From what I see, there are a few types of Apple users out there these days:
1.) The Collector
You're obsessed with getting all of the revisions and rare boards. You might
even have 50 shrink-wrapped Red Manuals each signed by the first 50
employees of Apple (inside the front cover). The collector isn't so
concerned with actually using or programming the Apple, just having an
impressive assortment of books, manuals, software, and hardware.
2.) The Hobbyist
Ah yes, the original Apple user. Maybe you've been with Apple since the late
70's, or maybe you just started recently. There isn't really one thing that
you focus on. It could be programming various projects one year, or
tinkering with hardware to build a distributed networking system the next.
3.) The Gamer
You're the one who has an old Apple IIe setup across the room in the office.
You remember the Apple from your childhood, or perhaps you've newly
discovered it. You're not really interested in having a big collection, or
programming. Your thing is to discover all of the secrets of Ultima, clear
all of the levels in Hard Hat Mack and Lode Runner, or maybe finally solve a
Scott Adams text adventure.
4.) The Hacker/Cracker
All that you want is a challenge, and the Apple still provides many: namely,
cracking the remaining copy-protected diskettes. You enjoy the thrill of
patching DOS, disassembling binaries, boot tracing, and finally reassembling
the finished product on an ordinary DOS 3.3 disk. Meanwhile, on the side,
you also come up with useful add-ons and utilities, such as a way to mount
disk images in GS/OS.
5.) The Technical Reference Guru
You're an old, grizzled Apple veteran. You spent far too many hours of your
youth programming and learning the ins and outs of every system and
reference manual. Today, you no longer do any programming; instead you
answer technical questions as they arrive. You have huge portions of the
Apple reference manuals memorized. Your response to any technical question
is always final, definitive, and comprehensive. You might even have the hex
codes for various 6502 instructions still memorized.
6.) The Archivist
Software preservation is your primary goal. You carefully make copies of as
many diskettes as you can, even going so far as to de-protect the ones that
aren't standard 16-sector. You might even be building a cassette tape
archive, or scan in manuals. Some people might balk at the notion of
copyrighted material being copied, but you continue on anyway, knowing that
later on, someone will be glad that you did.
7.) The Newcomer
You might have started with Apple because you got that retro feeling. Or
maybe you inherited a collection from a friend or family member. Whatever
the case is, you're new to the Apple world, and there's a good chance that a
lot of the hardware and software is as old as you are, if not older. You
like to dabble in everything: learning Applesoft, and trying your hand at
assembly. You enjoy playing the old games and trying out new software.
You're interested in collecting, and maybe you've come across some disks or
manuals that haven't been copied or scanned yet.
What type would you say that you are? Or even better, can you come up with
more? (Humorous stereotypes, anyone?)