What is the “Zen of Mac?”
Software engineer Noah Gift explains in his O’Reilly ONLamp blog:
You don’t think, it just works. As software engineers, systems administrators, or people that are very technical, it can be difficult to just not think about your desktop computer. The reality is that you are more productive on solving your other problems when you don’t think about your computer, it just works.
Find out why a Nobel prize winner prefers Macs and how Linux users (and, by proxy, Windows sufferers) should approach Apple’s Mac OS X in the full post here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Linux Guy And Mac Prodigal Son” for the heads up.]
I keep catching a trend where brilliant people are Mac users…
Well, I got a new mac and so far It’s going fantastic! and of course I am brilliant.
MDN Word among…. More macs among us.
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is leopard going to support more hardware than just their crap white/black macs? when can i put it on a custom made intel core box that i made myself? upgrading on a mac is easy, you just throw out the old and spend more money for a shittier video card than the previous one.
macs suck. get over it.
i love osx. thanks to the osx86project. thanks to communist crapple, you need to run their software on whatever hardware they choose. regardless if you like it or not. in the non-mac world, you can build any computer you want with better sound/video/network cards. want to upgrade a mac? too bad. buy a new one.
love osx. hate mac. i’ve given up on osx since it requires too many hacks to work right on my hardware, thanks to the communist restrictions placed by crapple. i’ll enjoy Windows Vista with its compatibility with over one MILLION devices.
windows = freedom
mac= communism
Well, iPhoto doesn’t work very well with over 10,000 photos.
iWeb doesn’t work well either when sites get too big.
So both of these softwares don’t scale very well.
What is the Zen of Mac?
A tautology.
I knew David Baltimore, the subject of the blog referred to above, years ago when he was President of the Whitehead Institute at MIT, before he became President of Rockfeller Univ, then Cal Tech. I can recall discussing Macs at lunch with him. He was a diehard Mac fan, as were almost all of his esteemed Biology Dept colleagues at MIT. I’ve noticed that the same is true at Harvard, and I’ve read that it is so at Princeton. I wonder of it’s generally true that biologists and physicians at the top schools use Macs and those at lesser schools are tied to PCs. Would be an interesting study, and, if true, would say something fundamental about the zen of the Mac and those who can perceive it. Or, maybe FSJ is right and Apple just restricts their computers to denizens of the ‘proper’ schools…..
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-943519.html
Here’s an article from 2002 about a study proving Mac users are smarter…
I thought it was just that while Microsoft thinks people should understand computers, Apple thinks that computers should understand people.
I grow weary of the fools who try to appear witty with their anti-Mac comments. Whether they are true trolls or just acting like them for their own perverse sense of humor doesn’t really matter anymore. They are as worthless as spammers and offer nothing but stupidity. What a waste of oxygen.
There is no zen of the Mac, what is there to zen, it just works.
As a friend discussed it this morning- with a Mac, you only concern yourself about what you want to accomplish. With a PC, you’re entirely occupied with how you might even start to begin.
“anti reality distortion field” is a moron, he wouldn’t know wit if it hit him in the head. A worthless individual who truly has nothing better to do with his life –
MacDailyNews“>here’s his Wikipedia entry</a>
Is that you, Shoeman?
I, too have grown very tired of the inane comments of MDN’s resident trolls/morons. Once in awhile is funny; all day long is a mindless abuse of the medium.
I think that “anti reality distortion field” proves the point that brilliant people are Mac users and we know where that places Windoze sufferers.
Back to your game playing monster Windoze machine “anti reality distortion field”; hope you get the High Score!
@ ardf
Apple controlling every aspect of their product hardly makes them “communist”. It assures an excellent user experience reasonably free from issues related to hardware. But let’s be perfectly clear about one point – you absolutely do not have an inalienable right to use OS X. You may purchase the right to use OS X in conjunction with a Macintosh computer. That’s it. If you insist on building your own computer, there are other fine operating systems who’s makers will be very excited to have your business. But ranting about Apple not allowing YOU (like the whole damn world revolves around you) to install OS X on whatever machine you want makes you sound a little crazy and more than a little narcissistic. Everyone knows the rules to the game with Apple. If you don’t like rules go play another game. Simple.
