Past Editorials
- "Happy Birthday to you, computer" (August 2006)
- "Ode to an unsung Hero" (Sept. 2006)
Happy Birthday to you, computer
The 25th birthday of the IBM PC (5150) recently brought back memories of my first computer (which was only a few years later). At the time 8 bit was all the rage and 16 bit far out of reach. (Ultra expensive workstations were on the brink to use 32 bit processors.) No other technology evolved faster than computers and 20 years make for a life time (or many more computer years).
Back in 1987, my first computer was called KC85/3, somewhat of an incompatible Amstrad ZX-Spectrum clone. Even at its time, this computer was at no point able to claim any "firsts" or even competitive technology. Yet, thinking back nearly 20 years brings a strange feeling of nostalgia. Neither the 8 bit CPU with 1.7 MHz nor the 16 kByte of RAM impress anybody anymore. Today, even entry level PDAs offer much higher performance. Yet there is something to be said about the close contact to the hardware -- be it by typing up pages of ASCII code or loading programs from an audio cassette (much like a fax machine). When something worked on this machine, you were likely to understand why. Getting it there is a whole different ball game.
I distinctively remember the typing up of pages of hexadecimal code and spending endless nights debugging it for typos. That was especially cruel on the incredibly bad keyboard. Yet, the reward was typically a relatively simply game - much like the ones you find today to fit a key chain (i.e. Parachute). Believe it or not, we got excited about that. Nevertheless, I guess that was about the time I decided to become a user and not a programmer.
In 1989 an exotic beauty by the name of "Amiga" moved in with me. It was a passionate relationship based on physical attributes like 32 bit, amazing looks and sounds. She was an outsider and not open to new things either (expansion). In fact, many considered "her" to be all play without a sense for serious side of life. As I grew up I had to agree and traded her in for a younger model (with even more stunning looks). Only a few years later, my new "Amiga" inspired me to put her to work and that was the beginning of another passion. Curious? Simply follow this link if you need to know more ... [Click Here]
Ever since names and hardware changed many times. After spending many years in a niche, I finally gave in to the all absorbing Gates' World (years ago). Professionally, I simply had to. To be fair, things have improved greatly for mainstream computing. Yet, it may have to do with becoming senile as age progresses, but there were few systems since that created a similar passion. 
Ode to an unsung hero.
Most people think of the ultimate sacrifice when talking about heroes. Yet, true heroes happen on a daily basis and much less theatrical than a single heroic act. Such heroes live in many places -- often quiet and invisible. On September 16th 2006, I lost the one near and dear to me. With 93 years it was the end of a long life, yet way too sudden. While she had her wish granted of a quick and painless passing, my selfish side was hoping to have her around a little longer.
Grandma was born just before the First World War in Fliederthal (now Jany) in the German “Niederschlesien” – though today it's part of Poland. It’s easy to say that the Nazi Germany deserved what "they" got and a shrinking territory is simply the result of trying to conquer the world. It’s just as easy to demonize the German people in the same breath and forget about the tragedies that struck common families. Though most families had nothing to do with the crazy ideology of the leadership, they still carried the main burden as they not only lost many of their brothers and sisters (children, parents etc.), but often also everything they had.
Married just before the Second World War, two children were born before her husband got drafted to the war front. Hope had been severely tested when he went missing shortly before the end. But that’s only the beginning. She had to leave the family farm at the dawn of 1945 as part of the German retreat. The re-zoning by the Allies basically eliminated the German provinces East of the river "Oder" and grandma not only lost her husband (without ever being certain), but also her roots. It was cold in January and 4 weeks in a fugitive treck a dangerous journey into the unknown. Even her birth certificate and marriage license got lost in the process --irrecoverable due to changing borders.
It was her assumed duty and determination to rebuild their existence and it wasn’t easy to start over with practically nothing. At the end of the war Germany was in complete disarray. Starting over took super human strength. This applied to pretty much everything she had to do, and I find myself incapable to even imagine the required strength and character. Not only did she have to rebuild her existence from nothing, she also had to raise two children by herself. She had hope and faith in her husband’s return and essentially never re-married. (The only thing worse than have a loved one killed in war is the uncertainty what happened. There is simply no closure.)
Her family of eight brothers and sisters should have been a big one, yet war and sickness had different plans and my grandma’s faith has been tested many times. Nevertheless, she was always kind and never bitter. Even her remaining family was separated for 40 years by an impenetrable wall. Her roots vanished in the aftermath of the Second World War and the family remained incomplete despite all the unbroken hope.
It took every bit of my 38 years to realize the true greatness of my grandma – a woman that only once in her whole life went on vacation. All the years she has been a farmer, mother, provider and caregiver. It’s hard to grasp how this short woman “stood her man” more than I can even imagine for myself. In deep respect and loving memory I say goodbye to a great hero. A true hero with selfless determination and unparalleled kindness! Maybe, just maybe, she is now reunited with the loved ones she lost. I certainly hope so!