o tempora, o mores!

All of us have suffered computer crashes. They’re so fun, aren’t they? I don’t suppose everyone, though, has experienced the delight of a Macintosh Crash, though.

“The update manager was bouncing … like a Jack Russel FUCKING TERRIER!”

I don’t own a Mac, and I probably won’t…ever. When the iMac G3 first came out, though, my school bought a shitload. Why? I couldn’t tell you; they must’ve gotten one hell of a deal.

None of the teachers were familiar with the Apple OS and so they were freaking out because they were ripped from the comfort-zone that was their PC and put on this monster with ONE MOUSE BUTTON and NO START BUTTON [oh noes!!11?!] … You would’ve thought it was the apocalypse.
And that was only the teachers.

The majority of the students were fucked six ways from Sunday. Not quite everyone had a computer of their own yet [at my school, now, maybe 2% of students don't have machines. 3% max..and most have 2+] and the ones that did were busy worshipping Windows 98 or just then switching to Win2K. [We did maintain one lab of PCs, though, running 98.] This was a middle school…most kids were just then using the computer for more than goofing off with some little kiddy game. A few of us were fine with the switch [albeit not being pleased with it] whereas others, throughout our time in Middle, were often put to tears–no exaggeration, there–out of frustration. The source of their frustration was often the notorious seizing-up of machines in the middle of, oh, typing a paper or doing some other work that wouldn’t be saved or salvaged.

The drama and catastrophes went on unaided or remedied. So, a little bit later with the G4 came out, the school system decided to purchase a whole load of those, as well! “Oh, these are newer; they’ll be more stable.” Okay, they were slightly less stable. The issue remained, though, that new teachers were mostly used to PCs, all the teachers were more comfortable with PCs, the students who were growing accustomed to them [the Macs] were still dealing with the machines eating their work, etc etc. So why the hell buy more of a problematic product?

In my Freshman year [my second year of high school, as eighth grade was high as well], I heard that they got some damn sense and reverted to the PC.

A few of my pre-CISCO and CCNA-in-training cohorts are pushing to put Linux on the school’s machines. No luck yet, but y’know. ;]