Folks some times talk about how Windows is left-brained and OSX (Apple) is right-brained. I have never agreed with that assessment. Now I finally know why I don’t agree with it.(1)
A couple days ago, as I was once again swearing at Windows for forcing me yet again to acknowledge its having cleverly managed to do exactly what I just told it to do, and I’m thinking things like “unnecessary message! What am I supposed to do with that? Give it a gold star? A pat on the head?” and, presto! bango! it occurred to me that Windows’ behavior was much like that of an overly eager-to-please dog. Obsequious to nearly a desperate level, anxious to be liked and utterly insecure. Constantly getting tangled in my feet, causing me to dance around to keep from tripping over this large, fuzzy, slobbery, not-too-bright, desperate to be liked Dog(2), frequently slowing me down.
Further, once I saw that, it occurred to me that OSX and other Linux-based operating systems(3) are much more like a Cat. Willing to be petted, sometimes jumping in your lap, but quite able to take care of itself and supremely confident(4) in its “job” and doings. Occasionally it needs feeding, occasionally it requires a spot of a snuggle. Sometimes you need to get rid of its fleas and now and then it scratches itself in your direction, but it never demands an acknowledgment for something that’s just everyday ordinary.
That must be the most accurate short description of the differences between Windows and not-Windows I’ve ever come up with or read any where. Of course, it will only work for those who understand metaphors and similes, and not everyone does, alas.
The difference between Windows and an eager-to-please dog is that the dog has moments when its native intelligence and sweetness shine out, which keep it lovable no matter how many times you trip over the silly thing around the house.
Windows wants a pat on the head for every silly thing it does and it never really has “bright” moments of its own(5).
By the way, this isn’t an unique observation. Turns out others have thought of this as well. I thought of it on my own, but that doesn’t mean I invented it, even though I did, others invented also. Odd how that works…
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(1) Just for the record, I am not disagreeing with it because I’m one or the other. In actual fact, I am neither left nor right brained, myself. I’m ambidextrous of hand (and foot) and I further actively practice brain balancing exercises. (All that’s for another posting or six.) For those who don’t know what left-brained / right-brained means, left-brained is (gross oversimplification) intellectually based, while right-brained is more creative / intuitive (neither of those is accurate, but they are the “common wisdom” of the matter). Neither Windows nor OSX really qualifies as either one; they’re just Hammers, just tools in the tool box, and a science-geek can use a hammer just as well as a sculptor can, though they might be two different kinds of hammers depending on the need of the moment..
(2) I do NOT mean that all dogs are like that. I mean specifically the type of dog that *is* like that. I am neither a “doggy person” nor a “cat person.” I love both to the extent that any given dog or cat allows me to.
(3) OSX (Apple’s Operating System) is derived from Unix / Linux, as are Android and a host of other operating systems. Isn’t that interesting? Every major operating system (at least at the consumer level) is based on one thing, while Windows was home-grown at Microsoft.
(4) A cat who has been well-raised, with affection and few harsh words is a cat who — usually — grows up to be quite confident and supremely secure in his world. Oddly, the same is true for people. Some dogs are like that too, but in a cat, people frequently mistake this confidence for stand-offish-ness, which it isn’t. It’s self-reliance.
(5) Not entirely a fair statement, but that’s metaphors for you, right? 🙂