"Apple Time" Update

It has been almost two months since I "went Mac," and it is time for an update.

First, let me say that the Mac has won me over. As I stated in March, I am not going back. This MacBook Pro is truly the best laptop I have ever used, and it does things very well.

The goal was to be able to do all my work on this Mac without resorting to Windows, and I can say that for the most part, that goal has been reached.

Of all the applications I use, the ones that matter are:

• Microsoft Office
• MindJet MindManager
• The BlackBerry
• Keypass
• Sony Digital Recorder software
• Various utilities, such as Telnet and FTP
• Text Editing/Programming software
• Web Browsing

Of the above, the only one that does not support the Mac is the Sony digital recorder software. I was going to add the BlackBerry, but there is an application called "PocketMac" that RIM distributes free -- I have not tried it, but I will.

MS Office 2008 is good -- I installed it about two weeks ago, and it is different from MS Office 2007 for the PC, but compatible. It is certainly workable, and so far, I have had no serious issues. It is important to note that the Microsoft Mac development team is a whole 'nother bunch of people than the Office 2007 team -- but, hey, that is standard issue for Microsoft. I have not had the chance to really work Office 2008, but so far, it works fairly well.

MindJet MindManager's Mac version is not as feature-rich as the Windows version, which is unfortunate, because I really use this software more than any other. The files are all compatible, though, and it works very well -- it just lacks some features that I like.

Keypass is an application that I use to hold my passwords, and I was afraid when starting this experiment that I would have to forgo it -- but, there is KeypassX, which is a Mac version, and it works great! Keypass, by the way, is a requirement. It is the best way I have found to keep track of the myriad passwords that I have, and it is very secure. Security people say you should never write down passwords, and should have hard-to-guess passwords. Well, hard-to-guess passwords are also hard-to-remember passwords. So, people use their pet's or kid's name (hey, I did this too when I started out!). Also, many people use the same password for their work computer, their email apps, their banking apps, and their other web logons. Someone can guess it once, and get into all of it! Keypass makes it easy to manage all of this. I store all my confidential info in Keypass, including SSNs and other information, because it is so secure. Do it!

The utility and text programs are different in a Mac, but are excellent and professional. It is important to note that all the development pros I have seen lately are using Macs, including the guys at Google who released their Google App Engine a few weeks ago.

The goal of this experiment is to see if the Mac is a viable alternative for a PC in a business environment. So far, I have to say that it is not "seamless." There are issues surrounding Mac use in a Windows world. To a Windows-centric IT shop that does not want to work with it, the Mac will not work. This is mainly because hooking up a Mac to a Windows domain, using Windows (Active Directory, really) shares and printers, and authentication, is not the same with a Mac as it is with a PC, and the Mac does have limitations here. So, an IT shop has to look broader: Are there benefits to going Mac that outweigh the limitation of using a Mac with Active Directory? Smaller shops have an easier time, since the impact of architecture changes/accommodations are limited to a few people and locations, and the impact can be made less painful. Larger companies, with ossified IT groups with ossified "change control" protocols and five-year IT roadmaps will just plain not really accommodate a Mac, unless the shop adds it into their plan, which means politics.

On this last note, as I have been studying the Mac and getting it to work in my group, I have seen a lot of IT-avoidance strategies to getting the Mac to work -- some have been used by my own users over the years. Some of these strategies are "unapproved" but basically harmless, and others are "unapproved" and can cause security and other problems. OS X has lessened the second scenario considerably, but the scenarios still exist. So, what happens in a non-Mac environment is what happens to any IT environment where a determined user community loses patience and goes for it: work-arounds and self-support. This has resulted in some rather artistic people, who lean toward the Mac, grinning and bearing the technical aspects of getting these things to work outside the Mac world. The fact that they are succeeding shows the versatility of the Mac (this is not a slight -- I sure would not expect a Windows Active Directory-jockey to design web sites or put together ad layouts).

With that in mind, I do want to point out some of the issues I have uncovered in my travels:

1. The integration to Active Directory was really cool until the security patch came out in March that took out printing to a Windows-based network. This is still an issue. The work-arounds are to either put your windows user name and password on the printer command line (really, really technical, and much deeper into the bowels of this thing than I thought I would ever have to go -- has to do with CUPS) which A. did not work for me, and B. is a security issue, or print directly to a network-attached printer to its IP address. What is its IP address? Exactly. More technical issues and sleuthing required. Sure, doable. But not as cool (or efficient) as choosing a printer from the available list and just printing.

