More 'Musings' from 'Oldest Living Blogger'.....

The boot screen, as 'wallpaper' - just for fun. Not that I need to remind myself of what's on here. I've spent many hours getting all that 'just right'. Or as close to it as I can. It's a lot like trying to edit a movie while watching it. It's a work in progress, that never quite gets finished, because everything's evolving all the time. 

When I do get everything "just right" seemingly before I know it, along comes the next incarnation of a program, or a complete operating system, and the whole process has to adjust to accommodate it. And sometimes, I wish I knew enough about writing code so that I could sit down and say to myself "OK - Here's what I want in my computer program...." and then be able to go ahead and write it, and then check it for bad spots, and fluff it up with all those nice little 'freebies' (and some not-so-little ones) that I dearly love, and end up with my so-called 'perfect' operating system.

What would it be like? What would I really really want in it?  You know, now that I'm asking myself that question, I have to admit I've never really sat down to list items I'd include. Sure, I've bitched and complained about the stuff in some of our Windows, because it somehow didn't quite fit with what I was comfortable with, but on the other hand, I wasn't looking at the 'Big Picture'. I was being purely selfish. But then, why not? Aren't we all being purely selfish as we choose whatever we really like, or really want, or dare I say it - love? Sure we are!

So I don't really envy the folks at Mighty Microsoft with their daunting task of trying to come up with a system that will "ring the chimes" of a wide variety of often unappreciative users out here in the vast and unwashed expanses of cyberspace. A lot of the time, I feel sorry for those folks, because it would seem to be a true 'Mission Impossible'. And maybe I ought to remember that the next time I'm tempted to look at their efforts and then let loose with a string of cusses capable of puckering your posterior or curling your hair - because I can't do what they're doing, and I probably wouldn't try, even if I could. Because I don't really want to create a computer program for the vast hordes out there. I just want one that fits me snugly and comfortably, and does what I wish of it relatively effortlessly, and as unmysteriously  as possible. I don't want to need three more night school courses before I start the next session with it.

I've been playing in the traffic on the wild, wild web now for almost eleven years and during that time I've experienced at times a rather steep learning curve. And I hasten to add there's still a whole lot I don't know about this. But I'm wiser today than I was when I went into that used computer store in a mini mall nearby and impetuously (and rather stupidly) bought an old used Dell Optiplex one day in August of 2004. You wouldn't sell me a rig like that again. But it was a great introduction to the mysterious and magical world of computers, and if you have to start somewhere, it's better to start on something that you can easily afford to walk away from when disaster strikes - and it will, as I too quickly discovered.

Just before Windows 95 hit your local mall like a ton of bricks, Canon had begun to market the latest incarnation of their wonderful little computerized word processor. I instantly loved it, because it incorporated a couple of ideas that I'd suggested to them, after having used their earlier model for a few months. I'd written them a long single-spaced three or four pager on it one rainy weekend, and their Canadian Customer Service Manager had written me back to say that he was really impressed, and had sent my suggestions on to their headquarters in Tokyo for consideration. I was delighted, because hopefully, this meant that now, I might be able to get a word processor with everything my little heart desired in it.

I didn't hear anything more on that from Canon. But one day a few months later - around the time of the first introduction of Windows 95 - I was in my favorite artsy stationery store at the nearby mall, and noticed against the wall by the service counter a display of the latest new Canon word processor. I quickly realized it had a couple of the main features that I'd asked for, and I was thrilled. I asked the Manager, behind the counter, if he had one of these in its original box, in the back room. He said, "Yes indeed, but don't you want to try it out first?" He gave me a disbelieving look when I replied, "Hell no! I helped design this thing, and I know exactly what it's going to do, and I can't wait to get one home and get started."

I've still got my little Canon Starwriter 30, and it still works every bit as well as that first day I unpacked it, and plugged in its AC Adapter, and switched it on. It's obsolete now, of course, thanks largely to Microsoft's Windows 95, which made it almost instantly obsolete, even though it is much more compact than any computer of its day, has 20 built-in languages, can perform calculations with formulas, can store about 110 pages of single-space typing on each small floppy, and can hold about ten of those pages in its active memory before those need to be downloaded onto disk. And its printer head uses a thermal system instead of any clattering type mechanisms, and will write with that on thermal fax paper if you run out ribbon. If it had a fax machine built into it, using that thermal printing system, and its already-built-in memory, it could have given its competition a real run for the money. And if wishes were horses.....

I hated to see that word processor get relegated to the category of 'yesterday's technology' because it's a very capable and very well-made machine, and I've used it for years, very happily. In the late 1990s, during turbulent political times around here, I wrote a daily fax on it to Dear Editor at our biggest and best daily paper, choosing two or three or sometimes four items from that morning's paper, and then doing one tightly-composed, tersely worded paragraph on each, so the whole would fit on a one-page fax. Dear Editor enjoyed it, and sent me my own 'Vancouver Sun' coffee mug as encouragement. I've still got it, too. And between us, we 'kicked ass' and got rid of those thugs in our provincial government. The Communications Manager for the Premier who succeeded that bad one sent me a personal note of thanks on the new Premier's behalf, and that new Premier was re-elected for a total of three terms, which around here is practically unheard of. So, I'm still keeping that cute little Canon, for Old Time's Sake. 

But what do I really want in a computer operating system? Another rainy night, much later on, after I'd become familiar with Windows 98SE and then eventually Windows XP, I again wrote a list of suggestions for things to include in Windows, at the request of a technical service consultant at Microsoft, who responded to one of my emails of complaint. Her name was Sally, and she asked if I could make a list and describe what I'd like to see in an operating system. I didn't need my arm twisted on that one. I sent her a long email, with a list and the reasons for each item's inclusion. She replied that she'd like my permission to hand that 'upstairs' to her supervisors for consideration. I said, "Please do!".

A few months later, the first test beta of Windows 7 came along, and we were all invited to help test it, and send in our suggestions - and the rest is history! I'm still testing Windows, and I'm still sending in my suggestions, and as far as I can tell, they're still reading those. Because two heads are better than one. I don't do code, but I know what I like, and maybe others might like it too....they seemed to like Windows 7 quite a lot. It's still the most popular Windows ever. Can we do it again with Windows 10? A lot of people hope so, but it's too early to tell yet.