Linked by Robert Gering on Tue 17th Sep 2002 18:11 UTC
First, a little background. I am a Windows user who has been using Windows since 3.1. I am not a programmer or a developer, I am a user. I process photos, use the internet, e-mail, write letters, play the ever important games and even use it to develop my comic strips. I am not computer illiterate and I use my computer with confidence and skill. Now with that said. I hate Windows.
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In case I gave the wrong impression with my title...
I am NOT a fan of Windows (NT 4 SP6a is still my favorite.)
But I think that Windows NT, 2000 and XP do have their place and may be the right choice for some people - many even - for now.
I think that MacOS X is coming along but still not a good choice. It's silly cluttered and impossible to understand interface are out of control. It is pretty rare to find someone who switches from anything TO Mac but common to find them switching away (even with the Mac Switch campaign now.) Sure it happens. But not often. At least MacOS X has a good OS underneath and just ridiculous graphics on top. Probably the worst thing is the expensive and poor hardware. People always rave about Mac hardware but what does it have? The processor architecture is dated and expensive. The memory architecture is expensive. The drives are no longer SCSI. So what does it have except higher cost and less options. (I have a friend who bought a new Mac recently and couldn't get it to work at all. And since it was a Mac - no one could figure out how to work on the problems. They were so burried that he was just screwed.)
I do believe that Linux is the best choice of these three right now for the average user. Sure, it takes some switching to get used to it after using something else for years - but that is just the adjustment curve. Some things are a million times easier than they are on either Windows or MacOS and somethings are a million times harder. But with choice and power comes advantage to the educated user. And using system like this push the consumer to become educated. MacOS actually encourages their users to lose their abilities to use a computer and understand what is happening under the hood. Computers are like your car or your health. If you don't take the time to be involved, you are going to pay too much to have your car serviced or have a doctor prescribing unrelated treatments. Because it is your computer, you have the most experience with it and know it best. Get to know it. It can be your best friend. Treat it that way!
Every system has problems eventually. Ever try to fix a serious problem in any of these OSes? Wait until you do. That will make a Linux believer out of you. Most Mac and Windows users just throw out their computers instead of dealing with it. I see this happen all of the time.
P.S. You hear how hard it is getting patches and everything for Linux. Whatever. Anyone familiar with the Windows NT service packs? Remember how every piece of software needed a different SP and you had to reinstall the packs after some components were added to the computer. That was out of control.