Bill Keiser's
Several reasons why I don't prefer Macs
I have been using an IBM compatible since 1984. I didn't think much of Macs
and never had any desire to use one. Now that my company has had them for
over five years (in addition to still having some PCs), I have had a chance to use
them on a daily basis and get to know them intimately. I have re-evaluated
my position. NOW I REALLY HATE DON'T PREFER THEM! One thing that really bothers me is how hostile toward PCs some Mac magazines (and users)are. PC magazines don't waste nearly as much ink on attacking Macs. I think we can have a civilized discussion on the matter without being hostile. That said, here's my list:
(note: This discussion started a couple years ago when OS8 and Win95 were the current versions. It is amazing how both systems are converging. It's almost as if the OS programmers are looking over each other's shoulders to find good features to "absorb". Someday, they'll both look alike.)
(update - 6/5/2001 - I'm trying to switch over to using Linux on the home box, because I hate Windows even more!)
-
One word: multitasking! (I understand System 8 was supposed to have it, but it is not as much as I expected.)
-
Batch files on the PC are a quick, easy, reliable way to automate simple
events, like backing up specific files. We have not been able to get AppleScript
to function reliably on any thing we've tried, even just deleting or copying a few files.
We tried QuicKeys commercial scripting software with equally disappointing results.
-
Multiple selections: the function of the shift key and command key when selecting
multiple files is different from the PC's shift, Alt and control key combinations.
I'm so confused after switching back and forth several times a day, I don't
even remember which does which!
-
What's with the mouse? How much does it cost to put another button or two
on it?
-
The "delete" doesn't consistently function correctly. It's supposed to delete
the character to the right. The "backspace" key deletes to the left. (Try using them when renaming a file) What's so difficult about that concept? They only work correctly in a few apps like Quark! (Also, the "end" and "home" keys should go to the end or beginning of a line or field.)
-
When I ask to empty the trash, I don't want to discuss the contents any more
than I want to sort through yesterday's eggshells on my way to the curb.
Just throw it ALL away now! I don't care if there are active copies elsewhere.
-
When a dialogue box appears, You have to use the mouse to answer no. On the
PC, you can tap the "N" key. Most buttons can be activated by the keyboard on PCs.
-
When you're using the Find File function, there is a "stop" button. If you
change your mind and want to abort the search, click on this button. Absolutely
NOTHING happens. If you're searching a large network, you might as well go take a coffee break. (OS8 finally fixed this glaring bug.)
-
(This may be the fault of our network) When I modify files, the time stamp
is about ten minutes in the future.
-
The keyboard itself: On a PC (and a lot of old typewriters as I recall) the
home keys, F and J, have little bumps embossed on them so you can keep your
hands in position without looking at the keys. On the Mac, they are on the
D and K. (This is right up there with calculators and telephones having opposite
number keypads!) Also, the placement of the control and alternate keys is
just different enough that I have unlearned any touch typing skills I ever
had. And the escape key does very little in a consistent manner on the Mac.
-
You can use the labels pulldown in the finder to put colored tints and text tags
on icons. When you close the folder and reopen it, the labels disappear. What good is this? (Others tell me that this should work.)
-
On a PC, you can delete files or folders by tapping the delete key. This
sends them to the recycle bin(trash can to Mac users). Shift-delete will
immediately delete them completely. (OS8 now allows keyboard deleting.)
-
Windows has a key combination: Alt-tab, which puts up a rotating sequence
of open applications, similar to the upper right icon on the Mac screen.
-
Why doesn't cut, copy and paste work with files and folders like it does
on Windows? (Not that Microsoft uses this convention consistently - see MS Excel!)
-
Usually, I am not in the mood for that cute little picture of a bomb. When
my machine has crashed, I don't want to be humored by cartoons.
-
Limited desktop pattern size. Try putting a foot long flying saucer on
your desktop! (OS8 added this.)
-
When you edit a document and save it to the desktop(or anywhere), it won't leave the icon in the same location. (Granted, Win has a nasty habit of rearranging your desktop sometimes also.)
-
Sometimes the Mac goes into file rename mode spontaneously, which makes renaming easier, but can be a problem if you're not looking at the screen.
Some of these items are just differences, no right or wrong. In the spirit of fairness, I will also list what I do like about the
Mac.
- WindowShades are great!
- Alt-click on the desktop to minimize the current application.
- Mac allows file renaming more easily. (Win lets you rename with a slow double-click)
- Mac color management is superior. Very important for publishing.
I'm sure some of these considerations
can and will be addressed by Mac users. Add-in utilities are not
an option for us. Our company must approve and purchase all software through
channels. Downloading a utility is verboten, so we are pretty much limited
to what's in the operating system. Some of these issues have been addressed in OS8, but
our company hasn't seen fit to upgrade all of our Macs yet.
Mac users say Microsoft copied the Mac. We don't need to go into who stole the GUI idea from who. Lest I be accused of discrimination, I call Bill Gates unpleasant names daily. I'm migrating toward Linux at home because I want a computer that works all day long without crashing.
