This post is part of my “I’m Not a Mac” series, chronicling my controversial migration away from Apple Computer after 15 years as a Mac user. Find other entries in the “I’m Not a Mac” series archive.
The response I’ve gotten since starting my “I’m Not a Mac” blog series about migrating away from the Macintosh has been amazing, and a little scary too. Many Linux and Windows users have posted supportive comments and helpful advice to guide my exploration of other OSes beyond Mac OS X.
Mac users, however, seem to be taking my decision personally. Many of them have expressed shock, anger, and in the case of the AngryMacBastards podcast, a desire to “put a bullet” in my head for writing publicly about my disillusionment with Apple Computer. For a long time, Windows users have called the Mac community a cult. After 15 years, I think I’m finally getting the message. Click the play button and watch the video for more.
(Click the HQ button for a higher-quality video. RSS subscribers, click here to view the video on CHICAGO CARLESS.)
Categories: "I'm Not a Mac" Series VIDEO BLOG
Mike
I’m an #OpenlyAutistic gay, Hispanic, urbanist, Disney World fan, New York native, politically independent, Jewish blogger in Chicago. I believe in social justice, big cities, and public transit. I write words and raise money for nonprofits. I’ve written this blog since 2005. And counting...
My Bio | My Conversion | My Family Reunion
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Wow, seems I missed some internets Srz bsns here, ROFL.
Anywho, Mr. Mike Doyle, you haven’t really explained what are your main NEEDS for an OS. I think the community that is frequenting your website, me included, don’t really know what to suggest to you. Do you do heavy programming, run a Server or are a webmaster among other things?
Also have you tried the OpenBSD platforms out there? As Apple’s base technology is based off of that, you could give that a go on a live cd and see if that fits your needs.
As I said before, find what you like, if Windows or Linux don’t cut it for you, Mac is always willing to welcome you back! [/sarcasm;bullet included]
Mike,
You are not alone !!!
My story is not different from yours. I’ve been a Mac user for the last 12 years, owned 6 macs, still using 4 of them. But the future seems grim.
When switched to intel, something just broke inside my heart. Exactly, an emotional response. But was it so emotional ?
When macs were running 904s we had the best personal computing platform I ever had my hands on. I’m talking about the PM 9600. It had a SCSI backbone, it was a war tank. It had twice the price of an equivalent PC, but it was worth it. Then came IDEs, off-the-shelf standards, price drops, and finally, Intel processors. I once had a rational argument to back my emotion and macevangelism (yes, I was a member of the cult). But now I don’t have it anymore.
Today I have a dillema: I use a 20″ G4 iMac, currently running Leopard. Apart from superdrive that has been replaced with an external burner, the machine is running flawlessly. The problem is: Apps for my legacy system are disappearing. I cannot use Silverlight, I cannot play EVE online. I have to change my machine. Which is something that we all have to do sooner or later. BUT, I feel extremely guilty in tossing out something that has a fantastic 20″ display and IS working.
I don’t want to buy a MacMini. It’s too limited for my use.
I don’t want to buy another iMac. I don’t want to toss another 20, 24 or 27 display. I don’t want to buy a PowerMac. It’s too expensive for what it is.
One option would be a PlayStation 3 running YellowDog Linux. But it’s far too geeky. Other than that, I’m not so much of a Linux fan. Experimented with Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Fedora and others with a PC I have just for the sake of it.
So now I face the future. It’s either Windows (XP or 7) or Hackintosh.
Hackintosh means an eternal fear of downloading updates. What will they break in 10.6.whatever… And I’m not sure I want to deal with that.
My action is NO ACTION. I’m not changing my machine, I’ll be purchasing external HDs. I’m waiting for the hackintosh thing to become more common. Even though PsyStar lost it’s battle, soon others will appear… And, who knows what Chrome OS reserves for us.
I agree that they aren’t the cuddly care-bear they pretend. Of course they never have been either, that’s always been the Apple mythos.
Lowendmac has a whole listing of “road apples” that Apple deliberately hobbled in the interest of cold hard cash.
Zed, I would have no qualms about buying a Dell if the system fit my needs. And I think you’re right, Mac users are annoyed because I am (I repeat, I AM) saying deeply critical things about Apple. Some folks don’t believe what I’m saying is apt and some do. No computer company is perfect and all are in the business of making money. What I’m saying is that Apple is not as user-cuddly as its gigantic, never-ending marketing campaign claims it to be. You can’t say that of Microsoft, because they never claimed to be that kind of company. Apple did, and still does…but isn’t. Their branding is disingenuous–they don’t live up to it. And that’s my entire beef.
