My take on the Mac OS vs. Windows argument
Written on April 14, 2009 – 2:17 pm | by admin
I have worked with, networked together, programmed, repaired and played on computers for the better part of the last two decades. While this by no means makes me an old wizard, it does mean that I should have something to say about why I might prefer one platform over another. It has been part of my job since my first IT position to advise people about what technologies they should be using to get the job done and I do have a few things to say on the matter. The bottom line is that it really has nothing to do with
Apple Vs. Microsoft anymore. Mac OS is a desktop client version of Unix. Apple has succeeded in creating what is probably the first commercially successful desktop pc that runs Unix and this means a lot. It is now about Windows Vs. Unix and its cyberpunk cousin Linux.
Security: Unix was born to facilitate hundreds or thousands of users or network connections and had begun to be battle hardened long before Windows decided to release its first networking edition. If you'd like some historical perspective you should read The Cuckoos Egg, by Cliff Stoll. The truth is that the Unix operating system model was created for the very kind of computing we do today. The protocol we use to transmit data packets back and forth (TCP/IP) was developed on Unix environments for what we now call the Internet. Almost anyone using a computer is accessing a loosely connected group of services that could be hosted anywhere in the world. Windows was created to be a standalone operating system on a single PC and the explosion of the internet has meant that it has been trying to adapt itself to a new use model for almost two decades.
Usability: Apple did not make a better operating system. They took a more functional and secure operating system that already existed and made it more usable. By starting with a solid platform Apple was able to focus on aesthetic and that is really what they are best at. It seems that they already know they have a solid platform so they spend more of their time making it usable and friendly whereas it seems that Microsoft has been concentrating on putting a new coat of paint on the same old user interface elements. I have not seen anything in the windows platform that I would consider an innovative direction in user interaction since going from windows 3.1 to windows 95 and that was almost 15 years ago. They did have a few bug light* features in vista similar to the expose feature in mac OS X.
Resiliance: Unix is built upon a much simpler and obvious architecture than windows. Look no further than the Windows Registry and you should see my point. Its a pretty good rule of thumb that the less moving parts something has, the less likely it is to break. In this case simpler is better.
Perception: I've spent quite a few years of my life in colleges and universities and I've found that nowadays academics seem to use linux/mac to an overwhelming extent. I've also seen IT managers at some of the more progressive firms say things like "I expect a pro to use the best tools and that means using Mac OS". I've seen plenty of flikr shots of someone from microsoft doing a presentation from a mac book pro, and while this is by no means proof of anything it does go a long way towards buidling up the perception that Apple makes better computers.
Personally I do not believe that apple makes better computers but they do make computers, microsoft does not. Apple markets its computers and its operating system as a lifestyle and a lifestyle choice. They have made themselves a symbol of an open mind and a thick pocket book and these are not misconceptions. Their computers are high end and It takes an open mind to break out from the norm. Windows was the norm and every time someone switches over they are being open to the idea that there might be something better out there.
Unfortunately this latter point is probably what drives sales and the real importance of a good computing foundation is being lost on most of the folks who buy computers. Windows came from dos and there are quite a few lines of legacy code in there from its grandfather. Mac OS came from Unix and there are quite a few lines of legacy code in there from its grandfather. Remember that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
*things that make you say ooh and ahh but zap you when you get close to them