At the bottom of this page is the response of three confirmed Mac users who responded to my little rant. They make some good points, but I still disagree with some of them. I guess in the long run there is no right answer, and nobody is likely to change anyone's mind on this issue.
If you want to comment on this rant,
feel free to e-mail me:
Back
last updated 4/26/2000
************
I have owned PCs, Macs, Amigas, C64s, TRS80s, and a few others that I can't
remember I'm sure. In about 1987 though, I bought my first mac and have
never looked back. It worked, and by the way it still does. I use it to
turn lights on and off and other scheduled events at my house via the X10
home control protocol.
Mac folks aren't bad people. Just in love with a particular way of using a
computer. It works. Period. It may not be what you are used to or cut your
teeth on but the fact that almost every computer in the world now has a
Mac-like interface (don't even bring Xerox-PARC into this, Macintosh was
different in MANY respects and many Mac concepts had their genesis before
Xerox-PARC) attests to the superiority of the GUI as opposed to the
command-line interface. And Microsoft really did get most of their ideas
for Windows from Apple. I won't say 'stole' because their lawyers are
probably monitoring this channel. :-)
Okay enough grandstanding. I work with macs, PCs, OS2, and UNIX here and I
hate Windows as much as you hate the MacOS. For probably as many reasons.
I'll respond to some of your gripes and elaborate on some W95 "features"
too. I must admit though that some of these gripes seem kind of petty.
Desktop pattern size? Come on. But there are legit problems with any OS.
Compromises must be made to give strengths in certain areas and weaknesses
in others.
____________________________________
Batch files are a carry-over from the command-line interface which the
mac never needed. We don't WANT or need to run a batch file. There probably
is another way to accomplish whatever you think requires a batch file.
AppleScript really does work BTW, and it would be a lot easier for a newbie
to learn scripting than the DOS commands that you learned in the beginning.
Multiple selection standards are different on the two platforms. the
Mac's variety is very consistent with itself. Here's a minor Windows gripe
as far as OS selection schemes. Wanna launch three documents on a mac? Just
select them all and double-click on any one of them. They all launch, in
whatever program created them. This doesn't work on a PC. It only launches
the on that you double-click. What's the point in being able to group
select if you can't perform functions on the group? And the multiple
selection function in Windows is less consistent than it is on a mac from
where I sit. Try Shift single-clicking on a bunch of icons on your desktop.
You do NOT end up with every item that you click.
Macs have one button for very good reasons. Read up on ergonomics and
interface design. It was a well though-out decision. Mac people have never
felt encumbered by the use of a single-button mouse. Only Windows users make
a big deal out of it.
Delete works the same on a mac and on Windows. You must have had a bad
experience with this key.
You can check a tick box and not see the alert when you empty the trash.
Do a Get Info on the trash icon and it's right there.
But let's look at the Recycle Bin. Drag a file from your hard drive to the
Recycle Bin, and you can pull it out again before the bin is emptied. But
wait! Drag a file from your floppy disk to the Recycle Bin, and it doesn't
get stored -- it's deleted! You can adjust your settings so you're warned
before the file is deleted, but that doesn't justify the inconsistent
behavior.
And this one is a serious problem, drag two folders with files in them from
your hard drive to the Recycle Bin. Now try to get one of them out.
Surprise! The folders are gone, and all of the contents are dumped in the
bin, all mixed together. If you're going to toss away several folders,
better make sure you get the right ones -- otherwise, get ready to go
fishing.
I can hit the first letter of a response in most dialog boxes and the
action is taken. On some applications you have to hit the Command key and
the first letter. It is not true that you always must use the mouse to
select options in a dialog.
Here's one for ya. Renaming files in W95. To rename something on the
desktop, you have to click on the file, then click on the filename, and
then type away. Doesn't sound so terrible at first, but if you have to
rename several files, all those clicks add up -- think of how often your
hand has to move from the keyboard to the mouse and back again, going
click, click, type, click, click, type, click, click, type... If you think
that would slow you down, you're absolutely correct. A Mac user can rename
dozens of files from the keyboard alone. Oh and don't use any of those DOS
unfriendly characters either. W95 won't correct you, it just tells you you
were wrong. The MacOS changes colons (the only illegal character) into
dashes for you.
I often STOP a file search while it is searching. With the appropriate
expected results. If it has found three items already it asks if I wanna
see the three that it already found. The Find Function is one area where
the MacOS has it all over Gates' version. The MacOS Find is VERY powerful,
flexible, and easy.
(Yeah, try searching for text INSIDE the file on a Mac! b.k.)
As for key lumps. There may very well be a good reason to jump from the
standard and put the lumps on different keys. I never noticed this
"feature" of the mac keyboard. :-)
On the PC, my fingers are often interrupted by the keyboard's ALT key. The
ALT keys are right next to the space bar; if you accidentally brush one of
them while you're typing. This immediately throws Windows 95 into "menu
mode," where keystrokes stop going to the document -- and activate the
menus. If you're lucky, you only have to stop typing, press ALT again, and
continue from where you left off.
