We all hate Microsoft, right? It’s a soulless, unethical, greedy monster from Seattle; a bully who won’t leave us alone. Oh, if only it weren’t for it’s operating system monopoly.
But we still have choices. Remember Apple’s nifty ad campaign back in 2001? Think different. Switch. Set against a white backdrop, off-center dorks shrugging their shoulders and claiming, “Macs just work.”
They do, at least the ads do, and I was converted. In December of that year, I bought a PowerBook G4 laptop. At work, I started using a duel-processor G4 tower. What had really sold me was the new Mac operating system, built on a BSD kernel and thus able to harness the awesome Microsoft-busting power of open source. In theory, this meant I’d have the best of both worlds: free and robust software a la Linux, yet still dressed with a slick, friendly user interface a la Windows.
And initially, I was happy with my choice. But that was two years ago, when the revolution was still young.
Here’s what my Mac life has been lately:
Each upgrade of the Mac OS – from 10.1 to 10.2 to 10.3 – has fixed a few bugs, cost $120, and left the whole system even less stable. Basic tasks such as reading what’s in a directory or resizing a window are now iffy propositions. And my system crashes OFTEN. It doesn’t “just work”. It freezes. These aren’t annoying hiccups where you press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and clean house, but rather total brain-dead lock-downs; stab an angry finger at the power button or get on your knees and yank out the power plug.
Switch? How about switch back? I’m ready to give Bill Gates a big hug and tell him “I’m sorry, Godfather.”
Yes, I remember the bad old days of Windows 95 when we rebooted five times a day, but that was nine years ago. Microsoft, despite it’s obvious links to Satan, has improved its operating system; Windows XP is a slick and mature product. I use a PC often now (I’m writing on one). It’s good to have an alternative to my Mac.
Anyway, I won’t rant and whine too much. Yes, it would be nice for Microsoft to pay me to say this on TV or in court, but in lieu of that, I’ll just lend my small voice to the rising chorus of those who dare to badmouth Mac OS X.
I’ll repeat that thought, for the search engines. MAC OS X IS BUGGY PIECE OF SHIT OPERATING SYSTEM.
Right. Phew. That felt good.
To be fair, some good stuff is only available on Mac OS X, like the windows that shrink and expand, and DVD Studio Pro. And the hardware looks cool. But on large, I don’t see real reasons to use a Mac. Use them if you just want to or if you want to spend more money.
This state could change; perhaps four years from now the open source community will produce a viable alternative to Microsoft Office, but currently OpenOffice is flakey and MS Office for Mac costs $500. Meanwhile, I’ve got to get some work done.
I’ll check back in 2008.
Sure, there’s Linux too, and for running a server, it’s a great choice. But don’t even dream of putting it on your desktop machine, not if you consider yourself a reasonable and well-adjusted person.
What I do recommend is using three operating systems: Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. Perhaps each one does some tasks better than the others; we could “switch” between them the way we use a fork, spoon, and knife.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a computer with three separate hardrives for three different operating systems, two x86 processors and a Mac processor, a single output to the monitor, a single keyboard, maybe a shared drive for your pirated music? Network the disk volumes; provide a single ethernet jack; give us a single volume control for the speakers and subwoofer. Those computers could sell for $3500 each – without the monitor and speakers. Maybe $4500. Would that make a profit? Would it be legal?
You’d probably have to steal the Mac (PowerPC) chips; Apple wouldn’t put their precious child OS next to the scrappy but capable Windows. On the other hand, you know Bill Gates would jump at the chance to pull Steve Jobs’ nose.