First things first. If you have an IBM GXP Deskstar hard drive:

1. Stop reading this journal entry.
2. Backup all your critical data right this minute.
3. Run to your local computer equipment vendor and purchase a non-IBM, non-Seagate disk drive.
4. Install your new hard drive and copy over your critical data, reinstalling your OS and applications as necessary.
5. Take an axe to your IBM GXP Deskstar hard drive.
6. Resume reading this journal entry.

So losing my hard drive after only a year and a half wasn’t as bad as you might think. Okay, I’ll admit I’m pretty annoyed with IBM for knowingly manufacturing defective hard drives. And it’s disheartening to find out that Apple chose to use those defective hard drives as their stock Quicksilver PowerMac drive. But I’m past that now, mostly because I had my critical files backed up. I was actually feeling pretty smug about that. Hah, silly people who lose data.

Until I discovered that I needed to use FrameMaker at home to edit some files that very day.^[1] See, FrameMaker for the Macintosh is a “Classic” application, and unfortunately, my laptop didn’t have OS 9 installed. It used to have a Classic environment, but I had reinstalled Jaguar a while back and never bothered to re-install OS 9. Here’s what I learned that day:

• Market value of OS 9, if you save your laptop’s OS 9 disk like a responsible person: $0.00.
• Market value of OS 9, if you need to order a replacement OS 9 CD from Apple, to be delivered whenever UPS gets around to it: ~ $30.
• Market value of OS 9, if you need OS 9 that day, and the clock is ticking: $86.52.

Tends to wipe the smug off one’s face, let me tell you.

1. As far as I can tell, Adobe FrameMaker 7 for Macintosh is essentially abandonware. One of the hazards of being a Mac user. No one bothers to write viruses for you, but no one bothers to write applications either.

2. Kidding, kidding. Of course people bother to write Macintosh viruses.