If you're unlucky, the next few keystrokes might throw the work into a
tizzy -- maybe you pressed the keys to open a new file, or repaginate the
document, or change the formatting of the characters. Oh and many W95
keyboards now have the "Contextual Menu" key and the "Windows 95" key --
all of which have the same horrible one-touch behavior. The bottom row on a
modern Microsoft keyboard presents several work-interrupting buttons and
little tiny space bars. I'm sure that touch-typists *love* this.
The Escape key isn't needed as often on a mac as on a PC because the mac
has key commands that are universally standard. Command Q quits all mac
programs. Likewise W, N, O, P, S, all do the same thing from program to
program. Not even close in Windows.
The lack of consistency and standards is a major problem throughout W95;
each program has its own set of behavior characteristics, and even the most
common operations will result in a different interface, a different set of
cautions, or a different way of behaving. Depending on which program you're
using,... you might need different keystrokes to do the same operations.
("Is it Alt-F4, Control-W, or Control-F4 to close this window?")
I use labels all the time and have never seen an applied label not stay
with the icon, program, file, or folder.
Deleting files by key-command is included in OS8.
ALT-TABing is useful and there are many Extensions that add this
functionality.
OS8 gives full-screen wallpaper-like features, just like W95. There have
always been Extensions that gave full-screen desktop images to the mac.
Apple finally built it into the OS though.
______________________________
Can't think of anything good about the mac? How about Color
Synchronization. It's a joke on the PC side. Your job would be a lot harder
without the Color Sync Extension that talks to all of the Color Sync savvy
software and hardware that is used in a MacOS system. And don't look for
this kind of system-level control on the PC side for a while.
How about versatility in disk media. Macs read PC disks and files but not
vice-versa. How about being able to boot from a CD, or a ZIP, or a Syquest,
or an Optical. How about not needing file-name extensions. How about Y2K
compatibility. How about all of the innovation that is now (poorly)
implemented in Microsoft's OS. How about plug and play that works every
time, and always has.
In all my years of running macs I've never had to reinstall an OS. I've
upgraded, but never had an OS get trashed so bad it had to be re-installed
from scratch. I routinely hear horror stories from W95 users who have to
reinstall the OS (which often includes reformatting the HD) every few
months because of degenerative performance or because a portion of the OS
got hosed up beyond repair. Or because ActiveX or some other MS innovation
went on and rendered their system useless.
To be honest, the MacOS has some problems. Protected memory will be nice
when it's in Rhapsody, the next major update. OS8 does handle this better
than past versions though.
Pre-emptive multi-tasking is better in Windows than in MacOS but it's
better still in UNIX (which the next MacOS will be built on).
Okay, enough, I can't believe I put this much in writing about this. After
all, it's just a box of sand. But, the path of my life and career can be
traced back to when I bought my first mac. Not when I bought my first
computer. The fact that I had a mac got me into the mindset that there was
nothing that I couldn't do with that box. It worked better than it had to.
And made me do the same. I never felt that about any other computer I had.
The Mac was and is still about empowering the user. The "IBM" computer was
always the computer of the corporation. And corporate America has not
always been about doing what's right by the little guy. (Some of your links
tell me that you probably feel that way too).
I am gonna stop now because I am probably sounding too passionate. After
all, it's only a tool. But, feel free to respond.
Have a great day!!!
D.C.
p.s. I read this after I wrote it and am amazed. I can't believe that I
spent this much time responding to a rant. I normally don't even discuss
computer platforms. I figure they either get it or they don't. No loss to
me either way. Hope you enjoyed the read and remember; this is just my
opinion... and I may be wrong. :-)
**************
To be honest, I rarely take up an argument in this arena. I have
programmed IBM-PC's since '85 and switched to the Mac and haven't looked
back in '92. The PC is such a hardware intensive machine that I was
spending hours every month worrying about why my video card was
incompatible with my RAM upgrade card, etc (yes, I have installed stuff
on Win95, it tries to be cooler about this). I make a fair amount of
money on the side helping people who have no interest in upkeep on
computers make their Macs run digital audio 24/7 without a hitch. I love
it because once I get it working, I never get bothered again... the Mac
is as stable (if not more so) than any PC I've ever set up.
So, here's my brief observations:
>- One word: multitasking! (I understand System 8 has it, but we haven't
>upgraded yet)
What version of System are you running exactly that wont multitask. Any
system 7 software will multitask - true since '92 or so. Talking of
copying in the background? OS8 does it, as well as the SpeedDoubler set
of software - I highly recommend it.
>- Batch files on the PC are a quick, easy, reliable way to automate
>simple events, like backing up specific files. We have not been able to
>get AppleScript to function reliably on any thing we've tried, even just
>deleting or copying a few files. We tried QuicKeys commercial scripting
>software with equally disappointing results.
If you use a 'batch file' mentality twords a system that doesn't really
need it (for most of the user base anyway), you can get frustrated.