2. Windows Active Directory and OS X's Directory Utility (DU) work well together, but their error checking and correction are not what I would like it to be. Therefore, it is possible to add a Mac to an Active Directory domain with the same name as another computer. This can cause really, really serious problems. I blame Microsoft (since it is its software that is failing, not the Mac), but it is still a problem. This little problem killed our network and brought down our Exchange server.

3. Office 2008's Entourage is pretty cool, but I noticed some definite differences with Outlook (actually, a lot of differences, but most seem to be benign). The main one is that Entourage does not seem to support distribution lists from Outlook in my personal contacts list. You can create a "group" in Entourage, but it does so in your local contact list, not the contacts in your Exchange contact folder. (Disclaimer -- I have not tried hard, but I shouldn't have to!). Again, I blame Microsoft. Entourage is theirs.

4. I was unable to easily open a Word document on a Windows "share" from within Word.

What does all this mean? That the Mac/Windows interface is a pain, and therefore, a problem.

There are three official actions I can take about this:

A. Tear out Windows and Active Directory, or at least build a parallel directory environment using Mac Server,
B. Be aware of the issues and have Mac users (including me) live with them until they eventually go away, or
C. Ban Macs as too much of a problem (while keeping mine, of course!).

Option C is too draconian and actually impossible in my environment. Option A may be the best long-term option, since Microsoft seems determined to fall on their sword with Vista and other super-kludgy software. In this scenario, we reduce Windows and Active Directory as much as possible, root out as much MS software as possible (Exchange? Gone! Office 2007? Gone!), and make the Windows PC's work with LDAP running on Apple servers (can we do this? I don't know. Theoretically, sure. Comments from those that have done it are welcome!).

Option B is the way are are going now, with an active eye on the incremental improvements as OS X gets better and better. Alas, we are not where I wanted to be: Root out PCs and add Macs and be in Nirvana. But, perhaps soon.

Oh, before I close, I did manage to lock up this baby a few times:

1. When I pulled the monitor cable from the laptop before shutting down. Perhaps it is best to do this when the machine is not on. Don't know.
2. When I had lots of apps opened all at once, including Windows on VMWare fusion. Something tweaked.
3. One other time that just seemed out of the blue. Might have been a problem with Firefox -- don't know.

So, they are not crash-proof. But it came back really well each time. Also, I have been just closing the lid and opening the lid, and it just sleeps and awakens like a little baby (only, without the crying part).

Finally, I put in place a local USB drive (a Passport from Western Digital) and set up (as if there is anything to really set up) "Time Machine." Really cool. For those of you old enough to have seen "Star Wars" when it first came out, remember when the Millennium Falcon went into Hyperspace? Well, like that: What a rush! And for backup software! Not only that, but it really works well, and saved me from some serious problems, and I don't have to think about it. The only problem is that I can't have a network drive be the backup drive. I don't know why they don't allow that.

So, bottom line, Vista is failing and people are buying Macs and getting serious about it. I am using one and will not go back. Macs are not quite ready for prime time in the pure Windows business environment, but are usable and worth the effort, and the tsunami is out there and mark my words, by this time next year, the wave will hit and Macs will rule.

Gartner Catches On to Microsoft

Over a year ago, I predicted the end of Microsoft domination. Now, a year and a quarter later, Gartner is catching on and stating that Windows is "collapsing." The reasons stated are the obvious: Vista is seen as too incremental to warrant a migration off of Windows XP, and it has the reputation of being a resource pig.

I have been using a Mac now for a month. I am really, really happy with it. It is not perfect -- the Mac's reputation of being the PC that never crashes is overstated -- but it is a heck of a lot better than XP. 

I find it interesting to find my own mind-set changing, quite without thinking about it. When Google announced its Google App Engine two days ago, I noticed that the demonstrator was demoing it using a Mac. When I have been seeing developers show demos for whatever they are selling, I am seeing them done on a Mac. When you see pictures of a "generic laptop" in ads or in movies, they are always a Macbook. This has been trickling in over the years, but now it is ubiquitous. iTunes sells more music than everyone other that Wal-Mart, and they will overtake Wal-Mart this year. iPod has been the number one music device for years. iPhone is selling very well and has the cache of being the phone to have ("Blackberry or iPhone" is the question. No one else need apply). 

