Hi everybody. I'm Len Massiglia, Creative Director here at Radar Media. Paul was talking to me about our new blog and you'll be reading a bit from me here and there. Something I wanted to talk about today is cross platform compatibility, and how this impacts businesses (Radar included!).

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a bit partial to...okay, exclusively loyal to the Mac.

You know those Mac vs. PC commercials? Couldn't be more accurate for me. As a designer, it's always been the platform that I find the most intuitive and the most useful. Even with programs that are available on both Mac and PC platforms, I find that Macs provide you with a much cleaner interface, better usability and they make excellent use of keyboard commands.  I've gotten so used to as little mouse use as possible, if you sat me in front of a PC to use Photoshop it would definitely be frustrating. I have to admit PCs are getting more Mac like with each generation, maybe in another 15 years they'll catch-up to the simple elegance of a Mac.

Now before you PC buffs out there get too heated with me, rest assured I understand that some people are PC people, and this is why I'm writing this very post today. Much of the business world is PC-driven. Even Radar is a mix. I have my Mac. Paul, Andy and Lesley have their PCs. And both Don and John have one of each (at least).

You might think that this would cause a lot of problems when it comes time to send files back and forth or collaborate on projects, but it's actually been an advantage to us in our business.

When you work with a diverse group of clients, you never know what platform(s) your clients are running on, or just how computer savvy they are when they seek your services. I use programs like Photoshop, Quark, Dreamweaver and InDesign for my projects, but sometimes clients want to be able to implement something themselves or make a change and need an easy way to do it. I often find myself putting some projects in Word or PowerPoint format, so that it can be accessible to everyone. It may not be the original format I've created something in, but it gives me a learning experience and helps me better serve the customer.

There used to be a lot more debate about cross platform compatibility, and cross-browser compatibility as well. While there remain some incompatibilities in terms of file readability or browser webpage display, these problems are becoming fewer and farther between, and I think they're definitely going to continue to be less and less of a concern.

If you're a business that only functions on one platform, it can actually put you at a disadvantage. It's sort of like learning a second language. You don't have to be fluent, but if you can get around well enough, it can open previously impossible opportunities for you. I'm not saying every computer user needs to purchase a computer opposite to what they're used to using, but it can't hurt to familiarize yourself with the options out there. Meanwhile, I'm going to stick with my Mac, and I'm going to keep working on PC Paul...

Until next time,
Len