Though this is hardly a German fantasy novel, Michael Ende may find similarities between his book and the progression of Microsoft’s Windows and Apples Mac OS. The two systems share a common lineage, of sorts. Windows was released in 1985 and was at least inspired (if not copied) from the earliest Mac OS, which Microsoft had access to as a Mac software developer. What makes them so different? Which would Bastian steal? To me, it’s user experience and ONLY user experience. Both systems can perform their duties and perform them well. One makes beautiful transitions and puts extra emphasis on creating an esthetically pleasing affair for the user; while the other makes sure the user knows what’s going on, how well the process is progressing, at what rate, etc.
What does this say about making a choice? Which one is better? Falkor isn’t going to guide you this time, but the answer is obvious --- user. You, the user, need to decide what category of Operating System User you are. Do you need the behind the scenes, or do your scenes need to be pulchritudinous? Do you want the software choices to be guided by your hardware choice? To put this rivalry to rest (though the title: The Story That Ends At Some Point would be no fun) I say: Make up your mind, you'll be happy either way.
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