iFix Old Macs

You know the ones I mean: those PowerMacs, PowerBooks, iMacs, iBooks, Mac minis, etc. based on the PowerPC processor that Apple sold a few years ago but now has abandoned with its latest version of OS X, Snow Leopard. Sadly, support for them is dwindling, but the software is still out there that would enable their continued use, if not with the latest version of Mac OS X, then perhaps with one of the numerous open source options.

Maybe you still have one of these fine old machines. Resist the urge to throw it into the dumpster and buy a new computer. The addition of more memory, a bigger hard drive, an updated graphics card or processor can make it do everything one normally does with a computer. You won't have relegated it to the local landfill leaching heavy metals and other bad things into your drinking water. And, you won't be perpetuating the unsustainable practice of producing new computer-related hardware in low-wage sweatshops around the world with its attendant human and environmental degradation.

Old Mac Related On the Web

IBM Unveils Fastest Microprocessor Ever samzenpus, Slashdot, 9/2/10. Before you rush out to buy one of these little gems, realize that you will be dropping "hundreds of thousands of dollars" on it. Do you really need a new Ferrari or would your old Ford station wagon do the job just fine. When it comes to computers... keep that old Mac.

Finding a New Home for Your Old Mac Adam Rosen, Low End Mac, 8/30/10. It may not be the machine of choice to play video or surf the web, but that old PPC Mac of yours still has a lot of life in it.

August 23, 1995: Windows 95 Goes on Sale at Midnight Chris Seibold, Apple Matters, 8/23/10. I remember all the hoopla at my school over this event as I sat looking at the beautifully intuitive System 7.1 GUI on my Color Classic.

Mac and Linux Side by Side Simon Royal, Low End Mac, 8/18/10. If Debian would only fix alsamixer running on a G4 PowerMac (digital audio) I would switch to it from OS X Tiger.

Why Did You Buy Your Specific Mac Model? Alexis Kayhill, Mac360, 8/17/10. Ah, that old Color Classic... I still have it.

The Macalope Weekly: Trying too hard Michael Slack, Macworld, 8/14/10. A little reminder of why we used Macs in the first place.

Hooked on Growth - Meet the Filmmaker Janaia Donaldson, Peak Moment, 8/11/10. Will buying another sweatshop-produced gadget really make your life happier and more complete? Maybe you should keep that old Mac running and working for you. Just a thought.

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