Regarding my mindset, I look at a PC app and think to myself "man, that looks old." When I look at a software provider and I see that it only runs on Windows, I think "man, that is old-school." All of a sudden, the future for applications that people use has only two platforms that matter: The Web (as in Gmail, Twitter, Basecamp, etc.), or Apple Mac. The movement to the web was no surprise. That is a no-brainer, as Google Apps, Salesforce.com, and other "Software as a Service" offerings gain real traction. What surprised me was that Apple would surge back so strong. But, now that I am living the experience, it is no longer a surprise. I love this thing. I'll write more about that in a separate post, but I love this Mac.

Now, I can't ever see myself ever again saying "I love my Windows box." In fact, I can remember only one instance where I ever truly felt that I loved a Windows box, and that was my old 486 running Windows NT circa 1992 -- and then, it was the box I loved (faster that anything!) rather than Windows NT (Registry? What the heck is that? What was ever really wrong with Config.ini?). No, all Windows boxes I have had save the 486 were pains in the neck, but necessary evils, since there were no alternatives. Laptops in 1994, 1995 were Toshibas running Windows 3.1. Windows 95 beta fried my old Toshiba and forced me to swear off forever "beta testing" Microsoft products. Writing code for MS-DOS was quirky, but basically straightforward. Writing Windows code forced me to rely on their super-buggy Microsoft Foundation Classes. I had to debug their software! And pay for it, too! Oh, sure, I could have written my own library of Windows routines, but then about 90% of my code or better would girders and pillars, and only 10% or less would be actual functionality. 

The Mac was always a joy to write code for (although I didn't personally, because the money was not there... Mea Culpa on Windows domination to that degree.) I still have a t-shirt from the 1998 Software Development conference in Santa Clara for CodeWarrier ("Kicking Butt and Writing Code") which was the development tool of choice for many Mac developers and was a great platform, at least from the demo I saw and the people I spoke to.

Next Computer's NextStep operating system and Objective C were unbelievable! And, guess what? They live on in Mac OS X. 

In retrospect, it is surprising that I waited until 2008 to make the jump to Mac. I am not the only one -- it is happening all over. 

Macs are not 100%, yet. They don't fit very easily into a Windows Active Directory world, although they are better, much better, than they used to be. Businesses are still strongly incentivized to use Windows-based PCs and laptops, and general inertia will keep the platform alive in the business sector for several more years. But, it is dying. Businesses will, over time, move more and more to Linux and Open Source for back-office systems like databases, and web applications for user applications, leaving Microsoft in the lurch.

If Gates were still with Microsoft, I would not count Microsoft out. But, he is gone. Microsoft cannot pull off the big come-back without him. It looks like Microsoft's demise is getting obvious.

I'm Not Going Back

So, it's been not quite two weeks since I received my new MacBook Pro. What a machine!

Here's the deal. The Apple philosophy is different from the Windows philosophy.

"Philosophy" is a term I have been using since the '80s to describe the overall point of view a computer company takes in relation to how to use their product or system. The philosophy guides the user interface, what can and can't be done, what you can expect to do or not do, and the general attitude the system takes. For example, in the '80s, you had the CP/M philosophy of files and applications organized by "users" and the MS/DOS (from Unix) philosophy of hierarchical directories. The Mac had "folders" and the mouse and ease-of-use, MS/DOS had "directories" and the command line and "professional." The philosophies of Unix, MS/DOS, and to a large degree Windows assume a technical user community, or one that will just have to deal with the technical things going on. Apple has pretty much always had a target audience of people, and especially, artist or visual types, who don't need or want to know what goes on beneath the hood, so to speak. This was a detriment in the beginning, because the systems were not up to the task of being non-technical. You still had to look under the hood with earlier versions of the Mac. But, with OS X and especially the later versions, this goal of not needing a technical degree to run a computer that can still do some cool things has pretty much been realized. And, the goal of having a Mac do the things formerly firmly rooted in the Windows world seems to have been achieved as well.

The first thing that happens when a PC guy like me moves to the Apple is to try to do things on the Apple the way you do things on a PC. For example: using "control" keys for editing. Different on a Mac. The Mac has a different keyboard layout, and so the first thing is, get used to the new layout.

After that hurdle, the Mac philosophy really kicks in and messes with the Windows point of view. The Mac philosophy is "it just works." When moving from PC to Mac, this is the thing to keep in mind. It just works.

