The Practical Mac

Contains Microsoft: Use at Your Own Risk

- 2002.09.03 - Tip Jar

I have just spent a weekend trying unsuccessfully to be productive on PCs running the Windows operating system. I have come away convinced of three things:

Apple hardware and Mac OS X combine to make the superior platform for virtually all computing purposes. The only obvious exception is wasting time trying in vain to make your hardware work with your software and vice-versa. For this, Microsoft software and the hodgepodge of PC hardware remain unequaled.
There's a lot to be said for making the whole widget.
Only a complete idiot would voluntarily use Microsoft software.

I spent the better part of an evening trying to scan a document and email it. The problem setup consisted of an unassuming PC running Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and a Xerox multifunction parallel port scanner/printer/copier.

These components had previously been working properly. They just stopped working. No software or hardware changes had been made. One day it worked; the next it didn't. I am Microsoft, hear me roar.

The scanner began to stop and hang at 97% completion. I exited the application, and when I launched it again, the scanner status still showed, "Scan in progress," and would not let me initiate a new scan. I turned the scanner off and back on. Same result. The only way to start over was to restart the PC.

I went through the same routine again. In the middle of trying to scan, the PC suddenly forgot there was a scanner attached. The only way to get the PC to recognize the scanner again was to restart the PC.

After about three frustrating hours, I hoisted the white flag. I give up. Microsoft wins again. In the game of Microsoft vs. the end user, Microsoft always wins. Or Intel, as the case may be. There is a remote possibility this problem may have been hardware related. However, having spent thousands of hours troubleshooting and repairing PCs through the years, I am all but certain this was a software-related problem.

This is not the only occasion in the past week in which I have found myself stymied by Microsoft. Earlier, I had an NT server that began to crash for no apparent reason, displaying the blue screen of death each time. Over a period of days, every single hardware component was replaced. The hard drive's contents were even transferred to a new drive using Norton Ghost.

The problem was only solved when we reinstalled the operating system.

In over twelve years of using Apple computers, I have never once encountered a problem for which the solution was to reinstall the operating system. In fifteen years of using Novell NetWare to power my servers, I have never once encountered a problem for which the solution was to reinstall the operating system. This is the all-too-common solution to problems with PC's running Windows.

One factor that contributes to the lack of stability in Microsoft's operating systems is the wide range of hardware they attempt to support. Apple has a much more limited range of hardware to support. However, as an end user, I don't want excuses; I want results. If this hardware cornucopia contributes to the flakiness of Microsoft's products, they need to limit support to hardware on which the OS can operate without crashing.

That would help, but it would not come close to closing the stability gap between Windows and the Unix/Linux family of operating systems. In order to do this, Microsoft would have to follow the lead of Apple and discard their proprietary operating system in favor of a completely new OS, built on the foundation of an already proven kernel.

I wouldn't hold my breath.

How long will the computer world continue to blindly follow the Microsoft monopoly into continued mediocrity? Fortunately, there are already some promising signs of independent thought appearing in the computer industry. This is not the last word on this issue.

Stay tuned.

Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Steve Watkins is the Vice President for Information Technology for a mid-sized bank, an attorney, and an Army Reserve JAG on extended active duty. He has been a Mac user for about 12 years. He has owned some PCs along the way - but always came back to the Mac. If you find his articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.

Recent Practical Mac Columns

Disk Expert Helps You Find and Delete or Archive Your Biggest Files, 2012.02.02. If your hard drive, flash drive, or SSD is filling up, Disk Expert can help pinpoint the biggest files, which you may be able to delete or archive.
Welcome Back to Mac, Quicken, 2012.01.06. Quicken 2007, widely used on Mac, broke with OS X 10.7 Lion, and Quicken finally promises a Lion-compatible version.
The Jobs Legacy: Nearly Problem-Free Computing, 2011.10.06. "...users quickly saw that the Macs had none of the problems their previous Windows PCs had."
More in the Practical Mac index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
February 14 in LEM history: 98: A perfect compact Mac - 00: Extended computer warranties worth the cost? - Making your PC work with your Mac - 01: Customize Microsoft Word - 02: Quadra revives a passion for computing - 03: Real world performance - DIY Pismo screen replacement - Best Mac for writing - 03: Fastest browser on the Mac - 06: 15" MacBook Pro - Impressions of a newly acquired Lisa - Finding and using free WiFi - Apple should liberate OS 9 - 07: New Mac mini cheaper than upgrading a Power Mac - 08: Falling in love with OS X
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Practical Mac articles copyright ©2001-12 by Steve Watkins. Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay