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Warning: My nerdy side is rearing its ugly head again…

I just got done reading an article on virtualization software that allows you to run more than one operating system on your computer without the need to mess around with the partitions on your hard drive. Specifically, it was a review of Parallels Desktop for the Mac. It allows anyone with an Intel-based Macintosh computer to run Windows (or any other Intel-compatible OS) on their Mac from within Mac OS X. According to the review, it does a pretty good job.

But what I don’t understand is why anyone would do this to their Mac.

Yes… I know that some people rely on software that is only available on Windows. Or at least they think they rely on it. There are several myths which abound inside the heads of “old school” computer users about Macs. One of them is that there is no software available for the Mac. Apple’s own Software page and places like MacUpdate beg to differ. For almost every type of program you could ever want, a Mac version or alternative exists. Heck… Microsoft even puts out a Mac version of Office, which most reviewers have said is better than the Windows version. I’ve tried it. It’s not too shabby.

What’s more, generally speaking, the Mac version or alternative for most programs is just designed better than their Windows counterparts. I know this is a subjective opinion, but if you really see the differences first-hand, it’s hard to argue against the idea that the Mac just works better. Here’s an example:

Both of these programs do the same thing: word process. The first one is made by Microsoft in the “Windows way”, with tons of toolbars and buttons and dialog boxes and options pushed right out in your face. It’s very clunky looking and chaotic to use for the first time. The second one is made by Apple in the “Macintosh way”, with one toolbar, few buttons, and maximum screen space for your work. It gets out of the way, lets you work, and makes the content you create priority number one. And yes… it has tons of options and features included… but they stay out of the way until you need them. They’re accessible from the menus or one of the few buttons deemed important enough to live on the toolbar. Oh… and yes… Pages is MS Office compatible… so you don’t even really need Word.

I know that one image comparison isn’t enough to back up my claim. But it represents a difference in philosophy between Microsoft and Apple. Microsoft seems to love bloat and confusion. Windows programs are notorious for being complicated, full of “wizards”, and, thanks to Windows itself, crash-prone. Apple, on the other hand, seems to like simplicity and straightforwardness. Look at this comparison of dialog boxes in Windows XP and Mac OS X. Which one is more straightforward? Or this rather lengthy comparison of drag and drop. As they say in that comparison, OS X acts like you’d expect it to.

A few other things that set Windows and Mac OS X apart include:

• Drag & Drop Installation: Most applications in OS X are installed simply by dragging a single file to your hard drive. All of the files needed to run that program are contained within a single package file, with the exception of the preference file. When you want to run a program, you simple open your Applications folder and double-click the icon for the program. There isn’t a Program Files folder filled with more folders which are filled with more folders and some cryptically named executable. And if something goes wrong with the program, you can simply drag the preference file (which is stored in a separate folder along with all of the preference files for your other program) to the trash and, in effect, “reset” the program. Want to uninstall a program? Simple enough: drag it to the trash. No uninstaller… no left over files… no shared DLLs to deal with. Drag… drop… boom. You’re done.
• Simplicity Defined: Everything about the Mac OS experience screams simplicity. From the Finder (the Windows Explorer equivalent) to Safari (web browser) to third-party applications… they all follow a trend of less is more. Apple publishes a set of rules called Human Interface Guidelines, or HIG, that tell application developers how to design programs for OS X. Maybe Microsoft offers a similar set of guidelines. But the difference is that Mac software developers follow Apple’s HIG (most of the time). Why? Because the majority of Apple users have come to expect a unified experience and applications that disrupt that unity don’t usually do very well.
• Security, Viruses, and Spyware: There is a lot of debate going on about what makes Mac OS X more secure and virus/spyware free than Windows. Some say it’s by design. Some some it’s because of Mac OS’s smaller market share. Some say it’s a combination of both. Ya know what I say? Who cares! The simple fact of the matter is this: viruses… not on a Mac… spyware… not on a Mac. Does it really matter why?
• Killer Software: I could write an entire post on the software I use on my Mac that I couldn’t live without. Finding a Windows counterpart that offers the same abilities, easy of use, and user experience is hard to do. Many tech columnists and reviewers have tried. Most have failed. To name a few: iTunes, iLife, Safari, Adium, RapidWeaver, Mail, and the plethora of stuff that’s just built into Mac OS X. Dictionary (which allows built-in spell checking for ANY program and point-and-click definitions of words on the web in Safari). Spotlight. Dashboard. Heck… even the System Preferences are awesome! Seriously. It doesn’t get much better than this.

So I’ll ask again. Why would anyone even want to put Windows on their Mac? But here’s another question. Do you have one yet? A Mac, that is. If not… it may be time for a switch. And no… I’m not getting anything from Apple out of this post… haha. I’m just an avid fan.