My computer, a 1998 Macintosh PowerBook G3 running MacOS 9, has done outstanding duty, and still isn’t obsolete, just increasingly clunky. And, since I walked away from the Internet business, there really hasn’t been a big need for me to have the newest, fastest hardware or software. So, for a few years, I’ve been sitting on the sidelines while Apple has produced not only sleeker, lighter, faster laptops, but also a complete revolution in its operating system, called OS X.

Which is not to say I haven’t made multiple visits to the Apple store, admiring the slim, light, new machines, or been fascinated by the power of the new operating system, or sat in cafes envying the college students surfing the Net with their wireless connections. It wasn’t that I didn’t WANT to do all those things I could do with a new computer, but I didn’t NEED to.

After my diagnosis, I figured it would be fair to start really thinking about a new computer. I promised myself that if I made it through surgery, I deserved a prize, the new, sleek white iBook I’d long been coveting. When my dad came to visit right after I got home from the hospital, he was carrying the very thing! I got my prize, and hand-delivered!

Of course, switching to a new computer is always a chore, and the switch to OS X amplifies this. I didn’t really have the energy to even think about it until this week. Over the last few days I’ve started to put this new machine to work, and feel my way around, discovering all the new features. The new operating system comes with a whole set of new programs, and I’m now trying to decide which of the new ones are an improvement over the ones I’m used to, or whether I just want to upgrade my old ones. Is the Apple Safari browser good enough? Do I like their new Mail program? Is it worth copying all my addresses into the new Address Book?

(I will say, as I listen to an old Earth, Wind & Fire CD through my headphones, that the iTunes program is WAY better than the old CD Player program from OS 9. And I haven’t even STARTED downloading music yet.)

So, I have the perfect thing to distract me from my obsession with solid food, and to keep me occupied during the long days of healing ahead. (And, when I’m sufficiently healed to drink coffee again, I’ll be able to make blog posts from a seat at the cafe.)

All of you MacOS X users in the audience are encouraged to contribute your opinions and recommendations. Any programs you particularly like? Are there any tips for using this system you want to pass along?