I've been a Mac loyalist for many years (I learned BASIC in grade school on an Apple II). By 9th grade I set up my first network at school. In high school I was a lab technician, setting up more Apples and networking them.
I love Apple, everything about it. Just like I love America. And the economic system that we live in DEMANDS competition -- even for Apple.
Here's a tricky philosophy and a tough pill for us Apple lovers to swallow.
If you get rid of Microsoft, and eliminate all of the other companies we hate (for justified reasons of course) then we are left with one company... Apple.
And before you rais your arms in vicrtory and say "if only this were true!" consider this...
Then Apple becomes the new Big Brother. And yes, it will happen.
Apple is driven, just like many other companies, to be the best by their consumers and their competitors. If apple comes out with a computer, they have to beat the other guy's computer. If they release software, they have to consider what's already out there. But if you only to compare yourself against yourself, then there's no driving force to imporve your products.
Believe me, we don't want Apple to be number one. We really don't If we get that... then we get a whole product line with the iPod/cube philosopy. Charge whatever we want and lable it innovative or ground-breaking. Let's face it, Apple needs Microsoft and Microsoft needs Apple.
We all steal from eachother, we really do. That's actually a positive thing. Sharing ideas and innovations drives the competitive to come up with something better.
One thing I'll say that really disapoints me about the new Windows xp is the poor marketing. MS is not showing the average consumer what the operating system looks like! It's not in their ads, not on tv, not even on their own website?!?!? The online "demo" of the Windows xp didn't work on my machine. (even when I tried it on a Dell at the office). I kept hearing the buzz about how it's so "mac like."
I had to hunt down a magazine that had a few screen shots to get my first taste of the operating systems. And as I asked myself how many sheep, I mean people, already bought this operating system without even looking at it, I turned the page to get my first glance. What did I see? Disappointment, pure disappointment.
I don't like Windows, but I enjoy it more than I used to. Windows has come a long way since v.3.
What I really don't like to see is this loyalistic blind faith crap.
Windows users are (and have been) gulity of it, just like Mac users. I'm not saying don't be loyal to a product... just be loyal to it for the right reasons. Because it fits you best. Diversity is okay.
I remember when Windows v.3 was out, and the windows loyalists were calling that a more "user friendly operating system" then the Mac. I mean really, look at Mac os v.7 and later v.7.5 -- those operating systems kicked A$$. There was no comparison between the two operating systems. Apple won hands down.
And as in all things in life, we have to look to ourselves before we insult others. Apple loyalists are the same way. We can close off our minds just as well. We don't even like the fact that there's another company out there selling an OS! We don't like that os, becuase, they stole it from ours. What we choose to ignore is that our Apple has stollen too.
We have no justification for overlooking our own mistakes only to insult our enimies for those very same mistakes. It's just not right, it's just not very Apple-like.
I'd like to put an end to all of this bickering. I'd like to rise above it, it's petty, it's beneath all of us. I know I like the MacOS. I think it fits me. Because I am part of the community, it is my responsibility to voice my opinion - good or bad, support when I can, and learn what I can.
//evildan
