The unsolicited opinion

I'm sitting in my favorite coffee shop, when one of the baristas asks me:

"Jonah, are you into technology?"

The temptation to be a smart ass is overwhelming. Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bear shit in the woods? Technology has been a major factor in my identity since-- well, as long as I can remember. If it weren't for technology, I literally can't begin to guess what my life would be like or where I'd be without it. "Yes," I reply, "it's kinda my job."

Turns out, she's looking to buy a new computer for college, and wants to get my opinion on it. As I'm talking with her, I'm finding out she's actually further ahead in the game than most of the college freshman I've spoken with-- she's actually taken the time to find out that the school itself is offering computers pre-configured for their network systems. She has said to me on more than one occasion that she isn't computer savvy, and her school offers both Mac and PC-- and since Leopard comes with BootCamp now, it's actually possible to run both OS X and Windows on the same laptop-- I suggest that she consider getting a Mac.

At which point, another customer who wasn't even part of the conversation initially, immediately begins to contradict me. "You shouldn't buy a Mac, 99% of the college students use Dells, they are only good for multimedia, etc." It's the typical knee jerk reaction of the Windows zealot-- he doesn't even know this young lady, her proficiency level, what she's going to be doing with it.

Now, personally, I don't give a rip whether this barista becomes a Windows person or a Mac person. I'm not keeping score, and I don't get any money or benefit out of it regardless of what she chooses. I could engage this fellow in a debate on the comparable merits of the operating system (Leopard OS X versus Windows Vista), but opt for the common sense approach instead:

"Why don't you go out to the store-- not to buy anything at this point-- but just to test drive them and compare?"

It turns out that she already had, and really liked the MacBook Air. She was just trying to confirm her impressions with an external authority. (Don't worry-- I explained that the MacBook Air definitely had a serious cool factor, but that the best value for the buck for your average college student was the regular MacBook.)

It just amazes me how people can get so locked in to one particular operating system. It just seems so odd to me. I use Windows at work, OS X on my personal computer, and Linux on a third/new personal computer for my travelling notebook. It's tempting to say they all have their strengths and idiosyncrasies, and that somehow this can be translated into an objective truth that System A is "better" than System B. It's ridiculous, of course-- you might as well say "Everyone should buy and wear Fruit of the Loom underwear, because it is the best underwear for everyone-- regardless of your size or any other preferences."