Change your personality as easily as…
Not too long ago we got a cheapo-PC to run some specialized hardware (and of course, its associated software). The machine came with Windows XP Home (OEM edition). Every time I turn it on, something jumps up for attention: “Hey, there’s a new security thingy that Windows installed. Hope you don’t mind,” or “Are you sure you want to do that?”
I used to be fluent in Windows, and pretty well-spoken in MS-DOS, too. But then I quit working in a place with Windows PCs, and my skills pretty much lapsed. Now I find myself acting like one of those dolts novices people I used to work with — staring at the screen, trying to figure out what I’m supposed to click, frightened that I’m going to poke something and make it blow up. I think it has something to do with the WinXP design paradigm. Everything’s all rounded and primary colors* — makes me think of Fisher-Price toys, like I’m a child messing about with my parents’ stuff.
I tried looking for new themes, but they’re scary, too. I’ve read so much about security that I’m loath to download stuff, especially the coolest bits. The skinning crowd tend to over-design, anyway (just because there are 16 million colors, doesn’t mean you have to use *all* of them). So I futz with the colors and try to find an inoffensive wallpaper and ignore the ugly icons.
And when it’s too much, I go back to my Mac and breathe a sigh of relief. Not because the basic design paradigm is any better (remember the jelly-bean window buttons and the dalmatian-blue imac?), but because I know how to change it. Except for that row of indistinguishable blue icons in the dock. That I’ve given up trying to do.
I think I’ll go generate some starfish patterns now.
* Not like this blog. Nope. No primary colors nor jelly-beanness going on here. Just rounded corners. All the cool kids have ‘em.
