April 1997: "The press only knows three stories, Apple is dead, Microsoft is evil, and Java is the future." 

I was just looking through pictures from Esther Dyson's PC Forum in 1985. True, some of the companies and people there are dead. It's sad.  

We're all a lot older, but hopefully wiser too. It was wonderful to see all the old faces. Those events were like summer camp for us.  

Here's Steve Jobs and John Sculley looking happy. 

Mitch explaining to Barlow and Lewin. 

Mitch with his ever-present notebook.  

John Doerr and Stewart Alsop. (Note 1992-era laptop.) 

A crowd gathered listening to Bill Gates hold court. 

Ray looking impossibly young. Ballmer looking like Ballmer. 

JLG is dapper and French. 

And Dan and Dan (these two guys eventually sued each other out of business). 

The pictures were taken before Apple had been declared dead by the PC industry press. (The supposed cause of death, unwillingness to allow Mac clones.) It's true that at times things looked pretty dark for Apple, but as we all know, Apple didn't die. And it wasn't dead when they said it was dead.  

So, younger tech press people, who were still in grade school when all this was happening (if that!) -- nothing has changed in your profession. You call yourselves bloggers now, but you're remarkably like the press people who came before you. Anxious to please the people who buy your ads, and stir up a controversy -- where there is none. 

Just sayin!  

PS: A portrait of me at age 30. Speaking at 32.