the Amish simple people work in the land
a way of life that eshoes the vain luxuries of modern technology or does it
we tend to think of the Amish and Mennonites as if they haven't changed at
all in the past centuries but the reality is a lot more complicated the
Amish don't Advocate the refusal of all technology more so Amish culture
generally supports a mindful approach of gradual adoption based on principles of
Simplicity and practicality this means that a huge loophole exists for
technologies that are primarily work related each Community votes on its own
rules which can vary a lot from group to group but in some cases they're allowed
to use computers and even cell phones so long as they are kept outside the home
and are never flaunted a small number of Amish began adopting computers soon
after they first became available to the mass consumer Market in the mid 1970s a
particular favorite was the word processor then a type of Hardware rather
than software these were essentially electric typewriters and are hard to
view as decadent or frivolous but as personal computers became more powerful
do it all machines and began to incorporate elements for personal
entertainment like music and games Standalone office devices like the word
processor plummeted in popularity by the late 1990s most computer companies no
longer manufacture them leaving the Amish without options enter Alan Hoover
an old order horse and buggy Mennonite who worked with computer scientists and
Amish leaders to build a computer that suited the needs of Amish farms and
businesses but what does an Amish computer even look like before we get
into that we turn to our high tech sponsor brilliant brilliant is a
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techwiki will get 20 off an annual premium subscription the first computer
made specifically for the plane people by the Plain people was the 2005 classic
word processor an ad for which promised no modem no phone port or internet
connection no outside programs no sound no pictures no games no gimmicks not
even Solitaire that's sinister's succubus of workday distraction a big
focus is on what features the classic didn't have but it did have a built-in
keyboard and fold down 8-inch full color screen as well as USB ports for file
sharing and optional peripherals like a printer or a mouse the Amish typically
avoid connecting to the power grid instead relying on pneumatic tools or
locally generated power via diesel generators water wheels or solar panels
so the classic uses a battery rather than a wall plug in order to remove as
many connective features as possible Hoover pre-loaded the computer with open
source programs and then locked it from any further installation among its
features the classic proudly counts its complete incompatibility with all
Microsoft computer programs that's right the Amish have computers and they're
using Linux all this for the low low cost of 798 dollars a fairly standard
price for a low end computer of the era albeit one that functions roughly like a
PC from five years prior according to Hoover turns out that some customers are
willing to pay a premium for a computer that doesn't come packed with a bunch of
nonsense features they don't want and the sinful Touch of Bill Gates further
these devices were incredibly durable and secure you might not be able to run
doom on it but you won't have to replace it in four years either an ad for an
updated version of the classic lists a 12-inch display dual core three
gigahertz processor 4 gigabytes of RAM and a 500 Gigabyte hard drive in 2014.
by then the classic had several competitors including the guardian the
Pioneer the pleasant and the plain book a laptop with no video sound internet or
games but it does have a typing tutor QuickBooks Microsoft Office full fax
functionality a PDF reader and a Bible reader and search program these plane
computer aren't competing primarily based on power performance they're
competing based on functionality reliability and compliance with the
guidance of Amish Bishops the key word here is trustworthiness a modern version
of the classic currently advertised by the Plain communities business exchange
is the classic Steward word processor which comes with a Linux based operating
system eight gigabytes of RAM 120 gigabytes solid-state drive a 4.1
gigahertz processor and a copy of Libra office from 2017. perfect for
inventorying your chickens as most businesses have become increasingly
online Amish business owners have had to follow suit adopting the internet in
small measured ways some use a PC free
email service that allows them to receive emails in the form of a printout
on their fax machine and when they want to answer an email they just faxed right
back a similar service even allows Amish to send faxes to request a basic
internet search one sec I gotta send out a fax for hot singles in my area
incidentally you can't buy the classic or most other playing computers on the
internet you have to call a dealer sorry Amazon so thanks for watching guys if
you liked this video hit like hit subscribe and hit us up in the comments maybe letting us know what everyday
technology you'd prefer to live without and don't say techwiki