| Kuro-kuro Ko Lamang |
by: Rtn.
Chuck Montecillo
In Golf, less is more. That's a line I
saw recently in a PGA ad on ESPN. It got me to
thinking about computers and their users. What's
the relationship between golf and computers?
Well, quite a bit, really. Let me explain.
The line "less is more", is the mode of
thinking that I follow when it comes to using
computers. Ever since my first computer, an IBM
386, I have never been at the forefront of
technology. At that time, 486's and Pentiums were
the norm. I never really saw a need to have the
most up to date system. I still don't.
Computer companies and software manufacturers
have made themselves rich by promoting the idea
that you, the end user, NEED to upgrade. They do
this by continually developing their products,
requiring hardware upgrades to keep up with
software upgrades.
Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the
development of software and hardware. I just
don't agree with the mentality of needing to
spend more money for features that we don't
necessarily use.
Take Microsoft Word for example. I remember the
version 5 of MS Word for DOS. It's very similar
to today's Word Pad application, as far as
features go, that comes bundled with
Windows95/98. MS Word 2000 has many more
features. But how much of it do we really use or
need? Even Word 97, the version with which use to
open files I receive, has too many features for
me. I just write with it once in awhile because
Word Pad doesn't have a spell checker and most
other users save their work in Word 97 format
(unreadable in Word Pad). If people would use the
RTF (Rich Text Format) format, which saves all
the foramtting but is readable by other word
processing programs, and if I had a separate
spell checker, I wouldn't want to use MS Word at
all. It's a un-ituitive program that just hogs
way too much hard drive and RAM resources.
Believe it or not, I still use a Pentium 120mhz
PC with 16MB RAM. I've had this computer since
1995 and it still works fine for the type of work
that I do. Sure its extremely slow when working
with image files and I can't really multi-task
very much (otherwise it takes longer to
accomplish things), but by modifying the way I
use and manage my files, I am able to stretch its
usefulness. It's much cheaper than having to
upgrade the CPU and Hard Drive every 6 months to
a year.
Another way I get by with an older system is by
using software that is the same of the same year
or era as the computer I use. This means I don't
go out and buy the latest version of any program
that strikes my fancy. This keeps the system
running within the boundaries of its design. Many
of the new programs generally need newer system
requirements.
Like golf, working with your computer its not
always the equipment that needs upgrading. Most
of the time, it's how you use the equipment that
makes all the difference. Manage your files more
efficiently, don't multi-task too much (if you
have less than 64MB RAM) and be honest about your
actual computer needs. I guarantee you'll get
more done with less expense and lesser equipment.
That equates to more money for those new golf
clubs that'll cure your tendency to duck hook
(yeah, right)!
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