I’m choosing violence today. I’m standing up for my less popular Windows laptop that I own and love, and I’ve got three reasons why after a long day of working on my Macbook Pro for a living I’ll choose nerding out on my PC for my leisure.
Disclaimer: The rest of my devices are Apple products… don’t judge me. Fix it Microsoft!
Round 1. VsCode is 🧈y Smooth
There’s something about the smooth, buttery scroll of holding backspace in VsCode that hits a little different on a Windows PC. And the tabs feel more responsive. TBH, I can’t really put my finger on all of the specifics but it’s a pleasure to code in.. it feels natural.
I should mention that I’m also using Git for Windows and in every way possible trying to get the MacOS workflow that I’m used to so that coding doesn’t feel completely foreign. But Chocolatey makes that simple, and is a much cooler name than asdf 🤮 - don’t fight me on this!
Round 2. It’s Customizable
I’m going to miss Microsoft’s brick and mortar locations. That was a great place to ask questions about my laptop since upgrades can shake things up a bit. I mean, I’ve got drivers and graphics cards and memory that needs intallations and modifications and optimizations. It can be messy at times. But once all of those detailed pieces are ironed out it’s smooth sailing. And shoutout to Geek Squad’s Total Tech Support at Best Buy** - those guys know their stuff 💯
But let’s be real, nothing beats being able to upgrade my current device over time. I’ll take picking up a few parts to get better performance over waiting a few years for a new, pricey release any day. Let me pay for new, expensive hardware when I feel like it. You know what I’m here for!
Round 3. It’s Affordable
Yep, you guessed it.. it’s personal. “Lord forgive me for my brash delivery, but I remember vividly what these streets Apple did to me.” I recall heading off to college and wanting one of those cool, color Apple monitors (the iMac G3). And I was a youngster at the time, but according to Wikipedia it sold for US$1,299 (equivalent to US$2,160 in 2021). That was a big NO from the folks back then, but my parents (retired and all) made things happen and shipped me off to FAMU 🐍 with an eMachine desktop. Complete with a disk drive, MS Word, Powerpoint, the works! It was magical. And what’d I do when I set it up? Played roms and scoured Napster 🤦🏾♂️ Oh.. but on the bright side I used CollegeClub and BlackPlanet! Whoa.. the memories, what a time!
But it was my first computer. And there’s a fair amount of loyalty there since they’re still out there helping kids like me. It’s one of the top reasons I’ve always enjoyed buying PC’s, and one of my driving forces in paying it forward. Great computer, great times.
** Not a paid advertisement (of course)
Overall, I’m really not venturing into technical spaces that don’t interest me in my free time so I’m happy switching Mac to PC worlds, it keeps me on my toes. And I’m SO close to switching ecosystems, but there’s a lack of honey sweetening the pot. Like, if I get the Pixel I should have a package deal with a new watch, tablet, and chromecast devices. Or in the very least, be able to trade in my 🍎 devices. Afterall, the blue pill really isn’t that special (Are you not entertained!). Alas.. until then, the PC’s still my hero - here’s to Microsoft getting better with age! Cheers 🥂✌🏾