My geekyness goes all the way back to pocket protectors and slide rules (seriously, in HS we learned to use slide rules, and I used a pocket protector). Not only does this give you a general decade for my secondary school education, but will also speak to you about my general tech orientation.
When the first IBM personal computers hit the market my father in law was working for a IBM in Westlake. Through him, I was able to obtain my first shiny personal computer. This was even before the sending in of the clones. No hard drive. No graphical user interface. Monochrome monitor. Not even so much as a modem. There were no games, no ups, no downs, and no extras. The operating system was an early version of DOS and even IBM basic had to be loaded from a 5.25 in. floppy.
It wasn’t long before the technical revolution was in full swing and the geek armies were starting to choose up sides. On the far hill stood the army of the PC users. On the opposite side of the meadow there appeared a new and different user. They had a thing called an Apple. The two armies pushed to the center of the grassy meadow and the face-off began.
I was invested in my blinking green cursor. I had written silly little programs in basic, I had even discovered DBII and wasn’t about to give ground. Then they got closer and I saw what they were looking at. They had GUI. I was secretly jealous but would never jump ship. Not so much as a whisper of approval escaped my lips.
Ever since that day long ago in that meadow far away I have swaddled my PC close and maintained my position that my platform was the truth, and the way.
For many, once bitten you are smitten by the tech bug and here I am 40 years later just to realize that the other army was hurling eggs and I have them on my face.
Tomorrow I will be teaching an ITS 30 minute class on the OS Catalina operating system. I have my trusty iPhone, my iPad, my Apple watch, my Macbook Pro, and while I will never ever concede defeat all that really serves to prove is that old habits die hard.
rubesdontech.com 