AppleScripting is kludgey at best, but if I want to back up a specific
file I use a backup program like Retrospect. I've worked on innumerous
Macs over the years and never had a need to applescript something for
someone to get the job done. Go figure.
>- Multiple selections: the function of the shift and control keys when
>selecting multiple files is different from the PC's shift and control
>key combinations. I'm so confused after switching back and forth
>several times a day, I don't even remember which does which!
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
>- What's with the mouse? How much does it cost to put another button or
>two on it? The right button performs important functions on the PC. (and
>if you can't remember the difference between the left and right buttons,
>how can you remember all the key combinations it requires to perform
>these functions?)
Again, which came first? Besides, Cmd-Q / Cntrl-C, whats the difference?
You can still turn on the defroster on in a BMW and a Ford even though
the front panel is different, right?
>- The "delete" doesn't consistently function correctly. It's supposed to
>delete the character to the right. Sometimes it does, sometimes it
>doesn't. What's so difficult about that concept? (try editing a filename
>with it.)
Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't?! What kind of Macs are you
using anyway? Never seen that before.
>- When I ask to empty the trash, I don't want to discuss the contents
>anymore than I want to sort through yesterday's eggshells on my way to
>the curb. Just throw it ALL away now! (Okay, I can sit there and hold
>down the "Option-Alt" key instead of getting my coffee while it deletes
>1200 files)
If you hold down the option key as you begin to empty the trash, once the
process starts get your coffee. Or use SpeedDoubler. Again, see above.
>- When a dialogue box appears, You have to use the mouse to answer no.
>On the PC, you can tap the "N" key. Most dialogue boxes have similar one
>key responses.
MS Word allows the N key as well as some others. I'm annoyed as well,
but I don't write software for a living so what can you do.
>- When you're using the Find File function, there is a "stop" button. If
>you change your mind and want to abort the search, click on this button.
>Absolutely NOTHING happens.
Try Cmd-. next time. I dunno, I use the Norton FastFind instead, it's
cooler.
>- (This may be the fault of our network) When I modify files, the time
>stamp is about ten minutes in the future. (Yes, the clocks are all set
>correctly.)
Hmmm. Dunno there. Is the network a Netware environment with HFS
emulation or an Apple server?
>- The keyboard itself: On a PC (and a lot of old typewriters as I
>recall) the home keys, F and J, have little bumps embossed on them so
>you can keep your hands in position without looking at the keys. On the
>Mac, they are on the D and K. (This is right up there with
>calculators and telephones having opposite number keypads!) Also, the
>placement of the control and alternate keys is just different enough
>that I have unlearned any touch typing skills I ever had. And the escape
>key does very little in a consistent manner.
I've seen keyboards for Macs -and- PC's that move the little bumps on the
D & K keys around as well as the spacing of the Alt keys. When I use
Win95 occasionally it doesn't styme me too much but that's just me.
>- You can use the "labels" pulldown in the finder to put colored tints
>and text tags on icons. When you close the folder and reopen it, the
>labels disappear. What good is this?
Run Norton Utils, I think your system is screwey.
>- On a PC, you can delete files or folders by tapping the delete key.
>This sends them to the recycle bin(trash can to Mac users). Shift-delete
>will immediately delete them completely.
Cmd-Delete will trash a file. Lets keep it that way so I don't
accidentally delete my files.
>- Windows has a key combination: Alt-tab, which puts up a rotating
>sequence of recent open applications, similar to the upper right icon on
>the Mac screen.
There are too many shareware apps that do that for me to think about it.
Also if you install the MicrosftOffice package, the Office control panel
allows you to set up Alt-Tab on a mac.
>- Why can't I use cut, copy and paste with files and folders like I can
>on Windows?
You can use CC&P to copy file & folder names. Not the actual files
though, nor does Win95 allow you to do that (I thought). Again, don't
change it so I don't accidentally screw up.
>- Usually, I am not in the mood for that cute little picture of a bomb.
>When my machine has crashed, I don't want to be humored by cartoons.
Yeah, I prefer the Win95 method: Hey, has this thing crashed or is it
working on something. I thought I heard the hard drive work a second
ago. Maybe? I'll wait another minute just in case this slow machine is
just processing something.... that's a favorite way for me to spend my
day.
>- Limited desktop pattern size. Try putting a foot long flying saucer on
>your desktop!
OS8, shareware apps, blah blah blah.
> Add-in utilities are not an option for us. Our company must
>approve and purchase all software through channels. Downloading a
>utility is verboten, so we are pretty much limited to what's in the
>operating system.
Did your company buy Norton Utils and Anti-Virus software for your IBM's?
If so, buy SpeedDoubler and Norton for the Macs... it's only fair right?
Well, I'm sure you and I both get this kind of rebuttal all the time, but
I figured your points were so easily argued I'd take a stab at it this
time. Hope it adds some insight to your argument. I could really care
less as long as the tools get the job done but the Mac bashing is so
easily defended I couldn't let this one go by.
Sorry, but I don't miss my PC one bit. And my parents NEVER could get
their PC to do anything for them... the Mac I bought them is used every
day. They love it and use it all the time now. Thank god I can save
some long distance and use email now!
