I just got a message on YouTube. As of March 30, they won’t support my browser, version 2.0 of Firefox. They haven’t supported my Safari 1.3 for a couple of years. It crashes when I try to go to it (and Facebook and many other sites for that matter). I also have an older version of Flash and can’t see a lot of animations.
That’s because I have an older computer. It’s about 8 years old. It uses Mac OS X version 3.9.9. That OS is about seven years old. I have a somewhat newer computer, 5 years old, using Mac OS 4.11 that still will function with all the sites -- but it too seems destined for eventual replacement.
I’ve loved Apple computers ever since they came out. I’ve brought them into several businesses and two public schools. They’re easy to use and I used one while obtaining a masters degree in educational computing while everyone else was working in Windows.
I have what was once worth about $8,000 in software applications including desktop publishing, web publishing, video production and the usual suspects like MS office. But much of that software dates back to the 1990s, the dinosaur age by computer standards.
Except for Internet apps, it works. In fact it works almost perfectly. The only problem I have is the spacebar (it’s a laptop) isn’t working and I have to plug in a $13 keyboard. And therein lies a problem I have avoided for many years. I’ve got a chip on my shoulder about it. But Apple also has a chip -- an Intel one. And my software won’t work with their computers since they introduced Intel chips to replace the older Motorola Power PC chips around five years ago.
I actually bought a Mac Mini with the new chip when they came out. And then returned it to the store and exchanged it for the last of the Power PC models because the newest one wouldn’t work with my software. Actually the reason I bought that computer was because Turbo Tax was no longer compatible with my operating system at that time and I was forced to upgrade.
So here I sit, perfectly happy with my Mac, but the Internet is gradually conspiring to not let me use it any more. And I know that the inevitable is going to happen in a couple of years when technology will come against the Mini too. What’s going to happen then? I’m going to have to not only get a new computer – which I can’t afford – but newer software too. And I’ll never have the capability I once had because I’ll never be able to afford all that replacement software.
The computer industry has no respect, or support for the old. And I’ve realized that we treat our older citizens in the same way.
No matter how skilled and experienced we are, we can easily be replaced by younger models.
The cost of maintaining us becomes greater as we start to fall apart.
The closer we get to being completely useless, the more our needs are ignored.
C’est la vie!
