38 MA XIMUMPC DECEMBER 2005
MAKING
SWITCH
THE
OR: HOW I LEARNED
TO STOP WORRYING
AND LOVE OS X
BY WILL SMITH
The story thus far: In mid-2004, I decided to expand
my operating-system horizons, so I built a Debian
Linux machine to replace my trusty Windows-pow-
ered workhorse. Six months, a lot of sweat, and a few
tears later, I described the experience in Maximum
PC (“Making the Linux Switch,” February 2005). While
there were some hurdles, the experience was quite
positive overall; I was able to do everything I needed
to for work—and even play a few games—using the
Linux box.
Over the next couple of months I received a lot of
email about the story. People wanted to know what I
thought about other Linux distros, if I really was able
to do everything, and if I’d do it again. But the question
I received most wasn’t about Linux at all, it was about
Apple’s OS X. There was only one way to answer that
question, by diving feet-fi rst into a nine-month explo-
ration of Apple’s latest operating system.