Rant #1,928: Rest In Peace (Part 2)

My computer has died.

For the past few years, I have been using an Apple iMac computer, dating from 2006 or so, so I guess the time had come for its demise.

But its demise was slow, very, very slow.

This computer was actually the old one I used at my work, which I bought off my company for $100 some years ago, when we upgraded our computers, pretty much out of necessity.

These were the Apple iMacs that had the flaw in them where after a period of use, the screen would start to feature one vertical line, then another, and then another.

By the time I stopped using this computer at work, I probably had about two dozen lines on the screen.

However, I bought the computer as a backup, because the hard drive was still good, I had a lot of stuff on there that I still wanted, and heck, for $100, I could be a sport.

Little did I know how much I would need that computer.

After my PC broke down for what amounted to the final time, I had had enough with the constant fixing of this computer, which broke down about every 18 months to two years.

The motherboard died on this thing, and it really did not pay to fix anymore.

I had the Apple iMac, so I figured that I would look my gift horse in the mouth and use it as my home computer.

That was back about three years ago, and it served me well, even though the lines had increased to probably well over 100 in the interim.

There were also blank patches on the side, so I had to shrink the screen in order to see everything, and anything on the desktop had to be moved to the left side of the screen.

So yes, the screen was a mess, but the hard drive was solid as a rock, and I continued to use this computer for everything, including typing out this column five days a week.

But about 10 days ago or so, right in the middle of doing something, the screen basically went ballistic, so to speak, meaning that a brownish tint crept onto the bottom of the screen, which threw off not only the screen's bottom, but the coloration throughout the screen, making any photos or really anything coming on that screen look like an old photo negative.

Right then and there, I decided I needed a computer replacement, but what to do about it was another matter.

I decided that since I had gotten used to the iMacs, I would get another one, but I don't have a lot of money to spend on a new computer, so I ordered a refurbished model.

It is more like the next generation of iMacs that came out about 2009 or 2010 or so, so it will fit my needs. I really don't need anything too flashy or too costly, and with a warranty in hand, I decided to go for it, and the new computer came yesterday evening.

I have not had the least bit of time to set it up, so what you are reading is being generated from the old, beat-up computer, where honestly, my eyes are straining to see what I am doing.

Once I have a chance, I will set up the "new" computer, with all my files and programs (yes, I saved everything, thank goodness), and away I will go, hopefully.

That old computer really was a great machine, and I will miss it, but it really has been on its last legs for quite a while, the latest blemish pretty much sealing its fate.

So R.I.P. that old computer, and I welcome the new one with open arms … well, fingers at least.