His claim was that they were equally proprietary, therefore equally good/bad. I was pointing out to him that they lay claim to different things in their proprietary budget. MS locks in the data, Apple locks in the hardware. If flexibility of hardware is important to you (and flexibility of interacting with your data is not), then Windows is a great choice. If flexibility with your data is paramount, but you don't care so much about what box it's on, then MacOS X is a great choice.
I see it rather like this: (Warning: gross generalizations ahead...)
Windows users that are happy where they are tend to have a small number of tasks that they do repetitively. Data lock-in doesn't matter for them so much, because they aren't going to be changing tasks. While they may be in a maze of welded trailers, they have set up shop in just a couple of them, and have the routes between them mapped out. The rest of the big ball of trailers is Terra Incognita, full of dragons, but that's okay. They have no interest in exploring. (Besides, 'everyone knows' that when you go exploring, you get burned, right?) When they go from trailer to trailer, they leave their data behind, in the trailer where it is to be used... it's useless anywhere else. These are people who manipulate data, but don't necessarily create it. The computer is an appliance.
Mac users that are happy where they are tend to have a shifting set of tasks that they do intermittently. Data lock-in kills their ability to shift as needed, or see what they could do with it. The garden is well mapped out, and you can see pretty much all of it from anywhere else, and make a beeline to the new interesting area. Your data goes with you, since it's useful just about anywhere, and you never know when you're going to run across some neat new niche in the garden. Mac users are comfortable exploring the garden, because it isn't a scary place. If a tool isn't working for you, you drop it, look around, and go to a new one, no welding necessary. These are people who create data, more than manipulate it. The computer is a loom.
That's as close as I can get to expressing how I feel about the two platforms. Once a Windows box is set up for particular tasks, using particular apps, on particular data formats, it can be quite solid and useful... but god forbid you want to change things around later, IME. Welding it all together is comforting for some people, anathema to others. Me, I play around too much with new things to feel like hauling out the cutting and welding torches is a good use of my time anymore.
no subject
I see it rather like this: (Warning: gross generalizations ahead...)
Windows users that are happy where they are tend to have a small number of tasks that they do repetitively. Data lock-in doesn't matter for them so much, because they aren't going to be changing tasks. While they may be in a maze of welded trailers, they have set up shop in just a couple of them, and have the routes between them mapped out. The rest of the big ball of trailers is Terra Incognita, full of dragons, but that's okay. They have no interest in exploring. (Besides, 'everyone knows' that when you go exploring, you get burned, right?) When they go from trailer to trailer, they leave their data behind, in the trailer where it is to be used... it's useless anywhere else. These are people who manipulate data, but don't necessarily create it. The computer is an appliance.
Mac users that are happy where they are tend to have a shifting set of tasks that they do intermittently. Data lock-in kills their ability to shift as needed, or see what they could do with it. The garden is well mapped out, and you can see pretty much all of it from anywhere else, and make a beeline to the new interesting area. Your data goes with you, since it's useful just about anywhere, and you never know when you're going to run across some neat new niche in the garden. Mac users are comfortable exploring the garden, because it isn't a scary place. If a tool isn't working for you, you drop it, look around, and go to a new one, no welding necessary. These are people who create data, more than manipulate it. The computer is a loom.
That's as close as I can get to expressing how I feel about the two platforms. Once a Windows box is set up for particular tasks, using particular apps, on particular data formats, it can be quite solid and useful... but god forbid you want to change things around later, IME. Welding it all together is comforting for some people, anathema to others. Me, I play around too much with new things to feel like hauling out the cutting and welding torches is a good use of my time anymore.