Gregg Iverson <giverson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> I visited a CAT scan lab in Kettering, OH a few years ago that had both
> Mac and PC sitting side-by-side. They explained the Mac was always
> reliable, but the PC allowed for user manipulation. They routinely put
> nonstandard cards in it for various activities they were monitoring.
>
> What is an advantage of the PC, its adaptability, is also its
> irritation!
>
This is a common tradeoff for many technologies. It is present in the
PC vs. Mac world, as well as the PC or Mac vs. Unix -- at my lab, we
often curse Windows for a number of reasons, not the least of which
is that it takes too much control from the user.
If you want your computer to work like your television, your toaster,
or your hammer; that is, as a tool to accomplish some other goal, then
the Macintosh is a great way to go. To the greatest degree possible,
things are done for you correctly, and when not correctly, at least
consistently. However, if you want to really push the computer to its
limits, to make it do things no one ever thought of, and use it in
novel ways, the Macintosh is probably not the best choice. Linux or
BSD on a PC or other Unices on other hardware give much finer user
control, at the cost of a steeper learning curve.
There is the same sort of decision in making the decision between
an an auto-everything fire-and-forget point-and-shoot and, say,
an OM-4T (or any OM SLR, really). If you want to record the photons
that were present because you need them for some other purpose, and
you need the picture to be a decent representation of what was
there, but you don't have the time nor inclination to become intimate
with the camera as a device, the point-and-shoot will save much
frustration. If you're trying to create a unique piece of art, or
you are interested in controlling every photographic variable for
whatever reason, you will find the decisions made for you by the
point-and-shoot to be limiting.
In the end, it's just a question of what you want to do with the tool.
More power and control naturally requires more thought and effort
on the part of the user; thought and effort that is wasted if it's
not necessary to achieve your goal.
joey
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