Somehow, quite unintentionally, I started a bit of an OS war on the TacOps list. Not that I meant to. I only wanted to give away my copy of TacOps 3. Major H asked me if it was because UC Berkeley ROTC had just gotten copies of TacOps 3 Cavalry Edition. I replied that it was because I was getting rid of software that didn't run in Mac OS X native mode. All well and good until someone asked why people still use Mac OS. I'd say about half the list uses Mac OS since TacOps originated as a Mac OS only game.

Unfortunately, when you ask Mac people that kind of question, the reply is usually something along the lines of "Windows does these things badly, MacOS does them better" which makes it look like you use Macs because you don't like PCs. You're putting down one the other side to make your side look better but that invites replies, often heated replies. And so you get into a Macs vs PC brouhaha with the minor OS devotees (usually Linux with a very small BSD, Amiga, BeOS, whatever contingent) saying that both Windows and Mac OS suck and that their OS is better.

One of those people posts a link to an essay written by Neal Stephenson. Now, when I first read the essay I didn't know who this guy was. He's written a few books, "Snow Crash" being the one I've heard about on Slashdot. That doesn't change my impression of him from his essay: a disillusioned former Mac user who turned to Linux and BeOS. As such the essay is rather anti-Mac OS (and Windows too).

But it's more than the usual "Linux rules" sentiment that pervades Slashdot. He tries to be philosophical and compare graphical user interfaces with the need to replace reality with a synthesized man-made view of things. Command line interfaces make you think and interact with the computer and be in control, GUIs give up your control to the computer. As far as I can tell, he really had nothing else to do but try to justify leaving the Mac camp.

I don't particularly like people trying to tie in anthropology, socieology, and basic human reactions into the reason behind our glitzy and vanilla culture. It just seems like you're trying to change the argument by saying "I can quote obscure authors and advanced studies, therefore I'm right." That totally misses the simple reasons why people choose one thing over another.

Computers are just a tool. An operating system is an interface to that tool. The Mac OS is both a nice interface and a functional one. It rarely gets in the way. Windows gets in my way more often. Linux, Unix and other CLI-based OSes get in my way all the time. For me the Mac OS gives me the least grief. I know it's not for everyone and if you want to use Linux go right ahead. But I don't appreciate having my choice be compared to intellectual snobbery.

Now, Mac users by and large have a reputation for being zealots, especially when Mac vs Windows comparisons pop up. As far as I'm concerned that's a vocal minority of the community. Maybe a high minority but still I think that less than 50% So to me it's weird that PC users, once they find out I use a Macintosh, assume I'm going to start ranting about it. Or that they expect me to defend my decision. There's nothing to defend. I have a preference for an OS and platform. It's like having a preference for a tv show -- I don't need to justify it, just realize that I like it.

Then there are the inevitable "isn't Apple dying?" question that non-Mac users seem to ask. Always whenever Apple is mentioned I hear either "they're dying" or "they'll never amount to much" because of bad decisions of one sort or another. It can get a bit depressing at times, especially when it's my friends saying it. And I shouldn't be so bothered by it. It's not like we're being persecuted and burned at the stake. I don't know. There's a human habit of having to put down that which you do not support. But understanding that fact doesn't make dealing with it any easier.