Programming a computer can be performed in one of numerous languages, ranging from a higher-level language to writing directly in low-level…

you can apply old, boring, slow and outdated hardware in ways which produce more actual ‘use’ than bleeding-edge, not-quite-working, hard-core hardware. the reference between these realms is, of course ‘use’.

what is meant by a ‘power user’? it is, simply, one who uses the power of the computer in front of them. it doesn’t have to be fast, new, bleeding edge, or even expensive. a power user doesn’t have any hardware requirement; they are, simply, just using the thing, powerfully. usually in exciting and interesting, but always -productive- ways. a power-user applies a computer for whatever actual ‘use’ is intended: game-playing, databases, internet, music, development, whatever.

so .. my point of view is that as a long-time “bleeding-edge software guy” with a partiality to Unix ways of life, i don’t really care what hardware is running, as long as its: a) On, and b) In Use. my personal measure of investment in computing power has always “how is it being used”.

By way of example for what I mean, I switched to the Powerbook Elite (as in, always try to have the latest powerbook) the day the first lovely (and still useful) tiBooks were available.

Dumping beige-box shrine-building and tempestuous cult-like hardware behaviour from about 17 too-many trips on the weekend to SoCal computer college swap-marts, and after I decided personally that the only thing that mattered was that the computer I use actually fit with any stack of books worth carrying. That was the principle requirement: form-factor compatible with books.

Its only the form-factor of the Mac way that matters to me as a Powerbook User .. if someone can show me a Unix workstation I can easily slide on the shelf, and use comfortably on the train, I’ll switch to it. So far, the Powerbook owns the ’strictly book form-factor’ realm; it is designed for that.

Sure, I’d love to have a very fast computer around, but as I get older, and perhaps a little wiser, I realize that the latest and greatest isn’t always the best. Sometimes, having 3 or 4 little computers in active use is as good as, or better than, having 1 or 2 super-duper machines running instead.

So I’d just like to point out that Power is just one aspect of how you could measure ‘User’ in the “Power User” equation ..