Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far,the Universe is winning. – Rich Cook
My hardware configuration in my work life probably doesn’t stray too far from typical. I use the big three (Microsoft, Google, and Apple) as part of my repertoire with each vendor playing a role in how I carry out my day. While tempted to experiment by depriving myself from products of each of these vendors for a day, I’ve realized that these vendors have embedded themselves in my life in a way which they cannot be extracted – at least not without significant planning.
If I was to go without Microsoft for a day would mean finding an alternative for using my Vista based laptop. For the most part I could carry out this by using my wife’s Mac outfitted with OS X and moving the relevent files off the laptop to the home network storage. Outlook/Exchange could be replaced with Google Mail in a heartbeat.
Leaving Microsoft Office for a day would be more challenging as the wide variety of people I interact with use Microsoft applications and share files from these applications many times each day. To meet the spirit of the test the application would have to seamlessly import Microsoft office file formats and use them in a native format, and be able to send them in a format which can be read by other’s applications (specifically Microsoft applications). The OS X version of Excel, Powerpoint, and Word applications are still authored by Microsoft so this wouldn’t be an option, however (although I haven’t tried this) iWork may fill this fill in quite nicely. For my purposes, the Google version of the Office apps are not yet practical replacements (however are wonderful from a collaborative stand point). While I haven’t given Open Office or Zoho a serious look, it may be a possible alternative.
Given a week for transition, it may be possible to go without Microsoft. OSX is a practical operating system alternative, and there are several alternatives tot he Office applications.
I don’t know if this would be desirable to do so, but it may be quite possible to go without Microsoft technology in my work life. Vista has left a very bitter taste with me, and I don’t know that I want to move to Windows7 as I feel they cheated me once with Vista. I feel OSX could win my business. I have to agree with the critics that Microsoft applications are over-featured. They are however the standard and the inter-connected world we live in works smoother if everyone uses the same tools. All in all, this is an experiment I would like to explore.
I am curious about your thoughts on this. I know I am not the only one with the wheels turning upstairs in this area.
