Speaking of Computers

When I bought my first personal computer, which was just a few months before the release of Windows 95, one of the first things I decided was not to become a slave of Microsoft. For a number of reasons, I also chose not to take the Apple route. Instead, I bought an IBM (cr)Aptiva preinstalled with IBM's own OS/2 Warp operating system.



There were a lot of things I really liked about OS/2 (and would probably still like if I still used it). It was a very powerful, configurable, adaptable, and stable system. It was (and is still) also immune to almost all internet viruses. However, like Linux, it wasn't as "idiot proof" as Macintosh or the most recent versions of Windows. In other words, you sometimes had to get your hands dirty by dealing with text codes or making configuration changes manually. That meant a greater risk of pilot error. Still, I actually found that to be a plus, as it offered a great deal of versatility.


Unfortunately, from the very beginning I had compatibility problems as the computer world was hesitant to embrace OS/2, and IBM was doing a piss-poor job of promoting and supporting it anyway. At first it wasn't such a big deal; some DOS games wouldn't work with the sound card. A few Windows programs (mainly games) wouldn't work at all. That didn't present a problem to me. However, I ran into device driver trouble from the start. First Canon Japan responded to my request for an OS/2 printer driver by giving me the usual air-sucked-through-teeth followed by, "Most people use Windows, so we only support Windows. Maybe you should consider using Windows, too, like everyone else!" (I then contacted Canon U.S.A., who responded to the same request by making me a printer driver! God bless American service!) Then, when I switched to an ISDN internet connection in 1997, I called IBM's service center to ask about a device driver for my DSU (ISDN modem). Once again I got air-sucked-through-teeth followed by, "Well, people in Japan generally only use Windows in their home computers, so perhaps you should do the same." (I then contacted my phone/internet company, who sent an OS/2 specialist to my house to set me up! God bless NTT!) Despite these headaches, though, I stubbornly maintained my (cr)Aptiva OS/2 setup at home even while using a Windows 95 laptop at work.



After another year, it became clear that the (cr)Aptiva, with its 486DX4/100 processor, simply didn't have enough oomph to keep up with modern internet demands. I kept the machine where it was to use for desktop publishing and games, and I bought a Fujitsu laptop with Windows 98 to use as my internet communication system. During the first two years that it served in this role the operating system self-destructed and had to be completely reinstalled (along with everything else on the C partition) at least four times even though I never mucked with it. I then upgraded it to Windows 2000, which ran without any trouble whatsoever for another year (though getting all my devices working was a bit of a chore at first). I probably would have continued using it as my communication station, but then the hard drive in the (cr)Aptiva suddenly freaked out and put OS/2 out of commission once and for all. I decided not to bother trying to fix. Instead, I got this Sony Vaio with Windows XP that I'm still using now.



I guess I'm now firmly in the Windows camp, something reinforced a couple of years ago when a college buddy of mine who works at Microsoft came to visit me here in Japan. I mentioned that I've always been a sucker for handmade items, especially if they're made by someone I know. He immediately reminded me that he's a member of the team that created Windows NT, 2000, and XP (but NOT, as he pointed out, Windows 98, which he laughingly called an "inferior product"). I guess he's got me there.

However, the computer I'm using the most at work right now is an Apple G5 running Mac OS X (i.e. Linux)!