8 years to upgrade

Eight years is an eternity in the high-tech product cycle. And yet, for the last eight years, I did the bulk of my projects at home on a Mac desktop that I bought in the year 2000. That's right, when I bought my computer, Bill Clinton was still president. The dot-com bubble looked unstoppable.

There was no such thing as an iPod.

Eight years. I've never had a job at one company for that long. Sure, I eventually upgraded the processor and graphics card, but it had been long in the tooth for years even with the upgrades. Yet I'd managed to use this computer for close to a decade. And along with the computer, I had my $30 Ikea computer cart, which was perfect for my needs as someone who keeps the computer by the futon in the living room:

The ol' workhorse, my Power Macintosh
Click photo to enlarge

But times change. I'd had no qualms about replacing my iBook laptop last year with a new MacBook. But when Apple finally released the second generation of their Mac Pro desktops this year, the trigger I'd set for myself to replace my aging Power Macintosh, I found I actually had a few pangs of nostalgia. Even after the new Mac Pro arrived in mid-March, I was slow to jump all in with the new system.

There was always an excuse: I need a new monitor first. But then I need a new desk, because the slanted monitor tray on my Ikea cart won't work with a flat panel. I need to install a Wi-Fi card first. Only an Apple tech can do that, so I have to wait until I haul it to an Apple Store (for the result of that night, see the previous entry). It's too much trouble to switch back and forth between computers. I haven't copied my files to the new system yet. On and on. A week after getting the new system, I was still using the old one more.

The absurdity of that finally motivated me. Michelle and I hit Ikea for a new computer desk. I got the damn Wi-Fi card installed. I used the Mac migration software to combine the files from my laptop and old desktop into the new machine. I bought a 24" flat panel monitor. I set it all up, and it was beautiful:

Only the speakers and mouse are old now
Click photo to enlarge

I still can't bring myself to fully retire my faithful Power Mac to collect dust in a closet somewhere. It's still sitting in the living room, waiting for me to decide where to move it. But I do love the new system. The new monitor is like night and day compared with the old CRT. The system is smooth and fast. It's nice to have a modern system again. I hope this system ages as gracefully...