Yesterday I wrote about the challenge I had picking up all the theological lingo at the beginning of my seminary studies. That reminded me of a funny experience I had that first semester. In between classes, I was walking through the courtyard of the seminary when I heard two students engaged in a heated debate. What, I wondered, could be the subject of this controversy? What theological difficulty could have inspired such passion and fervor? Were they debating Calvinism versus Arminianism? Infant versus Believers' Baptism? Biblical inerrancy? The nature of justification? Curious, I came within earshot and eavesdropped on the conversation.
This is what I heard:
"The Mac is the wave of the future."
"How can you say that?!"
This was my rather humorous introduction to the passion with which Mac and PC users debate the merits of their respective computer platforms. Since I did not yet own a computer at that time, it all struck me as rather strange. But it wasn't long after that I chose a side and began defending that choice with almost as much fervor as I had seen that day.
That was back in 1992, and it's been interesting to see how that debate has raged and changed over the years. In the early years, when I would explain that Accordance was developed only for the Mac, I would get raised eyebrows and curious questions as to why in the world we would want to limit ourselves to such a narrow segment of the market. By 1996 and 1997 the quizzical looks were replaced with open sneers and dire predictions of Apple's imminent demise. Today, Apple's resurgence seems to be in full swing, and our Mac-only status is now perceived as more "cool" than "crazy."
Whether Macs are generally seen as nearing extinction or as the "next big thing," our response to the "why Mac only?" question has always been the same: our goal is not to take over the world, but to develop the best Bible software around. Developing for the Mac enables us to do just that.
# posted by David Lang @ 10:32 AM
