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Or there's people like me who get a MacPro tower from work and promptly install Windows on it because it compiles huge projects significantly faster than XCode.

Or there's people like me who get a MacPro tower from work and promptly install Windows on it because it compiles huge projects significantly faster than XCode... Seriously, it's about getting a job done -- use what works. Who cares what the name of the OS is? I don't care whether I'm using a Dewalt drill or a Black & Decker. I care whether the drill works. Why is a computer any different?

cookiecaper 17y ago
Because the interfaces and their intricacies are pretty different as one switches OS. When you switch drill brands, it works exactly the same way; you pull the trigger and the drill drills. On Windows or OS X or whatever, you have to log in a certain way, open a program a certain way, install things a certain way, and so on. Not so much a problem for people who use this site, but a problem for the layman.
- nex3 17y ago
  It can get to be a pretty big problem for hackers, as well. When I'm on Linux, I use the Awesome tiling window manager and Emacs, both of which are tweaked far beyond their usual configurations. Using Windows or OSX (or even Linux without my configuration) is very jarring for me, and will only become more so the more I customize my UI.
pmjoyce 17y ago
I agree, it's about getting the job done. We have both Windows and OSX in our house. Most people (not to mind hackers), have no problem switching between both OSs or using both concurrently and that includes my wife yet she never uses the Windows machines. Whenever I hear people getting uptight about or tightly espousing one OS/Platform over another I'm baffled. The differences I can perceive are miniscule and marginal. That said, Umberto Eco's 1994 essay on the Mac vs. Dos Holy War [http://www.themodernword.com/eco/eco_mac_vs_pc.html http://www.themodernword.com/eco/eco_mac_vs_pc.html] does resonate with me to a certain extent.
- rimantas 17y ago
  Most people (not to mind hackers), have no problem switching between both OSs or using both concurrently I was working this way without any problems for a couple of years: Mac at home, Win/Linux at work. And only when I spent significant amount of time working on Mac exclusively I started really appreciate all those tiny and not so tiny differences.
  - pmjoyce 17y ago
    Could you elaborate on this? Would love to get an insight into the differences you're talking about. That's not to say I don't notice any differences but I struggle to see the multitude of tiny differences that, on aggregate, would make genuine and appreciable positive difference to how I work.

cookiecaper 17y ago

Because the interfaces and their intricacies are pretty different as one switches OS. When you switch drill brands, it works exactly the same way; you pull the trigger and the drill drills. On Windows or OS X or whatever, you have to log in a certain way, open a program a certain way, install things a certain way, and so on. Not so much a problem for people who use this site, but a problem for the layman.

nex3 17y ago
It can get to be a pretty big problem for hackers, as well. When I'm on Linux, I use the Awesome tiling window manager and Emacs, both of which are tweaked far beyond their usual configurations. Using Windows or OSX (or even Linux without my configuration) is very jarring for me, and will only become more so the more I customize my UI.

pmjoyce 17y ago

I agree, it's about getting the job done. We have both Windows and OSX in our house. Most people (not to mind hackers), have no problem switching between both OSs or using both concurrently and that includes my wife yet she never uses the Windows machines. Whenever I hear people getting uptight about or tightly espousing one OS/Platform over another I'm baffled. The differences I can perceive are miniscule and marginal. That said, Umberto Eco's 1994 essay on the Mac vs. Dos Holy War [http://www.themodernword.com/eco/eco_mac_vs_pc.html http://www.themodernword.com/eco/eco_mac_vs_pc.html] does resonate with me to a certain extent.

rimantas 17y ago
Most people (not to mind hackers), have no problem switching between both OSs or using both concurrently I was working this way without any problems for a couple of years: Mac at home, Win/Linux at work. And only when I spent significant amount of time working on Mac exclusively I started really appreciate all those tiny and not so tiny differences.
- pmjoyce 17y ago
  Could you elaborate on this? Would love to get an insight into the differences you're talking about. That's not to say I don't notice any differences but I struggle to see the multitude of tiny differences that, on aggregate, would make genuine and appreciable positive difference to how I work.