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***Another year!
It's 1997. Welcome!
I liked 1996. It was a little rough. But it was soft too at times.
If the weather on the year change is a predictor, this is going to be a wet one. Flash floods and mudslides. The driving ain't easy.
Hey if you like rain, come to California! It's not just raining cats and dogs here. Barnyard animals are coming down. Lots of them! Big ones.
But so far the power has stayed on. 1997 has been a gooooood year.
***Freedom is good
Lots of hands are wringing in MacLand. The mailing lists are quiet, just days before MacWorld Expo.
This is usually not a quiet time. There's usually lots of testing and bugfixes, intrigue, deal-making, announcements, and other movement.
It's quiet... I'm feeling free, really free to make new choices. I imagine others are thinking too. That's why it's so quiet. Shhh.
***The web is my home
I am a web developer!
This makes things simpler. If another desktop or server platform becomes popular with web developers, I want to make software for that platform.
I also want to make software for platforms with vendors that are easy to work with. If they'll open the door for me, I'm more likely to go in. If they tell me to go away, I go away.
I like the web. So much room for growth. A user interface that makes VisiCalc look good. The platform without the platform vendor. A developer's dream.
***The answer for Apple
Last year I wrote a longish piece on the New Year, anticipating a management change at Apple, saying what I would do if I ran the company.
http://www.scripting.com/davenet/96/01/gottabearetha.html
Today it's the same answer. Make the platform as relevent as possible for people who use and develop for the web. The Mac is already strong here. It can easily be made stronger.
Happy New Year everyone!
Dave Winer