Reading 1 - Xavier Camacho

We have come to a point in which computers have control of our lives. This is not necessarily bad, but we often forget that within our bags we contain a device that can access almost anything we can imagine. Still most people use that device to look up random videos of cats or pictures of sloths.

Realizing how far computers have brought us today, it is almost impossible to picture a world in which computers don’t exist. What also makes computers so great is the variety of operating systems there are.

Different operating systems allow for far more variety and fun with computers. There are many things we can do with technology based on the different operating systems we use. With variety comes preferences which allows for different consumers crowds to form. The two kings of the market then appear as I see Macintosh (Mac) and Microsoft (PC) on the laps of everyone in the room I am typing this up at. (Dismiss the inductive reasoning.)

Mac users will argue that a Mac is much more intuitive, releases your stress about picking up viruses, and flat out looks pretty. These perks are what brings joy to mind and comforts users. Users feel more hip or more advanced. It also makes sense to prefer an OS that never gets viruses and is just naturally easy to learn to use.

Then there comes the PC fans. Of course, there are also pros to this heavy operating system. The perks of customization, interchangeable parts, and lower cost than Macs bring users to ease.  They prefer having control of what they purchase. They like to add functions to their PC and take full advantage of the idea of a personal computer.

Although there are other Operating Systems other than Macs and PCs, many people will stick with these because they are the two most common Operating Systems. They find comfort with the common due to the history and resume of both systems. There is, however, a trick to the markets of Apple and Microsoft. “So Apple/Microsoft shower new features upon their users almost daily, in the hopes that a steady stream of genuine technical innovations, combined with the ‘I want to believe’ phenomenon, will prevent their customers from looking across the road towards the cheaper and better OSes that are available to them,” (Stephenson 18). In this sense, the invisible war between Apple and Microsoft will continue to proceed while keeping other computer operating systems as not a threat to the market.