New Computing

In the olden days, getting a new computer meant starting over. There was no easy way back in, say, 1998, to move your stuff from an old computer to a new computer. Not that there was much stuff to move -- no photos or music or movies back then -- a couple MIDI files, maybe, or an animated gif or two -- so it wasn't that big of a deal, and it wasn't hard to say goodbye. The exciting new hardware (a modem! a soundcard!) was more important than the files you'd lose.

Today, it's different. I bought a new computer the other day, and with the help of three feet of Firewire cable, the exact contents of my old computer was duplicated seamlessly onto the new one in the space of 45 minutes. Aside from the faster speed and the larger screen, there's no way to tell I've even changed computers.

In the past that would've been disappointing, but I'm no longer looking for a novel user experience. I just want to be sure that the MP3s I've been amassing over the last eight years move safely from computer to computer. And the photos. And all the saved chat conversations that chronicle my life. And all my bookmarks and writing.

Nowadays nobody gets gaga over a new refrigerator -- all they care about is that it keeps their last shard of wedding cake frozen. Computers have gotten like that.