My computer experience started with a Commodore Vic20, and later a Commodore 64. I got to play with some Apple IIe computers in programming class in high school, but back then BASIC programming was pretty much the same on both. My next computer wasn’t until some time later, well after I graduated from high school, and it was a Pentium 75 by Digital Equipment Corporation. It came with Windows 3.11 for Workgroups. And ever since then I’ve had some sort of PC, some with windows, and now more recently with Linux; Suse Linux 9.0-9.1 to be specific.
I’ve never really gotten into Macs, and the biggest reason why is price. With today’s PC prices I can put together a Linux box that is just as powerful as its Mac counterpart for a third of the price. I’ve never been able to justify the cost for a Mac. Now someone has stepped forward to tell Steve Jobs exactly why his Macs don’t sell well. Read Alex Salkever’s Open Letter to Steve Jobs. He has hit it right on the mark.
The only thing I can add to this is to keep yourself involved in the Open Source community as well. The smartest move Apple ever made was switching to a Unix type kernel. Lower the price and work with the Open Source community to get their apps working on Macs and you’ll have people switching in droves. You might even get me to buy one.