Behold the object of my digital desire, the new MacBook. I had the chance to play around with one while I was at the mall today, and to say I was impressed would be quite an understatement. This thing looks great, feels great, is incredibly fast, and it comes with features that Windows has never even thought about including. First of all, the most obvious plus is that it runs a Unix-based operating system. Second, the programs for a Mac are exceptional. For example, Mac OS X includes, by default, a 3D grapher. Now this isn't one of the apps that apple publicizes in order to sell Macs, and its coolness is lost on the vast majority of users, but for a math geek like me this is a really big deal. No, it's not the greatest 3D grapher out there, but just the fact that it is there adds a certain something to the appeal of the computer. I feel like it is Apple's way of winking at me, saying "even though these are being marketed to the average users, we both know about the geeky goodness inside". And most importantly, Mac OS X has the feeling of really being an elegant system. In Windows it feels like the OS and the programs it is running exist in two totally separate realms, and are always battling against each other; the OS preventing the application from realizing its true potential and the application trying its best to crash the entire system. Granted, this is a little imaginative on my part, but many of you have surely had the same feeling. Linux is much better, at least in that it feels stable, but it also feels cobbled together to an even worse degree. Now a true Linux aficionado, such as myself, will pontificate for hours about how this is a good thing, and how Linux allows developers the freedom to do whatever they want and as a result get to use a rich, diverse selection of software, none of which is forced into some mold that was arbitrarily decided upon by a big software company. While I do believe this is true, I must confess that even in the heat of my fervent Linux fan-boy passion I see the seamless integration of OS X and I am little jealous.
Speaking of this secret jealousy forces me to face the difficult question that it brings to light. Could I switch to Mac, or would doing so make me feel like i was betraying Linux? I feel like I should explain something to any non-techies who may have stumbled upon this blog and are a little confused by the potential ridiculousness of that last sentence. For those of us who use it, Linux is not just an operating system, it is a religion. Actually, open-source software is the religion, but central to the practice of this religion is the use of Linux.
I think the answer to my question lies in the subtleties surrounding it. First of all, it isn't really the binary choice I make it out to be. It's not like my laptop (which is what I will be purchasing next) will be my only computer. I am currently typing this on a desktop running Linux which will still be around and still be running Linux even if I do buy a Mac. Also, through the glorious technology that is virtualization I don't have to be restricted to just running OS X on a Mac. In fact, it's already a guaranteed thing that whatever I get I will be running Windows on it in a virtual machine, so why not run Linux too, then I can have all three major operating systems (sorry Solaris, you don't get included in this list yet) on one computer. Now that really excites my geekiness. Finally, since Macs now run on Intel processors, I can install Linux directly on the hard drive and run a dual boot if my Linux shunning guilt gets the best of me.
I also want to point out that, despite my love of open-source software, I don't necessarily dislike proprietary software. On the contrary, I think there are very good arguments for using proprietary software. For one, when you buy a car you want it to be made by professional car makers, most likely by the best you can afford to buy from. Why should operating systems really be any different? In fact, if you are in my position and your computer is the single most important thing besides your brain in your professional life, then you should feel even more strongly about it. That doesn't necessarily mean that Linux is doomed to be inferior because it's not made exclusively by people who are being paid to make it and it only, but it does at give you something to think about. I have no doubt that many of the people who are volunteering their time to work on Linux (and the applications that run on it) are superior programmers to the people at Apple,but the fact that they are volunteering shows in the afore-mentioned integration issues. The people at Apple are getting paid to insure that the code they write works in the system as a whole.
The final thing that makes Mac so appealing is that you don't have to spend as much time administrating your own system with it. Don't get me wrong, I love playing with my computer, but sometimes I don't want to spend all night tracking down dependencies and editing configuration files, I just want things to work. The point is, I will continue to consider this issue, but for now Mac looks really good.
In closing, I'd like to give a shout out to my fiancee Tab, who is and will always be the original Mac convert in our household. If there is any justice then she will be the first of us to get a shiny new Mac, hopefully using a nice piece of cash from a shiny new job.
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