The World A.T. Ways

Posted By Kevin Gaugler on December 10, 2008

My brother called me last week from Seattle because his desktop computer was declared deceased by a Best Buy employee. Since he knows I dabble in technology he asked me what many do, “Should I buy a Mac or a PC?” Both Apple’s and Window’s marketing campaign have been effective at portraying a never-ending battle between Windows and Mac fanatics. Although the following clip is a spoof, I think it does a good job of capturing the central message these competing companies have sold us for far too long: Mac is for creative rebels (and educator types) whereas PCs are for those who make real money.

The truth is that the hottest-selling computer this holiday season is the netbook, a lightweight mini laptop that leverages the computing power of the Internet. Intel has designed a new line of lightweight chips for this new device and has an ad campaign that commands the attention of anyone interested in international affairs.

I recently purchased my own netbook, an Acer Aspire One, and it’s my always-with-me computer. My software suite for this machine does not constitute expensive options that require heavy processing power like Microsoft Office or iMovie. I now use what is increasing being called webware. If I need to type a letter, prepare a presentation, or open a spreadsheet, I use Google Docs. It’s free and meets 90% of my computing needs. I even downloaded Google Gears, a tiny program that lets me use the Google suite offline. If I need to edit a photo, I use Adobe’s Online Photo Editing service. If I really need to edit a film on the go, I use an online video editor called JayCut. And if I must have a glossy newsletter for work the next day, I use a web service called Letterpop. The truth is, I have found a free Internet solution for almost all of my basic computing needs. The average user no longer needs to worry about whether to buy a Mac or a PC, because the bulk of his or her time will most likely be spent using Webware’s Top 100 services, rather than anything produced by Apple or Microsoft. Imagine, in these dire economic times, the cost savings associated with a university-wide adoption of these services. Why aren’t more educational institutions moving in this direction? Maybe a first step would be for us to share this video with our administrators and IT staff.

More information on Google Apps for education can be found here.

Please write to us at feedback [at] worldatways.com and share with all of us which desktop applications you have abandoned for the web.

Categories: Creativity, Productivity, Teaching, Teaching and Learning, web 2.0
Tags: Kevin, netbook, webware