Mac OS X vs. Windows: The GUI

One of the most obvious differences between a Mac and a Windows machine is the interface: the icons, menus, windows, colors, and so on. This long, occasionally too-geeky, but this valuable essay by Mary Stamper goes into some detail as to why the superior Mac interface permits greater productivity. Stamper goes further behind the interface than the average user, to explicate (for example) why the Mac Finder Sidebar is more powerful than the Windows Start Menu and why the shadows that outline open windows are key factors in usability. Stamper is a programmer and a user of Mac and Windows machines, so she doesn't come off as a typical Apple zealot. Rather, she's an intelligent person who's both insulted and perplexed by the crumminess of Windows, and knows why Apple offers the best alternative.

(Thanks to Apple-X.net for the link and this commentary.)