What does that mean? When you attach another monitor, it knows what it is and automatically adjusts. It just works. When printing to printers on an Active Directory network, you join the domain (need administrator help, here), and then all the freaking printers just show up, ready to print. It just works. When you are ready to go home, you close the screen and it suspends properly every single time. When you open the screen it comes back, every single time and it knows where it is and that it is not on the office network, home network, or that the screen is no longer attached, or that the internet is no longer available... it just works.

This is huge. I have a Toshiba Tecra that should be a dream machine that just refuses to come back from suspend or hibernation mode. "Resume failure" is the name of the tune. I have an HP that is testy when I resume in a new place under new circumstances. If it comes back, which sometimes doesn't happen. I feel like I am playing Russian Roulette when I turn my Windows laptop off. This is not true of the Mac. It just works.

I do have a need for Windows, because I have a Sony recorder and a BlackBerry. They need Windows to run their software. So, I have VMWare Fusion for the Mac. Oh man. I copied a Windows XP Virtual Machine (VM) from my Windows desktop to the Mac, and started it up under Fusion. It comes right up and runs, and it works wonderfully! I can run the Windows VM
in full screen and it is indistinguishable from any other PC -- looks the same. I run it one of the Mac's "spaces," which is basically how the Mac does virtual desktops. When I move to that "space", it is as if I am now running a PC. Wild.

It is not a walk in the park to learn the Mac, but Apple's guiding philosophy of "it just works," if you put yourself in that mindset, makes it become intuitive.

So, in a nutshell:

The hardware is second to none, looks beautiful, and works very well. As laptop, it is the best one I have ever used.

Mac's OS X follows the philosophy of "It just works." and it does. It has a number of really cool things that are cool because it makes you work better, which is the goal of having a computer in the first place.

So far, the main apps that I need in life run well under a Mac. Windows XP runs great in VMWare Fusion. My guess is that Bootcamp works well, too, but I am a VMWare guy and it is great to run it all at once.

Using the Mac for the time I have been using it makes me realize how much I need to think about system issues when running Windows. Things like: Viruses? Hard drive: which one? Where is that file, anyway? With the Mac, the apps get the attention. You don't think about where apps are, they are in the Applications folder.

I don't think I shut the Mac down fully since last week when I was installing and upgrading. When I did, it came back right now! not in five minutes.

I know that I will get very good with the navigation system on the Mac. I know that when I am (realistically, a few weeks - true of any system change like this), I will fly with this thing.

The goal is to have the Mac do everything that I can do with Windows. I am not sure that is true, yet, although I am leaning in that direction. I do know, that even if I have to do half my work in Windows, I am doing it on this MacBook Pro, and not on a Windows laptop. I am done with Windows laptops.

Apple MacBook Pro Arrives

Well, the trial has begun. I received the new MacBook Pro today, and boy, is it a beauty. If there is one thing Apple knows, it's the concept of "Whole Product." If you ever bought an Apple product, you know what I mean. The packaging was beautiful! Even the foam surrounding the notebook was cut into a work of art. I knew this was not just another box. The computer itself is clean - no stickers advertising what you just bought. No junk "ad-ware" inside the box ("Office 2007 trial edition! Quicken Trial edition!" junk, junk, junk!). No sample music or pictures. Clean, clean, clean. After years of special ordering laptops for business stripped of consumer-grade crap, it was a joy to just have the computer turn on and not assault me with advertising.

The laptop is beautiful. It is like driving a Packard or Cord instead of a Plymouth.

I have to say, I'm impressed with OS X, especially the "Leopard" edition. Knowing I was entering unknown territory, I just ran the tutorials and video - glad I did. There is a lot there!

Things that I really liked, in no particular order:

• The multi-touch trackpad is very cool. Like the iPhone. Cool and, more importantly, functional.

• The glowing keyboard when it gets dark.

• The ambient light-sensitive screen.

• "Spaces," which allows you to have multiple "screens" to help de-clutter your screen. This is a concept that has been around since at least the '80s, but they did it very well.

• "Dashboard" and widgets -- little applets like Google Desktop that you can call up as needed --things like weather, calendar, calculator, etc.

• Time machine for backing up the thing (although, I would rather it allowed backups to a networked server instead of forcing it to an attached storage device. Perhaps there's a way around that...)

