Mac users created, not born?

By this time it is a well-worn cliché that there are 10 kinds of personal computer users: ~~those that get this joke, and those that don't~~ Mac users and PC users. For the most part, we, particularly Mac users, want to see this distinction as personality-driven. We chose Macs because we're creative, rebellious, cutting-edge, or, if we believe the ads, just plain cool. To the PC world, we're ridiculous spendthrifts, wasting our money on overpriced hardware that dooms us to a life of marginalization and incompatibility.

Personally, I see it as matter of genetic superiority. In a race for survival of the fittest, Mac users will win every time. We're infinitely adaptable. We're used to a constantly changing OS and set of core applications that we further rearrange with scores of hacks and utilities. The majority of PC users, on the other hand, got lost when Microsoft moved the "Programs" item from the middle of the "Start" menu in Win95/95/2k to the bottom of the "Start" menu in XP, and added a green arrow. The outcry against the ribbon interface in the new Office betas--the most innovative and useful UI modification to come out of Redmond in years--was so strong that the developers were forced to remove it. Meanwhile most Mac users are not only coping with OS X's mutability, but keeping up with PCs on the side; the fraction of Mac users who use only Macs is pretty small.

Chris over at Restiffbard, though, sees things differently. He's decided that it's the OS that makes the user, not the other way around. For him, it all comes down to the functionality of a single interface button: the maximize button. On Windows, you can't easily resize a window larger to a 'best fit' like Mac OS X can. Sure you can drag the bottom corner, but it's much easier to just hit maximize and go full screen. This leads to Windows users becoming task-oriented users by default. For Mac users, on the other hand, it's difficult do get a full-screen window in most applications. The green "+" button resizes the window to the size of the document, not the screen. This means that Mac users almost always have multiple windows and application visible. We can switch easily between them and, probably more importantly, they're always there, reminding us of their existence, nagging us. We naturally become multi-taskers.

I'm not sure how much of this I buy. I mean, really: are you going to tell me that you can take any old group of PC users in front of Macs for a couple of years and they'll just naturally become as cool as me, or Steve in a bowtie? I don't think so.

But it's an interestingly fresh take on a decades-old question.

Update:

if (($tongue{'position'} eq 'cheek') or ($sarcasm > 0)) {
$tongue{'position'} = 'notcheek';
$sarcasm = 0;
print <<END

Guys, check the categories, you'll see "Humor" and "Cult of Mac." No, I don't really think Mac users are genetically superior. And I don't think I'm nearly as cool as that pic of Steve in a bowtie. In fact, I don't think Steve is as cool as that pic of Steve in a bowtie. In fact, I don't think anyone is as cool as that pic of Steve in a bowtie. Ok, maybe Woz, but that's about it.

And just for the record, I don't think those of us who were weaned on Macs are cooler than "Switchers," or anyone else. If I'm cooler than you, it's just because I was born that way. :p~

END
;

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Source: http://restiffbard.com/archives/2006/09/15/windows-goes-full…

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Humor OS Switchers Cult of Mac

By this time it is a well-worn cliché that there are 10 kinds of personal computer users: those that get this joke, and those that...

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Andi

That joke is always a classic. I myself am a PC user and have been for many years. I have made many agruements in the past as to why PC are better than Macs. But at the end of the day i discovered it really is for what your main use of the computer is for! I like gaming on my PC that is why I am a big PC fan.

Now over the past year or so i have been swaying to the idea of getting a mac! I have made my decision and i have decided i am going to get one... So let the saving begin... I am going to keep and probably upgrade my PC as well as owning a Mac one day. As the PC really is a better piece of kit! LoL i joking! I have become a sitter on the fench in between the two OS's but one day when i own my mac and compare the two of them i shall let you indeed know what my thoughts and opinions are

October 05 2006 at 6:08 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

pixelslut

hahaha... nice code ;-)

September 18 2006 at 3:02 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Allan White

A few thoughts:

- Perhaps Mac users are 'cool' because cool people are attracted to Macs, not the other way around.
- I love full-screen apps like Aperture, FCP and After Effects 7. They keep the distractions down to a minimum. Of course, a full-screen iChat or ImageWell would be, well, freaky and wasteful.
- That binary joke was dang funny!

September 18 2006 at 2:53 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Buthidae

My mum says I'm cool.

Get a sense of humour, gees.

September 18 2006 at 2:06 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

CascadeHush

frogbat: "When working with pro apps that have a tonne of palettes each, it's too easy to miss them and switch to an underlying app or desktop"

I'm with you... the number of times i've gone to click a scroll bar near the edge of the screen and instead actually selected the application underneath... The first few times this happened I freaked.

Anyway, my other comments can be found at the original post.

September 18 2006 at 12:41 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Michael Reilly

You sure are goofy, unlike Steve in a bowtie. He was a cutie!

September 17 2006 at 10:23 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Ondroo

SOLUTION!!! ---> DOWNLOAD STOPLIGHT

September 17 2006 at 5:09 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Liquidmark

"I'll start using Macs when I can buy the components and assemble it myself. Apple is nothing more than a design firm masquerading as a computer/consumer electronics company, marketing to people with more money than sense, and in an extremely condescending manner."

Um, WHERE IN THE WORLD did that come from? Apple is a HARDWARE company. They spend tons of money on R&D to make some of the best computers money can buy. Many Macintosh features are not even seen on the consumer level PC. Even long time Microsoft Pundits say that Apple's computers have superb industrial design.

Just buying the parts makes absolutely no sense. Apple would be opening themselves up to all manner of problems if they did that. Biggest one would be a possible rebirth of the Mac Clone, which is terrible for Apple.

Do you see M$ allowing people to clone their OS? NO!

IBM got cloned, now look at where they are. If it wasn't for the server market, they would have gone bankrupt years ago.

Right now, the Mac Pro has a price tag of $2,500 that's with dual woodcrests! I tried to assemble a PC box with the same stats, the total came to more than what the Mac Pro cost. (Tiger Direct is even more expensive for the same configuration)

If you wonder why apple users are condescending to you, look at how you just come in, off topic, to put down their platform and insult them. I don't have way too much money. I'm just willing to PAY for QUALITY. Don't belittle me because I'm not into budget boxes that are held together with bubble gum and false pride.

With a Mac, You usually get what you pay for.

With a PC, you usually pay for what you get.