Impersonal Computer

Today, I pulled the trigger and upgraded my iMac to macOS Big Sur 11.3.

The good news? It didn’t take as long as I thought it would.

The not-so-good news? I’m not sure whose benefit most of the changes are for. On balance so far, I get the impression that the majority are for Apple rather than myself.

Mind you, this isn’t a new thing. The last few macOS upgrades have felt like this, lots of new features added, very few of which are of much use to me. And I’ve had similar feelings when using Windows 10.

With the exception of desktop wallpaper, there is very little ability nowadays to make your computer more aesthetically pleasing. Which is a crying shame when you look at how, well, flat both Windows and macOS have become.

When I tried out Linux Mint last year, I was shocked at just how customisable it is! In comparison, Windows and macOS feel like fossils, albeit very shiny ones.

I don’t think it’s a lack of resources or talent, but rather a lack of will on the part of both Microsoft and Apple. The beans have been counted, it appears, and making computers feel personal is clearly not a profitable endeavour.

And that saddens me greatly.

The computer is only ‘personal’ in the sense that there’s a person who bought said computer. But in reality it’s an Apple/Microsoft/Dell/HP/whoever-sold-it-to-you computer, and you’re to use it as they and their partners intend and be duly grateful.