We're not quite sure why "MindTrip" sent this in to My
Turn, but it's always interesting to read a rant from someone who
actually has a working knowledge of the Mac. Besides, we get a kick out
of being called a "slave to Apple site." dk
I've worked on both ends of the spectrum. I used to sell Macs to
publishing houses for desktop publishing. Later I moved over to the PC
world, due to the large number of programs available and, at the time,
the flexibility of system configuration that just didn't go with
Macs.
Over the years I've worked in research labs using Macs, PCs, and
Unix. I have experience in many realms, and can say quite firmly that
Apple will never win me over.
I've always hated the way Macs hide things from the user to
"protect" people who know nothing about computers. I can't find where
all files get installed, I don't have the option of restoring or
replacing individual files to fix something broken, and I don't get a
command line. I can't examine the properties of devices to figure out
why it's not working, and every time I've ever used the Help feature of
a piece of Apple software, the lack of useful information has me seeing
red in less than 10 minutes, as the solutions offered never seem
to work.
I recently bought an iPod and have slowly been making progress in
getting it to work with my PC. Would I consider switching to a Mac to
make it work? I've had friends suggest just that, but, quite frankly,
I'd much rather sell my iPod and get a PC-knockoff.
What really pisses me off is all the people who claim that Macs are
"crash proof." I can't tell you the countless times I lost research
data due to Mac crashes. Integrating the hardware and OS does not
result in a more stable system; it just creates a monopoly that is
profitable to the seller and frustrating to the user. I have not
observed more stability in Macs; they crashed just as much as the PC
systems next to them - and they cost three times as much.
After reading several articles on the Low End
Mac website, I can see that this really is just a rabid
slave-to-Apple site.
Am I a slave-to-Windows? No. I continue to run a Windows machine
(for access to the wide range of applications available) as well as a
Unix box (for greater security, control of the environment, and the
great joy it gives me to not be a slave to Bill Gates).
Would OS X change my mind? It might. But I hand-build every
system I own, and that option simply isn't available with a Mac. I've
never seen a Mac system that is exactly what I want - just like
I've never seen a boxed PC that is exactly what I want.
That's why I spend a little more and build my own. But a kick-ass
custom built beauty I've made myself is still half the cost of an
equivalent Mac system, and regardless what you might think, that
matters to me - along with the other 85% of home computer users in the
country.
If I can't get my iPod to work, I'll chuck the the iPod, not the
PC.
Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.
