32 ms·

On the other hand, there are some things that are decidedly worse today than on some old machines. For example keyboard input latency on modern computers can be

On the other hand, there are some things that are decidedly worse today than on some old machines. For example keyboard input latency on modern computers can be horrendous, and the physical keyboard hardware is utter garbage compared to what was available in the 80s. For a single-purpose writing machine (and as long as you don’t mind sitting at a desk), my parents’ Mac SE from 1989 running a version of MS Word from the early 1990s is IMO significantly more usable than a top-of-the-line 2019 computer running the latest version of MS Word. Given the amount of research and implementation effort/investment that has gone into improving computers over the past few decades, the state of user-facing software (including browsers and web apps) for the average person today is in my opinion shamefully bad.

ajross 8y ago
> my parents’ Mac SE from 1989 running a version of MS Word from the early 1990s is IMO significantly more usable than a top-of-the-line 2019 computer This is a bit spun. I can't tell you what to like, but it's easy to romanticize older machines and forget what life was like with a 512x342 monochrome 60 Hz CRT, no backbuffer, and a CPU that took multiple frames to do something as simple as scroll. I actually have a still-working Mac Plus I like to show off to friends. And yeah -- it was a great writing machine and in lots of ways current MS Office is a disaster of complexity. It was elegant in a historic way, but.. no, it's not "better" by the definition used by pretty much any working writer.
- jacobolus 8y ago
  My father continued to use it for the majority of his work until at least 2005, and the computer still boots and works just fine today. He had far more frequent problems with a succession of Windows laptops in the subsequent 15 years than from the 15 years of using the Mac SE. Having a small monochrome screen is not an insurmountable problem in practice for people used to doing most of their work by spreading physical paper around on the floor. Yes it could be better if it took advantage of 30 years of CPU, etc. improvements, but it’s nonetheless a fantastic tool. Your “working writers” probably also need their computers for web browsing or whatever. And probably waste a ton of time on computer-related or computer-aided bullshit.

ajross 8y ago

> my parents’ Mac SE from 1989 running a version of MS Word from the early 1990s is IMO significantly more usable than a top-of-the-line 2019 computer This is a bit spun. I can't tell you what to like, but it's easy to romanticize older machines and forget what life was like with a 512x342 monochrome 60 Hz CRT, no backbuffer, and a CPU that took multiple frames to do something as simple as scroll. I actually have a still-working Mac Plus I like to show off to friends. And yeah -- it was a great writing machine and in lots of ways current MS Office is a disaster of complexity. It was elegant in a historic way, but.. no, it's not "better" by the definition used by pretty much any working writer.

jacobolus 8y ago
My father continued to use it for the majority of his work until at least 2005, and the computer still boots and works just fine today. He had far more frequent problems with a succession of Windows laptops in the subsequent 15 years than from the 15 years of using the Mac SE. Having a small monochrome screen is not an insurmountable problem in practice for people used to doing most of their work by spreading physical paper around on the floor. Yes it could be better if it took advantage of 30 years of CPU, etc. improvements, but it’s nonetheless a fantastic tool. Your “working writers” probably also need their computers for web browsing or whatever. And probably waste a ton of time on computer-related or computer-aided bullshit.