No longer a loner--Mac turns 20

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I'd rather have the VW.

After all, most of us only spend a couple of hours a day
behind the wheel, if that. But I typically spend about eight
hours a day at the keyboard, so that becomes a much more
important place to spend a few extra bucks. The last thing I
need is a stupid, clunky OS that nags me about whether I
really want to rename files while allowing me to to terrible
things to databases with no warning and has different UI
conventions for every application I use, making
multitasking an excruciating experience.

Actually, here's a good example of why I hate Windows. If
you're using a PC right now, open folder and drag a file
onto the taskbar button for an application that's capable of
opening it and drop it there. Windows responds with the
following message: "You cannot drag an item onto a button
on the taskbar. However, if you do this without releasing
the mouse button, the window will open and you can then
drag the item into the window."

Isn't that the stupidest thing you've ever seen? Not only is
the first sentence false (You CAN drag an item onto a
button--you just DID it!), but the whole point is that they're
trying to change your behavior because they aren't smart
enough to make it work the way you expected it to. The
message should say, "We're sorry, but we're too lame to
make the taskbar work the way you expect it to, so we've
decided to implement this long-winded dialog to scold you
and tell you about our kludgy work-around."

Needless to say, if you were using a Macintosh you'd
already be working on your document instead of staring at
this idiotic, nagging dialog.

But that's just one example. Windows never fails to
disappoint me, like when I right click on something and the
command I expect to be there isn't, or when the whole user
interface gets stuck because some unseen application has
put up a modal dialog that's hidden under the window I'm
working in, or when I expect a program's Help system to be
the least bit helpful--let alone relevant to what I'm trying to
do.

If Macs were twice as expensive as PCs I'd still rather use a
Mac. Over the useful life of a desktop computer, the cost
differential is negligible. The annoyance differential is not.

Posted by: Immanuel Tranz-Mischen   Posted on: 01/24/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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