Technology

I suppose this is as good a time as any to talk about technology. I always run into posts on the GTD sites & lists where there is a discussion of how much technology to use. From what I see out there, if I had stock in Palm, I'd sell it. I think people seem to be turning away a bit from technology and back towards using paper. On the other hand, this doesn't seem to stop people from wanting to buy the latest technology. You are supposed to run out and buy a Mac Mini vs. buying a second hand Mac.

I've been an advocate of trailing edge technology, even though my job requires that I keep up with the latest stuff. There are very big advantages to trailing edge. You know the stuff works. You can pick up what was once the coolest thing around for pennies. And there's a fair amount of software out there for the picking. It fails when you get into things like web browsing and compatibility.

I am always amazed at how much bloat has to be built into software these days. For example, the SE30 (running System 6) has Quicken 4 on it. It has pretty much the same elements that current versions have; register, budgets, even online bill pay. It is a tiny program, 377k. I could still easily use it to track my finances, although I wouldn't be able to pull in Quicken files in the new format. (It would handle them in .qif thought). Same machine has Quark Xpress on it. And it's an amazing thing to pull up on a 9" black and white screen. It's still a functional program. I've set up the Mac Classic to use for writing. It's portable for a computer and boots up in a snap. And I've even put my favorite keyboard back on the G3. It's a Mac 101e Datadesk with great clicky keys and a pen/pencil holder across the top.

So why do we succumb to peer pressure and dump machines that work well for the latest and greatest? Why can't we keep some of these tools (at least the ones that are pleasant to use--I wouldn't wish a 286 on anyone!) Maybe older technology would serve you just as well. I became interested in this when I read of a woman who writes using an old floppy driven Mac laptop. She prefered it because it was so quiet and it did the job. Maybe a little less technology might help you get a bit more done.