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M A C T A L K

My Macintosh Story...

"A lot of people said that I like the Mac because I'm used to it. The PC is just as good. I don't agree. It's more than being used to it. It's a sentimental attachment to the Macintosh environment. Because it's really not a computer, but it's a friend, a tool, a way of life."

I used to hate computers. I used to think computers were always pitch black screens with lines of green text on it, and you have to remember commands to get it to work. When I was studying in the U.K., my cousin shown me his computer. It was an Acorn Archimedes, a computer platform that is only available in the U.K. and Germany. That was the first time I had seen a computer with a Graphical User Interface. It was 1992 and at that time, I knew nothing about computers. I was really impressed by it's ease of use. I was impressed by the graphic capabilities and the different fonts that can be used. I then started to experiment with this type of computers in school, and I found that actually it wasn't as good I thought it was. So, I decided that computers were bad - until I saw the Macintosh.

I think it was 1993, the Technology department in my school acquired a Macintosh Color Classic. When I was it I thought "wow!", the design of the machine really impressed me. I loved its compact design with a built-in colour monitor. And I was particularly impressed by its power-on switch - you only had to press a key on the keyboard to turn it on. The interface design was slick and the icons were cute (particularly the Trash icon, when it's filled). When the teacher demonstrated Mac Draw to me, I was really amazed - you could move objects around! I was also very impressed by the ability to cut-and-paste. Still, I didn't think too much about it and I never had really wanted to have one.

One summer, I said to my dad I needed a typewriter. But my dad said that I should get a computer instead. And he bought me a Macintosh LC475. As soon as I got the Macintosh I got to work in no time. There was no learning curve at all. I just had to experiment. I really loved it. But at one point I really regretted having bought a Macintosh - because all my friends either used a PC or an Acorn. But I soon realized the Mac is a lot better.

I now have a Power Macintosh 6100, 66mHz. Although it's quite slow compared to today's standards, but I think it's far better than the Pentium PC 200mHz at work. Actually even my Mac Plus is better than the pentium! A lot of people said that I like the Mac because I'm used to it. The PC is just as good. I don't agree. It's more than being used to it. It's a sentimental attachment to the Macintosh environment. Because it's really not a computer, but it's a friend, a tool, a way of life.