“Ian Cumming was a Windows guy. After almost 40 years in the IT industry, he knew everything there was to know about Microsoft’s operating system. He started out as a computer programmer on IBM mainframes and then graduated to personal computers that ran MS-DOS,” Paul Lima reports for The Globe and Mail.
Lima reports, “He’d been a Windows user ever since Microsoft had introduced its graphical user interface OS in 1983.”
MacDailyNews Note: Incorrect date. Microsoft announced its development of Windows in 1983. Microsoft modeled the Windows GUI on Apple’s Mac OS. Bill Gates had been shown a Macintosh prototype by Steve Jobs early in its development as Microsoft was partnered by Apple to create some early Mac software (Word) circa 1981. Microsoft debuted Windows 1.0 with a very rudimentary UI in November 1985.
Lima continues, “As head of sales and marketing for an IT security company, Cumming had experienced all the good things about Windows: the business applications like Microsoft Office and cheaper prices thanks to all the vendors that sell Windows-compatible hardware—to name just two. He’d also experienced all that was bad about it, including unexpected crashes and that notorious susceptibility to viruses—also to name just two. But if you were in business, Windows was what you needed. At least, that’s what Cumming thought, until a friend persuaded him—’with a great deal of resistance’—to buy an Apple PowerBook G4 for home.”
“When Cumming decided to set up his own company, selling organic fertilizer to commercial farmers, he decided to use Apple—much to the horror of many of his Windows-touting business associates. ‘I didn’t have to think about it for long,’ he says,” Lima reports.
“Compatibility between programs made for both operating systems is so complete that Cumming doesn’t even operate his Mac in Windows mode,” Lima reports.
Lima reports, “The porting of Macs to the Intel microprocessor and the inclusion of dual-boot mode began to pay off late in 2006, says Eddie Chan, a research analyst with IDC Canada. In the third quarter of 2005, Apple had a 5.8-per-cent share of the Canadian commercial desktop computer market; in the third quarter of 2006, it had 6.4 per cent. It’s seen similar growth in the U.S. market. “Apple has been significantly outperforming the North American commercial computer market in terms of year-over-year growth,” says Chan. In the third quarter of 2006, sales of Apple’s commercial desktops were up 16.6 per cent in the U.S. Meanwhile, year-over-year sales in the desktop computer market were down 2.3 per cent over all. Same story in Canada: 17.4 per cent growth for Apple Canada in the third quarter of ’06, compared with just 6.7 per cent for the Canadian PC market.”
Much more in the full article here.
Related articles:
Smart business owners migrate to Apple’s OS-unlimited Macs – April 09, 2007
IT manager for Fortune 500 company seriously considering OS-unlimited Apple Macs – April 06, 2007
Apple Macs for enterprise: yes, change does happen – March 23, 2007
WSJ: Apple makes inroads with Macs that can run Mac OS X, Linux, Windows – March 20, 2007
More on Wilkes University’s plan to dump all Windows PCs, replace with superior Apple Macs – March 16, 2007
Network World: Need a new PC for Vista? Switching to Mac may cost less and give you more – March 16, 2007
USA Today on switching: Apple Macs can also be screaming-fast Windows machines – March 15, 2007
BusinessWeek: Microsoft’s Windows Vista is ‘slow and dangerous’ – March 15, 2007
Analyst: Microsoft’s Windows Vista is very good for Apple Mac – March 13, 2007
Windows expert dumps Windows, switches to Apple’s Mac OS X, finds software plentiful – March 12, 2007
InfoWorld: 9,000 people switch to Apple Mac every day (plus testing ‘Embrace and Extinguish’) – February 28, 2007
Netscape founder Marc Andreessen switches to Apple Mac – February 28, 2007
Computerworld: Windows expert dumps Windows, switches to Apple’s Mac OS X – February 08, 2007
Embrace and Extinguish in action: TechIQ’s ‘The VAR Guy’ dumps Windows, switches to Mac OS X – September 25, 2006
Windows sufferer spends six hours trying to ‘upgrade’ to Vista, says: ‘I should’ve bought a Mac’ – February 07, 2007
Windows Vista woes push BBC News editor to regret never having ‘defected’ to Apple Mac – February 06, 2007
