to troubleshoot them, Apple leaves you on your own.
The Low End Mac value equation, Matthew Jay, 2006.05.11. Value usually means picking a Mac "that's not quite cutting edge but still gets the job done and saves money."
The PowerBook 190: Still a great little laptop, Caleb Cupples, 2005.12.01. The PowerBook 190 is relatively small, relatively light, fast enough, and cheap enough to carry everywhere.
Windows PC to classic Mac file transfer using Zip disks, Marin Balabanov, 2005.11.21. Without ethernet, it's not easy to move big files to an older Mac. Here's one way to use Zip disks for the task.
Clean keyboard residue from your laptop's screen with ROR, Jim Strickland, 11.07. Is fingerprint grease from your keyboard marring your laptop's display. Here's a product that will revitalize your screen.
Thelma, Louise, Lombard, and Europe's most famous chicken webcam, Koen Bogaert, 2005.11.02. How an old Lombard, a freeware webcam driver, and an old wireless card helped two chickens take a stand against the European bird quarantine and massacre.
Bigger, faster, more: Enough already!, Ted Hodges, 2005.05.16. Stop lusting after new hardware. Dust off your old Macs and see what they're really capable of.
The used Power Mac G4 value equation, Mark T Hooker, 2005.05.11. The Mac mini completely changes the used Power Mac G4 value equation.
More in the My Turn 2000/01 archive and the 2002/03 archive

Debuts on Low End Mac

To my knowledge, each of these was the first time these writers was published on the Web.

Gil Amelio: Facts & Speculation, Dan Knight, 1997.07.15
iMac iMproved, Evan Kleiman, 1999.01.18
Guide to P1 Features, Paulo Rodrigues, 1999.02.24
The Beginning of the End, Eric DeStefano, 1999.09.27
Graphics and Game Play, Brian Rumsey, 2000.02.08
Mac OS X: the Big Change, Kel Taylor, 2000.03.07
Picking an Older Power Mac, Adam Robert Guha, 2000.04.06

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