(This is a snapshot of my old weblog. New posts and selected republished essays can be found at raganwald.com.)
Friday, September 17, 2004
Returning to Macintosh
When I was a teen-ager I was in love with computers. I wrote games for our school's Data General minicomputer in 16K BASIC, I hung around the University of Toronto's High Speed Job Stream writing batch jobs in Snobol, Watfor, and Lisp, and daydreamed about writing two programs that could converse with each other (an idea from a Michael Crichton book).
Things gradually became more and more familiar, more and more mundane as I drifted out of school and made the massive mistake of thinking that computers were for business applications. Then, twenty years ago, I saw Byte Magazine's Macintosh issue. The scales fell from my eyes and my passion was rekindled.
It took me a while to actually get into programming for Macintosh, but I was now hooked on the idea that computers were more than just a neat environment for puzzle-solving. Computers could actually mean something.
I wound up "making big bucks in my spare time" writing Macintosh software: one creation, Tableau, managed classified ads for PageMaker and Quark users. I still own a working Mac SE and an SE/30. Although I've used "desktop" Macs and the enigmatic Duo, I've never lost my love for the original all-in-one design with the integrated carrying handle. For years, my web site was hosted on Macintosh systems.
It's twenty years later. I've owned a Windows desk side system for more than five years, and it's fair to say I've been contemptuous of Windows the entire time. Saying that "it's popular" and "it's good enough" is like saying that everyone should eat at McDonalds. Two years ago, I bought a Toshiba Portegé Tablet Computer
, and things got better: my Tablet PC is the "first Windows computer good enough to criticize."
But I still admire Macintosh. And I finally found an excuse to buy another one.
My fiancé and I are expecting [Update: March 2007]. And that means a complete reorganization of our apartment, including moving our desk into our living room. I've been gradually relaxing my minimalist aesthetic over the years, but the idea of putting our TV, stereo, speakers, DVD player, VCR, computer, and monitor in one room was too much. As I wrestled with how to integrate as many of these components as possible, Apple announced the new iMac G5 (Now superseded by the Core Duo iMac
).
I felt a visceral desire for this system. And luckily, I had an excuse for buying one: cleaning up the living room. I contacted Anthony Lewin at Computer Systems Centre and ordered a 20" iMac. I plan to add Bluetooth, AirPort, and a USB TV tuner. I already have about half of my CDs ripped to MP3. We can play the rest and/or rip them too. Our VCR tapes can be recorded to disk, so the VCR will go too.
So I have a rationalization. But who's kidding whom? I'm buying an iMac strictly because it's beautiful and my stereo is ugly, ugly, ugly. I'm making a decision based on passion.
And it feels good.
When I was a teen-ager I was in love with computers. I wrote games for our school's Data General minicomputer in 16K BASIC, I hung around the University of Toronto's High Speed Job Stream writing batch jobs in Snobol, Watfor, and Lisp, and daydreamed about writing two programs that could converse with each other (an idea from a Michael Crichton book).
Things gradually became more and more familiar, more and more mundane as I drifted out of school and made the massive mistake of thinking that computers were for business applications. Then, twenty years ago, I saw Byte Magazine's Macintosh issue. The scales fell from my eyes and my passion was rekindled.
It took me a while to actually get into programming for Macintosh, but I was now hooked on the idea that computers were more than just a neat environment for puzzle-solving. Computers could actually mean something.
I wound up "making big bucks in my spare time" writing Macintosh software: one creation, Tableau, managed classified ads for PageMaker and Quark users. I still own a working Mac SE and an SE/30. Although I've used "desktop" Macs and the enigmatic Duo, I've never lost my love for the original all-in-one design with the integrated carrying handle. For years, my web site was hosted on Macintosh systems.
It's twenty years later. I've owned a Windows desk side system for more than five years, and it's fair to say I've been contemptuous of Windows the entire time. Saying that "it's popular" and "it's good enough" is like saying that everyone should eat at McDonalds. Two years ago, I bought a Toshiba Portegé Tablet Computer
, and things got better: my Tablet PC is the "first Windows computer good enough to criticize."But I still admire Macintosh. And I finally found an excuse to buy another one.
My fiancé and I are expecting [Update: March 2007]. And that means a complete reorganization of our apartment, including moving our desk into our living room. I've been gradually relaxing my minimalist aesthetic over the years, but the idea of putting our TV, stereo, speakers, DVD player, VCR, computer, and monitor in one room was too much. As I wrestled with how to integrate as many of these components as possible, Apple announced the new iMac G5 (Now superseded by the Core Duo iMac
).I felt a visceral desire for this system. And luckily, I had an excuse for buying one: cleaning up the living room. I contacted Anthony Lewin at Computer Systems Centre and ordered a 20" iMac. I plan to add Bluetooth, AirPort, and a USB TV tuner. I already have about half of my CDs ripped to MP3. We can play the rest and/or rip them too. Our VCR tapes can be recorded to disk, so the VCR will go too.
So I have a rationalization. But who's kidding whom? I'm buying an iMac strictly because it's beautiful and my stereo is ugly, ugly, ugly. I'm making a decision based on passion.
And it feels good.
Labels: passion
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