Bill Gates unhinged with Apple envy; Microsoft on path to become high profile casualty – February 06, 2007
Apple takes dead aim at Microsoft’s Windows Vista in latest ‘Get a Mac’ ad (with video) – February 06, 2007
Digit: Don’t buy Vista; Microsoft may be driving millions to stick with XP or move to Apple Mac – February 05, 2007
Bill Gates has lost his mind: calls Apple liars, copiers; slams Mac OS X security vs. Windows – February 02, 2007
TIME Magazine: Microsoft’s Windows Vista ‘an embarassment to the good name of American innovation’ – February 02, 2007
Microsoft’s Windows Vista: Five years for a chrome-plated turd – January 30, 2007
Those unfamiliar with Apple’s Mac OS X may be impressed with Windows Vista – January 29, 2007
Digit: ‘Microsoft’s Windows Vista may be the best reason yet to buy an Apple Mac’ – January 29, 2007
Pioneer Press: Windows Vista shows ‘Apple is an innovation engine; Microsoft, not so much’ – January 29, 2007
Windows Vista disappoints, so get a Mac – January 29, 2007
Microsoft emails reveal serious Mac OS X Tiger envy – January 26, 2007
Analyst: Microsoft’s Windows Vista could be an opportunity for Apple – January 26, 2007
CNET Reviews Windows Vista: Is that all? Clunky and not very intuitive vs. Mac OS X; warmed-over XP – January 24, 2007
Mossberg: Microsoft’s Windows Vista offers lesser imitations of Apple’s Mac OS X features – January 18, 2007
Windows Vista disappointment drives longtime ‘Microsoft apologist’ to Apple’s Mac OS X – January 17, 2007
InformationWeek Review: Apple’s Mac OS X shines in comparison with Microsoft’s Windows Vista – January 06, 2007
NY Times’ Pogue reviews Microsoft’s Windows Vista: ‘Looks, Locks, Lacks’ – December 14, 2006
Unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista, Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard will create no new jobs – December 12, 2006
A Windows expert opts for a Mac life, finds the experience ‘superb’ – December 07, 2006
15-year Windows vet tries Apple Mac: ‘My God! This is amazing!’ – December 04, 2006
Dave Winer: ‘Microsoft isn’t an innovator, and never was – they are always playing catch-up’ – December 01, 2006
Harvard Medical School CIO picks Mac OS X over Linux and Windows – November 30, 2006
A Windows expert opts for a Mac life – November 06, 2006
Apple Macs can run more software than Windows PCs – October 30, 2006
Embrace and Extinguish in action: TechIQ’s ‘The VAR Guy’ dumps Windows, switches to Mac OS X – September 25, 2006
Top Windows developer dumps Microsoft’s ‘pile of crap’ for Apple’s Mac OS X – September 12, 2006
$399 for Windows Vista Ultimate?! (Hint: Get a Mac) – August 29, 2006
Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard is 64-bit done right, unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista kludge – August 14, 2006
Microsoft Windows Vista: If you can’t innovate… try to impersonate Apple’s Mac OS X – August 10, 2006
Analyst: Apple’s new Mac OS X Leopard sets new bar, leaves Microsoft’s Vista in the dust – August 08, 2006
Microsoft botches another copy job: Windows Vista Flip3D vs. Apple Mac OS X Exposé – June 26, 2006
Windows Vista rips-off Mac OS X at great hardware cost (and Apple gains in the end) – June 13, 2006
Computerworld: Microsoft Windows Vista a distant second-best to Apple Mac OS X – June 02, 2006
Dude, you got a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006
Apple Macintosh simply does more and costs less than Windows PCs – February 14, 2006
Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness – December 20, 2003
Just for the record…. Microshaft Windows was a lousy ripp-off from Mac OS, Office was a ripp-off MacWrite, Visicalc and PowerPoint was bought from another company.
So Mafia$oft NEVER created anything…. except 16,000 plus viruses and malware the powers the international criminal enetrprise today.
Thanks Billy… ilii
People all around me are buying Macs. For my business customers, I insist on them using Macs. In fact, I specify that my web-based software will only run on a Mac, so they don’t have a choice.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
— a guy from Canada
After almost 40 years in the IT industry, he knew everything there was to know about Microsoft’s operating system
I think it’s apparent he didn’t know everything…
••••
God, I’m getting so tired of these lame-assed stories about switchers and the writers who are compelled to tell the story!
