50 reasons to switch from Windows to OS X?

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Really?

A better title should be:

A lost sheep’s ongoing struggle to stay relevant in this Internet age

In a post last week, on St. Valentine’s Day no less, Chris Pirillo states his 50 reasons to switch from Windows (any version?) to OS X.

After getting past his preamble about neutrality, he delivers his thoughts.

Actually, we are supposed to take his thoughts as neutral, since, in his opening statements he declared his relationships with some sponsors. Feel free to ingest a grain/several grains of salt with his recommendations.

I have taken it upon myself to provide a public service by attempting to debunk some of the outright errors, factual errors, product plugs, and gross misconceptions in his beliefs.

    1. Bunk. While it is niiiice that he has the privilege of being outside the corporate or enterprise box, the truth of it is that enterprise sales drive the cost of computing downwards. If not for both that fact and Bill Gates’ and Microsoft’s vision of computing for the masses, most of us would not be to afford software. Look to the costs of software as espoused by the IBMs and Oracles of this world. Now, thank Microsoft, for it wasn’t for them, you would not be able to afford software for your Mac.
    2. Bunk. Anything less than that would be a shame, since apple delivers a complete hardware and software solution.
    3. Bunk. What a nonsensical statement. Kernel Panics are better than BSODs? More stable? Dude, have you checked the number of fixes each OS X patchfest brings? Compared to Windows Vista? Or any version of Windows for that matter?
    4. Bunk. Actually, Bro’, you are the fool for making such a simplistic statement.
    5. Product plug!
    6. ??? Space filler.
    7. 1st semi-true point. The UI does look good. BFD! However, so is Aero ‘Glass’.
    8. 1st true point. For which I excoriate Microsoft daily. And cuss them the ‘F’ out whenever I run into it in client environments.
    9. Another space filler.
    10. 2nd true point. Damn, Windows Search is a product that a) should be elegant in operation, b) should be simple in configurability, c) should be efficient, and d) return relevant and consistent results. It fails on all four points. As I have written before, the entire team should be publicly horsewhipped on the stems of the Island Club in Lagos.
    11. Space filler #3
    12. Why is this here? Anyways, I also remember the Newton (had one), the Lisa (missed that train wreck), the Cube (missed), the NeXT (missed), and recently, the MacBook Air. Cannon fodder on the path to world domination?
    13. Actually C, you should be. The success – relative to historical installed base not the negligible real world market share – of OS X makes it a suddenly attractive target for malware. Doing the ostrich thing will not make the problem vanish.
    14. After them, then……what? Surprising how 2 free apps make a platform!
    15. I don’t think so. While you may seem to have a point with the mention of Windows Vista™ Ultimate, the truth of the matter is that all Microsoft is guilty of is that the benefits of Windows Vista Ultimate were not clearly defined, leading to buyer angst. Nonetheless, BitLocker alone, makes it worth the price.
    16. Space filler. Microsoft does not make computing hardware. Leastways not in the US. As a result, adding a bootloader to the package is not necessary. Then again, there is that little consent decree and the art of ‘bundling’. Finally, Microsoft has the Hyper-V (server, $28), Virtual Server (free) and Virtual PC (also free). Take your pick.
    17. All versions of Windows Vista are also 32-bit and 64-bit compatible.
    18. Time Machine, my ass! My thoughts from August 2006 here. And no, I haven’t changed my mind on that!
    19. Network discovery is such a new thing? Allegedly? Puhleeese!
    20. Heck, you certainly like comparing onions to oranges, eh?
    21. So does Windows Vista.
    22. Product plug and space filler combo
    23. Same as #22
    24. Erhh, NO! Much simpler in Windows Vista.
    25. For all others, yes. Call for help if you cannot.
    26. Same as #22, #23
    27. Space filler
    28. 3rd good point.
    29. You gotta be kiddin’ me! Space filler and factual error.
    30. Space filler with a lotta gratuitous verbiage. GIGO.
    31. No iLife, but life goes on for the rest of us.
    32. Yes, never any excuse. Like when iTunes shipped with viruses, ““We blame Microsoft for not making Windows more hardy against viruses…..”
    33. You made and refute your own statement. How cyclic.
    34. Space filler
    35. Imagine 1 billion PC users wasting time writing widgets. FYI, Visual Studio Express Editions are free.
    36. Which can be done on Windows systems as well. Factual error.
    37. 4th good point.
    38. Same as # 22
    39. Keep lovin’ away. Space filler
    40. ‘…while not always accurate..’? What is the value there.
    41. Been in Outlook (as SmartTags) for a while, P.
    42. Further complexity is a good thing?
    43. Space filling product plug
    44. No big deal
    45. ??? space filler
    46. Space filler
    47. Space filler
    48. Same as #22. We kind of like get it by now: you like VMware. We get it, we really do.
    49. Plug, plug, plug.
    50. Thanks for the sentiment. Bye.

There you have it: an impassionate dissection of his reasons.

What did I find?

A few – total 5 good, true, or valid points.

Or 8%

8%!

He is true in his declaration that the article was not an Apple lovefest.

It was worse than that.

Without meaning to be invidious, the only thing I can say about the article is that he did his sponsors proud.

© 2005-2008, John Obeto for AbsolutelyWindows