Wednesday 15 May 2002
Long live the Macintosh
Doc Searls’ blogging the Xserve announcement set me thinking about Apple. Whatever serious Mac cred I may have accrued by starting to use the Macintosh in 1985 evaporated when I switched to Windows in 1996. In all that time only Eastgate’s Tinderbox application has made me consider buying a Mac, but I decided to hang out for the Windows version instead. And though I miss the simplicity and elegance of the Macintosh Japanese Language Kit, Windows 2000 provides adequate Japanese support.
I still retain an emotional connection with the Mac—I visited Macintouch regularly until early last year—and I continue to be entertained by Doc Searl’s love-hate relationship with the platform. (Though I’m aware that he may not see it that way, I can’t think how else to describe a bond based on equal parts of fondness and frustration.)
I was astonished to feel myself slipping away from Apple eight years ago, thinking at the time: “If they can’t hold me, they can’t hold anyone.” Happily, I was wrong. Everyone’s looking for a messiah and, as it happens, Steve Jobs turned out to be Apple’s. Even though I’m not really a geek, there’s a geeky part of my temperament that loves the idea of UNIX wrapped in a pretty GUI. Now I’m wondering what on earth could compel me to undergo the torment of switching back.
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As an aside, the Korean IME for WinXP is much, much better than previous revs, and I assume that would also be the case for the Japanese one, too. Cool stuff.
(And no, I haven't forgotten I owe you a mini-essay on hangul!)
I'm not normally a betting man, but I have a feeling there might be a platform change on its way!
What's this "I'm not really a geek" business? Give us a break! I'm with Allan, I see a platform change on the way. I've thought for a long time that you would eventually fall for Unix - an OS with a concise, non-verbose command set. Besides, OSX is cool, sexy and has iphoto: you're made for one another.
You'd love it! All the geeky stuff you'd ever want (and you know you do really), reliable, great for any multimedia, sexy boxes.......
One small problem - cost. I got all excited about OSX when it came out. I even went as far as visiting the Apple (Australia) web site. Then I realised that the hardware premium for Macintoshes is somewhere between 50 and 75 percent.
For that kind of money I can buy a couple of really swish pairs of trousers and a commodity Wintel box and still have money spare for a slap up meal and a nice bottle of Tyrells Vat 1.
Feel free to start quoting Monty Python of course; In my day, we used to eat gravel from road ...
This discussion is now closed. My thanks to everyone who contributed.
© Copyright 2007 Jonathon Delacour
As an aside, the Korean IME for WinXP is much, much better than previous revs, and I assume that would also be the case for the Japanese one, too. Cool stuff.
(And no, I haven't forgotten I owe you a mini-essay on hangul!)
Posted by stavrosthewonderchicken on 15 May 2002 (Comment Permalink)