Thanks for the opportunity for me to take some stabs at PC's, it's been a
long time since I thought about it! Hope some of my comments help.
Dig it,
T.C.
**************
Checked out the Mac list, it's all true. But I
think Mac OS are for those who take a handsoff approach to PCs. Man, I feel
your pain, I'm using both systems at home, and at times it makes my head spin!
Chat with ya later
Tim
(Tim's a graphic arts person)
**************
-
One word: multitasking! (I understand System 8 was supposed to have it, but it is not as much as I expected.)
-
Batch files on the PC are a quick, easy, reliable way to automate simple
events, like backing up specific files. We have not been able to get AppleScript
to function reliably on any thing we've tried, even just deleting or copying a few files.
We tried QuicKeys commercial scripting software with equally disappointing results.
-
Multiple selections: the function of the shift key and command key when selecting
multiple files is different from the PC's shift, Alt and control key combinations.
I'm so confused after switching back and forth several times a day, I don't
even remember which does which!
-
What's with the mouse? How much does it cost to put another button or two
on it?
-
The "delete" doesn't consistently function correctly. It's supposed to delete
the character to the right. The "backspace" key deletes to the left. (Try using them when renaming a file) What's so difficult about that concept? They only work correctly in a few apps like Quark! (Also, the "end" and "home" keys should go to the end or beginning of a line or field.)
-
When I ask to empty the trash, I don't want to discuss the contents any more
than I want to sort through yesterday's eggshells on my way to the curb.
Just throw it ALL away now! I don't care if there are active copies elsewhere.
-
When a dialogue box appears, You have to use the mouse to answer no. On the
PC, you can tap the "N" key. Most buttons can be activated by the keyboard on PCs.
-
When you're using the Find File function, there is a "stop" button. If you
change your mind and want to abort the search, click on this button. Absolutely
NOTHING happens. If you're searching a large network, you might as well go take a coffee break. (OS8 finally fixed this glaring bug.)
-
(This may be the fault of our network) When I modify files, the time stamp
is about ten minutes in the future.
-
The keyboard itself: On a PC (and a lot of old typewriters as I recall) the
home keys, F and J, have little bumps embossed on them so you can keep your
hands in position without looking at the keys. On the Mac, they are on the
D and K. (This is right up there with calculators and telephones having opposite
number keypads!) Also, the placement of the control and alternate keys is
just different enough that I have unlearned any touch typing skills I ever
had. And the escape key does very little in a consistent manner on the Mac.
-
You can use the labels pulldown in the finder to put colored tints and text tags
on icons. When you close the folder and reopen it, the labels disappear. What good is this? (Others tell me that this should work.)
-
On a PC, you can delete files or folders by tapping the delete key. This
sends them to the recycle bin(trash can to Mac users). Shift-delete will
immediately delete them completely. (OS8 now allows keyboard deleting.)
-
Windows has a key combination: Alt-tab, which puts up a rotating sequence
of open applications, similar to the upper right icon on the Mac screen.
-
Why doesn't cut, copy and paste work with files and folders like it does
on Windows? (Not that Microsoft uses this convention consistently - see MS Excel!)
-
Usually, I am not in the mood for that cute little picture of a bomb. When
my machine has crashed, I don't want to be humored by cartoons.
-
Limited desktop pattern size. Try putting a foot long flying saucer on
your desktop! (OS8 added this.)
-
When you edit a document and save it to the desktop(or anywhere), it won't leave the icon in the same location. (Granted, Win has a nasty habit of rearranging your desktop sometimes also.)
-
Sometimes the Mac goes into file rename mode spontaneously, which makes renaming easier, but can be a problem if you're not looking at the screen.
Some of these items are just differences, no right or wrong. In the spirit of fairness, I will also list what I do like about the
Mac.
- WindowShades are great!
- Alt-click on the desktop to minimize the current application.
- Mac allows file renaming more easily. (Win lets you rename with a slow double-click)
- Mac color management is superior. Very important for publishing.
I'm sure some of these considerations
can and will be addressed by Mac users. Add-in utilities are not
an option for us. Our company must approve and purchase all software through
channels. Downloading a utility is verboten, so we are pretty much limited
to what's in the operating system. Some of these issues have been addressed in OS8, but
our company hasn't seen fit to upgrade all of our Macs yet.
Mac users say Microsoft copied the Mac. We don't need to go into who stole the GUI idea from who. Lest I be accused of discrimination, I call Bill Gates unpleasant names daily. I'm migrating toward Linux at home because I want a computer that works all day long without crashing.
At the bottom of this page is the response of three confirmed Mac users who responded to my little rant. They make some good points, but I still disagree with some of them. I guess in the long run there is no right answer, and nobody is likely to change anyone's mind on this issue.
feel free to e-mail me:
Back
last updated 4/26/2000
I have owned PCs, Macs, Amigas, C64s, TRS80s, and a few others that I can't
remember I'm sure. In about 1987 though, I bought my first mac and have
never looked back. It worked, and by the way it still does. I use it to
turn lights on and off and other scheduled events at my house via the X10
home control protocol.
