• Tue. Apr 23rd, 2024

Your OS sucks!

Brand fanatics miss the point about the computer as a tool

I am multi-lingual–that is, I speak Linux, OS X and Windows with equal ease–and I am here to tell you that the fanatics who insist their favorite operating system has to be the best are all wrong. Computers are tools that have diverse and nearly limitless potential functions, and I can promise you there is no such thing as one perfect way to make that tool work.

Of course, if you are one of those fanatics, you will immediately begin listing all of the reasons why I am wrong and your favorite OS is the best. In doing so, you will list the several ways you use your computer as evidence of why it is the best, thereby proving my point.

Sure, Macs are good at the things Macs are good at. The reason that Macs tend to be used by artists, designers and teachers is because Macs do the kinds of things those people need them to do very well. Developers often use Linux because of its open source and high degree of modifiability. Windows offers a broad base of users a widely used and highly compatible platform that is familiar to businesses and individuals alike.

On the other hand, Macs are the cult of Steve Jobs–if you want to do something Stevie doesn’t like, forget it. Linux is best understood by PhDs and teenagers with no social life and can’t easily do most of the things people usually do with computers. Windows is the victim of its own success, targeted by everyone who wants to hate that success.

So, maybe you really love your Mac, or you think your build of Linux can save the planet. You might even like Windows. Whatever your favorite, realize it’s your favorite because it fits you. Sure, some people who use their computer the way you do might benefit from using your kind of machine, but I can assure you that there are plenty of people who won’t. Sorry to burst your bubble, but that fact means your favorite isn’t the best.