5 ms·

Here's the difference: You don't have to use any Apple device if you don't want to. That choice is yours. I spent many years working in places where you had t

Here's the difference: You don't have to use any Apple device if you don't want to. That choice is yours. I spent many years working in places where you had to use Microsoft products. There was no choice. Microsoft didn't care what you put on your machine because all they care about is making money selling you stuff.

iaskwhy 16y ago
I'm just saying but who knows if in x years you also have to use Apple? You know, there was always an alternative for Microsoft products like there is for Apple ones but people actually vote on this with their wallet: if the vast majority chooses Apple you will be forced to use their products too. I'm sure of this because I would never think about working with Objective-C and here I am doing iOS apps because that's where money is.
- steveklabnik 16y ago
  > I'm just saying but who knows if in x years you also have to use Apple? Then that's when I'll start to take issue with them.
  - iaskwhy 16y ago
    Oh, I agree but I also like to be conscious that it's happening (or might happen).
  - CapitalistCartr 16y ago
    As Stalin supposedly said, "Once the avalanche has started, its too late for the pebbles to vote." And Voltaire, "No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible."
cookiecaper 16y ago
You don't have to use Microsoft if you don't want to either -- just don't work somewhere that requires MS products. Do you suppose that there aren't companies where using Apple products is required? There are.
- gamble 16y ago
  That's a bit pat considering that 95% of workplaces use Windows.
zmmmmm 16y ago
> I spent many years working in places where you had to use Microsoft products. There was no choice. That's ridiculous - you had choice - you could have chosen to work elsewhere. Can't get the same pay, conditions, etc? That's not the point. These days there are plenty of jobs where you'll have to use a Mac because Jobs has dictated that you can only do iOS development on a (recent) Mac.
- Xuzz 16y ago
  Well, unless you don't: http://code.google.com/p/iphonedevonlinux/ http://code.google.com/p/iphonedevonlinux/
- tvon 16y ago
  So choose not to do iOS development.
- extension 16y ago
  Microsoft's entire empire was built on platform lock-in and network effects -- from business to business, to customers, and to the homes of their employees. It was a staggeringly successful strategy that everyone copied, Apple being the most prominant exception. They've always made products to please the consumer who bought it and nobody else. Cherry pick counter-examples all you like, but this is pretty much how it was.
  - cookiecaper 16y ago
    Really? I don't think that Apple has acted with such altruistic intentions. Certainly they're not just pumping out whatever they can to get more cash, but they're obviously working to make a profit. If their number one priority was really to please the end-user, they'd be selling everything at cost, open-sourcing and giving away OS X for free, etc. People are generally greatly pleased when they can get cool stuff for cheap or free. Apple wants to please their customers so much that Apple is deciding what apps their customers are allowed to use, because their customers are too stupid to correctly choose the application that works best for his/her needs. And if you attempt to circumvent this restriction, Apple will do everything in its power, technically and legally, to stop you from doing so. Did Microsoft ever endeavor to do this? Personally, I find top-down control of the entire distribution channel more of a "platform lock-in" thing than encouraging the use of proprietary IE extensions. It seems to me that Apple develops more to please Apple than to please end-users. The worship that Apple gets is so very silly, in my opinion.

iaskwhy 16y ago

I'm just saying but who knows if in x years you also have to use Apple? You know, there was always an alternative for Microsoft products like there is for Apple ones but people actually vote on this with their wallet: if the vast majority chooses Apple you will be forced to use their products too. I'm sure of this because I would never think about working with Objective-C and here I am doing iOS apps because that's where money is.

steveklabnik 16y ago
> I'm just saying but who knows if in x years you also have to use Apple? Then that's when I'll start to take issue with them.
- iaskwhy 16y ago
  Oh, I agree but I also like to be conscious that it's happening (or might happen).
- CapitalistCartr 16y ago
  As Stalin supposedly said, "Once the avalanche has started, its too late for the pebbles to vote." And Voltaire, "No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible."

cookiecaper 16y ago

You don't have to use Microsoft if you don't want to either -- just don't work somewhere that requires MS products. Do you suppose that there aren't companies where using Apple products is required? There are.

gamble 16y ago
That's a bit pat considering that 95% of workplaces use Windows.

zmmmmm 16y ago

> I spent many years working in places where you had to use Microsoft products. There was no choice. That's ridiculous - you had choice - you could have chosen to work elsewhere. Can't get the same pay, conditions, etc? That's not the point. These days there are plenty of jobs where you'll have to use a Mac because Jobs has dictated that you can only do iOS development on a (recent) Mac.

Xuzz 16y ago
Well, unless you don't: http://code.google.com/p/iphonedevonlinux/ http://code.google.com/p/iphonedevonlinux/
tvon 16y ago
So choose not to do iOS development.
extension 16y ago
Microsoft's entire empire was built on platform lock-in and network effects -- from business to business, to customers, and to the homes of their employees. It was a staggeringly successful strategy that everyone copied, Apple being the most prominant exception. They've always made products to please the consumer who bought it and nobody else. Cherry pick counter-examples all you like, but this is pretty much how it was.
- cookiecaper 16y ago
  Really? I don't think that Apple has acted with such altruistic intentions. Certainly they're not just pumping out whatever they can to get more cash, but they're obviously working to make a profit. If their number one priority was really to please the end-user, they'd be selling everything at cost, open-sourcing and giving away OS X for free, etc. People are generally greatly pleased when they can get cool stuff for cheap or free. Apple wants to please their customers so much that Apple is deciding what apps their customers are allowed to use, because their customers are too stupid to correctly choose the application that works best for his/her needs. And if you attempt to circumvent this restriction, Apple will do everything in its power, technically and legally, to stop you from doing so. Did Microsoft ever endeavor to do this? Personally, I find top-down control of the entire distribution channel more of a "platform lock-in" thing than encouraging the use of proprietary IE extensions. It seems to me that Apple develops more to please Apple than to please end-users. The worship that Apple gets is so very silly, in my opinion.