GBT: W7 hasn’t won me over just yet. There is still a layer of arggh! in between me and what I want to do when I play with the W7. It could be my unfamiliarity with the OS, I’m learning how to use it slowly but surely. The same goes for Linux, mind you, and I’m really having fun exploring Linux Mint’s GNOME distro–which got a lot more convenient to use once I figured out how to configure taskbars to my liking. So, we’ll see–I’ll blog about this all soon. Work has taken precedence this week but I hope to blog today…
Mike, no offense intended, but the thing that annoys the responders is NOT the decision to switch to a different OS or provider or anything.
It’s the old Windows world argument being raised again as if it were fact: Macs lock you in and you can’t do “insert whatever it is that you think can’t be done here.” Then, to make matters worse, after someone proves that your logic is flawed (you can’t run other music programs with an iPod comes to mind) with an ACTUAL LINK TO WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR, you dismiss them as whining unsupportive Fanboys. Even YOU admit that you can run Google or Office or whatever on your Mac or wipe the hard drive and run Windows or Linux – wow, the non-Apple choices appear to be limitless.
That’s what has people annoyed. These are Mac users who honestly feel they’re trying to help you. They even say they hope you find what you’re looking for.
It’s not that you’re trying to figure out what electronic universe best fits you that has the Mac people up in arms, it’s that you’re instead trying to figure out how to get rid of technology from one company as if it is some evil world-domination entity (which is a better analogy for Microsoft if you think about it).
I hear Dell is having a big after-Thanksgiving sale.
Interesting, so Windows 7 has won you over – is that because you want/need Office? I’m a Mac user of 20 years and recently bought an Acer netbook because the Macbook Air is a stupid price. Installed W7 and this long time *nix guy is very happy with the result and the MBP at home gets used infrequently now, I’d move it to Linux or Open Solaris but I need the usb modem to work.
“Satisfied Mac users with minds locked shut from years of Apple marketing”
Ok, so you can’t be a satisfied mac user without being brainwashed by Steve Jobs and Apple ?
If you wan’t to blog about the switch that’s fine, but like Jack said, drop the drama attitude.
/thomas
The 37 uses of “I” on this page betray the self involvement and silliness of your efforts Use the OS that best meets your needs and if you feel the need to to blog about it, share your experiences. You will find obsessed freaks championing the “cause” of all platforms and many will attack you personally for disagreeing with their religiosity.
The industry is not a zero sum game and Microsoft, Apple, Linux and BSD can all thrive without attacking each other. Competition is a good thing and promotes value for all users.
Give up the drama over this nonsense and most of all get over yourself.
Boy it’s quiet in here without the trolling–that’s the practice where people leave gratuitously argumentative, attacking, name-calling, or vulgar comments in a comment thread trying to goad the blogger and other commenters into a flame war.
In the past couple of days I’ve gotten about a dozen and a half comments from the AngryMacBastards and their fans on this and other posts in the “I’m Not a Mac” series. They went live at first. But they quickly devolved into a rapid-fire series of comments restating the same attack language over and over again.
The thing about trolls is the only way to stop their incipient flame wars is to stop the attack dialogue in its tracks. Comments from the AngryMacBastards and their fans from Twitter who’ve spent the past few days trolling Chicago Carless have been sent to spam.
If you want to debate, let’s debate. However, if you want to continue acting like children, you can feel free to continue your attack rants–on your own blog.
It’s kind of a lesson, really. Now I know who I’m writing this series for: other disgruntled Mac users looking to make a switch; Windows and Linux users peeking into the Mac world from the outside and curious how total newbies like me view their OSes of choice; and potential Mac switchers, who ought to know what they’re getting themselves into the first place.
Satisfied Mac users with minds locked shut from years of Apple marketing, I warn you from here on out, I am not writing to make you happy. In fact, I’m really not writing for you at all. So if you don’t like the things I say about Mac, go elsewhere. Because after 15 years as a Mac user, I get to have my say.
Especially on my blog. Ya know?
Angrymacbastards, or as I like to call you, yoy disingenuous freak show–do you mind if I call you that, since you pretty much called yourselves that in the beginning of your comment?–let me get this straight. You’re playing semantic games to justify why you said on your podcast someone should be shot in the head–a person who you only put in your podcast in the first place to ridicule for blogging publicly that he was leaving the Mac platform.
I’ll leave it to readers to decide whether saying I should be shot for leaving Mac or saying I should be shot for mentioning in my bio that just like Studs Terkel I don’t drive on a podcast where you’re ridiculing me for leaving the Mac matters much. The words are yours and I think they speak for themselves. Mostly about you.
