the blog of max jackl

After I came back to Poland my computer was working slowly so after some time I decided to reinstall windows. I’ve copied important things from C disk to D disk and put the xp installation disk in the dvd drive, than I’ve formatted the C disk and then I’ve run the installer.

Last years I’ve used Firefox, and before that Netscape. I’ve switched to Firefox because it was installed on the computers that I was using and it was related to Netscape. But this time when I was planing on installing a browser I said to myself ‘No, install Netscape, the older brother of Firefox whom you used so much in the past’.

Right after installing Windows from scratch I opened home.netscape.com in IE. First thing to surprise me was that it redirected me to netscape.aol.com. Even if AOL bought Netscape and it may have happened long time ago why would they change the address now? What is the change for?

Than I looked for link saying Netscape browser and I’ve found it and clinked it. I’ve scrolled the page down and there was option of downloading 4 different applications. I didn’t see Netscape over there…

I used internet for the first time when I was about 12 and I was a Virtua Fighter fan. Most probably I did it with IE. But it was just once or twice when internet was practically  unknown. It was 96 or 97. Year later I started to use the web more in a Jewish computer center. People in charge were Netscape inclined. I’ve picked up on this quickly and became a big Netscape supporter. Throughout the years  I’ve mostly used Netscape and over time my emotional connection with the program grew.

At that point (beginning of 4) Netscape was subjectively better. It was more secure and showed more of HTML, JavaScript and so on. I also preferred the way it looked and some things in IE annoyed me.

Till 1997 Netscape won having at certain point close to 90% of the market. Than the browser war started and eventually Netscape lost. Microsoft was giving IE with every Windows and integrated it as part of the system, so most people just stayed with that. Netscape didn’t change so much within the version 4 and between version 4 and 6 (5 was skipped) more than 3 years passed and at certain point IE was more functional than Netscape. Also AOL made a mistakes and at certain point added a lot of external programs to Netscape installer. All that resulted in that new people used IE and a lot of old Netscape users switched. It ended up that only hardcore users stayed with Netscape. So did I.

Announcement on the AOL website said:

Official support ended on March 1st, 2008.
Given AOL’s current business focus and the success the Mozilla Foundation has had in developing critically-acclaimed products, we feel it’s the right time to end development of Netscape branded software. Read the history page for more details about this decision.

That what it said. They don’t care that the program existed for close to 14 years, people grew up with it, changed with it and matured with it. Like me, I’ve changed completely during this time. But taking into account their business plan they don’t care. I felt sadness and injustice.

What could I do? I could install Netscape theme for my Firefox.

So I did. At last that way Nescape will stay alive. And I’ve singned two petitions.

http://www.petitiononline.com/netscape/petition.html

http://www.petitiononline.com/saveNS/petition.html

I’m thinking deeply.

Today is my american, polish or english birthday, I would call it “birthday according to the sun”. On shabbos, first of Av is my Jewish, moon (months) and solar (years) bithday. So I established both days and the ones in beetwen for celebration.

So it’s 4 day bithday.

Every time before I come to Poland I’m look forwards towards it. Poland is a place where I grew up I still have some connection with it.

There are some things in Poland that turn me off though. And there are things that Poland is missing, meaning there are things that actively disturb me and things that just are not there.

Belonging to the first group are polish low self esteem voices. It’s actualy a very serious thing because it makes me listening to a lot of people just annoying.

Belonging to the second is lack of young, cool people with energy, especially Americans like there are in my yeshivah.

Worth mentioning that my whole social life is very limited. I could simplify the last to points as being lonely.

So even though I need to pop in to poland from time to time i know it’s not a place for me.

Monday night I left Jerusalem for the airport. Except for few things (security guy was starting to get suspicious after I wasn’t sure how to answer him some questions and than I’ve forgot my suitcase when waiting by the Lufthansa office, later to find it, and that another member of airport personnel was shouting at me when I was the last person to enter the plane - when he got upset he asked me whether I come late to the synagogue, I preferred not to answer :)) everything went smooth and after 3 hours 40 minutes flight I arrived at Frideric Chopin airport. At ‘home’ I’ve arrived about 10 o’clock in the morning.

Except of one other person the flight was completely not religious made of both Polish and Israelis. Interesting that a lot of Polish fly to Israel and vice versa. I’ve overheard two Israelis talking and one was explaining to the other that he was buying some property near Warsaw.

Sometimes during my journeys I meet somebody whom I know. Last year I’ve meet next building neighbor of my previous flat. He works at the Jewish Theater and he came to the Holy Land for the Bar Mitzvah of his nephew. I’ve than realized that Jews sometimes may live in such a close proximity, even though there is so little of them in Poland.

I left the plane through the new terminal. The arrival terminal has a year or so but the departure terminal is really fresh. It looks good but but plain and not impressing, more of late 20th century style than 21th. They should have designed it better, airport makes the first impression of the country.

Psyhoanalisis of polish people comming.

I’ve arrived yesterday in Poland.

I’m counting the Omer. Now it’s 26.

I’m trying to learn. The z’man started.

I’m preparing for the new z’man.

I’m wandering how big Hillel the Swordman is of a crackhead.