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You Probably Don't Want To Hear This…
Impressions of OS X from a Windows convert
I'm a big "what if" guy, so during my three-year-plus experiment over in the land of Windows, there was one particular "what if" that I couldn't help thinking about. It went a little something like this: What if you took the few good parts of Windows and merged it with most of the Mac OS? My answer to this particular question was usually, "Man, you'd have one pretty outstanding operating system."
So imagine my surprise when I found that someone has done just that, and the operating system in question is Apple's very own Mac OS X 10.1. I knew you probably didn't want to hear that. How dare I even suggest that Windows could have anything to offer our beloved Mac OS? Before you go round up the other angry villagers and light up the torches to storm the castle, hear me out. The fact of the matter is that a few features from Windows have been quietly showing up on the Mac ever since OS 8. Maybe this isn't the best example, but I remember a lot of hemming and hawing at the introduction of the Platinum interface, with detractors claiming that the Mac OS was beginning to look a lot like Windows 9x. OK, how about some other examples then? Perhaps the Application Switcher? It could be made to look and function like the Windows taskbar. Then there was the Command-Tab shortcut to switch applications. Now add in the shareware and utilities such as GoMac and Kaleidoscope that could make your Mac look and feel even more like Windows, and then you can maybe draw the conclusion that our Windows-locked colleagues maybe had a few relatively OK things going on over there. I'm stopping WAAAAYYY short of stating that Windows was and is a superior OS, but let's agree to move forward on the assumption that Windows just might have a few useful things built into the interface that are worth making the trip over to our side.
Enter Mac OS X. In the months before X 10.1, I kind of got the feeling that maybe it would end up being my aforementioned dream hybrid OS, but unfortunately the first iterations of OS X were just so stinkin' slow and ultimately unusable that I couldn't really be sure. I didn't have the time or energy to do more than kick the tires a little. Now that we have been collectively blessed with the speed and performance improvements present in X 10.1, I've gotten past mere tire kicking and am presently in the midst of trying to run it down to the bare, screeching, fiery rims, perhaps reminiscent of some of those car chases you may have seen on COPS. And coming off years of working with Windows NT, 2000 and (briefly) XP almost exclusively, Mac OS X is the biggest breath of fresh air I could have hoped for. Although the gorgeous and supremely functional (though unfortunately slammed by some) Aqua interface, the trademark Macintosh ease of use and the fact that much of the classic Mac OS workflow has been kept relatively intact are all nice features of OS X, those are some of the things I would have expected Apple to deliver. What I hoped for, but didn't really expect, is what I actually got: a good number of features I was used to from Windows had made the trip over.
Before I go any further, I want to issue a disclaimer. I'm sure that many of the features I'm about to mention didn't originally come from the geniuses in Redmond.
That said, here's a rundown of some of my favorite features from Windows that are finally available (and in some cases not only available, but superior) to Mac OS X users:
Minimize. At long last, we have a real minimize function instead of that "hide the app" or "windowshade the individual windows" garbage in pre-X. Any window can now be neatly minimized to the Dock. The genie effect is cool, but one has to wonder how many CPU cycles it happily eats up. Changing it to the scale effect somehow makes me feel better.
Copy/Paste. Instead of dragging and dropping files to move or copy them, you can now use the Command-C and Command-V keys to copy and paste files between locations in the Finder.
Integrated Internet. This one is open for debate, because connecting to the Internet has technically already been integrated for a long time now. But with the Network control panel and the Internet Connect app, as far as I'm concerned, OS X is the first Mac OS to not make Internet connectivity feel like a last-minute afterthought.
The Dock. Easily the most derided new feature in OS X, the Dock gets a lot of Mac purists really riled up. But for me, it takes the most useful feature of Windows (the taskbar) and adds so much to it that there really isn't any comparison. It's the Apple Menu, Launcher and Program Switcher all rolled up into one. And if you don't like it, you don't have to use it. Remember, it is possible through third-party utilities and the built-in Finder window options to get OS X looking and behaving pretty close to OS 9.
Explorer-like File Browsing. OK, so Mac OS X's new Finder probably resembles the NeXT browser more than the Windows Explorer, but having never used NeXT, I only have Windows to compare it to. I really like that you can browse using the same window, and the column view has grown on me already. I don't like that Mac OS X seems to pick which view you're going to get at random sometimes. If someone has figured out how to make the window views consistent, please speak up.
Power User Features. Windows has the despicable habit of assuming each and every user is an absolute idiot from the get go, but you could at least strip away the beginner interface and get under the hood a bit. Mac OS X finally builds in such tinkerability (other than AppleScript, of course), without all the Microsoft condescension. The terminal, process viewer, and CPU monitor (just to name a few) sit on top of a rock-solid Unix core to blow away Windows in terms of power user features.
Please excuse the interruption of my list to throw in an observation that seems appropriate at this point. Every Microsoft apologist I've ever heard bash the Mac throws in some variation of the following: "The Mac OS is a toy. Windows is what you use when you want to get serious." Well, if you put Windows XP's new Luna look and feel next to OS X's Aqua, which one looks like the toy OS now? Luna looks as if they borrowed the majority of it from Microsoft Bob, for Pete's sake. No wonder Microsoft lets you go back to the "classic" 9x/ME/2K look in XP. OK, had to get it out. Back to the list:
File Type Extensions. More fodder for Mac purists, but in this case I don't see the big deal. Besides, the file type extensions allow for a really useful feature found in the Get Info panel: the ability to change which application will open the file on an individual basis or system-wide. You can't do that on Windows - changing the application over there is only a global change and affects all files with that extension, and that's assuming you can even find the right panel to do so.
Keyboard Shortcuts. Finally! In the Keyboard control panel there's a button to turn on full keyboard access. Doing so means that you can control dialog boxes, menus, and even the Dock through the keyboard. LOOOOONNNNNGGGG overdue.
There are, of course, more to mention, but those are my favorites. While I'm sure that the inclusion of Windowsesque features may represent the death of the Mac OS to some of you, as a long-time Windows user they are more than welcome to me. I finally have as close to my hybrid OS as I would have ever dreamed I'd get. Hopefully, a lot of other Windows users will see things the same way, especially in this day and age when Microsoft is breaking out all sorts of new and buyer-unfriendly licensing schemes and many folks may be looking for a viable alternative. You can't argue that whether you love it or hate it, Mac OS X is the future of the Mac, so you're either going to have to adapt or switch. While it's not perfect, I happen to be in the "love it" camp, so I might as well set up my tent and break out the s'mores; I'm going to be here for a while.
Being a big "what if" guy, I'm naturally led to the next one: What if Apple decided to port OS X over to x86? I'll just have to save pondering that for another day. The "what ifs" never end 'round these parts.
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