What is Digg?140 Comments
- dtd00d, on 10/12/2007, -3/+108Give me a day or two I'm mailing in a constructive comment.
- 89vision, on 10/12/2007, -7/+101Why not take it a step further and just use a pen and paper?
- spatznick, on 10/12/2007, -5/+83I got a 50+ year old typewriter and I can still use it for another 50 years.
But why take desk space? I need the good computer (photos, movies, internet), so why keep both? - cmiller1, on 10/12/2007, -3/+77and liquid backspace
- moisie, on 10/12/2007, -3/+75With a wireless dictionary peripheral.
- welk, on 10/12/2007, -4/+72I totally agree. I scratch pictures in the wall of my cave, i can't understand why anyone would use a pen and paper
- dustyshadow, on 10/12/2007, -5/+43Old? Yes. Efficient? No.
- kazimir34, on 10/12/2007, -17/+48I love how some people refuse to update their stuff just "because it's doing the same thing".
Of course LisaWrite can write stuff, but when you want to be able to see the whole page with a 320*240 resolution (I don't know exactly all the specs but it doesnt look like it's a lot more than that) it's kinda tricky. When you want to insert hyperlinks, want to use styles, want to share your work, basically want to do anything more than just use it as a typewriter-that-can-save, it's just not possible. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+34never work on any computer older than your shoes.
- sagat, on 10/12/2007, -12/+39With the exception of some talented designers and producers most of the Mac users I know forked out big $$$ on Macbook Pro's and Mac Pro's to do three things: email, im and myspace. Maybe they could have some sense and use a 10 year old machine than spend $2,500 for a top of the range piece of hardware.
- ApocOne, on 10/12/2007, -12/+37Wow, somebody is using an old computer, STOP THE PRESSES!
Seriously: Worst. Article. Ever. - DevastatorIIC, on 10/12/2007, -10/+34As a rule, I don't use computers older than myself.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+30He says over and over "It's just as good, it can do stuff BETTER than new machines." but fails to list.. pretty much any of these things.
He did repeat "Work is recovered if there's a power outage!" Word constantly keeps saving your document and if the program crashes, when you relaunch it it asks if you want to recover your old work.
Plus, you SHOULD be saving anyway, just because you can't always rely on the program to do it for you.
Plus, if he was using a G3 or a Macbook Pro, he could be getting that work done like 25x as fast. - JimV, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22In other news, studies show that if you're happy using what you have, good for you!
- thephosphorbox, on 10/12/2007, -5/+24Guy makes a big deal about not having to remember to save his work. I can't think of a word processing program I've used in the last 10 years that DOESN'T have some kind of auto-save feature that you can set to fire off at whatever interval you want LOL
- PDubNYC, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20Fortunately for the majority of people here, that means using Pentium II and newer.
Which is why this place often sucks. - TheKricket, on 10/12/2007, -5/+22translation: "im the oh so eccentric writer - my inspiration is this old computer - i know, how awesome is it that i, the eccentric writer, still have a working model? yes - praise me - i truly am an artist - love me - be intrigued by me - please..."
- gregmark, on 10/12/2007, -5/+21So, if the LISA has no network connectivity, how does Hodges distribute his/her brilliant articles? Five inch floppy disks! That must be really convenient in an age of where the 5' floppy's successor has already been outmoded. site:ebay.com usb 5.25 floppy.
- Philosophize, on 10/12/2007, -11/+27Although I'm not sure that the Lisa is the best example, the author is addressing an important point: sometimes machines that do more and more things can make it more difficult to do the simple things. For many writers, a computer has a lot of built-in distractions, like email and the internet. This can make it difficult to get serious, concentrated writing done.
Quite a few people who own good computers use the AlphaSmart for writing. It's small, portable, has a huge battery life, and does just one thing: text writing. It allows them to concentrate on writing without being distracted by anything else. If you don't do a lot of writing, though, something like this won't add value while just taking up space.
It's possible that this is what the author finds so appealing about the Lisa: it basically only does writing, allowing him to concentrate and focus on that task. I do a lot of writing and have thought about getting an AlphaSmart 3000, but it's a bit expensive for me. - zaren, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16From TFA:
"It doesn't crash, I don't have to remember to save my work, I can turn it off with all of my documents open, and I can continue working right where I left off when I turn it back on."
Tell ya what, you go and open a doc in your word processor of choice, then go pull the plug on your computer. Lisaboy here will do the same. Plug your box back in and reboot it. What are you gonna see - a login screen? A desktop? Maybe some open folders? This guy would see his doc, right where he left it onscreen when it went black, with the last thing he was typing right where he typed it. His program DOES save automatically, as does the whole machine. No need to hope recovery works. This is what he means by "works better".