Mac folks aren't bad people. Just in love with a particular way of using a
computer. It works. Period. It may not be what you are used to or cut your
teeth on but the fact that almost every computer in the world now has a
Mac-like interface (don't even bring Xerox-PARC into this, Macintosh was
different in MANY respects and many Mac concepts had their genesis before
Xerox-PARC) attests to the superiority of the GUI as opposed to the
command-line interface. And Microsoft really did get most of their ideas
for Windows from Apple. I won't say 'stole' because their lawyers are
probably monitoring this channel. :-)
Okay enough grandstanding. I work with macs, PCs, OS2, and UNIX here and I
hate Windows as much as you hate the MacOS. For probably as many reasons.
I'll respond to some of your gripes and elaborate on some W95 "features"
too. I must admit though that some of these gripes seem kind of petty.
Desktop pattern size? Come on. But there are legit problems with any OS.
Compromises must be made to give strengths in certain areas and weaknesses
in others.
____________________________________
Batch files are a carry-over from the command-line interface which the
mac never needed. We don't WANT or need to run a batch file. There probably
is another way to accomplish whatever you think requires a batch file.
AppleScript really does work BTW, and it would be a lot easier for a newbie
to learn scripting than the DOS commands that you learned in the beginning.
Multiple selection standards are different on the two platforms. the
Mac's variety is very consistent with itself. Here's a minor Windows gripe
as far as OS selection schemes. Wanna launch three documents on a mac? Just
select them all and double-click on any one of them. They all launch, in
whatever program created them. This doesn't work on a PC. It only launches
the on that you double-click. What's the point in being able to group
select if you can't perform functions on the group? And the multiple
selection function in Windows is less consistent than it is on a mac from
where I sit. Try Shift single-clicking on a bunch of icons on your desktop.
You do NOT end up with every item that you click.
Macs have one button for very good reasons. Read up on ergonomics and
interface design. It was a well though-out decision. Mac people have never
felt encumbered by the use of a single-button mouse. Only Windows users make
a big deal out of it.
Delete works the same on a mac and on Windows. You must have had a bad
experience with this key.
You can check a tick box and not see the alert when you empty the trash.
Do a Get Info on the trash icon and it's right there.
But let's look at the Recycle Bin. Drag a file from your hard drive to the
Recycle Bin, and you can pull it out again before the bin is emptied. But
wait! Drag a file from your floppy disk to the Recycle Bin, and it doesn't
get stored -- it's deleted! You can adjust your settings so you're warned
before the file is deleted, but that doesn't justify the inconsistent
behavior.
And this one is a serious problem, drag two folders with files in them from
your hard drive to the Recycle Bin. Now try to get one of them out.
Surprise! The folders are gone, and all of the contents are dumped in the
bin, all mixed together. If you're going to toss away several folders,
better make sure you get the right ones -- otherwise, get ready to go
fishing.
I can hit the first letter of a response in most dialog boxes and the
action is taken. On some applications you have to hit the Command key and
the first letter. It is not true that you always must use the mouse to
select options in a dialog.
Here's one for ya. Renaming files in W95. To rename something on the
desktop, you have to click on the file, then click on the filename, and
then type away. Doesn't sound so terrible at first, but if you have to
rename several files, all those clicks add up -- think of how often your
hand has to move from the keyboard to the mouse and back again, going
click, click, type, click, click, type, click, click, type... If you think
that would slow you down, you're absolutely correct. A Mac user can rename
dozens of files from the keyboard alone. Oh and don't use any of those DOS
unfriendly characters either. W95 won't correct you, it just tells you you
were wrong. The MacOS changes colons (the only illegal character) into
dashes for you.
I often STOP a file search while it is searching. With the appropriate
expected results. If it has found three items already it asks if I wanna
see the three that it already found. The Find Function is one area where
the MacOS has it all over Gates' version. The MacOS Find is VERY powerful,
flexible, and easy.
(Yeah, try searching for text INSIDE the file on a Mac! b.k.)
As for key lumps. There may very well be a good reason to jump from the
standard and put the lumps on different keys. I never noticed this
"feature" of the mac keyboard. :-)
On the PC, my fingers are often interrupted by the keyboard's ALT key. The
ALT keys are right next to the space bar; if you accidentally brush one of
them while you're typing. This immediately throws Windows 95 into "menu
mode," where keystrokes stop going to the document -- and activate the
menus. If you're lucky, you only have to stop typing, press ALT again, and
continue from where you left off.
If you're unlucky, the next few keystrokes might throw the work into a
tizzy -- maybe you pressed the keys to open a new file, or repaginate the
document, or change the formatting of the characters. Oh and many W95
keyboards now have the "Contextual Menu" key and the "Windows 95" key --
all of which have the same horrible one-touch behavior. The bottom row on a
modern Microsoft keyboard presents several work-interrupting buttons and
little tiny space bars. I'm sure that touch-typists *love* this.
