Open Dialogue

Can I say "Microsoft bites"?

It's been three weeks since my last post. So, I kick myself in the butt to write something. Halfway through, I pull up Word on my computer to run spell check and the whole thing shuts down.

I am old enough (and I'm really not THAT old) to remember the days of Word Perfect. One of the many programs that the Microsoft empire crushed. It's a shame. Word is still a deeply flawed program.

The first PC operating system I ever worked on was BTOS. Very impressive, much better and easier to use than DOS.

Back in college, I typed my papers out on a typewriter. I thought life would improve in this area when I discovered the university mainframe (my junior year). It didn't. So, I went back to my typewriter.

Within a year, the Apple Computer Lab turned up on campus. Steve Jobs was my hero. There was even a program where students could get special financing for the purchase of an Apple computer. I chose to use the computer lab. I think the price-tag at that time was around $800 for a new computer. Seemed like a lot of $ to me in 1986. And the technology was always "changing". So, I viewed it much like buying a car. Something I could certainly use, but was like throwing money down the drain as it could only depreciate in value.

Back to BTOS. It was great. In 1989, I got a job at an architectural firm--typing up specifications and putting together proposals to get projects--while I finished college. There were only two of us in the office with computers--the spec writer and me.

There were 8 of us in the firm at that time--Roy, Kevin, Rick, Dwight, Steve, Max, Joyce (part-time) and me. Today, I think they are over 30 in staff. All the guys are still there. Joyce and I are gone. I ended up staying at that firm for 10 years--long after I had graduated from the University of Iowa.

In 1990, the architectural firm moved into a larger location and everyone got computers. No more drawings done by hand. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was the end of an era for architecture.

With this change, my BTOS system was replaced with DOS. It was a tough transition. I couldn't understand why I had to take a step backwords. However, soon, I was introduced to "Windows". My first impression was that it was a PC version of what Apple had going on. I don't think I was far off on this.

But, I was grateful for the improvement from having to work through DOS. BTOS became a thing of the past. I was also introduced to the "mouse". Another tough transition as I was used to navigating via the keyboard, which was faster and more efficient. I still believe this to be the case.

So, here I am today with my computer at home. It's a PC. And Apple's are now MacIntosh. And I feel that 41 isn't that old. But in technology-land, it is.

posted by Susan @ 8:41 PM