My first PC
was the one I would tamper with, could take it apart and put together again,
swapped components with my classmates etc. After seven years of service it gave
way to a belated 18th birthday gift, a brand-new HP notebook bought in summer
of 2006, prior to the outset of my studies. It broke down once, in 2010, then
in 2014 I had it thoroughly cleaned of dust, the operation which cost under
less than a hundred zloty that gave the notebook a second life and a speed
boost. It served me really well, despite running on obsolete Windows XP and
crying out for more RAM and faster processor at times. It has not given up a
ghost typically; instead, its cover’s wear and tear reached its limits and the
right hinge cracked. The estimated cost of repair was at least PLN 200 which
prompted me to look for a new notebook, rather than sinking money in a device
which on account of its age could pack up any time soon.
Since I
have had good experience with HP devices (the one many not share) and having
heard several times of badly defective Acer notebooks plus being fed up with my
company Lenovo laptop, I decided to focus on HP portable computers only,
knowing I would not repeat such good purchase as the previous computer had
been. After all, more than a decade has elapsed and in terms of IT hardware,
this is an era. For the sake of good order, I have not bought a
state-of-the-art computer, since as I use it as Internet browser, a mailbox, a
typing or calculating machine, a simple photo editor or a media player, the
most advanced components would bring little marginal benefit and measurable
marginal cost. I spent two thousand zloty on the new machine and after three
weeks of using it, I do not regret not expending more money.
Though the
technology has moved forward, in terms of ergonomics a step backwards has been
made. I confess not to be fond of 16:9 screen proportions (I have got used to
it) and I found 4:3 much more practical. Also all today’s notebooks have much
less ergonomic mousepads. While choosing a laptop I paid much attention towards
the pad (I have learnt not to use a separate mouse), bearing in mind how
impractically it is designed in my company Lenovo and how it winds me up every
time I use it outside the office. The pad in my new laptop has two separate
buttons (not being a part of the pad as in lousy Lenovo), however lacks the
scrolling surface to the right the previous one had. Well, one can get used to
everything.
Using
Windows 7 at work and Windows XP at home I did not observe much difference
between the two operating systems. Upgrading to Windows 10 was thus a shock,
yet I wanted to buy the most recent version of Microsoft’s operating system to
avoid seeing it being rendered obsolete before long. Functionalities of Windows
10 best illustrate what stride has been made in terms of IT and what is the
direction of changes. I would best call it a shift from owning to sharing and a
shift from offline to online. Needless to say, my first steps with the new
computer were dealings with privacy settings and turning off several spies built
into the system and turned on in default mode.
Configuring
and personalising the system is far more intuitive than in its previous
versions. It seems the contemporary devices and operating systems are designed
to be fool-proof. If you need a device to run, after a few clicks it is in the
operational mode, while if you desire it to run the way you want it to, it
takes a longer moment to tweak with all the settings and to disactivate the redundant
functions. Though I appreciate how the modern devices take care of themselves,
I actually lean towards being an aware technology user who gives up on
convenience and prefers to retain control over his machinery rather than lets
them look after themselves.
Hope the
new device will serve me well for years to come, however I realise no matter
how much I care about this device with limited durability, another decade in
service looms out of reach.
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