Sometimes we take a position or point of view about something based on a reaction. That reaction might be positive or negative, mild or violent. Usually it doesn’t include any investigation or logic. It’s a reaction. It is a good thing to, on occasion, revisit those views and find out if they are still valid.
Initially my opinion of the Android platform was that it was cool, primarily because it isn’t Apple. I still think it’s cool for not being Apple, however a conversation or two and a little more reading and I have a more realistic and well rounded view of it.
I’ve been reading a most interesting book, somewhat about cyber security. It has been very enlightening while it has also helped to drive home a couple of things I already knew. Those are that Windows is the least secure computer operating system out there, though they may be getting better. Mac OSX and Linux are much more secure, and though the book doesn’t mention Android, supplemental reading points to it’s security being suspect. Adding to this information was a conversation with the Network Engineer where I work. Though the company is officially a Microsoft shop, under the “bring your own technology” campaign he was making it possible to, and would allow, Apple devices to attach to the network as well as devices running Ubuntu and possibly Red Hat Linux. He would not allow Android devices as the OS is too new and the API’s unstable.
I’ve played with Ubuntu before and liked it. I never used it as my primary OS so I can’t say I was at all proficient at it. It was, however, not too challenging to work in. At the moment though there are no tablets, netbooks or laptops that come with it installed by default. Ok, yes, I may have missed something somewhere. That means if I want to use it, I’m going to have to put a bit of work into it, and on a tablet it might not be an option.
I’m not a fan of Apple. Yes, I have an iPhone. I didn’t get it because it’s an iPhone. I got it because at the time my wireless carrier only had two choices for smartphones, the iPhone or a Windows based phone that the OS was semi-stable, and limited. My response to Apple is primarily based on not liking Steve Jobs. It’s a knee jerk reaction and it lacks logic. All I can say is, I don’t like him. And that opinion taints my opinion of Apple products.
This is one opinion I may be forced to re-evaluate. Not my opinion of Steve Jobs, rather, my opinion of Apple products. One thing still holds for me about Apple products is how expensive they seem. The security of the OS and the flexibility, however, I think I need to look at. It is just possible that some of what I do, or want to do may be easier with Apple than with Windows. It is also possible that it will be more secure, though that could change. The more popular Apple products become and the more market share they gain, the bigger a target they become. Hackers and virus writers don’t usually target Apple because it would make less of an impact. Used to, not enough people used Macs for it to be worth while to mess with them.
Still, with all that is to be taken into account with regards to the different platforms out there it looks like I may need to stop a moment and re-evaluate things and my opinion. Jumping on the Android band wagon may be much like the latest fashion trend and may require a little more time to judge it’s viability. Linux has got potential and appeals to the part of me that wants a little non-conformity. And while Apple, as well as Windows, makes the non-conformist in me cringe, it may turn out to be the platform that fills the bulk of my requirements as well as wants. I guess it can’t be all bad, they are building the Mother Ship.