INTRODUCTION: Why A Mac?

Dreams of Youth | And Now For Something Completely Different
The Completion Backswards Principle | You Get What You Need

Welcome to the Mac Perspective; the section of Megahertz dedicated to defining the world through the eyes of an avid Apple enthusiast. The topic of this issue is how to buy a computer, but I also wanted to introduce myself to you in this premiere issue. After wrestling with it a while, I finally figured if I told you how I came to buy a Mac, it would settle everything. The story is more of a "why" than a "how," but I think the outcome satisfies the task. Read on and you can judge for yourself.

Dreams of Youth

In the '70s, I was gonna be a comic book artist like my hero, Neal Adams (he drew the X-Men, Batman, Deadman, etc.). Then, I discovered Todd Rundgren and wanted to be a Rock Star (his commercial hits include "We Got To Get You A Woman," "Hello, It's Me," "I Saw The Light," and "Can We Still Be Friends"). Wouldn't you know it, my parents sent me to college so I had to put all my future plans on hold. As it turns out, I actually learned a couple important things there.

First, I learned that art is 99% BS. It didn't matter how skillful you were at the craft if you could make up an elaborate story about the significance of your "statement." More significant to me was my introduction to computers through the core curriculum. I graduated in 1980 with a degree in Management/Data Processing (now called MIS) and moved to Cleveland, Ohio to start a band with my friends.

It's hard to feed yourself as a budding musician, so I used my degree and got a job doing application programming at a large gear manufacturer. After three years of servicing 80 users, plowing through arcane programming languages with even more arcane operating systems, and tending boring daily back-ups, the recession hit and everyone got a pay cut. It was then I realized (expect for the high-end graphics on the outrageously expensive systems like the Intergraph) I didn't really care for the subject of my daily work and I had only been continuing on the track of corporate compromises because of the pay. Not me.

Worse, however, was finding out my friends' aspirations in music did not match mine and the group disbanded. Around the same time, as most people do in their mid-twenties, I stopped approaching living life out of obligation to what I believed my parents wanted me to do. But what did that leave? If not art, music, computers or the corporate rat race, then WHAT? While I waited for an answer to fall from the sky, I waited tables for a living. TOP END

And Now For Something Completely Different

A year later, a miracle happened that changed the course of my life: Apple Computers introduced the Macintosh. The minute I sat down in front of one, I knew what I would be doing for the rest of my life. Finally, someone had created a machine that was structured toward the way I thought. A computer that I could draw with (my first true love), and, most important, one which was affordable to the general public.

I went to work at an Apple dealer and bought my system at cost. Then, after a year of managing a self-serve Mac station at a print franchise and serving as Head Trainer at an Apple Training Center, I started my own typesetting and design business from my home.

It is from there I am writing this article, the remainder of which will be dedicated to addressing the topic of purchasing a computer. TOP END

The Completion Backswards Principle

Tradition dictates that a computer purchase be based on use. First you outline what you intend to or need to do with your computer. Then you find the software that does it and, finally, buy the computer which supports that software. Other factors are cost and system complexity.

Most people have relatively unsophisticated needs when it comes to a home computer; letter writing or school reports, check balancing and address book. You should also consider something compatible with your computer at work. And we can't forget about fun and games. Based on these things alone, you'd be surprised how many times I advise people to buy a DOS computer (any system that runs IBM compatible programs). The systems you can get at Sears perform all these functions for a lower price than the Mac. So, why buy a Mac?

Well, I bought one, as I said, because of the interface, the graphic capabilities, and the affordablility. Remember the steps: 1) Need, 2) Software, & 3) System.

1. I cannot say unequivocally that the graphical user interface (GUI) is logical, or that it is the way everyone thinks. After all, somebody invented DOS and certainly they must understand it. But I don't believe you should have to have the IQ of Bill Gates to use your computer. There are people I know who wear their suffering to conquer DOS like a badge. They learned it; they are smart. But computing via the Mac is logical to me. Why kill myself just to say I accomplished something that I could have done more easily? That would not be smart, that would be stupid.
   
   I learn through use and by trial and error. I do something, judge by response, adjust and do again. This is a requirement to appropriate use of the Mac. Children are this way. It is only through the complex scholastic experience by which adults are trained that book learning is the only true form of advancement. (That was a joke.)
   
   I took the introduction of Windows for DOS as IBM admitting defeat to the Mac approach. (As a matter of historical accuracy, I need to point out that Steve Jobs purshased the GUI from Xerox.) The user has to drive the machine, not the other way around. In my case, having been catapulted from the world of computers, the GUI was a need for me to even LOOK at a computer. I get what must be the equivalent of delayed stress syndrome at the mere glimpse of a C: prompt.

2. Graphics being my first love, I needed a computer capable of rendering. Fortunately, I did not have highly developed skills prior to my exposure to computer drawing tools. I have encountered some accomplished artists who find having to learn the computer approach a barrier. For me, it was freedom. I didn't have to spend years learning how to draw a straight line. Point, click and drag. Viola! What a kick! I did have to learn about computer concepts and the mouse as a drawing tool (topics of future articles in themselves).

3. In 1984, the choice for me was simple. You might even say the Mac chose me. The ease of use, the graphics. There simply was no other choice.
   
   Nowadays, it is a little more difficult. It is possible to make a DOS system do what a Mac does. Of course, by the time you purchase your CPU and install a graphics card, purchase a special graphics monitor, install extra memory, upgrade your font capabilities and get the software you need, you'll end up spending the same or even more than would have if you went with the Mac from the beginning. Granted, you can buy it in pieces and customize your system to your exact specifications. Maybe an easy task for brainiacs. TOP

You Get What You Need

Ask yourself these questions first: Do I need the ease of use? Do I need the graphics? Will I end up paying the same amount in the long run? I cannot answer these questions for you. I can say if it had not been for the Mac, you would never have heard of me. Unless, of course, you went to one of my concerts, read my latest graphic novel, or wound up at my table in a local restaurant. TOP

Bill Bricker specializes in information architecture and computer illustration. He designed the logo for Todd Rundgren's Utopia reunion tour.

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