User manual

AppleSauce

November 2003

Contents

Member experience...

Then and now...

My Macs and I

Wacek Jedrzejczak

y first contact with computers was while designing

transmission towers at ETSA. We used an Adelaide Uni-

versity computer and had an ‘easy’ access to it via a

direct line which transmitted data from a punch card

reader to the university. Of course, I first had to labori-

ously fill in data on punch card forms, and these were

used by typists to produce the cards. The university

computer ran the design program, produced mountains

of paper output, and also a plot of the tower being

designed.

Eventually we purchased our own VAX computer for

engineering design. It was located in our building at

Eastwood and we had access to it through terminals.

They were not equipped with a mouse and the cursor

was moved by keystrokes, providing a very basic way of

entering and editing data. Also, for about twenty engi-

neers there were only some five terminals which we had

to book in advance. But the access was much better than

through one card reader! There were also one or two

such strange things as personal desk computers on our

floor, used by the surveyors.

All this occurred towards the end of my engineering

career. I intended to retire at the end of 1987 and one of

my retirement projects was to be the writing of a book. I

realised that a computer was necessary to undertake

such a task and as I new nothing about personal com-

puters, I talked with fellow workers who were familiar

with their use. That is when Macintosh was first men-

tioned with the comment that, if anything, it was rather

well made compared with other brands. But it was quite

some time later that I eventually decided to buy a Mac.

I’ve been in Australia for many years but made it a point

not to lose proficiency in my native Polish, so after

retirement I sat for National Accreditation Authority for