Converting and then sneakernetting his files to use them on another computer is a different matter, however. - violentvinyl, on 10/12/2007, -6/+21"As for those of you who think I'm nuts, please don't try to sell me on new machines unless you can show me why Word 2007 is better than LisaWrite - and don't say Spell Check, LisaWrite has that."
How about you enable comments and I will. Do they not have that option on LOS?
Anyone using their PC for work should have some kind of backup. What're the options for the Lisa? - 256byteram, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13"I think FMV, like 2D video games, is a medium that the industry has dropped to the wayside just because we can do more technologically demanding stuff. We can do incredible CGI cinematics. We can do completely 3D video game worlds. But just because we can do new stuff, doesn't make what we used to do worthless." -- Tim Buckley
This also applies to all forms of technology.
EDIT: Oh crap, that wasn't supposed to be replied to the first comment! Sorry :( - spudlyo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13My IBM keyboard is from 1981, and it is hands down the best computer computer keyboard I've ever typed on. It's like the model M, except louder and with better action. It's the next best thing to an IBM Selectric. I gotta admit, the adapter situation is ugly, AT->PS2->USB, but I don't have to look at it. Just trying to make the point that there is some computer technology from the 80s that is better than anything you can buy in a store today.
- Angostura, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13What's your point? I enjoy using a computer, I also enjoy using my expensive fountain pen with some nice paper. These two things are not mutually exclusive.
- cbreaker, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13If your 2+Ghz XP box takes 10 minutes to load, then why don't you remove all the spyware and toolbars? XP never takes 10 minutes to load when it's not crapped up to hell and back.
Office 2003 has never been particularly slow or bloated when I use it. Again, the spyware! And don't be stupid. There's a ***** load more functionality that you probably don't even realize you use, since Office 5.
An old machine is fine if you never use the new features available in new systems. But I do use a lot of new features. So do a lot of office workers. And we want supported hardware and software. If ***** breaks, it needs to be able to be fixed.
So he can take his Lisa and turn it off without worrying about saving all he wants. One day, it won't turn back on, and he'll be SOL with an LOS that nobody can fix. - aggrazel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12I remember my old apple 2! It was back in the summer of '82 ... or was that '81 ... So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. 'Give me five bees for a quarter,' you’d say. Now where were we? Oh yeah -- the important thing was that I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn’t have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones..
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13@kazimir34
Yeah, but how often do you actually need/use those features? Frankly, I think for the general population, a fancy typewriter with editing capabilities is all one needs. Certainly, I can't think of much I've done in terms of writing that I couldn't have done on a machine built 20 years ago. - zweben, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9There's actually a great OS X app for those who like the simple no distraction writing interface of old computers.
http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/product/writeroom
It's full screen, hides all the menubars and cursors, and even simulates the look of old monochrome monitors. Very cool. They also have a link to a similar app for Windows. - scabbers, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10It does come across like that. It's an affectation that he just HAS to tell us all about.
- Bearasaurass, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12I think most of you are missing the point. It is clearly stated that it is still in use because of the simplicity and the fact that it inspires.
- 83457, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10I think it is just cool to use old yet stable computers. If I had an early Mac or Lisa I'd probably whip it out from time to time. Heck I have an old TI99/4A and I still play around with it occasionally and think about developing a game or some other application for it.
- squegie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I do computer repair and often enourage people to replace their 9 year old $1300 machine for a brand new $300 machine instead of repairing/upgrade what they have. However, this is not always possible/practical.
I have one customer who is around 70 years old, has pieces missing out of both eyes (legally, but not completely blind), and his hands can no longer grip a pen. He uses an older Macintosh computer to type letters that he prints and mails to people. The font on the screen is the highest imaginable, he has several "input devices" that only work with the Macintosh, and he holds a jeweler's eye up to the screen to read any dialog boxes that pop up. His Mac keyboard has much larger keys than a normal keyboard and is no longer made. He's essentially using 97/98 technology and newer technology would slow him down with no real advantage. Theoretically, equipping him with email capabilities might be helpful, but for now he's self sufficient and able to complete the entire process of writing and mailing a letter on his own.
