My daughter has used (since she was 4) Windows, Linux and Macs. She never even asked about the differences; she just adapted straight away.
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Will a Mac confuse the kids?
- Thread starter Zisa
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Sorry but I'd have to say just the opposite. I received my first computer when I was in the 5th grade. It was a Macintosh LC. The school I went to also happened to have some Mac Classics and Apple IIe computers. I went on primarly using Mac's through highschool. I had seen Windows pc's at friends but never used them for anything other than games. The first time I really used a windows PC was when I got my first fulltime job as customer service with a major insurance company.
While still in training I became familiar enough with the systems to write simple macros. In about a year I was writing small programs and scripts to aid in workflow and productivity as well as helping locally with quick PC questions. I now have a position in the IT department of the company.
If anything I would think learning on a Mac only helped as I now know both systems. Also the simplicity of the Mac I think helped boost my confidence in toying/working with the windows systems.
I would never hold my child back from an opportunity to pick up another skillset.
Maybe too young to get a personal computer
Personally, I believe they might be a little too young to get their own personal Mac (considering how expensive they are). If they are learning how to use PCs at school then I would suggest getting them a PC because they can incorporate what they have learned in school while they are working on the same interface at home. It would be hard for them to understand two different computer interfaces at such a young age. I would suggest getting them a similar computer than the one they are learning with at school.
Personally, I believe they might be a little too young to get their own personal Mac (considering how expensive they are). If they are learning how to use PCs at school then I would suggest getting them a PC because they can incorporate what they have learned in school while they are working on the same interface at home. It would be hard for them to understand two different computer interfaces at such a young age. I would suggest getting them a similar computer than the one they are learning with at school.
Not the 12"...
Anyway, they should adapt fine. I used PC's at home from when I was three, and Macs in elementary school from five to ten years old. It's really great to be able to experience both, and I remember every kid in my computer class had no problems using the iMac G3's running OS 8 at the time.
By the time I was in grade 8, I was programming on the Apple ][ in my room and at school, working with DOS 3.3 on the 386 PC in my dad's office, and had used a Macintosh SE as well as a VT100 terminal connected via modem to dad's office. I was also actively dialing into BBS's and quickly figured out the interfaces on all those (mostly Maximus). Never once did I ever struggle to figure out which was which.
My grade 7 science fair was especially interesting. My project was the venerable "which brand of battery lasts longest?" (Duracell, it turns out). I wanted to show a set of voltage/time graphs. Today, you'd plot the data in Excel, make graphs, pop them into PowerPoint, run the whole thing on a laptop. Back then, I had none of that... so I wrote an "etch a sketch" program on the Apple ][, drew all my graphs in that, saved them as raw memory dumps of the graphics buffer, and then wrote the slide-show program to display them all!
Kids are way smarter than we think to give them credit for.
My grade 7 science fair was especially interesting. My project was the venerable "which brand of battery lasts longest?" (Duracell, it turns out). I wanted to show a set of voltage/time graphs. Today, you'd plot the data in Excel, make graphs, pop them into PowerPoint, run the whole thing on a laptop. Back then, I had none of that... so I wrote an "etch a sketch" program on the Apple ][, drew all my graphs in that, saved them as raw memory dumps of the graphics buffer, and then wrote the slide-show program to display them all!
Kids are way smarter than we think to give them credit for.
Yeah, i program too and I'm in the 5th grade. People don't understand I'm smart. They say "Your GONNA mess it up. Don't touch it.".
First off, you can't predict the future.
Second off, why are the kids always dumb and stupid with computers? I think its stupid that its surprising that a kid is great with computers. Mac's are very great and simple computers. END THIS TOPIC. Mac is the way to go. I did great on my first macintosh, in first grade. You'll risk getting viruses on a PC. So don't worry.
My advice is at a slight tangent to the rest.
I agree wholeheartedly with everyone saying that it will be a positive experience to use more than one operating system and they will very quickly learn.
But Please Please PLEASE don't indoctrinate them with Windows is crap, OSX rulllezzz. Let them try everything themselves, Linux too. The most important thing in the IT world is not to be fanboy. The best thing they can learn about computers is PICKING THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE RIGHT JOB without making decisions based on prejudices and fanboism.
Every rescue of projects I have done in the last 5 - 10 years has been undoing some IT guy's prejudicial choices of software and platforms. The guys that chose to switch a Law Firm of 400 lawyers to Linux because they are zealots. Huge user backlash and lot of lost money. Lawyers wanted Windows, Secretaries Wanted Windows, IT guy wants to ram Linux down their throat. Then there was the consultancy that decided Windows would be the best platform for their customer even though they had used mac for 15 years and had around 18TB of data which had no Windows supported applications.... I could go on.
Back to the point, make the machine (whatever you get them) a triple boot machine, OSX, Windows and Linux. Let them explore it all, offer support, offer solutions, don't offer Windows Sucks!
I agree wholeheartedly with everyone saying that it will be a positive experience to use more than one operating system and they will very quickly learn.
But Please Please PLEASE don't indoctrinate them with Windows is crap, OSX rulllezzz. Let them try everything themselves, Linux too. The most important thing in the IT world is not to be fanboy. The best thing they can learn about computers is PICKING THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE RIGHT JOB without making decisions based on prejudices and fanboism.
Every rescue of projects I have done in the last 5 - 10 years has been undoing some IT guy's prejudicial choices of software and platforms. The guys that chose to switch a Law Firm of 400 lawyers to Linux because they are zealots. Huge user backlash and lot of lost money. Lawyers wanted Windows, Secretaries Wanted Windows, IT guy wants to ram Linux down their throat. Then there was the consultancy that decided Windows would be the best platform for their customer even though they had used mac for 15 years and had around 18TB of data which had no Windows supported applications.... I could go on.
Back to the point, make the machine (whatever you get them) a triple boot machine, OSX, Windows and Linux. Let them explore it all, offer support, offer solutions, don't offer Windows Sucks!
^^ It seems more than a little excessive to get them to use 3 OS's. If they use OS X at home and you don't ram it down their throats that its amazing then they'll be exposed to 2 as they'll also be exposed to Windows.
Unless you're selling IT solutions were all three might be an option there is no need I can see to use 3. I only use OS X and Vista (and XP on other peoples machines).
Unless you're selling IT solutions were all three might be an option there is no need I can see to use 3. I only use OS X and Vista (and XP on other peoples machines).
