Tom Cole's Profile

There's nothing quite as exhilarating as stretching a metaphor until it breaks, but let's have a go. The remark by Steve Consilvio about how Windows manages to interoperate with a huge number of vendors and partners is all true. But to the end user, it's not really quite relevant, I think. I can be amazed that the fine folks at Pontiac are able to get vendors from three continents to supply parts, able to mold complex polymers into dashboards, and follow the regulatory maze it probably takes to keep both your company and the cars you make between the yellow lines. But as an end user, "just works" still is the mantra. No matter how complex the business model, manufacturing challenges, or anything else becomes in producing a product, I still really just want it to work. I tend to use Mac OS X about 80% of the time, and Windows about 20% of the time. Note that for me, I don't really use an Intel or PowerPC, or even a Dell and a PowerMac. I use Windows and Mac OS X, and the environment they provide. I use them as tools to get my job done, to enjoy the minutiae of life, and occasionally to post comments. In the final analysis, I prefer the Mac experience because it just works. I can't remember the last time I was had trouble plugging ANY USB drive into a Mac OS X system - it just works. Like the author, I haven't had the same experience with a Windows system. The list goes on beyond USB drives, of course. But my point is that it doesn't matter about the drama of conflict, or the cult of personality, or how complex the company is that serves our needs. All we care about is if the product works the way we want and need. For me, more often than not, it's the Mac OS X product that works best. That's not loyalty, that's consumer preference expressed via the wallet.