Typewriter fans spurn computers

By I. Christianto

JAKARTA (JP): A young man recalled an experience he had one afternoon of desperately calling his friends one by one, asking them if they had a typewriter.

When he found a friend whose father still had his aging typewriter, he rushed to pick it up. Then he had to run to a big bookstore to buy a typewriter ribbon after failing to find one at several photocopy and stationery stores.

"It was so unforgettable. That night, I had to fill out an additional, important form from a university I enrolled at. It had to be submitted the next morning. I could not handwrite the form or use a computer, but had to find a typewriter. Now, I have a simple typewriter of my own, just in case ..., " the young man said.

The man, who is now pursuing a master's degree at the university, was lucky to find a typewriter and ribbon that afternoon.

Other people may have experienced the same problem when they needed a typewriter, which are becoming increasingly difficult to locate. We now live in a modern and wired world, filled with electronic, automated and motorized tools and machines, including computers. Many people feel inconvenienced when separated from their personal digital agendas or palm pilots.

Surprisingly, the classic typewriter remains a favorite for some people, like the father of that young man's friend. These people are fond of using their typewriters, or simply like to collect them.

Noted writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer, 75, is among those who continue to use typewriters in their daily lives.

"I do enjoy the sounds of the old manual typewriter. It's so artistic. Somehow, it supports me in writing," he said.

He admitted that he had tried to become accustomed to computers. "But there are so many 'regulations' and I can't catch them. And I don't feel the same way if I use the computer."

He said that when writing on his typewriter, he worked continuously over a period of time.

"I don't know exactly the age of my typewriter, but I've been using it for quite sometime.

"I learned to use a typewriter when I was 17, at my school. I spent two weeks mastering typing by myself, without any instructor," he recalled.

"My first job was as a typist at Domei, a Japanese news agency located in Pasar Baru."

Pramoedya, regarded as one of Indonesia's finest writers, has written hundreds of works of fictions and nonfiction.

Ibrahim Yahya, 70, is another person who regularly uses a manual typewriter. Since retiring from the military, he says he has been involved in various organizations and foundations.

"As a retired soldier, I have to be involved in some activities. Participating in several organizations is good for me. I am dealing with mailings and other administration affairs that require me to use a typewriter."

He said he once tried to use a word processor, "but still I enjoy using a typewriter more than a computer".

Not all typewriter users are elderly people who grew up with the machines. There are others who have to use typewriters because it is the only thing available in their offices. In many police stations, for instance, the officers work with typewriters.

An officer with the information unit at Jakarta Police Headquarters said only one out of the hundreds of subprecincts in Greater Jakarta were equipped with computers. This subprecinct in Taman Sari, West Jakarta, has made a name for itself by arresting Agus Isrok, the son of former Army chief of staff Gen. Soebagyo, and Gusti Maya Firanti Noor, a grand daughter-in-law of former president Soeharto, for drug offenses.

McGraw-Hill's Encyclopedia of Science and Technology mentions that the commercial manual typewriter was launched in 1874, while the electric one was introduced in 1934.

In a span of more than 100 years, this machine actually revolutionized the world of communications. However, in the current world of efficiency and order, people believe in progress and technology and pay more attention to developments and new "advances" in the telephone, PCs and multimedia gadgets.

The typewriter is of the world's great unsung inventions. But should something akin to the Y2K bug actually strike, people will certainly be singing the praises of the typewriter then.