Establish credibility for the switcher by juxtaposing his entrenched knowledge about Windows and their migration to OS X, which is all tied together neatly by their heartwarming epiphany.
A million-mile-180-out journey that began with a single misstep only to find he wasted his whole life pursuing a DOS prompt.
Guess what Cummings? Microsoft and its billion users think you’re a loser!
According to Wikipedia:
“PowerPoint 1.0 was released in 1987 for the Apple Macintosh”
“Later in 1987, Forethought [the company that developed PowerPoint] and PowerPoint were purchased by Microsoft Corporation for $14 million”
“In 1990 the first Windows versions were produced.”
And about VisiCalc:
“Conceived by Dan Bricklin, refined by Bob Frankston, developed by their company Software Arts, and distributed by Personal Software in 1979 (later named VisiCorp) for the Apple II computer, it propelled the Apple from being a hobbyist’s toy to being a much-desired, useful financial tool for business”
In other words…
Microsoft would be nothing without the Mac. Ironic. Most of Microsoft’s products were developed by others.
You can do the most dastardly things, but if you repent, you will be saved.
God business, computer business, it doesn’t matter, the outcome is the same.
Ian Cumming will have a happy rest of life and a happy afterlife.
Emissary: The billion users of the Windows Empire descend upon you! Our crapware will blot out the sun!
Mac User: Then we shall compute in the shade.
I think that the original version of Windows Media Player actually used already installed QuickTime components to do its playback. If you didn’t have QuickTime installed and you tried to run it, you got an error message that said that you didn’t have the necessary QuickTime components installed!
One of my favorite sites showing Microsoft’s “Innovation”.
http://www.mcmillan.cx/innovation.html
From IE to SQL to Visual basic, hell, even DOS wasn’t theirs…
JJ
“After almost 40 years in the IT industry, he knew everything there was to know about Microsoft’s operating system…Cumming decided to set up his own company, selling organic fertilizer to commercial farmers”
You’ve got to worry about Microsoft when someone decides peddling manure is a better career…
Looked for a link to what I posted about above but can’t find one. I did read this on some site a few months ago.
http://mytop-in.net/go/030207160042.html
“Compatibility between programs made for both operating systems is so complete that Cumming doesn’t even operate his Mac in Windows mode,”
He’s got a PowerBook G4? I hope he’s not trying to operate it in Windows mode. (And please to reference Virtual PC. That piece of garbage was worthless).
History lesson anyone?
http://www.pbs.org/nerds/part1.html
Stab the man:
LOL!!!
Steve
but I miss DL Meyers link to his dumb ass website
selling organic fertilizer to commercial farmers, he decided to use Apple
Thats right> Use apples to run companys that make shit.
lol… go ahead and whine little one. If you want to use a computer that only runs windows, instead of a computer than runs windows, unix, linux, and OSX. It just proves how dumb windows only users are.
That is very interesting.I like it very much.
dvd-to-iphone
. http://mytop-in.net/go/030207160042.html
You cant say MicroSoft never created anything of they own
What about BOB
Who would trust or listen to anyone who sells manure as “organic fertilizer?”
He’s full of organic fertilizer.
@ Spark: That was my initial thought too. If the dude is using a PowerBook how is this story even relevant today?
Seeing these stories may be tedious, but look at the sources. They’re appearing all over the country in all kinds of unexpected places.
For every one of these stories that appears, there’s at least one Joe or Mary Schmoe from East Bumfuck who’s seeing one for the FIRST time. The rusty gears may actually start to move in Apple’s direction. Just getting more people to even CONSIDER buying a Mac is a good thing!
Apple is gaining boatloads of MINDSHARE with each and every one of these stories. Not worthy pooh-poohing.
Spark, he’s talking about FILE compatibility. Which, IMHO, is what the REAL bottom line is all about. As long as your Mac can directly read or translate “foreign” files, what more do you need?
Yeah, I’ve go a copy of Office, but rarely run it. Using MacLinkPlus and opening the files in AppleWorks works fine for me. Ironically, it’s even faster to translate the file that way than waiting for Word to launch!
Hey MDN… Can’t you get these text linkers off your boards?
Chan, Chan:
Buena Vista
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
“[T]hen graduated to personal computers that ran MS-DOS”, surely that should not be graduated, relapsed maybe?