Reply #48: Some questions and thoughts for you, Will. [View All]

[emulatorloo]

First, sorry, I am discriminating in my ass biting, so I will politely decline your offer. ;-)

The most important thing for you is to use the platform that works for you. If that is a MS OS, good for you!

Now, as to your post. My guess is your are:

1. Not using a modern mac (g3 500 or better) with adequate ram.
2. Not using a modern version of Mac OS (9.2 Classic or OS X 10.2, preferably OS X)
3. Using an older version of MS Word -- one of the versions, I think Word 6(?), 7(?) was very very poorly written for the Mac, and was a big scandal at the time it was released for its poor performance. You want Word 98 or better if you like Word.
3. Trying too hard to make it like Windows. It isn't, it is simpler.

And besides that, as Atman says, it is true that you can't make a decision after 2 days.

I have used both platforms on an almost daily basis since 1996. I prefer the Mac platform. Most people who use both extensively feel the same way. I am able to get more work done on my Mac than I can on my PC.

IT professionals who *genuinely* know both platforms tend to prefer Macs because less thing do go wrong with them.

The people I know who have switched from Windows to Mac have all expressed to me, "Why did I wait so long to do this?"

The people I know who dumped macs (forced by their employer, or one their own) around Windows 98 are buying Macs again w OS X and loving it.

Myths:

1 People don't write viruses for Macs because there are so few Macs out there -- (first of all there are more macs out there than the what is presumed by those who make that statement.) No, it is because it is harder to do. Mac OS X is built on Unix, which is all about security. It is not open to the kind of manipulation that can be done by a high school student to windows OS's. This is not to say that a virus can't be written for a UNIX based os, but it is going to require serious skills to do so.

2. There isn't any software for Macs. It is true that there are some highly specialized business packages that are Windows only. There are fewer games than there are for Windows (although the biggies like quake, UT, are there, and the folks at ID are very big on OS X). Other than that, there is pretty much anything you need out there. And the apps usually just work better. My game solution has been to get a PS2- I'd rather lay on the sofa anyway playing games.

Political Content
MS's driving motivation is dominance and monopoly. While they pay lip service to the needs of the user, they will do whatever it takes to control any market that they can. They don't test their software adequately so they can rush it to market. They buy up and destroy companies. They use highly suspect practices to put other companies out of business. A case in point is a current lawsuit against MS brought by Burst.com

Read this column by Cringely; MS behaves like a certain administration I know:
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20030828.html


But as I said, use whatever works for you. And don't insult Mac Users, it isn't nice.

PS love your writing, keep up the good work.