Reading Response 1 - Monique Bontemps

While reading In the Beginning was the Command Line, I was not expecting to read about the history of Microsoft, Windows, and Apple. As technology has evolved over time, Stephenson had stated, “even the least technically-minded people in our society now have at least a hazy idea of what operating systems do” (1). No matter what type of system it is, even toddlers know how to use complicated technology. One example of this is Leapfrog products. By using complicated operating systems, toddlers can learn the basic, such as the alphabet and counting numbers, which is ironic.

            With further reading, Stephenson is a customer of Apple. Being more familiarized with PCs and Microsoft, all of these companies are similar. Many people see the outcome of these systems. However people also forget how information is transferred in these products. All of these companies use coding, “linear string of bytes” (9) as Stephenson puts it. The files are similar to streaming videos from Netflix or Hulu through the internet. When Stephenson showed an example of the computer code, it looks like a completely different language, which it is. These codes are similar to how artists translate their message through art. Like a picture is worth a thousand words, coding is a thousand images. An example would be HTML. Stephenson said “it is a basically a very simple programming language instructing your web browser how to draw a page on a screen” (10), like paint on a canvas.

            As Stephenson continues his article, he favors Apple products, but through quality. Although Microsoft did not have the best software, the imperfections allow them to come out with newer and better products faster, unlike Apple. Stephenson even said that Apple focused on hardware. Apple can make a profit by coming up with new colors and features. Plus they are limiting their hardware. As a result, Apple customers are only able to go directly the Apple Company. Unlike Windows and Microsoft, they are more global and easier to fix and personalize to the customer’s liking. People are able to build their own laptops and computers with Windows and Microsoft, which is impossible to do with Macs. Honestly, Windows and Microsoft, is more convenient with price, features, and software for all people.