The More Operating Systems, the Merrier
Why I'm switching to the Macintosh--and back to the PC again--every day.Harry McCracken
Contact PC World Editor in Chief Harry McCracken at mageditor@pcworld.com. For more Mac-oriented musings, check out Senior Editor Rebecca Freed's Mac Skeptic online column.
Photograph by Rick Rizner, Diego Aguirre
Why not? The 12-inch PowerBook G4 offered the sort of trim-yet-feature-rich hardware package I was looking for. And although Mac desktops can be pricey, this portable was temptingly cheap. Then there's Mac OS X 10.3, which is not only a thoroughly modern operating system but one immune from Windows security glitches and the Blue Screen of Death. Before I knew it, I was ordering a PowerBook.
I haven't really succumbed to Apple's "Switch" campaign, though: My Windows desktops still outnumber the Mac notebook two to one. Call me a Switch-Back-and-Forther, but at the moment using both OSs seems utterly natural.
True, some of my Windows-centric coworkers and cohorts have responded to my purchase with an air of befuddled distaste. Then again, most folks who sneer at the bi-platform life haven't tried it. These days, spending time with both a PC and a Mac is a little like owning a Buick and a BMW: For all the machines' disparities, most rules of operation are the same.
For instance, my mousing hand has already trained itself to deftly segue between Windows' taskbar and Mac OS X's Dock. My USB peripherals talk Mac as well as Windows. And file-compatible Mac editions of applications--from Word and Quicken to Adobe Creative Suite and Corel Painter--let me shuttle documents between OSs without a hitch.
So the Mac way is surprisingly compatible with the Windows way. The question remains: Is it better? In some ways, absolutely. For one thing, it's a more logical world than the hodgepodge known as Windows XP. Compared with XP networking, configuring the PowerBook for multiple LANs was almosta?|well, pleasant.
On balance, the Mac OS is a less irritating platform than Windows, but it's not annoyance-free: While I was writing this column, the first OS X virus hit the scene. And though the Unix-based OS X feels reasonably robust, individual apps have choked on me (including Apple's own Safari browser). Still, there's comfort in knowing that the vast majority of spyware, virus, and Trojan horse writers design malware exclusively for Windows.
When you buy into Mac software, you get Mac hardware in the deal. And if this PowerBook were a Windows notebook, it would be one of the better ones I've encountered: The system's aluminum case is only 1.18 inches thick, yet it provides a full complement of ports and a slot-loading DVD burner. Even the power adapter--which wraps up into a tidy, compact cube--shows uncommon attention to detail.
The worst thing about the Mac is the best thing about Windows: If something can be done on a computer, there are almost always multiple Windows-compatible products that let you do it. Mac pickings remain slimmer, even though cool tools often show up for it first. (The Windows world is still busily cloning Apple products such as ITunes.)
Who knew you could be a Mac snob on a part-time basis? Odds are that the next computer I buy will be another Windows box, but I'm glad I realized that the Mac remains a viable option--even for a mostly Windows guy like me.
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