In technical communication, as in programming, IT, engineering, finance, and other fields, it is not as simple as having a single preference.
Of course I just want things to work but it is a myth that everything on a Mac just works. Macs might not suffer from the enormity of issues that plague Windows, but they still have issues.
An additional complication is that the selection of an operating system is not entirely under the control of the user. In a great many cases, the user's employer is responsible for selecting the operating system to be used, and if a user wants a computer which is not supported on the employer's network, responsibility for support of that computer falls entirely on the user.
Finally, there is the issue of software availability. While it can be argued that there is comparable software for every platform, in some cases, comparable does not mean equivalent, or fully-featured. This might not be a problem for a casual user, but for power users, having an application with every feature available is an absolute necessity.
I don't believe the poll is flawed, because it is accurate to say that many people may have a preference, but I think there is more to it than that. There is a "why" component that needs to be addressed; as in, "Why does a user have a preference for a specific operating system?"
I responded to the poll with "Other" because I use Windows, Macintosh and Linux. I am required by my employer to maintain a Windows system. A Macintosh provides an easy to use interface for everyday tasks without forcing me to compromise my Windows system by using it for those other tasks. [Ubuntu] Linux is freely available and provides me with a means of keeping older hardware in service and useful.
My preference is to have every possible resource at my disposal as opposed to picking one.
In technical communication, as in programming, IT, engineering, finance, and other fields, it is not as simple as having a single preference.
Of course I just want things to work but it is a myth that everything on a Mac just works. Macs might not suffer from the enormity of issues that plague Windows, but they still have issues.
An additional complication is that the selection of an operating system is not entirely under the control of the user. In a great many cases, the user's employer is responsible for selecting the operating system to be used, and if a user wants a computer which is not supported on the employer's network, responsibility for support of that computer falls entirely on the user.
Finally, there is the issue of software availability. While it can be argued that there is comparable software for every platform, in some cases, comparable does not mean equivalent, or fully-featured. This might not be a problem for a casual user, but for power users, having an application with every feature available is an absolute necessity.
I don't believe the poll is flawed, because it is accurate to say that many people may have a preference, but I think there is more to it than that. There is a "why" component that needs to be addressed; as in, "Why does a user have a preference for a specific operating system?"
I responded to the poll with "Other" because I use Windows, Macintosh and Linux. I am required by my employer to maintain a Windows system. A Macintosh provides an easy to use interface for everyday tasks without forcing me to compromise my Windows system by using it for those other tasks. [Ubuntu] Linux is freely available and provides me with a means of keeping older hardware in service and useful.
My preference is to have every possible resource at my disposal as opposed to picking one.