I’ve been using WinXP on our Wintel PCs since July, and I’ve been using Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar) for a week or so now. I’m very happy with both.
I always liked Windows NT, ever since NT 3.1, and this new version is smooth and functional. I had to change the color scheme right away, though–the green and blue was awful. I really like Win2K, and XP is a nice incremental upgrade. It’s so close to being a really nice OS–they just need to focus on better usability and consistent aesthetics. It’s jarring to see WinXP windows blink into Win2K-style windows as things happen–even with Microsoft apps. It’s amazing how little Internet Explorer has changed from 2.0 and 3.0 in Windows. Mozilla is a huge improvement over IE on the Windows platform.
Jaguar is another story. XP is functional–Mac OS X is inspiring. Talk about aesthetics–this OS is all about it. Form and function are awesome. IE on the Mac is miles ahead of the Windows version, too. In fact, the Mac versions of Microsoft products continue to outshine their namesakes on Windows. This platform is exciting, and shows that Apple continues to define the computer field. The company may only have 5% market penetration, but their concepts drive 100% of the market. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
I guess you can tell which one I prefer, but actually, I do enjoy working with both. I’m just thankful that Win95 is fading, and new technology is helping me stretch my resources at work farther. I hope that .NET and OS X 10.3 continue to be technology focused and not marketing or revenue driven.