Revolution OS was made quite a few years ago, but details the Free Software movement in America beginning with Richard Stallman and culminating in the initial successes of Linux in the commercial market in 2001. Bluntly, this film is as unapologetically anti-Microsoft as it can possibly get. It spends exactly zero minutes making any attempt to illustrate counter positions while diverting from its primary focus often. In fact, by the end it winds up being more of a dramatic documentary about the “war” (although a rather undramatic and mostly unimportant war in reality) over the nomenclature of Linux between Stallman and Linus Torvalds (the creator of the Linux Kernel).

All that being said, it is still quite informative and entertaining. Adequate background of the roots of free (not like no cost free, but like free minds free) and open-source software is provided with an impressive level of depth and detail. There’s even a dramatic reading of a now ancient letter from Bill Gates to the free software folks that comes off practically as a proprietary software national anthem (not to be missed). This and a few other moments of hilarity, make this a must see for you folks out there that have craved a bit more depth in the recounting of the revolution in open-source software. I highly recommend it to all computer geeks that give a crap about operating systems. For everybody else… why the hell are you reading this?  

Welcome to Macintosh was made very recently in 2008 (the iPhone was a large topic of discussion) which attempts to explain why exactly a “cult of Mac” has developed and why it has remained for so long. Again love it or hate it, Mac is back. It has fought its way back from almost certain death to reclaim a seat at the table of computer and consumer electronics’ manufacturers (I mean it basically accomplished this through iPod and iPhone which have nothing to do with Mac… so maybe it’s a misnomer… Maybe it should’ve been called Welcome to Apple. Except that would’ve ruined their clever title. This is why I don’t name movies). Anyway, as a Mac lover (although I am neither a member nor do I want any part in the cult of Mac) I had a few moments during this film that I wanted to (and when I say I wanted to, I mean I did) stand up and cheer in all of my Mac pride. This is the single best summary of why people like myself love Macintosh and why it’s always been that way.

What is really engaging however is how the players in this Mac drama are interviewed, revealing their own quirky personalities and how they added to the often elusive entity we call Mac. The story is atypical to say the least and the parade of interesting and eccentric characters that have gone through the doors of Apple Computer makes this movie completely worthwhile. If you’re looking for Windows or Microsoft bashing, you have come to wrong place here as this film is more of a celebration of Macintosh than any kind of diatribe against Mr. Gates. It even shows the dramatic unveiling of partner Bill Gates as Jobs proclaims “we have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win Microsoft has to lose” (heresy!!). If this movie is anti-Windows it’s just that way for us Mac people because we’re shown just why we love them and why they are so vastly superior. Ok so maybe I’m just revealing my own bias, but in all honesty it’s a great film.

You won’t find me breaking anybody’s legs to get my copy of Windows 7 once it debuts. But that would’ve been the case whether I saw these films or not. However, if you love to hate windows, you’re interested in the history of open-source, or you just love your Mac (in the most healthy way that one can love an inanimate object), you should check out these movies. You can be entertained and indoctrinated at the same time!