Am I the only long-time Mac user who remembers the definitive book on this subject which was created using MacPaint and MacDraw and layed out in PageMaker? (And halfway through jumps from 72 to 300 dpi when the author got a laser printer.)
Zen & the Art of the Macintosh : Discoveries on the Path to Computer Enlightenment by Michael Green was an absolutely delightful, enjoyable read.
I wish I still had my copy (I loaned and lost my first, and bought a second, which I eventually loaned an lost as well.) If I did, I’d post a quote or two. Sorry, I couldn’t find any decent links online.
Winows=Freedom?!?!
LOL, crack smoker.
I have a self-built desktop PC that I really like running Windows and Ubuntu no problem; however, I hardly ever use it – guess why. On top of which, I don’t run around on Windows forums complaining that… well, where do I start? The hassle of installing drivers and apps? The BIGGER hassle of uninstalling same? Networking headaches? AVS? BSOD? Updating? It goes on and on… No, I don’t bother trolling about on Windows sites whining (and shame on Mac users who do); truth is, I’d rather spend time on my Mac getting work done, effortlessly and with great pleasure. You don’t like the fact that you can’t easily (or legally) install OS X on your homemade PC? Tough – buy a Mac Pro if you want a more upgradable Mac than an iMac. Sure it’s too expensive – so are Bugattis. Find something important to whine about, loser.
There are plenty of people using Windows and Linix that are brilliant as well. Computers are TOOLS. I absolutely love my Mac but for some people, it’s not the right system for their needs. An artist/ accountant with a Mac doesn’t automatically make them a better artist/ accountant.
Auntie Reality Distortion,
Do you REALLY believe what you said, or are you just trying to get a reaction? If the latter, you need to learn from Zune Tang how to be clever, because he(she?) has it all over you on that.
Back on topic:
I used to be a die-hard Windows fan, but happened to be at a job that was all macs. I hated them (the one I used was a Performa, truly a misnomer of a name!), but then one day in Fry’s I found a Mac clone with dual processors at a great price, and I had some cash so I bought it, and loved it! About a month or two after buying that machine I suddenly realized that I was no longer thinking about the computer so much, I was just getting work accomplished. I’ve never looked back since then.
–Ron
Whenever someone starts talking about how much they enjoy building their own PC (and it’s always a guy), I ask “have you ever pulled an engine from a car?” Invariably the answer is something along the lines of “yeah, we pulled on out of my brother’s truck last weekend and this weekend we’re…” …and I just sigh and remember that some people like to jump in their cars and go away on weekends. These are the Mac people who also don’t really care *how* the engine works, nor do they every want to take one apart.
haha agree 100% dialtone, I use my car to travel to amazing places (Gwynant, Lake District etc etc) but my neighbour has his car on bricks installing the latest exhaust or air filter.
He spends all his time and money making the car better, but he doesn’t actually USE it to go anywhere, he just drives around town looking ‘cool’.
As a Mac user /Vauxhall Corsa owner, I care more about what I use my Mac/car for, as opposed to how I can tweak and tinker with it to make it faster/more powerful or whatever.
MW: earth – you geeks building your own PCs should get out and see it, it really is an amazing place!
Macs are still prone to break downs and crashes, just a whole lot less than Windoze. You could say that where we are in computers is where cars where in the 1930’s. The Mac is a Rolls Royce in the 1930s. It could still break down but a lot less often than other cars. Also more RAM= more Zen.
@dialtone and jim
While I agree with you that actually using the vehicle to go places is more worthwhile then continually fixing a broken down car, I also must partially disagree. I enjoy taking stuff apart, repairing it, and (hopefully) putting it back together and using it later, I just don’t like doing it on stuff I need to have running all the time. I’m sure there are others who actually do enjoy the challenge of fixing big problems, it’s actually what I do best. I agree that most people do not fit into this category, and frankly I’m trying to get as many people using the mac as possible.
While I can enjoy fixing problems, windows has burned me out of fixing computer problems… now to get some space so I can change my own oil…