The honest truth is not and will probably never be that Windows is better than any Mac, its just not so. Microsoft in its infinite wisdom choose to buy technology from other companies, tried to make it look uniform and told the hardware vendors out there that as long as you were close enough to the x86 Intel architecture, the system would run. Plus, it needed to support MS-DOS (eh eh eh that’s the extra kick in the pants). This created a price war on the hardware not the OS or the software.
In its inception, Apple put a stranglehold on the software AND the hardware for its system. If it wasn’t made by Apple, if it wasn’t sold by Apple and if it simply wasn’t an Apple, it wouldn’t work. This severely restricts a market. It does however guarantee a better control on the behaviour of the entire solution in terms of bugs.
In my opinion, Windows choose the open market, Apple choose the elitist market. Both choices are smart, it just makes the distribution avenue of one larger than the other. It also provides more potential for growth for MS’ market shares. The obvious downside is that since everyone has an MS solution, mischief intent people will go where the pain will be felt by more people: Windows. It’s a simple rule to ’15 minutes of fame’. Anyone remember “Mafiaboy”? Anyone have a commonly known name of a hacker that worked on a Mac (yeah I could find one on the net but that’s cheating)?
I still think Mac’s are better and more stable than Windows. Every new version outdoes its predecessor, whereas with Windows, everyone remembers the ultimate replacement to Windows 98Se: ME (Multiple Errors) or Windows 2000 (I can’t do anything on my computer now!), and the latest one, Vista (I want to be a Mac on steroids, but I got the cheap stuff from my dealer).
Ultimately, in my mind, it’s a price thing. If I can afford 2 computers, one for the adults and 1 for the kids, for the same price as a Mac, I hate to say this, but I’m sticking with Windows.
Next time: why the heck did they go 16:9?!?
Comments
4 responses to “The debate rages on…”
I think you mean “IBM” not “Microsoft” because they’re the ones who started all this – Microsoft is just taking it to it’s ultimate conclusion now that IBM’s given-up!
P.s: More tag!!!
Hmm, not sure what to say here.. I mean, i remember my first PC. It was a 486DX 33Mhz “IBM clone” with 5MB of RAM, and 160MB HD, 14″ SVGA screen, 3 button serial mouse : all this running MS-DOS 5.0
It all cost 1500$ and i still remember how excited i was the first time i pushed the power button as well as the TURBO button.
However, a few seconds later all i saw was :
c:\>
I then asked my dad if it indeed the monitor was colour since all i saw was black on white. Well for a good few days i tried hacking around with it, trying to make it do anything but i didn’t get much further. It took reading an nice book called “Introduction to the PC” in order for me to leard a few commands like : DIR and DELETE and FORMAT.. etc
Fun times 🙂 I think if i would have gotten a mac instead, i would have turned out to be a rabid fanboi kinda like JohnnyKanuck so i’m happy i didn’t 😉
At the same time, looking back now at those days, i realize how backwards PCs were to begin with. Ya, they were cheap and they could be easily expanded but if i wasn’t a geek, i would have been turned off by computer just like the other 90% of the population.
Adi
Ok Ok I’m a Fan BOY,
While everyone keeps slamming me for being a Mac Fanboy, let me just say that I served my time on an Tandy 1000 XT and then a 386 SX 33mHz Processor and 2 MB of RAM running IBM DOS (all paid by mowing lawns) before starting down the long and dark path of upgrading M$ systems. I have run every single version of Windows from 3.1 to XP Pro. I have never run Vista, because I got burnt with ME and said never again. I was also part of the Windows 98 Beta testing team back when they used to send out CDs and you had to sign your life away to Bill and Steve. But all along the way I also used the original Macintosh, a Mac II as well as some time time in the Ba Comms labs using an Macintosh LC all the way back to System 7. I also spent far too much time on Unix mainframes and Sun stations. And I will be the first to admit that my latest MacBook was the first computer I could honestly tell someone to simply open it and start using it. That is something Linux will never have and something Windows will never have again.
Yes, I’m a fan boy. But I have a lot more time on my hands to do actual stuff on my computer than you guys do after updating anti-virus and anti-malware programs and building fracking network drivers and spending $500 on graphics cards to run WoW!
Yes you are right, you have way more time to do actual stuff than us Windows and Linux lovers… after the diapers are changed, in between feedings, after burping, after homework, after editing the dadcasts… 😉
The good news is that I didnt have to upgrade my video card, on any of my computer, they all accepted WoW without issues! Even my laptops!
The one thing that I really miss in terms of OS is OS2. Damn that was a fine OS. If only IBM hadn’t dropped it and they had pushed it as they Windows killer that it was. It was IBM’s answer to Windows NT after Microsoft and IBM parted ways on the potential OS of the future.
Alas, they dropped it and instead focused on other ‘leading’ technology. Anyone running Notes at home?