I was recently watching/listening to an Apple podcast where about four “Mac enthusiast“ were waxing eloquent about how great Apple was and how they can do no wrong and about how the iPad is going to change the world and the way we do things. I’ll not get into any of those things because they are neither here nor there, but one of the contributors on this particular podcast went on and on about how great the iPad is because of its simplistic interface (or iPhone OS). He then made the statement (and I paraphrase) that IT departments have heavily invested in Windows-based systems so as to “trap” the average worker in this complex infrastructure known as Windows. Basically, we’ve all been duped. All ninety-three plus percent of us Windows users have been systematically fox-holed into a convoluted subsystem of a difficult-to-learn OS and now we cannot get out because we are obviously trapped by those who wish to keep us there.
I hope this person realized how ridiculous this claim actually was after they had said it. The Windows OS is a massive mountain of code and does contain folders within folders of things that wouldn’t pertain to the average user, but the beauty of the Windows interface, especially Windows 7’s, is that all of this code and folder systems are overlaid with an intuitive, simple UI. If you don’t believe me, ask a friend or neighbor of yours who has a child that routinely gets on Windows-based computers themselves. Children can open the appropriate menus and programs and navigate to their favorite PBS Kids website. If a four or five year old kid can use Windows with ease, certainly the average workers and consumers of the world should be able to do the same without feeling trapped.
I’m 24 years old and have been using computers since the DOS days. My first real heavy computer experience was with Windows 3.1. I found a way to somehow delete the CD rom drivers and took weeks to figure out how to get them reinstalled. I went almost two years never knowing my old 3.1 machine had a soundcard until I accidentally installed the sound drivers by sheer coincidence. I was one of the few who naively installed Windows 95 using the countless 3.5 floppy disks instead of the single CD method (Please insert floppy disk #13). Those were days of complex and difficult-to-understand PC’s. We’ve come so far it’s almost amusing to look back at how different things were.
In today’s PC age, everything is done for you. Most peripherals are installed automatically and if not, a Google/Bing search can do wonders. Wizards have taken the place of just about any difficult task, making it just a “click next” away. The taskbar, menu and window arrangements have been done and redone many times to get everything just right. Most things are a few mouse clicks less than they used to be. Windows has come a long way and now has developed into a mature OS, which is also easy-to-use.
Here are the facts: Windows PC’s are no more difficult to operate than any other OS out there and may be even easier depending on who you ask. There isn’t some secret conspiracy by IT guys to keep us, like sheep, chained to a Windows PC for the rest of our lives. The great thing about Windows PC’s are that the complex behind-the-scenes stuff is there for those with the experience, know-how and nerves, but for those who don’t want all the “complex stuff”, you have a start button, start menu, icons and a taskbar that combines everything in Windows 7, it doesn’t get much simpler than that.
How a PC-Mac conversation might go:
Convo 1:
Mac: Hi Windows what are you doing?
Windows: Just playing some games.
Mac: Oh, what games?
Windows: All of them. :) )
Convo 2:
Mac: Oh? Is that all?
Windows: No, I'm taking a five minute break, while a download is being installed. And my word document is printing on three printers, of which one is located at my house, and the other two at work. What are you doing?
Mac: Oh, just flipping through my photos, listening to some music, playing with Time Machine, watching the icons on my dock get bigger and smaller with the cursor, you know.
Windows: Sounds great! Oh, I've got to go. My download is finished, the word document has been printed, I need to move some files to three separate folders, and my advance movie editor program is finished loading a few files.
Convo 3:
Mac: Hey Windows did you see the video I just did on iMovie?
PC: Not now… I’m busy.
Mac: Busy? Doing what?
PC: Please! Please let me focus.
PC: 10, 25, 40.68, 86,…
Mac: Are you suffering from the swine flu virus?
PC: …100 times 10 to the power of 6.
Mac: 100 million?! PC, are you running out of memory???
PC: Nope, I was just counting the number of satisfied Windows 7 customers.
