OS Loyalty

[illusionofjoy]

Already enamoured with Simcity 4, I visited the official website to take a gander at the Rush Hour Expansion Pack. All I can say is, "wow."

I've always found the transportation aspect of Simcity to be one of the most fascinating, often wishing for more options in that realm. Simcity 2000 and Simcity 3000 were both annoying in that the highways didn't have realistic interchanges. This was finally solved in the newest version - at least for highways that continued on as a cross-section; terminating a highway still remained awkward. With this expansion pack, the problem of a highway terminus seems to have finally been solved.

If that were the only thing that this pack added to the game, however, it wouldn't be worth it. The plethora of options one is given is stunning. Finally, one is allowed to put in tollbooths, sucking commuters dry. The mass transit system is expanded to include elevated trains, which can be interlinked with the subway system via tunnels (a feature of Simcity 2000 that I greatly missed) or terminal buildings. Finally, avenues exist, allowing for traffic to move downtown in four lanes. Meanwhile, the addition of ferries makes water more than aesthetic. I could go on and on about how much I'd love to play the expanded version of this game, but...

I won't, being that my computer can't handle it. I've known that I've needed a new computer for a long time, especially now that my machine is slowly dying. It was only recently that I began thinking that I may have to trade in my hardcore MAC-loving ways for a Windows machine.

Don't get me wrong, I still love MAC OS, but it seems that the system is headed for obsolescence, a victim of poor marketing vs. aggressive marketing and general public malaise. I wouldn't be surprised is the Macintosh computer were nothing more than a thing of niche markets within the next three years, if not completely phased out. Sad, but very likely.

From a financial standpoint, switching to a Windows machine makes sense, considering my current economic status. A "tricked-out" Windows machine still costs less than half of what a "tricked-out" Macintosh costs. Meanwhile, you get about 100 times more software options at lower prices and new releases hit the machines of the Windows faithful much faster.

Pragmatically, I could switch to a Windows machine with a minimal loss of data from my MAC. Microsoft has already assimilated my word-processing, databasing and spreadsheet needs. Any other file could be moved by being converted into a universal format, readable by either operating system (i.e.: MP3, JPEG).

It is also of note that I am practically a Windows convert anyhow. masochistmonkey's studio runs on Windows. missjoi's computer is a Windows machine too. There are no Macs at the public library and any job I work at here is probably going to have me in a cubicle with a Windows computer, not a Mac. My outdated computer, lacking in an internet connection, doesn't get much play these days.

There are certain things I want a computer to do for me effectively: office applications, internet access, high-end graphic design/desktop publishing, audio recording and running the latest version of Simcity (of course). Put together properly, a Windows machine will do all this quite well and for much less than a Mac would cost. Logically, I should have switched over a long time ago.

Still, I'm uncertain that I'd be willing to give up using a MAC OS machine in my personal living space. I've been with and loved the system for so long that it feels almost like a break up. Call me a sentimental sap, but I think that I'd really miss my Mac and that comfortable familiarity with all of the keyboard shortcuts and the ease with which I know how to set it up and keep it running.

Not only that, but there remains that doggedly stubborn side of me that doesn't like to admit defeat. "No," it screams, "MAC OS will not die! You can not defect to the side of the enemy!" While I'd hate the thought of helping Windows to "win to war," I wonder if there's really a war to be won anymore. This brings me to my final reservation about switching: I hate being forced into "the mould." I liked one product that no one else liked, so now I have to like what everyone else likes? Is that not a huge pile of bullshit? That's like being told that I have to like someone's political viewpoints because everyone else likes that person's viewpoints.

So, I'm at an impasse right now. Logically, I am telling myself to save up, cave in and let Windows into my life. In my heart though, I really want to stay with my Macintoshes. We shall see what happens.