I may appear young. Right now, sporting a clean-shaven summer look, only my gray hairs give away my slow maturation. But in computer-years, I am an old man. I’ve been using computers, fixing them, and programming on them for well over 25 years. A lot has happened during that time. For me, holding my current smartphone, I am the computer equivalent of a man who witnessed the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk being given a ride on the space shuttle.

I’ve seen a lot: The rise of the Internet (and it’s re-invention as Web 2.0 and current re-invention as social media). Graphical User Interfaces. Dedicated GPU’s. The rise and fall of OS/2. The introduction and rapid plateau of computer audio. Even the widespread adoption of color displays – I was there. I entered the computer world right after the invention of the 5.25″ floppy disk and I participated in the industry the whole time. Personal computing has always been exciting for me, and some of the best parts have been the rivalries. Continue reading →