Winblows
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit that I've never owned a PC. My home computer has always been some form of Apple and my experience with Windows machines has been pretty limited, mainly work and/or other environments where I use a computer and have no choice of platform.
But I sure as hell ain't inclined to switch anytime soon.
Not so long ago I overheard the (now former) computing and technology assistant for the department telling someone with a PowerBook that Macs were nice, but the problem with them is that Apple puts so much focus into the appearance that the underlying OS suffers.
I kind of rolled my eyes at that, knowing that Macs (and the Unix architecture that underlies them) are also renowned for security, that Apple has actually managed to make significant updates to its OS more frequently than once every five years (and counting), etc.
Of course, the main reason I like my Mac is that it works. There are really nice programs that have an uncannily intuitive design to them. In general, it's easy to use. Literally plug and play.
Now, in anticipation of having no appointments all afternoon, I decided to bring in the new Nine Inch Nails album to listen. So I open the CD drive, insert the disc, close it and prepare to enjoy. A simple task.
Or not.
While I had no problem getting it to ask my choice of player (Windows Media or Real), actually playing it was more problematic. For some reason it decided to cut the audio in and out, which, naturally, made it unbearable to listen to. Switching from WMP to Real didn't fix the situation. (The disc is, of course, fine, since it's brand new and hasn't given me issues in any other drive.) Then I try to circumvent it by ripping the CD to the hard drive and playing it in MP3 format. Except that Windows Media Player froze in the middle of ripping the first track and Real didn't fare any better.
Exacerbated, I made a last ditch effort to play it as a DVD. I bought the Dual Disc format, and the DVD side will play the audio as well, so I figured it was worth trying since the computer does have a DVD drive. Just not one that works. Or more accurately, the computer wasn't equipped to play DVDs; it informed me that it needed to download a plug-in or program or something to be able to play the DVD. And since no one can install programs on any of the lab computers without admin privileges (since, you know, PCs are prone to spyware, viruses, venereal diseases, etc.), I was defeated.
Funny how my Mac, on which Apple squandered so much time fussing over its interface and appearance instead of the OS, has never given me such trouble. When I insert a CD, it plays it without intermittently cutting out the audio. When I rip the CD, it doesn't choke on the first track. When I insert a DVD, it plays it without telling me I need a plug-in. When I infect it with a virus ... well, I guess I don't know how it responds since that's never been an issue because for all intents and purposes there aren't Mac viruses.
Oh, but at least it looks good.
But I sure as hell ain't inclined to switch anytime soon.
Not so long ago I overheard the (now former) computing and technology assistant for the department telling someone with a PowerBook that Macs were nice, but the problem with them is that Apple puts so much focus into the appearance that the underlying OS suffers.
I kind of rolled my eyes at that, knowing that Macs (and the Unix architecture that underlies them) are also renowned for security, that Apple has actually managed to make significant updates to its OS more frequently than once every five years (and counting), etc.
Of course, the main reason I like my Mac is that it works. There are really nice programs that have an uncannily intuitive design to them. In general, it's easy to use. Literally plug and play.
Now, in anticipation of having no appointments all afternoon, I decided to bring in the new Nine Inch Nails album to listen. So I open the CD drive, insert the disc, close it and prepare to enjoy. A simple task.
Or not.
While I had no problem getting it to ask my choice of player (Windows Media or Real), actually playing it was more problematic. For some reason it decided to cut the audio in and out, which, naturally, made it unbearable to listen to. Switching from WMP to Real didn't fix the situation. (The disc is, of course, fine, since it's brand new and hasn't given me issues in any other drive.) Then I try to circumvent it by ripping the CD to the hard drive and playing it in MP3 format. Except that Windows Media Player froze in the middle of ripping the first track and Real didn't fare any better.
Exacerbated, I made a last ditch effort to play it as a DVD. I bought the Dual Disc format, and the DVD side will play the audio as well, so I figured it was worth trying since the computer does have a DVD drive. Just not one that works. Or more accurately, the computer wasn't equipped to play DVDs; it informed me that it needed to download a plug-in or program or something to be able to play the DVD. And since no one can install programs on any of the lab computers without admin privileges (since, you know, PCs are prone to spyware, viruses, venereal diseases, etc.), I was defeated.
Funny how my Mac, on which Apple squandered so much time fussing over its interface and appearance instead of the OS, has never given me such trouble. When I insert a CD, it plays it without intermittently cutting out the audio. When I rip the CD, it doesn't choke on the first track. When I insert a DVD, it plays it without telling me I need a plug-in. When I infect it with a virus ... well, I guess I don't know how it responds since that's never been an issue because for all intents and purposes there aren't Mac viruses.
Oh, but at least it looks good.
posted by Alexander Dubcek | 22:46
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