Why I Now Believe That Pigs Can Fly
I know there’s some old saying that I should use to open this column. Maybe it’s: What goes around comes around. Or even: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I can’t quite decide. Just read on while I give this some thought.
I remember back when Windows 3.0 first showed up. It was hailed for its ease of use compared with MS-DOS and earlier Windows incarnations. (Does anyone even remember Windows 2.0?) The critics loved Windows 3.0. (I did too.) One comment I heard quite a bit was: It’s a lot more like the Macintosh.
That was meant as a compliment. Regardless of what you think of the Mac, or the corporate perils faced by Apple Computer, the Mac is generally considered the leader when it comes to ease of use.
Then along came Windows 95. It was even easier to use than Windows 3.x. It was even more intuitive. PC users became even more productive. The critics really loved it. (I did too.) And again I heard: It’s a lot more like the Macintosh. Many industry pundits went so far as to say that Win95 was so close that ease of use was no longer a factor in choosing between Mac and Windows. I’m not sure about that, but again, this was all meant as a compliment to Microsoft’s Win95 development team.
The funny thing is that over the years, Apple has released many upgrades to the Mac operating system. And in all that time I never heard anyone say: That new Mac OS is more like Windows. At least not until now, with the release of Mac OS 8, Apple’s newest version of the Macintosh operating system. Maybe Windows has finally come of age, because now Apple has borrowed some of Win95’s best interface features. You can see some of the similarities as soon as you look at a system running OS 8.
For example, the Mac now has a Browse the Internet icon right on the desktop. Just as with Windows, you can configure this icon to launch any Web browser you want. There’s also a similar icon to launch your e-mail program of choice. Amazing. One thing I like about Windows is that when you click on a menu in the menu bar, it drops down and stays down. Until now, Mac users had to click and hold on a menu to keep it dropped down. With OS 8, Apple has introduced a “new” feature called sticky menus that makes the Mac menu bar work the same way the Windows menu bar has worked for years. One click and that menu stays right where you want it. Revolutionary, eh?
Years and years ago, Microsoft standardized on the two-button mouse for Windows. This second mouse button is a great thing to have around in Windows 95. Just right-click on an icon and a little menu pops up offering you a whole list of options. Meanwhile, the Mac stuck with the single-button mouse, so there was no way to right-click on an icon even if you wanted to. But that didn’t keep Apple engineers from adding Windows-like pop-up menus to OS 8. Now when Mac users hold down the Control key and click on an icon, they achieve the equivalent of a right-click and see a little pop-up menu that offers options like Help, Move to Trash and Duplicate.
Apple calls this “new” feature contextual menus. I’d still rather just be able to right-click than have to fiddle around with the Control key, but I suppose this is an improvement. Perhaps the most important Windows-esque enhancement to Mac OS 8 is what Apple calls the multi-tasking Finder. Using the Finder is like using the My Computer icon in Windows 95.
The Mac still isn’t as good at multi-tasking as Windows, but it’s much better than before.
A lot of strange things have been happening lately. Microsoft has purchased a chunk of Apple computer, with archenemies Bill Gates and Steve Jobs appearing on the same stage to make the announcement (although Gates’ appearance was by video link). The patent infringement suits between Apple and Microsoft have been called off. And Apple has introduced its first operating system ever that can boast of being more like Windows. As I look out the window in my office, I half expect to see a flying pig with a laptop computer. And I’ve come up with the perfect old saying to describe the recent interactions between Apple and Microsoft: Truth is stranger than fiction.
Kim Komando is a TV host, syndicated talk radio host, author and entrepreneur. You can visit Kim on the Internet at https://www.komando.com or e-mail her at komando@komando.com
