Writings: IBM vs. Mac →
I am firmly of the opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant. Indeed, the Macintosh is counter-reformist and has been influenced by the ratio studiorum of the Jesuits. It is cheerful, friendly, conciliatory; it tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach — if not the kingdom of Heaven — the moment in which their document is printed. It is catechistic: The essence of revelation is dealt with via simple formulae and sumptuous icons. Everyone has a right to salvation.
This is the canonical Mac vs. PC essay that Merlin mentioned briefly in passing on this week’s MBW.
Even now, sixteen years (and a shift from DOS to Windows) later, a lot of the stuff in the essay still stands up.