The Escape key isn't needed as often on a mac as on a PC because the mac
has key commands that are universally standard. Command Q quits all mac
programs. Likewise W, N, O, P, S, all do the same thing from program to
program. Not even close in Windows.
The lack of consistency and standards is a major problem throughout W95;
each program has its own set of behavior characteristics, and even the most
common operations will result in a different interface, a different set of
cautions, or a different way of behaving. Depending on which program you're
using,... you might need different keystrokes to do the same operations.
("Is it Alt-F4, Control-W, or Control-F4 to close this window?")
I use labels all the time and have never seen an applied label not stay
with the icon, program, file, or folder.
Deleting files by key-command is included in OS8.
ALT-TABing is useful and there are many Extensions that add this
functionality.
OS8 gives full-screen wallpaper-like features, just like W95. There have
always been Extensions that gave full-screen desktop images to the mac.
Apple finally built it into the OS though.
______________________________
Can't think of anything good about the mac? How about Color
Synchronization. It's a joke on the PC side. Your job would be a lot harder
without the Color Sync Extension that talks to all of the Color Sync savvy
software and hardware that is used in a MacOS system. And don't look for
this kind of system-level control on the PC side for a while.
How about versatility in disk media. Macs read PC disks and files but not
vice-versa. How about being able to boot from a CD, or a ZIP, or a Syquest,
or an Optical. How about not needing file-name extensions. How about Y2K
compatibility. How about all of the innovation that is now (poorly)
implemented in Microsoft's OS. How about plug and play that works every
time, and always has.
In all my years of running macs I've never had to reinstall an OS. I've
upgraded, but never had an OS get trashed so bad it had to be re-installed
from scratch. I routinely hear horror stories from W95 users who have to
reinstall the OS (which often includes reformatting the HD) every few
months because of degenerative performance or because a portion of the OS
got hosed up beyond repair. Or because ActiveX or some other MS innovation
went on and rendered their system useless.
To be honest, the MacOS has some problems. Protected memory will be nice
when it's in Rhapsody, the next major update. OS8 does handle this better
than past versions though.
Pre-emptive multi-tasking is better in Windows than in MacOS but it's
better still in UNIX (which the next MacOS will be built on).
Okay, enough, I can't believe I put this much in writing about this. After
all, it's just a box of sand. But, the path of my life and career can be
traced back to when I bought my first mac. Not when I bought my first
computer. The fact that I had a mac got me into the mindset that there was
nothing that I couldn't do with that box. It worked better than it had to.
And made me do the same. I never felt that about any other computer I had.
The Mac was and is still about empowering the user. The "IBM" computer was
always the computer of the corporation. And corporate America has not
always been about doing what's right by the little guy. (Some of your links
tell me that you probably feel that way too).
I am gonna stop now because I am probably sounding too passionate. After
all, it's only a tool. But, feel free to respond.
Have a great day!!!
D.C.
p.s. I read this after I wrote it and am amazed. I can't believe that I
spent this much time responding to a rant. I normally don't even discuss
computer platforms. I figure they either get it or they don't. No loss to
me either way. Hope you enjoyed the read and remember; this is just my
opinion... and I may be wrong. :-)
**************
To be honest, I rarely take up an argument in this arena. I have
programmed IBM-PC's since '85 and switched to the Mac and haven't looked
back in '92. The PC is such a hardware intensive machine that I was
spending hours every month worrying about why my video card was
incompatible with my RAM upgrade card, etc (yes, I have installed stuff
on Win95, it tries to be cooler about this). I make a fair amount of
money on the side helping people who have no interest in upkeep on
computers make their Macs run digital audio 24/7 without a hitch. I love
it because once I get it working, I never get bothered again... the Mac
is as stable (if not more so) than any PC I've ever set up.
So, here's my brief observations:
>- One word: multitasking! (I understand System 8 has it, but we haven't
>upgraded yet)
What version of System are you running exactly that wont multitask. Any
system 7 software will multitask - true since '92 or so. Talking of
copying in the background? OS8 does it, as well as the SpeedDoubler set
of software - I highly recommend it.
>- Batch files on the PC are a quick, easy, reliable way to automate
>simple events, like backing up specific files. We have not been able to
>get AppleScript to function reliably on any thing we've tried, even just
>deleting or copying a few files. We tried QuicKeys commercial scripting
>software with equally disappointing results.
If you use a 'batch file' mentality twords a system that doesn't really
need it (for most of the user base anyway), you can get frustrated.
AppleScripting is kludgey at best, but if I want to back up a specific
file I use a backup program like Retrospect. I've worked on innumerous
Macs over the years and never had a need to applescript something for
someone to get the job done. Go figure.
>- Multiple selections: the function of the shift and control keys when
>selecting multiple files is different from the PC's shift and control
>key combinations. I'm so confused after switching back and forth
>several times a day, I don't even remember which does which!
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
>- What's with the mouse? How much does it cost to put another button or
>two on it? The right button performs important functions on the PC. (and
>if you can't remember the difference between the left and right buttons,
>how can you remember all the key combinations it requires to perform
>these functions?)
