The 5 Steps: The Form

Or, what kind of computer do you want?

This is part 3 of an ongoing series devoted to helping people discover a better way to purchase a computer. In this series I am explaining in detail how I go about helping friends and family through the confusing process of making a computer purchase when they don’t know very much about computers, other than they need one, by pretending to have a conversation with a fictional friend named Sarah.

You can read part 1 here and part 2 here.

Sarah was once again looking at me as if I were growing a third eye. I admit that my last proclamation had been a bit dramatically obtuse but still, that was no reason for her to look at me as if I were going to suddenly start drooling on my shirt or rolling around in my own feces. I allowed myself to sigh inwardly as I waited for her inevitable question.

I didn’t have long to wait.

“What do you mean, ‘The Form’? It’s a computer GeekMan, not a piece of Play-Doh.”
“Well Sarah, when I say The Form, I’m not merely talking about it’s physical shape. I’m really talking about two distinct choices that you’ll need to make before we can find you a computer.”
“Well then, why not call it ‘The Choice’?
“Because there’s more than one choice to make and the entire process of buying a computer is a series of choices. Plus, ‘The Form’ sounds more dramatic.”
“Did you eat paint chips as a child?”
“Do you want my help or not?”
“Fine. Call it whatever you want, just tell me what it means.”

Sometimes helping people can be very, very frustrating. But it’s almost always worth it in the end. Or at least that’s what I kept repeating to myself in my head as I took a nice, long sip of my now lukewarm hot chocolate. After counting to ten, I continued my explanation.

“It may sound silly at first, but The Form is an important factor to take into account when you’re looking to buy a computer.”
“But, don’t all computers look alike?”
“Like I already told you Sarah, I’m not just talking about the physical shape of the computer. To bring back your car analogy, The Form step would refer to things such as deciding between an SUV, a compact car, A pickup truck, a sports car, or anything in between. Even though all those vehicles will get you from point A to point B, you probably wouldn’t want to buy some of them when you shop for a new car based on your own personal needs and preferences. It’s the same with computers, although I will admit that there are seemingly fewer choices to make.”
“You mean, I need to choose between buying a desktop or laptop.”
“Yes, but those aren’t your only choices.”
“There’s other choices?”
“Yes, although most people don’t think about them at first. For example, you could decide that you want one of those space saving computers that have an attached monitor but aren’t laptops. Or you could decide to get one of the new tablet computers where you use a pen-like interface instead of a keyboard. Or, maybe you’ll decide that you want a computer that looks like a home theater component, or you could even decide that all you really need is a handheld computer that doubles as a phone. There are far more choices out there than simply ‘laptop or desktop’.”
“Wow! I didn’t even think abut any of that!”
“Most people don’t until they really start looking around, and then they usually get either confused or overwhelmed and wind up buying something that they later discover wasn’t what they really wanted.”
“Well, I really don’t want to wind up paying so much for something I won’t like, so tell me what I need to do to make the right decision.”

Having finished my hot chocolate, and seeing as how Sarah had also finished hers despite her protests of hot chocolate not being a proper drink in June, I poured both her and myself another cup before continuing.