It’s amazing how you (all of you, since you are, of course, three podcast hosts under one collective comment) keep saying no one cares what I write or what OS I choose, yet you spent how much time on this and several other rebuttal comments here on Chicago Carless, Twitter updates (lots of them among all of your various accounts), and comments on your blog defending yourselves and the things you said? Hours? And how indignant were you while you were writing all of this? Yeah, you’re not taking it personally. If you think it’s baiting you or trying to start a “war” by calling you out for your lowbrow comments in kind, then you’re a lot denser than I gave you credit for. (And I didn’t give you a lot of credit to begin with.)
As far as a series is concerned, you betcha. I wrote about my OS decision because this is my blog and I write about my life here. I’ve done that for four-and-a-half years and I happen to have a regular audience here and network of friends on Twitter. I can’t account for why my personal musings about my OS journey were picked up by several Mac and Linux news blogs, why readers–and thousands of them–have come from all over the world, or why these now five posts have generated the highest readership I’ve ever had on this blog in such a short time.
But considering all of that, I’m pretty sure lots of people are curious about my journey–obviously by the fact that you keep coming back, you included. And lots of them have told me so and asked me to keep blogging my OS journey, so I will.
And you will keep on being dicks no doubt and the world will keep spinning and spinning.
It’s called “Angry Mac Bastards”, not “Reasoned Logical Debate on computer platforms”, and it’s an obscene comedy show. Might wanna ponder what the gimmick there is. (Just in case it’s too obvious: It’s Obscene Ranting.)
Oh, one minor thing…I’ve listened to the bit where we bag on you twice, and the “shot in the skull” line, at about 3:54 wasn’t with regard to you leaving the Mac. It was with regard to you comparing yourself to Studs Terkel. Get your facts straight. For a change.
Dude, here’s what you’re missing: You want to use a Mac. Great. You want to piss on Steve Jobs’ leg. Great.
You want to use Windows.
Great
Linux?
Great.
But a multipart series full of inane non-facts and asnine assertions, the majority of which are factually incorrect? That’s just standard “Let me bag on Mac users because that way, my lame little blog will get a gob of hits.”
That’s all this is about, and that’s why we bagged on you. Because if you substituted “Nike” for Apple, “New Balance” for Windows and “Reebok” for Linux…well, you wouldn’t, because a multipart series on why you’re switching shoe brands would be pretty stupid, and you’d be rightfully laughed off the internet.
But, you, like every other new media douchebag, can’t cross the street without trying to get some linkbait, and as Dvorak showed long ago, there’s no better linkbait in the world than Mac linkbait.
No one, no one on this planet, except you, gave a rat’s patoot about what you used until you stood on top of the intarwebs and started screaming about it to the world. Guess what…you want to scream a buncha stupid stuff? Someone’s going to scream back that you’re stupid.
The OMGADHOMINEM argument you try to use is hilarious, considering that the article we bagged on had a GOB of you engaging in an ad hominem attack on Steve Jobs. Spare me the fauxdignation. You are fine with ad hominem as long as you’re the one doing it. It’s only when that hose turns back on you that you suddenly get all whiny and pissy. And tell the three of us and Shawn King to fellate you. (You know, that’s not how to keep the High Moral Ground you think you have here.)
Oh, and you should be thrilled about this little war you’re trying to start. Because you’ll get more attention from it than you ever would otherwise.
And weren’t you not going to give us any attention on your byline?
Fail. Epic Fail.
Same Mac user verse, same as the first. I refer the above recidivist commenter to his and my meetings in previous comment threads.
Yeah well, when Windows users leave for the Mac, what do you think happens? Clue – exactly the same responses including death threats, so the message is…’just do it and quit with the prima donna attitude.
re your video – just what are these software/hardware lockins you speak of? you hear it over and over again but nobody gives specifics
Today, I’m installing and exploring Linux Mint KDE (Gloria 7). I was a bit rash in my dismissal of the KDE graphical environment after using the (now I know it’s) bad implementation of it in Kubuntu. Earlier this weekend, I began exploring Windows 7. I have to admit, I find it fascinating. (I also have to admit, I know how much of a geek I sound writing this paragraph.) W7 is still a bit Windows-clunky, but not an automatic turn-off like earlier versions on Windows. So as it stands now, the top possibilities to replace the Mac OS X Snow Leopard I currently use on my late 2008 aluminum unibody MacBook are Linux Mint KDE and Windows 7. That’s now. I’m sure it may change as my exploration continues, and as I figure out a strategy to sync my existing (until I buy an Android) iPhone.