Again, which came first? Besides, Cmd-Q / Cntrl-C, whats the difference?
You can still turn on the defroster on in a BMW and a Ford even though
the front panel is different, right?
>- The "delete" doesn't consistently function correctly. It's supposed to
>delete the character to the right. Sometimes it does, sometimes it
>doesn't. What's so difficult about that concept? (try editing a filename
>with it.)
Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't?! What kind of Macs are you
using anyway? Never seen that before.
>- When I ask to empty the trash, I don't want to discuss the contents
>anymore than I want to sort through yesterday's eggshells on my way to
>the curb. Just throw it ALL away now! (Okay, I can sit there and hold
>down the "Option-Alt" key instead of getting my coffee while it deletes
>1200 files)
If you hold down the option key as you begin to empty the trash, once the
process starts get your coffee. Or use SpeedDoubler. Again, see above.
>- When a dialogue box appears, You have to use the mouse to answer no.
>On the PC, you can tap the "N" key. Most dialogue boxes have similar one
>key responses.
MS Word allows the N key as well as some others. I'm annoyed as well,
but I don't write software for a living so what can you do.
>- When you're using the Find File function, there is a "stop" button. If
>you change your mind and want to abort the search, click on this button.
>Absolutely NOTHING happens.
Try Cmd-. next time. I dunno, I use the Norton FastFind instead, it's
cooler.
>- (This may be the fault of our network) When I modify files, the time
>stamp is about ten minutes in the future. (Yes, the clocks are all set
>correctly.)
Hmmm. Dunno there. Is the network a Netware environment with HFS
emulation or an Apple server?
>- The keyboard itself: On a PC (and a lot of old typewriters as I
>recall) the home keys, F and J, have little bumps embossed on them so
>you can keep your hands in position without looking at the keys. On the
>Mac, they are on the D and K. (This is right up there with
>calculators and telephones having opposite number keypads!) Also, the
>placement of the control and alternate keys is just different enough
>that I have unlearned any touch typing skills I ever had. And the escape
>key does very little in a consistent manner.
I've seen keyboards for Macs -and- PC's that move the little bumps on the
D & K keys around as well as the spacing of the Alt keys. When I use
Win95 occasionally it doesn't styme me too much but that's just me.
>- You can use the "labels" pulldown in the finder to put colored tints
>and text tags on icons. When you close the folder and reopen it, the
>labels disappear. What good is this?
Run Norton Utils, I think your system is screwey.
>- On a PC, you can delete files or folders by tapping the delete key.
>This sends them to the recycle bin(trash can to Mac users). Shift-delete
>will immediately delete them completely.
Cmd-Delete will trash a file. Lets keep it that way so I don't
accidentally delete my files.
>- Windows has a key combination: Alt-tab, which puts up a rotating
>sequence of recent open applications, similar to the upper right icon on
>the Mac screen.
There are too many shareware apps that do that for me to think about it.
Also if you install the MicrosftOffice package, the Office control panel
allows you to set up Alt-Tab on a mac.
>- Why can't I use cut, copy and paste with files and folders like I can
>on Windows?
You can use CC&P to copy file & folder names. Not the actual files
though, nor does Win95 allow you to do that (I thought). Again, don't
change it so I don't accidentally screw up.
>- Usually, I am not in the mood for that cute little picture of a bomb.
>When my machine has crashed, I don't want to be humored by cartoons.
Yeah, I prefer the Win95 method: Hey, has this thing crashed or is it
working on something. I thought I heard the hard drive work a second
ago. Maybe? I'll wait another minute just in case this slow machine is
just processing something.... that's a favorite way for me to spend my
day.
>- Limited desktop pattern size. Try putting a foot long flying saucer on
>your desktop!
OS8, shareware apps, blah blah blah.
> Add-in utilities are not an option for us. Our company must
>approve and purchase all software through channels. Downloading a
>utility is verboten, so we are pretty much limited to what's in the
>operating system.
Did your company buy Norton Utils and Anti-Virus software for your IBM's?
If so, buy SpeedDoubler and Norton for the Macs... it's only fair right?
Well, I'm sure you and I both get this kind of rebuttal all the time, but
I figured your points were so easily argued I'd take a stab at it this
time. Hope it adds some insight to your argument. I could really care
less as long as the tools get the job done but the Mac bashing is so
easily defended I couldn't let this one go by.
Sorry, but I don't miss my PC one bit. And my parents NEVER could get
their PC to do anything for them... the Mac I bought them is used every
day. They love it and use it all the time now. Thank god I can save
some long distance and use email now!
Thanks for the opportunity for me to take some stabs at PC's, it's been a
long time since I thought about it! Hope some of my comments help.
Dig it,
T.C.
**************
Checked out the Mac list, it's all true. But I
think Mac OS are for those who take a handsoff approach to PCs. Man, I feel
your pain, I'm using both systems at home, and at times it makes my head spin!
Chat with ya later
Tim
(Tim's a graphic arts person)
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