Windows 2 Apples Episode 4

Windows 2 Apples Episode 4

As I look back over my previous posts and podcasts I suspect some interpret my comments as Microsoft biased rants against Apple and the Macintosh. I want to take this opportunity to assure my audience I am not wedded to Windows and I truly want an alternative to the PC that delivers the kind of security, utility, beauty and robustness that Apple adds imply can be already found in the Mac.

Tonight I have been trouble shooting the Windows IE 7 browser on my Sony VIAO tower. As I write this I have the second Virus scan running … a good old 2 or 3 hour scan is always my knee jerk reaction when things go sour in Windows. And, there is often more sour than sweet when using Windows. Prior to this scan I had reinstalled IE7, which took a surprisingly long time even as Microsoft reinstalls go.

The problem I am currently fighting is the inability to stream podcasts on my Sony XP using IE7. I can usually get one to play but Explore locks up when a second stream is attempted. Opera, FireFox, and Safari (yes I even have the Windows Safari beta) all seem to work as expected. IE 7 works without failing on my Vista laptop so I am caught as is so often the case trying to ferret out the offending dll, 3rd party app or setting that is giving me so much grief. I turn and look at the beautiful Sony monitor and still impressive super quite Sony tower and long for a workable way out of the Microsoft strangle hold.

As I look at my iMac I want it to “reach out” and comfort me … to assure me that it will “just work” as my Macintosh friends always say. Believe me, I do want that. So many months of my professional life have been wasted on fighting Microsoft OS issues and I want that ideal computer I can turn on knowing no more wasted time fighting the unknown.

But as you know from my other podcasts I have already spend hours fighting problems with the iMac and the angst is intensified by the longing for the Machine Jobs says he is delivering. The machine he claims I can use immediately out of the box with no fuss no muss … no long downloads of security updates … no worries … just sit back and enjoy my new found increased productivity and the Zen like piece of mind I would surely feel if the Apple advertising copy were my reality. But alas I have not had that wonderfully liberating experience and wonder if in my career technology will ever advance to the level of perfection that Apple and some of the Ubuntu Linux community suggest is already a reality.

By the way I have tried Ubuntu and have experienced the same issues I always encounter when trying a new “user friendly” desk top Linux distribution … too many things simply don’t work, drivers are not available for my installed hardware, applications don’t have a shared look and feel, Windows applications I count on to make my living are not available or are a work in progress, and of course there is virtually no support or documentation. Maybe one day Linux will happen for me but not yet.

Rather than a crank and Apple basher I am simply a technology consumer wanting more for my investments in money and more importantly my time. I continue to hold out hope that some creative genius or collective genius will eventually deliver the computing experience I feel I deserve.

But until then, I am looking forward to the delivery of the new iLife suite, willing to trust Apple with get closer to delivering on the hype. At present they are I suspect my best hope of finding that better computing experience I crave but I will keep a watchful eye on the Linux efforts and Google as it shifts into the OS on line model.