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Retiring an old friend...
Sep. 16th, 2003 08:12 pmMany years ago (back when Windows 95 was still the going thing), I went to one of my regular summer retreats to the Catskills with college buddies of mine. While there, we talked geek-talk. The conversation got to personal computers, and I lamented on how I was stuck using a Windows 3.11 machine, 'cause I really didn't have money to upgrade.
A couple of weeks after that retreat, a foundling appeared on my doorstep, care of UPS. One of my friends happened to do a lot of computer hardware upgrading for his friends, and without telling me he decided to put together a new machine for me out of spare parts. At the time, it was about the best present I'd ever gotten - it was a complete surprise, not for any particular occasion. Simply a friend realizing he could give me a great big new toy.
And what a toy it was, really. By today's standards it's unimpressive. Even for the day, it wasn't hot stuff, but it was decent. A Pentium 200MHz processor, with this new Windows stuff. As I fiddled with the thing, I offhandedly referred to the thing as "that new Beast of a computer" (because it seemed a great and powerful monster compared to the previous machine), and the name stuck. Since then, the Beast has been my constant companion. He's had upgrades - memory (up to 80 MB), CPU (up to 233MHz), a new video card, and an ethernet card added. He's had one hard drive die and be replaced. A long succession of printers and software apps have come and gone, but the Beast remained. As time went on, the Beast ceased to seem really buff, but it did all the jobs I needed. Terminal emulation, word processing, e-mail, a bit of basic web-browsing and game playing. Nothing really intensive.
Some years later, I acquired another machine when a roommate's company was selling off office equipment. Not really buff for it's time either, it's a Pentium III, 450MHz. I named it "Artos", mostly because I needed a name that started with "A", so the name would match the monitor and printer control switches I have. I've added memory and a better video card to it, and expected to use it as a game machine, while I continued to use the Beast for my other work. When the roommates with whom I played computer games moved out, this machine started gathering dust.
Then things started building up...
...For X-mas, I got a new color printer. USB, which the Beast can't use directly. So in order to print anything, I'd have to boot up Artos and use the printer across the LAN.
...Internet worms started becoming more and more popular, and proper anti-viral software is darned hard to find for Win95, since Microsoft no longer supports the OS.
...A little while ago we lost our house internet router and an ehternet hub (I think to a lightning-related power surge). The Beast was on at the time, and since then it's been just a touch quirky. Nothing I can really point at as being damage - a bit slower on shutdown, a little inconsistent with some details of web-browsing, and so on.
So, I'm switching over to Artos as my primary computer. It has more bells and whistles, twice the processor speed and 6 times the memory. An OS that's still supported. Technically speaking, everything is in Artos' favor. On technical merit alone, I should have switched ages ago.
So, why do I feel like I'm abandoning an old friend?
A couple of weeks after that retreat, a foundling appeared on my doorstep, care of UPS. One of my friends happened to do a lot of computer hardware upgrading for his friends, and without telling me he decided to put together a new machine for me out of spare parts. At the time, it was about the best present I'd ever gotten - it was a complete surprise, not for any particular occasion. Simply a friend realizing he could give me a great big new toy.
And what a toy it was, really. By today's standards it's unimpressive. Even for the day, it wasn't hot stuff, but it was decent. A Pentium 200MHz processor, with this new Windows stuff. As I fiddled with the thing, I offhandedly referred to the thing as "that new Beast of a computer" (because it seemed a great and powerful monster compared to the previous machine), and the name stuck. Since then, the Beast has been my constant companion. He's had upgrades - memory (up to 80 MB), CPU (up to 233MHz), a new video card, and an ethernet card added. He's had one hard drive die and be replaced. A long succession of printers and software apps have come and gone, but the Beast remained. As time went on, the Beast ceased to seem really buff, but it did all the jobs I needed. Terminal emulation, word processing, e-mail, a bit of basic web-browsing and game playing. Nothing really intensive.
Some years later, I acquired another machine when a roommate's company was selling off office equipment. Not really buff for it's time either, it's a Pentium III, 450MHz. I named it "Artos", mostly because I needed a name that started with "A", so the name would match the monitor and printer control switches I have. I've added memory and a better video card to it, and expected to use it as a game machine, while I continued to use the Beast for my other work. When the roommates with whom I played computer games moved out, this machine started gathering dust.
Then things started building up...
...For X-mas, I got a new color printer. USB, which the Beast can't use directly. So in order to print anything, I'd have to boot up Artos and use the printer across the LAN.
...Internet worms started becoming more and more popular, and proper anti-viral software is darned hard to find for Win95, since Microsoft no longer supports the OS.
...A little while ago we lost our house internet router and an ehternet hub (I think to a lightning-related power surge). The Beast was on at the time, and since then it's been just a touch quirky. Nothing I can really point at as being damage - a bit slower on shutdown, a little inconsistent with some details of web-browsing, and so on.
So, I'm switching over to Artos as my primary computer. It has more bells and whistles, twice the processor speed and 6 times the memory. An OS that's still supported. Technically speaking, everything is in Artos' favor. On technical merit alone, I should have switched ages ago.
So, why do I feel like I'm abandoning an old friend?
