You'd probably never guess this about a guy who voluntarily writes a web-based soap opera on a daily basis, but I started out absolutely hating English class. During my freshman year of high school, while I was decidedly unthrilled with just about every class I took except for Computer Science, I considered English class a particularly annoying interruption in my day. I especially disliked writing essays, even though I got to write most of them in AppleWorks on my beloved Apple //e. In fact, the involvement of the computer in my writing process was just about the only thing that kept my writing grades higher than mediocre.

About mid-way through the school year, we were given an assignment I found a little more compelling than the usual slop (yes, at the beginning of the school year we had even been assigned to write that standard "What I Did Last Summer" essay; I wrote about sitting in front of my computer for three months and never leaving my room). The teacher told us to write an essay about a product or company we viewed as an "all-American" institution. And, in a move foreshadowing the coming of AtAT some twelve years later, I decided to write about Apple Computer.

I hadn't thought about that essay in many years, but while being snowed in at my Grandmother's house (and while not having reliable 'net access due to old and overloaded phone lines), I decided to wait out the blizzard by digging through some old boxes. I found picture books I wrote when I was six, my high-school diploma, old Spider-Man comic books, my varsity letter (in Scholastic Bowl-- even geeks could get letters at my school), Apple II software including Infocom's Infidel and the original Tetris, and a slew of old school papers-- including that Apple essay. How cool is that? Reading it was worth a chuckle, if for no reason other than to see the germ of AtAT in a freshman essay written so long ago that I praised the Apple //e for being beige, and waxed eloquent about the Apple platform's excellent software availability. Hmmm.

So here it is, complete with the few original misspellings, awkward constructions, incomplete sentences, misplaced modifiers, and all: an essay I wrote at the ripe old age of thirteen. Go easy on me; it was a long time ago, and actually marked the turning point at which I began to discover that I liked to write. I was just beginning to find my voice. Without further ado, I give you a glimpse into AtAT's prehistory, dated January 8th, 1986.

As American as Apple... Computers?

The clock was relentlessly ticking away the minutes. Five o'clock was the deadline for filing a name for their new company, part of the business licensing procedures. The two young men had been throwing names around all afternoon, yet none seemed to please either of them. Steve Jobs then looked at the apple he was eating and decided that, unless he or Steve Wozniak could come up with something better, that would be the name they would use. Five o'clock soon passed, and the company who makes the friendliest and most useful home computers was then officially named.

Apple Computer is the most definitely the company that manufactures the friendliest, all-American computers. A computer should be easy to use, unintimidating, and have many practical uses. Apple has achieved all of these goals. Their computers come with introductory diskettes that help you ease into using them. The computers themselves are not cold, hard, and intimidating steel, but a gentle, soothing, relaxing beige. You can't beat the Apple for software availability, and it is so easy to use it is one of the only computers I have encountered that upholds the "First Law of Computing,: which goes along the lines of, "Using a computer should always be easier than not using a computer." The keyboard is very comfortable to type on, and doesn't put a "dangerous" key near another well-used key, like "return." I have seen other systems place the dreaded "reset" key right above it. The Apple's reset key is harmless unless the "CTRL" key is held down at the same time. The Apple's manuals are friendly, helpful, and obviously not translated from Japanese. Its name even sounds American, but even that is not the clincher. The first Apple computer was not built by a team of Einstein's relatives in white coats sitting in a sterile, hard, steel room. It was built in the garage of Steve Jobs' parents by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. That is definitely an all-American concept.

Since the first Apple I computer was built, the company has thrived incredibly. Always striving to better itself, the company has since built seven other computers: the Apple ][, the Apple ][+, the Apple //e, the Apple ]|[, the Apple Lisa, the Apple //c, and the Apple Macintosh. They also supply a long line of peripherals-- computer "add-ons." The company supplies disk drives, printers, modems, and many other peripherals that make owning an Apple computer even more fun and worthwhile.

The Apple computers are very versatile. They are useful for business use, entertainment, and education. The company now has its computers in most of the schools across the United States, including my own. Besides IBM and a couple of other "grand-daddys" of the computer industry, Apple is actually one of the oldest computer companys around.

Apple always has discounts and special offers available. For example, if you're a student, you can purchase an Apple computer system for fifteen percent off the total price. Apple always backs up their computers and peripherals, so if anything goes wrong, you can just bring it in to a nearby Apple dealer (I can think of three in the immediate area) and have it repaired. If it's just a minor problem, they will often fix it for free. This is nice to know, but I have owned an Apple computer for over a year and I haven't had any trouble with it yet. This is what partly makes it such a well-known computer. The word "apple" has almost become synonymous with "computer." All this from two young men working in a garage with a dream. That is what makes the Apple an all-American concept.