2 articles came to my attention over the past few days. The first was this one, which sells the idea of using purely web-based applications over more traditional ones such as Word and Outlook. The second is this, which proves that an old, well designed computer (in this case an Apple Lisa) can still be used for modern day work.
Both have some very good points and could be used as an argument for:
- a) never buying a new computer
- b) never upgrading your OS
So, is this true? Well I believe, partly it is. Even if I have just ordered a brand new PC and Windows Vista.
These days however (the days of Web 2.0 and broadband) you do not need a Sooper-Ghzord-megga-RAMedd-up power PC to do most things.
This is because most of our day-to-day computer needs can be done online simply using browser power. You do not even need a hugely powerful PC to achieve this, or even a large scale OS.
For example. Word and Excel could (outside many business practices) be considered obsolete with the advent of web based alternatives such as Writely (now GoogleDocs) and Google Spreadsheets.
I, for example, gave up on Outlook in favour of Gmail a LONG time ago.
The reason for my switch was simple. My old clapped out PC just lacked the power to run multiple applications so I threw the task of SPAM filtering and constant POP3-ing over to Google, they do a great job and GMail is probably the best email tool ever created (online or not).
I also stopped using Word and most other Microsoft Office applications in favour of OpenOffice alternatives simply because they were less bloated and best of all, free.
So, to an extent, I could hold onto my old PC for a good few years before feeling the need to upgrade.
Cracks however begin to appear in this argument when more processor intensive tasks arrive on the scene.
Obviously, I use tools such as Photoshop and Dreamweaver and even sometimes Director. I would also like to one day get back into video editing, maybe mess around with AfterEffects or Avid, even Windows Movie Maker would do!
Also, as an audiophile, I can’t give up on Reason or Cubase, no matter how little I use them these days.
For these reasons, my old clapped out, 6 year old PC is being retired and a few days ago I ordered a load of new parts which should, when put together, make the perfect, modern PC for my needs.
Another reason for my sudden jump of ship is Vista:
Vista, although being slightly mistreated by the press ticks all the right boxes for me. I have drank the Microsoft kool-aid and fallen hook line and sinker for the new UI the dreamy effects and the new more stable kernal.
Plus, it just seems wrong to upgrade my computer system and stick with XP. Although I have been happy with XP for many a year, it is time for it to go. I will miss it of course. It was a huge turning point for me as a user. It was the first Microsoft OS that was truly stable and I loved the UI upgrades.
I will shed a silent tear for XP as I dump it on the scrap heap and it joins Windows 98 and ME, it has been good to me and millions of others but I believe its time we all moved on.
Interesting response, Michael. I’m the author of the Firefox OS article, and as I said in the article, my needs are simpler than most (intentionally so). I only do a little photo editing, maybe once every 2-3 days, and for that I use GIMP. So, you’re right, for some power-intensive needs, the online software I mentioned won’t work — at least not yet. The intention of my article wasn’t to say that the desktop OS is dead, but to stir up a discussion that it is becoming less relevant each year. I think eventually it won’t be necessary.
As for Vista, I’m not sold. It seems too bloated and power-hungry for an OS, and all the extra features they’ve added don’t seem necessary to me. I just want to be able to do my job without distraction, and Vista doesn’t give me that simple, usable interface. I prefer Linux or even XP.
Good post, though. Thanks for adding to the discussion.