The key to this Mac thing working, though, is that the computer must fulfill the mission, which is to replace my Widows boxes completely. That is the goal. I have three questions:

1. Can I get my work done on it without continually resorting to Windows?
2. Is it usable in its own right?
3. Is it better than working with Windows? In other words, even if it can be used, should it be used? Is there a "value proposition? that makes finally dumping the pig of the Axis of Evil (the Microsoft/Intel deadly embrace of faster machines only to be consumed by the yawning maw of crappy systems software) a real option?

The machine itself is beautiful and well put together. Leopard looks to be a good OS. More to come!

Apple Time!

I am going to see if it is time to move to Apple -- I am getting a MacBook Pro, and will use it for my main computer. More and more things that are done with computers are moving away from the computer themselves, and are moving to web tools, like Google, Yahoo, and others. It is becoming less and less important what machine you are on, and more and more important that you are able to get access, somehow, to the web.

Yes, there are tools that must be run "locally". Microsoft Office and Mind Manager, for example, are two. But both of these run on a Mac.

Some of the tools I use, most notably the BlackBerry, require at least occasional connection to a PC, and the PC must be a PC, not a Mac. So, for that I will run a copy of Windows on the Mac.

But, I think it is time that the Apple can truly take the place of a PC. I will find out, and let you know.

My goals for this are:

1. Do all daily activities on the Mac, including MS Office and Mind Manager activities, and access to Microsoft Exchange. Activities like Google Apps should be a no-brainer, since they run via the web. I can do that from Linux, if I want (and have!).

2. Only resort to a PC (or, really, Windows) when I must (and I will document it). Or, kill whatever forces me to run on Windows. The BlackBerry is safe. All else is suspect!

I should get the machine Wednesday or Thursday. We shall see what comes of it! I'll keep you posted.

Apple iPhone Released Tomorrow!

I have been a busy man the last few weeks (months?), but one cannot leave the iPhone phenomenon uncommented.

Being an IT executive, I will not automatically issue iPhones to our company's people, and the reason is not the one cited by "industry experts," to wit, that it is "incompatible with our systems." No, the reason we will not issue it is because it costs a lot of money - three times or more than what I would pay for our standard BlackBerry, and virtually infinitely more expensive than the "free" voice-only we generally get for people who just need a phone. Currently, the iPhone is a really cool toy that does a lot of things well, but which goes above and beyond a business user's requirement for an email-enabled mobile phone.

I say "currently" because if trends go the way they go in Tech, the iPhone could end up a replacement laptop, and then that makes it interesting as a business tool.

Here are my iPhone predictions:

It is a category killer. It will not flop. There is a lot of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) going around that it is too good to be true, it is too expensive, and therefore, disillusionment will follow, the hype will not be realized, and the iPhone will be a low-selling toy. That is not true. Apple's goal is 1% of market in 2008. They will meet the goal, and therefore, it will be a success. That is ten million units.

I think that if the iPhone stays married to Cingular, it will basically hit that goal. But, I have other predictions (and no, I do not have friends or insight into Apple).

Short Term Prediction:

Lots of sales tomorrow and for a while after, a lull until October, then a surge as Apple releases an updated version. The updated version will use the EDGE 3G network, which is much faster than EDGE. Other updates might include searching and voice recognition. It will easily meet Apple's sales expectations.

Longer Range Predictions:

There will be a "VoIP" version that will NOT use a cellular network, and only runs on WIFI, and will spark the end of Cellular/wireless phones as we know them. Anything that goes to IP drives the cost down to "free." Why pay $60+ per month when you can go to any wired city or Starbucks or Barnes and Noble or home, or anywhere in major cities and converse for FREE? Mark my words, this will happen: 2008 or 2009. Sooner if AT&T/Cingular upsets Apple's customers. To me, this is obvious, and will enable the phone to break free of all mobile networks. Apple may align with a "VoIP" provider, such as Skype, but it won't have to. It could create its own.

The iPhone capability will increase, and will eventually be good enough to be used as a laptop computer. The configuration I see is that people will have a "home based" computer (desktop or laptop) and then the iPhone. Since the iPhone runs OS X, it is a Mac. The later versions will expand on this obvious advantage.

If they do these two things, I see iPhone sales (and successors) well beyond the ten million mark.

June 29th -- new iPhone!

The Apple iPhone will be here on June 28! The price is rich, but the ads say it all...

More On Vista

In a recent post, I noted how unenthusiastic about trying out Vista I am. Reports from skilled people, who are paid to look into these things, are continuing to support my decision not to waste my time.

For example, read Wayne Rash's column on eWeek about this.

