Computers
I've pretty much always enjoyed computers, whether it was in the PC form, or playing on my Nintendo. I didn't have much of a computer growing up and didn't have the Internet until I went to college. Still though, it didn't keep me from rummaging through every bit of the family PC. It was a x386, 33Mhz machine with a 500MB HD. My friends had at least a x486. One thing I did like about it though was that when I turned it on it didn't boot up Windows, it booted to Dos Shell. I wish I could say the same about my current PC.
Over the years I learned to hate Microsoft and how they treat their customers, but didn't really like the alternatives either. Unix based systems were just too limited and took too much time to work with, and Macs just didn't sit well with me. That is, until OS X came out from Apple. When I saw OS X I knew something had changed. There was hope. That you could have a great operating system that was easy to use, looked great, and was secure. I now have a Mac, Windows machine, and a Linux box with Ubuntu on it.
My Windows machine is Windows XP Pro and has a decent graphics card and memory that lets me play the latest games that are out. It works most of the time because I know how to use it and have never had any real virus issues, but a lot of that is because I know what I'm doing and how to set it up and keep others out. I also built the tower myself rather than buying a Dell, Gateway, or from other crappy companies. Its main purpose these days is to simply run my web server, which is why you're able to read this page.
My first Apple computer was a iBook G4 and ran Tiger (10.4). It's a great little laptop and basically replaced my Windows machine. The only application that I really missed was Winamp. It's for playing music of all sorts, and is only supported on Windows unfortunately. Apple iTunes is an okay program, but can't handle all the music formats I need support for, and also don't like how it organizes my music for me. I upgraded my iBook to the Intel powered MacBook this summer. Quite happy with it with 2 GB of RAM and faster processor. I'm still waiting for Leopard, but all is good. I can wait.
I also have another machine that was my first PC when I got to college. I had it working for a little bit, but the DVD-ROM drive went out on it during an upgrade so is unusable at the current time. I have two CD-ROM based drives on my other computer so could just switch one over, but haven't been that motivated yet. Once operational again though I'll install Ubuntu or Xubuntu. I'm okay with *nix systems, but don't have much free time to get more comfortable. I may just turn the machine into a place to store files for backup.
So yes, I'm pretty much a Apple lover now. It's not that I'm turning my back on Microsoft, I've actually hated them or a long time, but didn't like the alternatives. Compatibility was also an issue, but with all the changing technology, things are getting easier when it comes to interoperability. All-in-all though, Macs are just easier to use and maintain. I use to work at a computer helpdesk so I know all of the issues that people have, and a number of those issues were due to Windows inability to remain secure. Though, inept users are always the biggest problem when it comes to any technology.