The Big Secret

One of the terrible things about being a Mac and Linux user is that one has less and less in common with the mass of humanity, which is still enmeshed in a Windows world. In the last few days, I’ve run into one friend and one colleague who are both at the end of their respective tethers because of the fact that their Windows machines have been penetrated and terminally compromised by malware. Both have the haunted look of people stuck in a nightmare. And the terrible thing is that while I mutter words of consolation and encouragement, I don’t really feel their pain because I’ve been out of the Windows world for so long that I’ve forgotten what it’s like. And of course I daren’t say what I’m really thinking, which is that it’s about time they learned from the experience and moved away to something more stable and less vulnerable.

This is what Larry Lessig castigates as the Mac Mindset — a kind of smugness which comes from being in on a secret that the rest of humanity doesn’t know. In my anxiety to avoid this trap, I keep quiet. But here is someone who has Shouted It Out Loud. He’s Mark Morford, a columnist on SF Gate and the headline on the piece says it all: “Why Does Windows Still Suck? Why do PC users put up with so many viruses and worms? Why isn’t everyone on a Mac?”

My only quibble is that I’d add “… or Linux” at the end. Thanks to Dale and Quentin for the link.