Changing Computer Habits
As the decades roll by, some technology habits seem so ingrained as to be indelible. Some of us are now in our fourth decade (or even fifth) of using a personal computer. We've been online since you could ditch AOL and CompuServe and get to the "real" Internet. For me, my day-to-day routine changes very little. Where I go online today looks very much like where I went yesterday. The software I use is usually battle-tested stuff that fits my workflow just so. All it takes, though, is just a small change to have larger, long-lasting consequences.
When I got my first Internet account, I became a Netscape Navigator 1.0 user. I was using Windows 95 at the time, and the rudimentary version one of Microsoft's web browser looked like it was designed by a kindergartener. When Netscape 2.0 was announced, I felt like I was waiting for the birth of a child. On release day, I had to go outside and pace my yard while smoking cigarettes as I awaited the massive 6 MB download to finish. It was revolutionary software. Browsing the Internet has never had a bigger technology jump. It introduced JavaScript that made web pages interactive. It also introduced frames, animated GIFs, progressive JPEGs, plugins, an email and news client, and the ability to upload via FTP. I thought I'd use it forever. Its market share was over 90%.
Gradually, the competition got better and better, but I stuck with Netscape until I moved to the Mac in 2000. I went all in on Apple since I found myself managing Mac networks for a school system as we transitioned from the classic Mac OS to Mac OS X. Safari became my browser of choice until one day, just to be different, I decided to use Camino. It was based on some of the original Netscape code. It was open source, and it looked good. When it was discontinued in 2013, I did what most of the world did, and still does. I switched to Chrome. Chrome is slick. Most people have used it for so long that they don't really appreciate it anymore (or they are just perpetually annoyed at its telemetry). I've been using the web interface for Gmail as my primary email client since 2005. I use Google Drive for my most valuable documents—my photos and MP3 collection. But in 2022, I came out of retirement and took an IT job in a PC-centric workplace. For the first time in 22 years, my work machine was a PC, and the computers I had to manage were made by Dell and Lenovo. I decided to use Microsoft Edge because of how it was integrated with the OS, Microsoft 365, and the Microsoft Admin Center. Two years later, I am still using it even though I'm back on a Mac. It's been really dependable. I like the plugins and many of the features, like collections and profiles.
A few other apps that I used for years have started to slip away. I started using Evernote when I got my first iPhone in 2009. I made thousands of notes over the years, mostly for work but also through IFTTT automations that saved all my social media posts. It was my repository for recipes, receipts, software serial numbers, and more—truly my everything basket. When it was sold to the Italian company Bending Spoons, I really didn't pay attention until they jacked the price up to $130 a year—for a notes app. I discovered Obsidian, a free and extensible plain text-based notes app, and over the past year, I migrated all my info over to it. I'll be closing my Evernote account in just a few months.
Another title I loved was LaunchBar. It came highly recommended by some longtime Mac journalists and power users. I used it for 17 years, right up until last November when I made the switch to Raycast. Both applications allow you to launch applications from your keyboard as well as do things like look for files, search websites, access your clipboard history, and more. LaunchBar has gone 10 years without a major update. Raycast, a VC-funded startup founded by a couple of Meta alumni, may end up breaking my heart by becoming enshittified, but right now it is adding new features regularly and is a joy to use.
I mostly avoid Microsoft Office, but you can believe I still have it installed at work and at home. I have a few utilities and apps that I have used for more than a decade on my Mac: Keyboard Maestro, Hazel, SuperDuper, and Default Folder X. I would find it difficult and strange to use a computer without the features they add. I've added a few gems to my workflow in the past year too. CleanShot X is remarkably good screen capture/recording and annotation software. Dropover, a file shelf utility, replaced a longtime favorite of mine, Yoink. Things 3 does a great job as my task manager after I decided I didn't need the power and complexity of OmniFocus. I started using a VPN regularly for the first time, and I've been well served by Nord.
It takes a lot to get me to leave an old favorite behind, but I will make a change given sufficient reason.
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