Meanwhile, Apple is wasting no time. They a pushing the Mac as the PC upgrade path, and why not? You have to buy a new machine anyway, why not cut the Gordian knot and get a Mac?

I will be trying to run my computing life over the next few weeks using non-Microsoft office tools. I will use Google docs and spreadsheets, and OpenOffice for office-type activities, and Firefox (which I already use) for web browsing. I have VMWare Workstation, so I will be doing some of this using Linux. I don't have a Mac, so I will not be using one, at least not initially.

The only Windows-oriented tool I will be using will be MindManager by MindJet -- but they have a Mac version in case I switch. I'll let you know how it goes.

Microsoft Prediction

When Bill Gates announced his retirement from Microsoft in July, that, to my mind, marked the end of the "Microsoft Era." Microsoft has been losing ground in the world of personal computing (actually, in computing overall).

Microsoft isn't over, and won't be over for a long time. After all, COBOL, the 1950's era business programming language, is still very much in use. But, Microsoft's dominance is on its way out, to the point where it will be a choice to use Microsoft products, not a requirement. I see this being fully fleshed out by 2010 or 2011.

It is difficult to predict something like "market share" for the PC market. In this world of laptops, BlackBerries and iPhones, what is a PC? Currently, Microsoft has a commanding 95%+ share of the PC market. Does this mean that 95% of all people who have any computing device also has some PC running Windows? I have a BlackBerry, a PC, and an iPod. So, in my case, two out of the three computing devices I have are non-Microsoft. But, there is no doubt that my primary device is a PC.

Perhaps it is enough to say that by the end of 2011, the percentage of people who have Microsoft-based product as their main computing device will drop below 50%. I think that should this statistic occur, it will be obvious: Many businesses will have moved off Windows, people will be using their non-Windows mobile device for their main device (many use their BlackBerries that way now!), and homes will have either a Mac or a Tivo-like Linux device as their main unit.

Why do I think this? Because Bill Gates is Microsoft, and he is leaving. Also, the Microsoft vision of a PC in every home has been achieved. The new vision is "I can get whatever information I need (including entertainment) from my hand-held device."

Vista does not fit into this world. The iPhone does. So does Linux-based wireless kiosks cruising the web.

Cisco Sues Apple for the iPhone Name

So, this is a bit bone-headed on Apple's part -- use a name that Cisco and its aquirees have been using since 1996. So now Cisco is suing. I guess they did not come to an agreement on time. My guess is they will -- or Apple will call it the Apple Phone -- which is a better name, anyway, in my opinion, since the iPhone, er, Apple Phone is really a hand-held Mac and not a beefed-up iPod. Cisco's iPhone is a Voice over IP home/business unit, and is a lot more utilitarian.

Cisco has embedded either Skype or Yahoo into its units, and uses that "transport" to do internet phone calling. It is a replacement for (or augmentation to) your "land-line." It is wireless in that your wireless phone at home is wireless: at home only, although there are also Wifi iPhones as well, that use a wireless internet connection and do not need a PC to work -- so you can use it at your local coffee shop that offers free Wifi access. Cool in its own right, but geeky. I have not tried it, so I don't know if it works or not, but I can say, it is not an Apple.

This changes nothing fundamental -- the ApplePhone is very cool, and as I said, I'm getting two.

The iPhone: Get One

Here is an example of a news item every blog and their brother will have: Apple announced and demoed the iPhone today at Macworld in San Francisco.

Rather than an extension of the iPod, it is actually a Mac in a phone -- it runs the Mac operating system, OS X, and seems to be a full fledged computer phone.

What is my take? When it is released in June, I am getting two: one for my wife, and one for me. It makes everything else, including the BlackBerry, which I currently use, obsolete. It buries Microsoft's offerings -- actually, it buries everything that is out there.

This was the capper on some other really good announcements made today: Apple TV, which links your iTunes to your TV set wirelessly; and nothing less than a name change for Apple. They are no longer "Apple Computer," they are now "Apple, Inc."

Apple is taking over, along with Google, Oracle, Linux, and VMWare. I predicted last year that Microsoft will be just another company, and its innovations like these that are making that happen. If you are a consumer, you can currently easily live your life without Microsoft products. If you are a small business, same thing. It is coming to pass, soon, that the same will be true of larger businesses. Large businesses will not be locked in to Vista, Office, or Windows server products. Businesses are already moving to Linux and Open Source products for their server needs, like web-based applications. Oracle has positioned itself very well in this space, with their announcement in October to fully support Linux.

