Get Off Microsoft

Intel-based Macs introduced at Macworld Expo run faster but are still pricey and don’t yet offer the ability to run Windows.

Bill Gates used the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show to provide yet another glimpse of Microsoft Vista, and Google introduced an online video service that has everyone confused.

Macworld Expo in S.F. in early January is more than just a rally for Mac users. Apple’s Steve Jobs typically trots out something totally new and cool for the faithful. The buzz focuses on two important areas: Macs with Intel chips, and a new video delivery system.

Apple will never be like the Evil Empire. The iPod/iTunes combination does not hamper innovation the way the Windows/Office monopoly does.

News agencies are falling over backwards trying to find news about flaws, worms, and viruses that attack anything other than Windows systems. They’re having a hard time making these stories meaningful.

I think we can all benefit by watching Microsoft thrash about in this new “services wave” while we choose alternatives among the service offerings of the likes of Google, Yahoo, Apple, and hundreds or even thousands of new startups that turn the internet itself into a platform.

It’s no longer a mini-trend. Windows users are switching to the Mac. Some say it’s due to the success of the iPod; others say it’s due to malware problems with Windows.

Windows: it’s not your fault. But it is your problem.

If the record companies don’t come to their senses and stop fussing over DRM, they’ll most likely hand the keys to their kingdom to Apple and Microsoft. What would the open source community do in response?

The Sony BMG protection scheme for music CDs has no effect on Mac OS X or Linux systems — the CDs function as ordinary audio CDs.