“Ok Sarah, the best thing to do is to start by deciding on the operating system you really want to use.”
“The operating system? What does that have to do with whether I buy a laptop, a desktop or something completely different?”
“Well, for some form factors, it means a lot. If you want a tablet computer then you’d almost have to use Windows. If you’re interested in a handheld computer/phone then you’re probably going to wind up with Windows, although there’s also Palm, Symbian and even Apple now. The home theater type of computers are also mostly Windows, with Apple having one lone product in the space. But for most people, they will make the choice between a desktop or a laptop, which will mean deciding between Linux, Mac OS and Windows.”
“Linux? I think I’ve heard of that, what is it?”
“Linux is an alternative operating system similar to Windows and Mac OS, but far more open to alteration by the user. However, when you first start using it, it’s not nearly as user friendly as the Mac OS, or even Windows. So, I wouldn’t recommend it to a new user like yourself unless you’d be willing to spend a long time learning how to use it. Back to the car analogy and Linux can be compared to the kit car builders, or the backyard car restorer, whereas Mac OS and Windows are more like your standard car manufacturer. It takes more skill, hard work and patience to build a car yourself than to simply walk into a dealership and buy one off the lot, but once you’re done building a kit car you’ll have something that will work exactly the way you want. It’s the same with Linux.”
“That sounds a bit too complicated for me. I just want to turn it on and be able to use the thing, without any problems. You know, like putting my key in the ignition and turning it on. I don’t need to know about spark plugs, engine torque or gear ratios to drive my car and I don’t want to have to know what’s happening behind the scenes in my computer when I click on something either.”
“And there’s no reason you should if you don’t want to.”
“Good. So, where does that leave us?”
“Basically? Windows or Mac.”
“Well, a few of my friends swear by their Macs. They say that the Mac is better than Windows and everything is easier. Plus, Macs look cool.”
“So, you want a Mac?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“Well, I really thought I wanted one, except when I looked around my office I didn’t see any Macs and I’ll need to do a lot of work on whatever computer I buy. Some people in the office use a Mac at home, but when I asked them about it they told me that sometimes stuff they do on their Macs looks different when they get to their PC in the office, so most of them decided to buy a copy of Windows and install it so they could do their work without any problems.”
“So?”
“So, to my mind, that defeats the reason for buying a Mac. I mean, if I need to buy Windows anyway, why not just buy a PC?”
“So, you want a PC?”
“But, aren’t Macs easier to use?”

At this point I leaned back in my chair and sighed. I new where this was heading and it was not a place I wanted to visit.

“Listen Sarah, I don’t want to get into a fight with you, or anyone else for that matter, about which OS is better, or cooler, or easier. Mostly because I don’t believe it’s a fight either side can win. It all comes down to the individual. The truth is that Mac OS and Windows both have their good and bad points and figuring out which one is right for you will depend entirely on your specific, individual needs.”
“But I love the look of the Mac OS.”
“Then buy a Mac.”
“But I use Windows all day, every day and I don’t want any file problems when I do work at home.”
“Then get Windows.”
“But the Mac OS looks so much better than Windows.”
“Then get a Mac. But, keep in mind that if you wanted to, you could get the same look and feel of a Mac by simply installing some software in Windows that will change it’s look to that of a Mac.”
“You can?”
“Yes, you can. Just like you can always buy Windows and install it on the Mac to do Windows stuff. But that’s not really the point.”
“Then what’s the point?”
“The point is, you need to ask yourself which operating system is best for you? Not which one is prettier, or which one other people tell you is better or cooler or more prevalent, but which one is the one you want and will help you do what you want to do?”
“But…”
“Sarah, you can run in circles about this for days. What it’s really going to come down to is one thing, and that is; which OS will be best for your specific, individual needs? Not my needs, your friends’ needs, your family’s needs or even your office needs. Your needs.”

It was Sarah’s turn to sit back and look thoughtful while sipping hot cocoa. It took a few moments, but eventually she put down the cup and let out a little sigh.

“Well, I really like the look of the Mac, but after thinking it through just now, I can’t see myself buying one only to have to spend more money later to buy Windows so I can do my actual work. Plus, I already know how to use Windows since I use it every day at work. So, I think I should get Windows.”
“OK, so you want Windows now, and not Mac OS?”
“Yeah, but I might want you to tell me about that software that makes Windows look like a Mac because I really like the look, ok?”
“Sure, but later, ok?”
“OK.”
“So, now that we know you are going to use windows, we need to decide on whether you want a laptop, a desktop, or some other form factor, like a tablet or handheld.”
“This one’s pretty easy, I’m going to be traveling every now and again so I’ll want something portable, but I also like using a real keyboard so those tablet’s and handheld computers don’t really appeal to me. So I guess that means I want a laptop, right?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“What? No long, drawn out explanations about the different types of laptops to choose from?”
“That will come later, in Step 4 when we discuss The Inside. Right now, it’s time to move on to Step 3, The Function.”

To be continued…