14 December 2007
My relationship with computers is a funny one. I've had a computer, in some form or another, for over 20 years now, and built my first PC about 13 years ago now (wow, I feel old), and other than laptops, which are difficult to build oneself and my very first PC, I've built all my computers myself.
I don't mean put together the circuit boards themselves, but I'd very carefully stalk the various components I wanted, and when they were all arranged, put them together. Slowly, carefully, and usually with a lot of swearing, the odd skinned knuckle and argument with my dad about whether I was doing it right they'd metamorphosise from pile of parts to finished object, and with shaking hands and bated breath, I'd push the button and bring my creations to life (I hoped).
I liked it that way. I knew each and every part, what was likely to fail, and how to fix it if it did, without having to face being patronised by some spotty oik at PC World who assumed that breasts = not interested or knowledgeable about computers.
When I got my first laptop, I got really twitchy about it, because I hadn't built it, but the need to have something portable overcame my twitchiness, and so it went on, and gradually, I moved away from desktop machines to laptops, figuring that they were the way to go, and with a port replicator and external hard drives, that a desktop wasn't necessary any more.
I was also resolutely a PC girl. None of your fancy pants over-priced can't open it up and see the guts macness for me. Oh no. Not my thing. I'm too much of a control freak, and the operating system is weird anyway.
Then I saw a demo of the accessibility features of OS X Tiger a couple of years ago, and was completely and utterly blown away. Much to my utter horror. Then everyone I knew started to get macs rather than PCs, and I kept telling myself that I didn't want one.
Oh no, not for me. Blah blah blah.
So I'm still not sure what happened, but on Saturday evening, at around ten past six, I found myself in a state of high excitement, elbowing slow moving Christmas shoppers out of the way on Regent Street so I could get to the Apple Store faster, because, after the longest, slowest building seduction ever, I couldn't help myself any longer and half an hour later, I'd lost my Apple virginity and was the beaming owner of a shiny new mac mini, courtesy of my fabulous other half, who understands that sometimes, you just gotta scratch that itch.
In the interests of manners, I waited all through dinner, and an episode of something or other before the siren song overwhelmed me and I performed the unboxing.
I was most disappointed that when I finally opened the box, a choir of angels didn't pop out and sing the Hallelujah Chorus, such was the build up in my head.
Almost a week later, I'm still finding my feet and figuring which way is up but I can tell already - she's (for it is a she, undoubtedly) is a saucy little minx, taking everything I, in my inexperienced fumblings, throw at her, and accepting PC peripherals without a murmur of dissent.
It's a little too early to tell, but I think it might be love.
Welcome to the white side.
I gave in and bought a Mac four years ago after getting fed up running scientific software on windows and linux really not liking my laptop.
Now the only non-mac computer I use regularly is my good old speccy.
I've been tempted to get a Mac myself a few times over the last couple of years, and although I picked up a Mac Mini (that's not really a Mac, is it :-P) for testing purposes, I've never felt the urge to spend more time than necessary on it (always too busy probably). Who knows what the future will hold though, I'll never say never.
I keep toying with the idea of the switch, but I just haven't been able to give in to the other side - yet.
Someone told me the other day that all of her photo editing, etc. was just so much faster on the Mac. Is it true? Is it time for me to give in? My Dell is pretty high-speed; I just can't imagine faster.
I'm sad to hear that the angels didn't pop out of the box and sing though. I would have expected it too.
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... the online home and (not very) alter(ed)-ego of Ann McMeekin, a recently freelance Web Accessibility Consultant.
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