Now that Windows 7 and Snow Leopard for the Mac are on the market, we can all step back and see just how they seem to be doing.
Snow Leopard of course has been out for a bit. It caused a few people some problems, including some username losses for certain accounts and some program incompatibilities, but most agree that it is a robust and solid operating system upgrade. Apple made it clear that in this release they were aiming for increased stability and not to add shiny new features as such. I've been using it on my iMac since its release and am totally satisfied with it, and I've had no negative issues so far.
Windows 7 was released on October 22nd to much fanfare, and so far it looks like Microsoft won't be getting the egg-on-the-face treatment that Vista caused. Microsoft tested and re-tested Windows 7 over time with developers. The company took care to be sure that most printers and scanners would work well with it right out of the box. A major complaint with Vista even from people who liked it was that you could never be sure you could get a device working correctly with it or not. Windows 7 solves that problem, at least so far.
I'll be receiving my copy of Windows 7 soon and I'll update you on my experience with it over time.
Which operating system is better, Windows or Mac? This argument has been brewing since 1984 when Apple released the first Mac. The famous 1984 Mac ad that appeared on the Super Bowl that year set the tone for the conflict by comparing IBM and Microsoft to Big Brother in Orwell's book "1984," and comparing the Mac to a beautiful woman smashing the screen on which the Big Brother character was indoctrinating his clones in the audience. This ad was so powerful and effective that it is still watched online on YouTube, and it has been studied by ad agencies and movie producers for its ability to convey its meaning in a compact form.
Apple and Microsoft were at odds through the years, even fighting in a lawsuit over the so called "look and feel" similarities between Microsoft Windows and the Mac OS. As you can imagine, this became a polarized situation with computer users taking sides one against the other. It wasn't pretty.
As everyone knows, these two giants eventually made up when Steve Jobs returned to run Apple after an extended absence. Not everyone was happy about this, but it was a wise move for Apple as it solved several immediate problems for them and gave Microsoft a venue to sell more software on the Mac.
Ironically, Apple is beginning to look just a bit like the old Microsoft, and Microsoft has lost a bit of its luster lately. Apple is becoming a tech giant with the iPhone, iPod, and its very successful line of Mac computers. The rumored and greatly anticipated Apple Tablet PC will add to its intrigue, assuming that it does get built and released.
My take on these two opposite approaches to computing is simply this: I can make a case for both. I've used the PC platform for so long that it's very natural to me, even when it's difficult or problematic. I'm very pleased with the recording and video software I use on that platform, and I would never completely give up my PC.
On the other hand, nothing can match the elegance and totality of the Mac. The Gestalt psychologists must have had the future Mac in mind when they said, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." The company's attention to detail amazes me always, and it is a pleasure to use this machine.
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