XP, OSX And What Just Is Value?
I am typing this from a second generation Mac running an updated version of Tiger OSX (10.4.x). I have it beefed up, as much ram as I can put in (but due to bus architecture only uses 3.3 of the 4 gig of ram), a 360 gig hard drive. I haven’t upgraded to the newest Snow Leopard — teetering on whether the $120 or so full upgrade recommended for this Mac would be worth it vs. putting the money into a new one.
Upstairs I have a Compaq running Windows XP. Also, a few servers with base Windows Server installed on them, and dual booting to Gentoo and Puppy Linux and a live distribution of Ubuntu for whatever various reasons I see fit.
In the 90’s and early 2000’s I played the value and expandability game with my Windows machines. You know — get the ram later, maybe upgrade the processor later (which never happens), new video cards (but they change the slot configs constantly). It was always a game to calculate building vs. pre-made etc. My time vs. money. I remember porting data off PS/2’s with zip disks and DOS drivers to save it all. Working hours on print drivers, maybe days. Very painful. Making machines run like Cubans fixing cars that run forever.
Later on after owning several notebooks I came to this conclusion: what you buy, then and there, is what you get. You *might* allow for a few upgrades like ram, harddrive, or maybe just maybe a slight OS upgrade. But in the long run, when its time for that new OS your hardware is too slow (i.e. the 32 vs. 64 bit changeovers). Or, the performance doesn’t justify spending $250 on that new old architectured processor, when you can put the money towards a screeming fast motherboard and newer architectured processor.
And if you are a developer, like me, you dont give a damn you just WANT IT TO RUN so you can write software.
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Value, to me, is something that does what you want for a long long time with minimal fuss.
Now recently I thought I’d install the latest greatest NetBeans on my Tiger Mac so I could develop a an invention in JavaFX. I like Macs, its like having a Linux machine with a clean interface. But, if you are a developer you know that upgrading the open source Java SDK on a Mac is near next to impossible. FUSS. I installed the SoyLatte port for Java 6, was not trivial. For some reason, like Windows integrating its browser into the OS in the old days, Mac thinks it has to control someone elses software kit — Java. In fact I think just recently (October 2010) Apple announced the support of newer JDKs (newer than 1.4 GASP!!) on its OS’s.
I ran into this same problem trying to install Eclipse on the Mac too. Finally I got sick of it, went to my XP machine, and was up and running in 15 minutes I had wasted 3 hours on the Mac, I had a protoype piece running in under 1/2 hour on XP.
So here’s my question to Apple: Why? Why lock out Java installations or Flash engines? Why make it so difficult for devlopers to use something besides Coco to make apps? Why require us to upgrade ever year or two at cost? Why can’t Apple make an OS that delivers value for as long a duration as Windows 98 or XP?
XP first came out in August 2001. Wikipedia reports it still has almost 49% market share. I can do anything wiht my hardware and software on it. I will upgrade to Windows 7 soon — probably a new notebook — but that old Compaq will keep chugging along. XP’s last support is suppost to be – April 2014.
Mac Tiger was released in April 2005. It’s last update was in 2009.
14 years of functionality vs. 5 years of functionality.
There are of course payoffs for choosing one or the other that may be time soaks. Windows requires a lot of virus software etc. ts registry corrupts, needing rebuilding every so often. But, it hooks up with every piece of hardware; more software than any other OS. It offers choices. The Macs are generally rock solid; a nice solution-in-a-box if you need such a thing. You probably won’t be unhappy but it requires a commitment to the Jobs school of thought.
Please don’t misunderstand me I really like Mac’s a lot. But the difference between a Windows OS and a Mac OS is comparing a Ford pickup to a slick Harley. Both can haul, just pick your poison.