Why Mac?

My lifestyle when it comes to work is spontaneous - whether it is a duty call such as troubleshooting and fixing website issues remotely during the weekend or learning and researching new technology on the couch of my living room. Having a laptop has always been a useful tool for me. It liberates me from working in a cubicle that may not have all the inspirations I have on designing and developing software applications.

Working as a software developer, I feel that I am responsible for my growth and advancement in the technology arena. However, executing that responsibility requires necessary tools to further practice the importance of software development and quality assurance. That being said, Macbook Pro of Apple will provide me more exposure to the cutting-edge operating systems available in the market, allow me to test and evaluate software applications in a diverse environment and give me the best way to explore the world of iPhone development.

First and foremost, using Mac OSX and Microsoft Windows Vista on a daily basis at work will augment my software development skills. It is like having a skill to speak two different languages. It is like knowing how to write C# and Java programs. It is like being able to script a scheduled job for DOS or Unix-based environment. Seeing and discovering both OS’s pros and cons is definitely a plus. This will surely give me ideas on how to develop a much more intuitive Graphical User Interface designs for the web and desktop applications. Another important thing is I will be able to understand and pick up some schemes on how to apply a better User Interface Friction (UIF is the resistance imposed upon a user-guided process through the operating system and the way the user interface reacts) to my applications to potentially increase the users’ productivity. I personally think that most of developers’ works are influenced by the operating system that they use on a daily basis on their job.

It is clear now that Mac OSX has become a lot more popular in schools and companies. Let’s take the OS market share report of a Technology Analyst at Stanford University as an example. Only 7 percent of the users using Vista and 30 percent are Mac OS users. Another interesting note on his blog is that 1/3 of the computers on Stanford campus have been purchased since the release of Vista. It’s a good thing for the institution to be proactive when it comes to technology. The academia part of CZS may be supporting different operating systems and types of hardware system in the future. Though currently the institution is Microsoft centric, but being able to test software in different environments will help me determine and identify what system is best for interoperability.

Lastly, iPhone development has become a lot more common and may be the next mobile device that would replace the PalmOS devices. The fact that Apple is opening their iPhone development tools to the public, which is really a big step. It encourages developers to cultivate the technology. Enterprise integration, such as Microsoft Exchange, for iPhone has already started and I see a trend of a successful continuity in the future. Mac OSX is the only legal way that I know to run iPhone’s Software Development Kit. Being able to ride on the next big Kahuna in mobile computing is a substantially awesome thing to have – working with a popular, intuitive and non-stylus personal device application called iPhone.

Macbook Pro will be beneficial to my growth and advancement within the society. This will open a new window of opportunity to explore new technology that is not only available, but also the best for the institution. Once I go Mac, I can never go back ;)




Sources:
http://www.pfeifferreport.com/trends/trend_vistauif.html
http://www.jacobpierce.com/blog/2008/06/07/stanford-university-os-study/