“I use Macs because I appreciate good industrial design when I see it; I work sitting in an Aeron chair in front of a 1970s vintage Swedish desk, and I don’t want to spend sixty hours a week sitting at that desk staring at something that looks like it was thrown together from the spare parts bin. I want an operating system descended from UNIX under the hood, because I have twenty-plus years experience of bossing UNIX systems around (and UNIX, in my opinion, exhibits a degree of basic design consistency in its userland experience that is missing from the Microsoft world). I like the Mac OS X graphical experience because it looks good, (as it should, because before it could be released it had to satisfy a fanatical design perfectionist obsessed with caligraphy). And I am sitting in front of this thing for sixty hours a week,” Stross explains. “I have better things to do with my time than nurse a balky, badly-designed system that shits itself all over my hard disk on a regular basis, or spends half its time running urgent maintenance tasks that stop me getting stuff done.”
Stross writes, “I could write while sitting on a cheap IKEA stool in front of a kitchen table, banging away on a netbook loaded with Windows XP. But after a week, my back and my wrists would hurt and I’d be bleeding from the eyeballs every time I looked at the screen. It’d be like spending sixty hours a week driving a cheap Chevrolet Shitweasel instead of a Mercedes: sure, think of the savings — but the pain will get to you in the end.”
Full article – highly recommended – here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Stephen H.” for the heads up.]
When you consider total cost of ownership, including longevity, productivity, value added software, ect., I ‘ve found Macs cheaper than PCs. In similar fashion, I’ve found the same thing ever since I owned my BMW.
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.
“Shitweasel”?
this is awesome. and yes, whoever drew the BMW comparison is right on the money. I drive an M3 and everytime I get behind the wheel of anything else it may as well be a Chevrolet Shitweasel.
been a Mac guy all my life (since ’84) and recently became a BMW guy (since 2001). there is no turning back.
And for what it’s worth, the author, Charles Stross, is a best-selling and excellent science fiction writer. If you like sifi, esp. “hard” science fiction, take a look at his stuff.
Glad to know he writes it on a mac.
But the Mac is not compatible, there’s almost no software and no games, and you pay 500$ more for the Apple logo.
Giles – piss off!
“I have better things to do with my time than nurse a balky, badly-designed system that shits itself all over my hard disk on a regular basis…”
Love this quote! This literally made me laugh. Perfect description of PCs.
Good article as well.
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Davidlow noted: “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”
Actually, as an IT-industry guy who’s also a Mac enthusiast, I’ve found the opposite to be true: even as they suffer through bad support, crippling malware episodes or productivity-thwarting ill design, a PC user will keep reminding himself of how inexpensive the machine was. The “sweetness of low price” sings to him, drowning out the sorrows.
Conversely, only switchers appreciate the sweetness of high quality – they usually **can’t** switch back after becoming accustomed to better service, a fairly seamless interaction between all the elements of the computing environment, and better overall engineering. Apple’s built a Hotel California…
I’ve owned two B’mrs…. the quality is not what it used to be.
I’ve owned numerous macs, the quality was really bad in the 90’s, it’s great now, and the customer service is over the top.
@ Ron 12:08
Didn’t you recognise all the clichés we still hear ?
Giles… please tell me that was sarcasm.
Because if it’s not, then you’re stuck in the 90’s with 90’s excuses for a pc fanboy. The mac is fully compatible with 100% of the available software in the world, Mac and PC. The PC is not because it can’t run Mac software.
Apple users are now the ones who can run all available software, PC users can’t.
Giles… ok… you had me worried for a second. And you hooked me like a fish! lol.
Microsoft Certified Windows IT are so abundant that many Large companies are combining Windows IT and Janitorial staffs because they have found that most of the Janitorial staff has Microsoft certification.
Any one can study and pass Microsoft’s Certification tests but it doesn’t mean the person knows anything. But, big companies rely on that Microsoft Certification to say this person knows their Windows IT.
So you wanted to be a, Windows Certified IT Professionals now you’re getting exactly what Microsoft Certified skills with Windows brings to you a janitorial position cleaning toilets, mopping floors, and generally clean up other peoples shit.
I told you to learn a skill that you could depend on and one that would pay you. Go get Sun Solaris Certified, Vines Certification, Oracle DB Certified and/or Cisco Certified. Stay away from the Microsoft Certifications because they don’t mean anything and anyone can get them with some basic memorization. No, you had to do what everyone else was doing, what was easy, what Microsoft promised was a fast growing field and everyone that got Microsoft Certified would be making top dollar. Yes, Top Dollar if you’re a fast food hourly employee and under 16 years old maybe. Enjoy cleaning Toilets between fixing users screwed up Microsoft Windows systems.
A mac owner since 1985 and every one has been great. But BMW? Aren’t they the cars that have to change lanes every 20 seconds, tailgate and exceed the speed limit at all times? I have never owned a BMW but I have been cut off and tailgated by thousands of them here in Cupertino. I hope they are not all Mac owners.
Never have price as the top factor on choosing anything you use everyday.
The minute you leave the shop you never think of the price again…
I hate links to blogs second only to blogs themselves.
Surfin’ Safari excepted.
@ Jim 12:50
Have a nice day outdoors and… don’t stay 60 hours a week in front of your Mac like Mr Stross, even if it’s a beautiful computer.
Work is dangerous for your health.
… this guy is so full of himself that I don’t event know where to start the disassembly. This is why people hate Mac users. I need to stop being like him.
This post started with the intention of discussing “good industrial design”, but ultimately turns into something that Wintards use to make fun of people who love Macs:
“I use Macs because I appreciate good industrial design when I see it; I work sitting in an Aeron chair in front of a 1970s vintage Swedish desk…”
I sit at the crappy IKEA table the author bemoans and use a chair that is fully functional, albeit not very remarkable. I’ve also used a Mac since ’92. Why? The Mac OS – and Apple products in general – represent the least amount of friction between my effort and my output. This is the way I USE the OS and it only tangentially has to do with “lik(ing) the Mac OS X graphical experience because it looks good”. The attraction is combination of a consistent, intuitive UI, the “it just works” factor and the best implementation of minimalism in technology.
For me, its Mac and Subaru. My Mac is old, and so is my Subie. But they keep going and going.
The Herman-Miller Aeron chair remains the preferred seating solution for Mac usage.
@Davidlow
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You beat me to it.
Giles, you’re (or is that “your”
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />) almost as good as Stross! I liked your first take…@12:02…
Preaching to the choir.