I know a lawyer's office that is using IBM AT / Dos systems and 10base2 networking their three computers. They use an older version of wordperfect and have all of sorts of macros setup to create legal documents. They hit a few keystrokes, the macro asks them all the questions (name, address, amounts, deed number, etc) and generates the form. Their ancient software setup works for them, and new software would set them back. (Actually, I do plan on converting these systems into virtual machines and then running those machines under linux, which would give them newer, replaceable hardware, while preserving their software setup). - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8This thread is mostly full of children, failing to understand the draw of old technology; but don't you worry - you will, when the kids are wizzing around on the 3THz machines and you're pining for your trusty ol 3GHz P4 :)
- Frebis, on 10/12/2007, -6/+14I can't believe no one has said it yet...burried, for being lame!
On multiple accounts - sctechguy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10@kroccamen: So....while berating someone else for their grammar, you yourself misspelled grammar, even after spelling it right in your first use of the word. Please tell me that was sarcasm. If not, maybe you should be going back to school.
- Dankoozy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9nothing has really changed that much. unless you absolutely require the new fancy features of Word 2007 you can write your stuff just as well on a 486 as a Core 3 Duo
- zmigliozzi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6So you don't need a 64bit processor and a $800 video card to run an office suite?! Damnit.
- mrood, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6For some writing, pen and paper is best. Seems to me, poetry and love letters are best when written by hand. There are writing needs that are most quickly met by typewriter, like completing government forms in non-modifiable pdf. And there are times when the need for sustained concentration is confounded by machines that entertain, inform, connect, and distract. My main source of productivity? My 4 macs. My main excuse to procrastinate? My 4 macs! This article made me wonder if that ancient 512 in the closet still boots... if I recall I still have a stylewriter somewhere...
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9Computer grammar checks are near enough useless. If you can't verify your own grammer, you should be going back to school.
- molobolo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Best Buy ripped you off.
- Hardcase, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7I don't think that hibernate works when the power goes off...just sayin'.
- DelMonte, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Kazimir34:
Apple never released a GUI computer with such a low resolution as 320x240 (except maybe the Apple IIGS).
The first Mac had a 512x342 high-resolution 9" monochrome screen. The Lisa had a 720x364 resolution and since the aspect ratio was 4:3 the pixels were non-square. - petepetepete, on 10/12/2007, -7/+11Not all things old are useless except for my grandma.
- fcekuahd, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7The funny thing about using old computers is that you realize how little computers have really advanced in the past 20 years. I have a 14 year old Mac LC 475. I think it ran at 25 MHz. It starts up in 10 seconds and it's ready to go. I have MS Office v5 installed on it, and it has every feature that I need.
XP running on my 2.4GHz desktop, on the other hand, takes 10 minutes to start up. Office 2003 is slow, bloated, and clunky despite running on a processor that's more than 100x more powerful. And it really doesn't have any important new features that weren't available in Office 5. - GiggleStick, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I think emulation would be a good option for this guy. To get even more of the experience he can hack the LISA keyboard and mouse to work with USB and use it with his Mac or PC and an emulator. Eventually a capacitor or something is gonna fail on his LISA, and he needs a backup plan.
- kingmoffa, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I agree, I have an 10yr old IBM keyboard. Lots of metal inside - I could hurt someone with that
- davidlow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I've never used a Lisa, but I know a lot of people who still like the old WordPerfect from the '80s better than the current Word, who like HyperCard (abandoned by Apple 7 years ago) more than any database or programming language before or since, who think the HP-48GX is still the best calculator ever (discontinued 4 years ago), who prefer stick shift to automatic, books to screens, or vinyl records to anything.
I've never used a Lisa, but I'll bet this guy knows what he's talking about. I certainly wouldn't tell him he's wrong unless I tried it first. Hell, I used to think Macintosh computers were useless until I actually used one for more than an hour. - piggity, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Apparently the Lisa liberally inserts feral apostrophes.
- themajor, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4You win. +2 cookies
- SVPirate, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3For all the Lisa's merits, and there are many, a lot of which were overlooked by the team that put together the Macintosh System Software, there are genuine limitations with using it for modern tasks. I can appreciate your attachment to it, I have large collection of old hardware myself, and wouldn't part with most of it, and equally I know using an old computer is special, I did a whole video project on my 840av (at full PAL TV resolution 24fps) and it was a blast, even though it took a while to do, especially the transitions in Premiere. However that was just a 'fun' exercise and really if I want to do work I want to do it as quickly and efficiently as I can.
If I want an oh-so-simple tool for writing documents without hassle I just use TextEdit.app in OS X. In my mind at least that's as close as a modern Mac has to MacWrite or LisaWrite. There are more ways than one to skin a cat, and using old, sometimes slow, and possibly unreliable hardware is not my idea of productivity. I'm happy to work on stuff that isn't cutting edge, but really past a point it just gets annoying.
Your spirit is comendable, but I personally don't buy into your ethos. -
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