Mac and Windows loyalists are known to debate endlessly the technological merits of the two platforms. That's always fun, but judging from the reader response, our post this week on Apple and Steve Jobs bowing out of Macworld Expo has raised a different and more interesting question: Which has the stronger sense of community?

The issue came up in the post when we asked Seattle journalist Glenn Fleishman about Macworld Expo's meaning.

"It's a real source of community," Fleishman said. "There's no such community in the Windows world. There are people who use Windows and there are communities of interest in the Windows world. Linux may be a little more similar to Mac in that sense, even though it's more of a technical nature. But you don't have the same feeling of affinity."

In the comments, reader Graham Watson took issue with that statement, saying the tens of thousands of people who attend Microsoft events such as TechEd, Mix and the Professional Developers Conference would disagree. He added that the millions of members of Microsoft related technical groups worldwide would also have a problem with that statement."

Of course, sheer numbers don't make a community strong. But there's no question that Windows fans have their own special sense of collegiality -- particularly when you get away from the corporate events and go to grassroots gatherings such as Microsoft's MVP Summit and Mix. Remember the reception Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer got from the crowd there this year?

I also regularly attend Apple events such as Macworld and the Worldwide Developer Conference, and I can attest to the electric feeling in the room when Mac enthusiasts get together. Maybe it's a function of people in the minority finding like-minded souls. And maybe that feeling has been diluted as the iPod and iPhone have taken Apple more into the mainstream in recent years.

In any event, it's an interesting question to ponder. Feel free to offer your thoughts in the comments below.