I've used just about every computer operating system under the Sun (no pun intended....OK, maybe a small one). DOS. Desqview, OS/2, Linux, Windows 3.1, Windows95, WindowsNT, Windows2000, Windows XP and now there’s Windows Vista. I’ve even installed and checked out BeOS - not many will have heard of that one.

Maturity
Now don't start giggling here but my experiences with computer operating systems over the past few decades is a drive down maturity lane. My current destination is Apple's Mac OSX with the current version called Leopard.

Apple is renowned for 'It Just Works'. It has an interface designed by designers ... it's simply exquisite to use. The new Leopard OSX also adds an additional 300 features to the previous operating system. Anyone might think these amount of new stuff would carry a steep learning curve - they just seem to appear when you reach for them. Apple pays a lot of attention to usability by it's customers.

Some of the more notable additions are Time Machine (automatic backup of all your stuff - it's set and forget), Quicklook (look inside documents without launching an application), Coverflow (Flip through files like iTunes and use Quicklook as well), Front Row (Full screen digital media built right in) and much much more. Surf on over to Apple's website for an eye-opening list.

Learning Curve
To Mac stalwarts, I'd be known as a 'Switcher'; - someone who's made the jump from Windows to Mac. Let me tell you, the jump was a pleasure. I bought my HiRes Macbook Pro on a Thursday afternoon and was working productively the very next morning. Once I powered up and went throught some really easy and intuitive configuration steps, I was faced with my very first Mac desktop.

It was like meeting an old friend. Things just worked like you think that'd work. Things were in places where you think they might be. Installing software is a breeze ... once you understand that you 'Mount' the installation/downloaded file which then exposes the executable program. At that point, you can run the program without installation ... just to test that it is what you want. To install, though, drag it onto your Applications folder and the job is done.

Effortless without extraneous files being plonked into weird directories and left there, like Windows has a nasty habit of doing.

Do Both, Why Don't You
Now I just know some of you might be thinking that it couldn't be that easy to get up to speed and productive in that short a time. Well, I cheated a little, simply because the latest Macs can run Windows in a number of ways.

Now this is really cool ... By using what is called a virtualisation program such as VMWare or Parallels, I was able to connect my WindowsXP powered Dell laptop to my network, run a small app on the Dell, run up VMware on the shiny Mac and literally suck in the Dell laptop's WinXP (and everything contained inside the hard drive) to be represented as a hard drive image within my Mac.

That might sound like gobbledegook but what it mean is transfer my old laptop into an image of it and I can then run a clone of it on top of my Mac desktop. Productivity continues as I use my Mac / Dell and shift my workflow into more and more native Mac apps. Which is what I did. Makes for a very easy transition and maintains work productivity.

Macs Are Cheaper ...
One area consumers initially struggle with in making a change to a Mac is their pricing. It's becoming a cheaper alternative at purchase time however other considerations make a Mac purchase actually cheaper than your Windows PC. And here's the quick overview of that now.

It is resale value. Macs fetch far more on the aftermarket than do PCs -- and after years of use, you can offset that cash-register premium by selling your Mac for a better price than you could your PC.

The other area is the lesser amount of time (and therefore money) that you spend doing chores within the Mac OSX operating system. No more Windows Protection Services and lengthy installs so you save time on a daily basis.

And Now Industry Recognition
For added credibility, Mac OSX v10.5 Leopard won Best Operating System Award in the InfoWorld 2008 Technology of the Year Awards.

The main focus for you, in all of this, should be the operating system is mature, robust and has industry kudos, giving you a little more confidence to check things out in the Mac arena.

Summation
In summation, there are chooses you have in an operating system which can have a direct impact on your productivity as well as user experience. A lot of us spend an enormous amount of time in front of a computer, doesn't it make valuable sense to enjoy that time?

You’d be surprised who uses a Mac these days.

Martin Cooney has contributed this to the XL Magazine February 2008 issue.

Tags: OSX, Windows, OS