From the Mac to the PC: Intro  

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So I'm moving from my Mac in the near future, as soon as I get my Dell Mini. A big issue when changing platforms, is migrating in a fashion that will minimize any risks. Ironically, I am moving from a platform that knows about simplifying processes. It is that very simplification that irks me, and one of the reasons I am making this move.

I didn't take this decision lightly, as a lot of us know that the Mac experience for most is a pleasant one, and this is by no means an assault on the good name the OS holds for itself. But I just don't see myself as a Mac user.

So, as I prepare for the move, I am diligently looking for resources that can assist me with the process. No geniuses to take migrate my stuff to a PC. So I am confined to the web for my search. Luckily, the web is a big choice. In walks Paul Thurrott. Paul does the Windows Weekly Podcast with every one's favorite, Leo Laporte. He also writes several blogs that are Windows centric, and is a writer for Windows IT Pro.

Paul has decided to take the challenge of writing articles that help people move from the Mac to the PC. One such article focuses on iTunes. Now, I am not going to regurgitate what he posts, as I think he is a much better writer than I am, and I would much rather you go to his site and read the process. The link will be down below. What I want to write about is my experience with this move, and the rationalization behind it.

I have tried to like the Mac experience, I really have. But there are just too many idiosyncrasies that just compel me to go back to Windows. Let me first get this out of the way. My name is Paul Puri, and I like Wndows Vista. There, I said it. Some of you will want to scratch your head in disbelief, wondering if my parents dropped me when I was young, or if the fumes from the local chemical plant have done severe damage to my synapses, and they are misfiring. That is not the case. There is nothing wrong with Vista, and it is the closest thing to XP that exists. That is what I am looking for. My comfort zone.

I have been a Windows user for most of my computing life. I did not start with it, as my first computer was an Apple 2E, but I ended up with Windows. I had a brief stint with a Mac G3, the beige one. You know the one. I still have it. It was a great user experience, and one that has become a big part of my professional history. I owned a commercial recording facility, and the Mac was running Pro Tools. A thing of beauty, I could record up to 64 tracks, and use 30 plug ins at the same time. Don't get too excited. This was possible only due to the hardware that Digidesign provided with their software. But they were exclusive to the Mac. Probably due to the stability of the OS at the time. It did crash several times a week, but for what I needed to get done, it was better choice at the time.

But that has changed. My quad core Vista machine rarely crashes, and my Mac does crash occasionally, but this is usually due to me trying to push the machines beyond their limits. Neither platform is bulletproof. The days of the Mac being a superior experience are over. It is merely different. The only thing keeping the Mac slightly more secure, is market share. But that is changing. As Windows can now be used on a Mac, more people will be using one, as it gives the benefit of having both platforms in one place. That is really convenient.

I think the biggest issue I have with the Mac is barrier to entry. If you want to get into the experience, and you want portability, you will have to spend over $1000. Now I am not getting into an argument as to whether the Mac is worth the money you pay. It is. I just prefer the choices I have with the Windows world. If I want a 10 inch netbook, there is one available. If I want a 17 inch gaming machine in purple, no problem. The Windows OS experience that is rich with choice. Sometimes to it's detriment, but the choice is there.

That choice just pulls me back in. I know I could get a mac mini for a decent price, but I want portability with a screen. I want choice. I don't want over simplification of my computer world. I am not that type of person. I want to be able to mod, enhance, change, and even break my experience. I want this even if I know many problems are caused by these actions. That is the beauty of the Windows experience. It has so much to offer besides an OS. It is an astronomically large world of choice. The Mac cannot offer that. But that is ok. There are people who just want to hit the power button and go. I am not one of those people.

This whole Mac V. PC effort is a joke. It is all marketing, and people should not be fooled. No offense to Justin Long and John Hodgman, but it is a big crock of steaming pigeon dung when people spout out how the Mac experience is a superior one. It is different, for a different set of people. I am not a Mac person. I am not a Mac person. I...am...not...a...Mac...person. There, I said it.

So, with that out of the way, stay tuned for the chronicles of my journey. There will be several milestones that will sprout articles regarding this. My Dell Mini arriving. Selling my iBook. Buying my wife's computer. Moving back to my quad core Vista machine. Will you join me in my journey?

Links:

Paul Thurrott mac2win iTunes

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 07, 2008 and is filed under , , , , . You can leave a response and follow any responses to this entry through the Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) .

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