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| I Am Skooter | |
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So here's us, on the raggedy edge.
There's a fortune inside your head / All you touch turns to lead / You think you might just crawl back in bed — Wilco, Misunderstood |
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One of the longest standing issues for the Macintosh has been the lack of software: were it not for Microsoft Word for Mac OS X, I would be unable to use my PowerBook for daily computing - nothing makes it more useful to me than seamless document compatibility.
On other fronts, the Mac has always had fewer choices and even if those fewer choices are better, this has posed a marketing challenge. Where Windows users choose from dozens of astronomy titles, Mac users have one or two (that theses are “best of breed” simply means they cost more, but doesn’t address the perception issue.)
Now, perhaps, a faint ray of hope from that most unlikely source, Microsoft:
Microsoft offers development tools for Mac, Web | CNET News.com
If Microsoft developers can more easily deply software on the Mac platform, perhaps we’ll see an increase in available titles.
Choice, in this case, benefits everyone: Windows developers will be able to chase larger markets (a minor blip on the Windows market could be a bona fide hit on the Mac market); consumers will be able to choose from more software.
Of course, I suspect that software that moves from Windows to the Mac will, as it currently does, fail to conform to the interface standards Mac users are used too. Savvy developers who actually care about the Mac market may address this issue.
I see nothing bad here though, in the big picture.
Posted by skooter at 8:34 AM This entry is filed under Technology.