I like to have a page about usability and my own thoughts on old technology, for a lot of reasons, but mostly because I think it's important to realize that not everybody has the latest and greatest in technology, nor does everybody need, or even want the latest and greatest.
To start off, let me admit that I am composing this page on a very nice, very recent computer, using some very recent web development software. There are a few reasons for this, mainly involving the other work I do with the computer, and the fact that everything seems to work better when I am using fairly well-matched technology.
The next thing I would like to say is that any given piece of technology is as good today as the day it was new. Anything a Mac Quadra 840av could do on its first day, it can do just as easily today. I've even got a camera from 1959, a Nikon F, that works just about as well today as it would have when it was new. (Except for metering, but that's an issue with a part becoming worn out, plus I don't own many lenses with the appropriate coupling for that style of metering.) Due to the fact that film is better today than it was in 1959, the Nikon F technically works better today than it did in 1959. (Though that's also another technicality, and it would be difficult to apply that to most computer eqiupment.)
Unfortunately, the question of whether or not something actually gets used, at least with me, is based upon how difficult it is to accomplish the task. For example, while I could have toted a 68k Macintosh up to the university with me, and easily used it to write all of my papers, blog posts, even my novel - it would not have been as easy to get that text to its final destination, since those computers don't easily connect to modern websites, and not all of them will easily connect to my printer.
Plus, there is the question of whether or not the same task can be accomplished with a newer piece of technology that I already have around. One of the reasons I don't use a 68k Mac for word processing is because my newer computer accomplishes this task very well, in addition to the various things online I do, my video work, and my photography work. Consolidating to one computer simplifies my life and helps me get my work done faster.
Speaking of faster, I'd like everybody to know that applications can't launch, and documents cannot open faster than instantly, which is one of the reasons that for any given task, there really is, a maximum suggested amount of computing horsepower. But as I said before, that's mainly for just one task, i.e. if you were only ever going to do writing with a computer, and never had any intent to go online, or read email, or do graphics, or use compact discs.
I sometimes wonder though, why some people feel the continuous need to have the very latest, most top-end system. I can almost understand it from gamers, and I can understand creative professionals who actually benefit from having a faster system. What bugs me the most is people who seem to upgrade for no particular reason. They don't do much with their photos, they haven't used any video editing capability they can't get out of iMovie 2 on a G3.
I suppose there's a reason that I don't lack justification when I make a computer upgrade.
