For many years my writing tasks have all been completed on a computer. I know that many who write like to perform this task by hand, but by the time I was a sophomore in high school the encouragement began for me to enroll in typing class.
Even I had great difficulty in interpreting my written word after a period of time. So, it all began with the old manual typewriters of which we still have some antique ones around the house.
During my high school career, first year typing students were relegated to the manual typewriters and the advanced students were promoted to the electric typewriters. I never proceeded beyond the one year of typing instruction as that provided me with the skills required and I never intended for this skill to become a major component of my life.
As fate would have it, the skills obtained from that year of instruction have been a continuous thread throughout every segment of my life. College life required several written reports and all computer programs were on keypunch cards.
When I began my career with the State Highway Department- that was the official name at that time- reports, letters and other documents were prepared in triplicate utilizing carbon paper. These were all prepared on an IBM Selectric. This was the premium electric typewriter complete with interchangeable fonts achieved by switching out the typeset head.
Since the carriage and the platen didn’t move and all the motion was in the rotating typeset ball the machine operated with a smooth slick motion which created a very relaxing rhythm.
Within five years the first computer was delivered to our office. I had some background and experience with personal computers. Due to that background I was designated the “in-house guy”. The goal of the department was to get every staff member assimilated and trained on these computers. It was several years, and many had retired before this was accomplished.
Those early PCs were fairly straightforward. A word processing function, a spreadsheet, a data file system and a few games that the State Highway and Transportation Department, notice the name change, thought would be useful in acclimating staff to the machines. Who had time to play any games? The staff in the office where I was at did not have the time or the desire. Most of them had ten to twenty-plus years on me and didn’t cotton to that kind of nonsense.
The good wife purchased a new laptop for me last winter. It is a nice machine and very functional. The operating system is Windows 10 which I find somewhat derivative and impractical. I don’t like the keyboard on this laptop. I don’t really like the keyboard on any laptop. Nor do I like the keyboards on most modern computers. You know what had a nice keyboard?
Within five years the first computer was delivered to our office. I had some background and experience with personal computers. Due to that background I was designated the “in-house guy”. The goal of the department was to get every staff member assimilated and trained on these computers. It was several years, and many had retired before this was accomplished.
Those early PCs were fairly straightforward. A word processing function, a spreadsheet, a data file system and a few games that the State Highway and Transportation Department, notice the name change, thought would be useful in acclimating staff to the machines. Who had time to play any games? The staff in the office where I was at did not have the time or the desire. Most of them had ten to twenty-plus years on me and didn’t cotton to that kind of nonsense.
The good wife purchased a new laptop for me last winter. It is a nice machine and very functional. The operating system is Windows 10 which I find somewhat derivative and impractical. I don’t like the keyboard on this laptop. I don’t really like the keyboard on any laptop. Nor do I like the keyboards on most modern computers. You know what had a nice keyboard?
The IBM Selectric had a nice keyboard. The keyboard that came with the early computers were very reminiscent of the IBM Selectric keyboard. They were weighty, had a nice feel and the rebound of the keys was very familiar.
When the new computers began to arrive with their lightweight keyboards, I hung onto my old Model M keyboard until it would no longer adapt to the new operating systems. In addition, the Model M would have made a handy weapon in the event a fight broke out. You could have whacked someone with one of those keyboards and it would have had results.
Another thing that seems to plague me about the newer computers is some of the advancements to the functions. The Microsoft Word program that I am using to write this article will check my spelling, my grammar, my sentence structure and every aspect of my written word. There are a couple of items in the preceding paragraphs that it has pointed out for correction. It doesn’t like my use of adjectives in some locations and certainly finds fault with most of my euphemisms.
It is a nice computer and works very well. At least when it points out what I am doing wrong I can hit the off button!
Another thing that seems to plague me about the newer computers is some of the advancements to the functions. The Microsoft Word program that I am using to write this article will check my spelling, my grammar, my sentence structure and every aspect of my written word. There are a couple of items in the preceding paragraphs that it has pointed out for correction. It doesn’t like my use of adjectives in some locations and certainly finds fault with most of my euphemisms.
It is a nice computer and works very well. At least when it points out what I am doing wrong I can hit the off button!
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