If I were to advise someone what to buy for computing at home, now, I would say: Get a Mac. If you have a tech-savvy kid who likes erector sets and Lego, I would say: Get a Linux machine running AMD Athlon chips (and VMWare Workstation). That's it. There is no need for Microsoft technology in the home, period.

Why does this matter? Because Microsoft has been riding a desktop monopoly for years and years, and coasting on the inertia of legacy software. Windows ran DOS programs, so people moved to Windows. NT ran Windows 3.1 programs, so people used NT. Etc., etc. Apple had delivery issues in their youth, as well as pricing problems, as well as being very proprietary. This last is still there, but it is not the issue it was in the past -- actually, Apple is fairly open. Much more open than Microsoft.

In this period of Microsoft dominance, they continued to be fat and lazy. Huge programs, many, many bugs, many many patches. The viruses that we are all suffering from are for the most part aimed at machines running Microsoft. There are two reasons: one, they are everywhere, but more importantly, there are holes to exploit. Ubiquity would not matter if there was no way to exploit the machines. But there are.

Now we have Vista, which is a monster, and requires a very fast machine to run well. Who cares? I really don't. There is nothing that is compelling me to move from XP to Vista, especially for my home machine, which is a couple of years old. However, I will buy an iPhone. Need I say more?

Apples Can Run Windows!

Apple recently released computers running Intel chips. This was, essentially, hell freezing over for the Mac faithful... at least at the time. Now, Apple releases a program called "Boot Camp" that allows their new Intel Mac to start up Windows XP instead of Mac OS X. Now, all of a sudden, Mac lovers are praising Apple for going Intel.

My view on this is that at the end of the day, computers are about software, not chips. You could have a Chevy Suburban, for example, with a Dodge engine, and you would never know - it would still be a Suburban for all intents and purposes. You can run Linux on pretty much any computer chip out there, and it is still Linux. The same is true of Apple's operating system, OS X.

Actually, Windows is the exception rather than the rule. Every serious current operating system for computers except Windows runs on a variety of computer processor chips. Windows XP, which is the decendent of older Microsoft operating systems like Windows 95, Windows 3.1, and MS DOS, has been hamstrung by these ancestors. Windows XP has to be able to run the programs written for these older operating systems (otherwise, people would not upgrade), and these all ran on Intel chips.

Boot Camp allows you to load both Windows XP and Apple OS X on the same Intel Apple, and choose which one to run. You cannot run both at the same time, which would be the ideal situation. Besides loading Boot Camp, you will need to purchase Windows XP, which costs about $200. Apple will not, to their credit, pre-load Windows on these machines.

Why would anyone want to run Windows XP on a Mac? The only reason is to be able to run programs that only run on a Windows XP machine, like certain computer games, and certain business software. So some people, that may be worth the $200 and the dabble in Apple.

Apple is very smart to not pre-load Windows. Actually, this is a no-brainer. IBM tried to get OS/2 to go big by having it encapsulate Windows, and they paid MS a license for each copy they gave away -- clearly stupid. OS/2 was so clearly superior to Windows that they really didn't need to do that. What they needed to do was pick a few key applications, like Word Perfect and Lotus, and push it home, and market the heck out of it. In '92 they could have killed Windows, but blew it.

As for Apple, Win XP runs everything OS X runs. The tendency for the non-Apple user will be, if they buy one, to boot Win XP. Why not? Their kids are already running it for games. The barrier is the cost of Win XP. The issue is, though, that if you shell out $200, you will want to use it.

So, there are two ways it can go on this: It will solidify Windows, because now it is everywhere, or it will be an interesting footnote in the history of the Mac. I think it is interesting that Apple can do this, and it will boost sales for Apples, and that is a good thing, but now that it is done, Apple should move on (except for Christmas season sales, taking advantage of the Windows Vista delay) and encourage really good software for OS X. Make it so they never want to leave.

At the end of the day, Apple OS X is very close to the point where it can truly replace Windows in the workplace. It already can at home. Apple should push for going the rest of the way. That is why Boot Camp is a potential distraction -- it could move Apple into a complacent mode where they think that users will use OS X daily, and only go to Windows for those things they really need. That will not happen. When the thing you really need is on Windows, you will stay on Windows. Once the things you really need are on OS X, then you will never need to go to Windows again.