PC World — It is the statement that has re-ignited the near-religious debate about whether the Windows user interface was copied from Mac. Define 'copied'. Adopting features that work is not new to Windows 7 or unique to the Windows / Mac debate--its just the way the world works.

Microsoft Rebukes Exec for Mac Inspiration Comment

Microsoft partner group manager Simon Aldous was quoted saying "What we've tried to do with Windows 7 - whether it's traditional format or in a touch format - is to create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics."

[ For complete coverage on Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system -- including hands-on reviews, video tutorials and advice on enterprise rollouts-- see CIO.com's Windows 7 Bible. ]

That statement is likely made up of equal parts heresy and truth. Brandon LeBlanc later rejected that claim on the official Windows 7 blog: "Unfortunately this came from a Microsoft employee who was not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7. I hate to say this about one of our own, but his comments were inaccurate and uninformed."

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in this case Apple shouldn't flatter itself. LeBlanc points to some resources that have a more in-depth look at how Microsoft developed Windows 7 and the Windows 7 user interface such as Fast Company and an AP Story in the Washington Times.

The legions of Apple devotees and the general anti-Microsoft crowd are predictably foaming at the mouth over Aldous' statement. The pseudo-mea culpa vindicates what they have known for decades and gives them an entitled sense of 'I told you so'.

That debate though has always been more about the rivalry between Apple and Microsoft than any real concern about imitation (copying, borrowing, stealing) of features between operating systems. Both the IBM OS/2 and Commodore Amiga operating systems had 'Mac-like' graphical user interfaces as well. Both of those operating systems were also arguably superior to the Mac at the time, but they weren't from Microsoft so they didn't draw the fury of the Apple faithful.

Before we drive off too far into the woods with the debate about whether or not Microsoft attempted to mimic the Mac OS X interface in Windows 7, let's take a deeper look at where Apple got the 'inspiration' for Mac OS X.

When Steve Jobs was forced out of Apple he started a new venture called NeXT. One of the products of NeXT was the NeXTSTEP operating system--an object-oriented, graphic interface, multitasking operating system built on a foundation of BSD Unix. When Jobs rejoined Apple, Mac development had a sudden shift in direction and Mac OS X was essentially borne out of porting the NeXTSTEP operating system to work on an Intel CPU architecture and rebranding it with the Apple logo.

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