Chris Pirillo's 50 reasons to switch

And while VLC will let my father-in-law watch movies he recorded with his Sony HDD-based camcorder, he still can't edit them, since VLC (unlike, say, Perian or Flip4Mac) is a standalone app, not an extension of QuickTime. Remember, kids: people don't buy OPERATING SYSTEMS, and they almost don't buy COMPUTERS--they buy THINGS that will work with the PROGRAMS and DEVICES they want to use.

You don't read the right websites. Linux users are just as zealous as Mac and Windows users -- maybe more so.

And so your opinion is that switching to Mac is nothing to write about -- I (and many others) don't agree. But even if it's just a trivial change in how someone interfaces with their computer, why wouldn't people talk about that? People extoll the latest movie they saw, their new favorite coffee bean, their cell phone, etc. Why wouldn't people talk about their computer choice?

But it's not "just" a change -- it's a major change in how what's probably the single most important work / play tool they use every day. It's a big change in work process, in choice of tools for personal hobbys, etc. This is like choosing a car -- and you know how much people love sharing about their cars!

An in arguing against obvious behavior -- people advocating what they like -- you're being just as obstinate and argumentative as the switcher fans you're grumbling about. :)

People talk about switching to the Mac since it's not the norm. Everyone uses Windows by default. It's the defacto standard for bsuiness (small and large) and home use. For someone to use Windows requires no reason, it's just what's used.

To switch from the norm is then different. And it's worth talking about: people may not realize there are options for their computer OS and standard applications -- arguably a better choice than Windows for personal or professional use. So it's worth explaining why someone would switch from the norm and use what can seem like a marginal system to the majority.

As for "50 reasons", this is explaining the various reasons this particular person switched. It's not simply, as you suggest, about "one reason." People often need to understand how they can switch and still get their work done. Having an explanation of the objective reasons (MS Office runs on Mac, you can run Windows on a Mac and switch without risk) and subjective reasons (OS X is more pleasant than XP / Vista. The developer community provides uniquely interesting applications.)

Sure, some Mac users get a little crazy about the whole thing. And unfortunately, so do some Windows users get hostile in their defense of the status quo.

As for me, I bought my first Mac last Summer for home use (work is still Windows). So here ya go for one reason to switch, so you don't think I have personal problems: OS X is better than Windows.

"What I don't get is why Apple enthusiast can't respect windows."

Don't get fished in by the few. I don't personally enjoy Windows, but it's the ubiquitous platform in the world right now and I realize that I need to know it. Demonizing and generalizing what you consider to the "the enemy" won't work for either platform, though. I fully expect the 50 reasons to switch back to be "games dude!", "my knitting software", and 48 lines of "Crapple Macintrash sucks!" And then it starts all over again. Hooray.

I switched back to windows for a while after having a G4 tower and an iBook. However, once they did the Intel switch, I've re-switched and have never looked back. I really can't find a reason to not have a Mac anymore.