LONG-TIME Mac User

[Allen Davis]

I've been a Mac user since 1985, and I still have my original Mac Plus! I've had dozens of Macs over the years. I was a beta tester for Aldus Pagemaker (later Adobe), Photoshop and Illustrator. It's easy to infer that I've spent 31 years doing graphic arts, page layout and the like for various companies, including a freelance venture out of my home until I retired in January, 2016.
Currently I have a PowerMac G4 MDD 1.25 GHz which I have tricked-out to the max. I cling to it because it will run Classic or I can boot natively into OS 9, and I think I've given enough money to Adobe over the years for software and upgrades, and I refuse to "rent" or "lease" software.
I also have an Intel 23" iMac running El Capitan and a 13" MacBook running Yosemite (so I can run "SheepShaver," a Mac OS 9 emulator, which El Capitan can't.
It's strange that I had the career I had in graphic arts because I have a degrees in Economics and US History. Tried teaching in a private high school for a couple of years, but had to give that up because I like to eat and have a roof over my head! I ran numerous offset printing presses for a few years until I saw my first Mac (a 512KE) and I was hooked.
I'm completely self-taught, especially since Adobe Software Manuals might as well be written in Hebrew.
I look forward to participating on this site.

 

[honestone]

Welcome, Allen! You'll find quite a few helpful (and extremely knowledgeable) folks here. Myself I began using Apple machines in 1983, first with the venerable Apple IIE, then the very good Apple IIGS, and then started on Macs in 1997. I currently have a late 2012 Mac Mini and a mid 2013 13" MacBook Air (with a 256 gig SSD). All of the machines have served me well, both personally and when I needed to use them when I was working ("semi-retired" in 2006, then permanently in 2011). I have BS and MS degrees in Mathematics, and have taught Mathematics course for various colleges, on a part-time basis, starting in 1970. During my "semi-retirement", from January 2007 through June 2011, I taught Math courses at 3 community colleges. The extra income was "OK", but the main benefit was obtaining Medical and Dental insurance for my wife and I, as I was 62 1/2 when I semi-retired (as was my wife). We thus needed such insurance, as 1) COBRA was expensive, 2) it was good for only 18 months, and 3) we were not eligible for Medicare for another 2 1/2 years (1 year if we kept the COBRA). Unfortunately, students became more and more "lazy", and expected to be treated "royally". That's definitely unacceptable, especially with Math courses.

In any event, welcome aboard!