At the time I was feeling frustrated that everyone was so resistant to change. We were using clunky "command-line" editors to create our network downtime schedules. I believed there had to be a better way! Even though other parts of the company had developed certain technologies that could make us all more productive, my group had no interest in improving.
One evening I was visiting with some friends who had just bought an Apple Macintosh computer, called a "Mac Plus". This was a "portable" computer because it was a singe-unit construction (plus a keyboard and mouse), weighed less than 50 pounds and it had a handle on it. But what I saw on the screen changed my life. It was unbelievable. You could move a file to the trash by just - moving it. You held a little device in your hand called a "mouse". By moving the mouse along a flat "mouse pad" you could move the arrow on the tiny grey 9-inch screen in any direction! It was mind-blowing! Instead of ugly all-caps green glowing text, there were little graphic images of the files! Rather than remembering the syntax for >: DELETE ##somefile.*, someotherfile.#xx, etc, the "delete" was an image of a trash can! You controlled the computer by moving this little mouse around and clicking on things!
It seemed obvious it would soon become unnecessary to memorize commands. That my skills operating the PDP-10 mainframe, the PDP-11 front-end processor (this was Bill Gates' first niche), Foonly, and IBM AT were now archaic. This disturbed and excited me.
Soon after this, I got a job at a small company called Adobe Systems. Software Test was a new career direction for me. I remember one of the pivotal interview questions was "would you have a problem learning the Macintosh?" I was almost giddy and was very happy to get the job.
As time went on I learned about Steve Jobs and the connection between Apple Computer and Adobe Systems. Steve Jobs' goal was to be able to display anything on the computer screen and print exactly the same thing! Adobe technology made this and the first laser printer possible. This was "getting it".
Way back then, I was mainly a fan of Steve Jobs. Here is someone who seriously "got it". I was lucky to be constantly working with brilliant poeple, all of them Mac fans. Before this I was alone, now I was with family. In the beginning, all our software was designed for Macintosh. Later, we ported Adobe Illustrator 4.0 for Windows but it was really hard and it really sucked because graphics was just an afterthought for Windows. Kind of like cupholders in cars.
After Steve Jobs was forced out of Apple, the dark ages of ignorance and evil had begun to creep in. The investment community didn't know how to think of Apple. The managers that were trained in academia didn't know how to manage Apple. Being able to perceive people's needs and provide a great product to fill them was incomprehensible to them. As Apple got weaker and weaker, Adobe committed to creating all their software in tandem on Macintosh and on Windows. Further, Mac users were being verbally assaulted, being called "Mac Heads"! It was a dark time for the empire.
Eventually, out of desperation, Dr Gil Emelio, CEO of Apple Computer, decided to purchase one of Steve Job's companies, called NeXT (Steve also owned PIXAR!). NeXTSTEP was the undisputed best operating system in the world that could run on a small computer. Guess who came along for the ride? It wasn't long before Steve Jobs became the "Interim CEO" of Apple Computer!
Since then, Apple has been able to convince the world of a better way. They provided the gorgeous iMac, iBook, developed a Mac User Interface for NeXTSTEP and a seamless way for users to migrate to it, the digital Hub was now possible and the Mac could now be the main connection for all sorts of digital devices. They created the iPod, the smart iPhone and the iPad (all major airlines have adopted the iPad to replace the 50 pounds of manuals normally required in the cockpit!).
My most recent experience has been with my 17" Apple MacBook Pro I bought over 5 years ago. It has endured almost constant use with heavy multi-track audio recording sessions, photoshop use, etc. I have not had a single virus or any other problem with this computer. As a result I've been able to focus on my music, the designs on my band website, and all my varied school projects. I don't have to fuss with Windows service packs or virus software or wondering if some hardware device doesn't work with the motherboard. Apple designs both the hardware and software and it's tested together before being shipped to adoring customers. After you buy the computer or other device, you don't have to worry about buying more devices to make it connect. Apple includes all the add-ons. Apple ships beautiful, easy-to-use devices for listening, reading, and communicating. Apple's philosophy of not having to read the manual to get it to work has spread first to Adobe, then other software makers, then hardware makers. That's part of "getting it".
Perhaps my early story is non-typical. I was lucky enough to be there and was part of the changes that were taking place. I felt the smothering stale stuffy frustration of life before the Mac changed the world. I remember the times when I wanted to give up and just drive away and start a simpler life. Since then I observed and learned how some people "got it" and others sought the perceived safety of tradition.
My "lovemark" for Apple Computer has grown from my roots as a human being. We are human beings because we adapted to difficult conditions. We invented tools. We constantly advanced - or we died. But the toolmakers and technology inventors saved the rest from predators and starvation. Just like Windows now has pretty good graphics, sound, music, Premiere, Photoshop, etc. If it wasn't for the Macintosh, there would have been no need for those immense and costly changes to the Microsoft operating system. Does anybody "get it?"
No comments:
Post a Comment