6/9/02 by Qubert

[Qubert's note:  I actually wrote this essay in March 2000, when I was currently using Macs.  ReviewAnything was first designed on a Mac, though what you see now comes from FrontPage on a Dell.  I thought I'd include the article, though, because it amuses me.  And in many ways, I miss the days of those Macs, even if this Dell is the most powerful machine I have ever owned!]

You know, I have been curious about this subject myself. I am not a computer professional, able to easily explain the fundamental differences between various operating system architectures or the spectacular designs of a particular hardware. But I think I have my reasons narrowed down to three:

1. Nostalgia: The first computers I really remember using and loving were Macs. In the summer of 1987, I spent three weeks at Duke University. As I was taking a writing course, I spent a great deal of time in the computer lab, which just happened to use classic Macs. (I had no idea what kind they were at the time, but today I would guess that they were of the Mac Plus variety.) I remember these cute little machines fondly, except maybe for the hassle of copying files from one floppy to another! To this day, no computer has ever come close to the aesthetic perfection and simplicity of the Compact Mac.

2. The Cult of Macintosh: From Steve Jobs's pirate flag flying over Mac Headquarters in 1983 to the spectacular "1984" ad to the Newton and the iMac and the Cube, Apple has always run ahead of the pack. Mac users are a breed apart, rejecting the status quo and demanding art, not glorified calculators. Consequently, they form a kind of extended family, of which I'm proud to be a part.