(Note: The following letter was sent to me by a friend studying in Bogota, Colombia, South America. This letter provides some indication of the state of computing, and life, in Bogota. -- Carl S. Di Giorgio)
Oct. 2, 1986
Dear Carl,
It was great to get your package of Mock Package and the shareware your sent on 9-22-86. I am still waiting for the first package you said you sent. The mail from the U.S. to Colombia is really weird. I was once waiting for a letter for 2 months; it had been mis-sent to Sidney, Australia. Some people's mail has stopped in South Africa before arriving in Bogota. If I don't get the first package in a month I'll tell you.
...
Unfortunately, the Mac Plus still hasn't arrived yet. Apple has just changed distributors in Colombia. We expect to get it within 2 weeks. Meanwhile I'll have to type my schoolwork on a manual typewriter with Liquid Paper to fix typos. It's true that a computer helps you to be more productive. After using [an] IBM-clone in Santa Clara, having to use a manual typewriter in Colombia can drive a person crazy. For instance, at UC Berkeley I called the library catalog with a modem and constructed a bibliography from the database (for free). No way can I do any late-night research in Bogota; I have to use the university card catalog during normal hours. When the Mac Plus arrives some of the frustration should go away.
Would you believe a Laserwriter (the original) costs $10,000 in Colombia? I was at a computer shop last week and a copy of Lotus 1-2-3 sells for $700 and Microsoft Word (which sells at $225 in the U.S.A.) sells for $600. As a rule, soft and hardware sells for 3 to 4 times the price in the States. Incredible.
...
Take care and I'll write you a longer letter when the Mac Plus arrives.
