Back in September, a friend lugged away the last of my Macs. I relinquished them following a July switch back to Windows. I determined to use Windows on a full-time basis, which suited my fickle mood and work situation. But the Macs are back, in a surprising return to previous enthusiasm. The decision is a personal one and does not reflect my work position with respect to covering Microsoft.
Microsoft’s approach to its MSN Spaces blogging service is what set me off. The service requires proprietary technologies to either view or post some content to MSN Spaces blogsites. I decided that going back to the Mac, which I had grown to miss over six months, best supported my philosophical position. The Internet is classic example of what kind of scale open, supported standards can create. Personally, Microsoft’s technological approach isn’t wholly consistent with my personal position.
But how could I get back without shelling out big bucks? Turns out my buddy wasn’t using all my old Macs—15-inch PowerBook, 15-inch iMac and 17-inch iMac G4s—all purchased this year. We worked out a complicated deal where I got back the dust-collecting iMacs, which have gone back to my wife and daughter.
My daughter is delighted by getting back her “neck” computer, or how she refers to the pivot-arm flat-panel iMac. She calls the iMac G5 the “chin” computer because of all the white space below the display. Thanks to my sister for buying my coveted Sony S150 notebook, which helped finance my Mac return.
Absolutely, I will continue to use a Windows computer, and on a daily basis. There is Windows XP Media Center Edition to continue testing, and using Windows best facilitates my day job covering Microsoft. But on the personal front, the Mac is back. And I mean Microsoft not malice. Nor I assume do the fairly large number of Microsoft employees I know who use Windows computers in the office but Macs at home.
Photo Credit: Grant Hutchinson