Ottawa, Ontario - Canada's Capital

Paying the Price

Saturday, August 4, 2001 - For those of you who don't keep up with events in the computer industry but who are concerned about your computer's privacy and security (as everyone should be), this is a word of caution about the soon to be released Microsoft Windows XP operating system.
    If you use Microsoft Windows on your PC, do yourself a favor and read what an unbiased and authoritative technology news source has to say about why every Windows user should think twice before upgrading to Windows XP. I would paraphrase here what the author of this article had to say but he is a pro and says things much better than I could. You can go to that article by clicking here. I highly recommend everyone read it. I will say that Windows XP in its current form is reported to have some extreme security and privacy issues.
    Nor is this article alone in its negative comments about Windows XP. Another article posted by PBS gives further details - click here. I have seen far more negative than positive reaction to Windows XP from knowledgeable technical people who are normally staunch Windows and Microsoft supporters, not the usual rants from the Mac faithful. Most Mac supporters are too busy drooling over the Mac's own new operating system, OS X, to care much about what Microsoft is up to (OS X which, by the way, is getting surprisingly positive response from the press in general, especially when you consider it isn't final yet).
    I had planned to upgrade my own PC to Windows XP when I first heard about it months ago because it looked like at long last Windows was going to finally be stable and look good in the process. Then things began to surface about some of the questionable things XP does and requires, and now at this point I have absolutely no plans to upgrade no matter how many good features it might have, even if XP were given to me. In fact, I have no plans to upgrade anything that will require Windows XP either, even though you can expect to see a lot of pressure from other companies in the computer industry trying to force people to upgrade to XP because these companies are currently languishing in the technology slump and are looking to XP as the spark to rekindle the industry's fire.
    I think most people who visit my site here realize that while I own and use on a daily basis both Mac and Windows computers, I prefer the Mac over the PC. For my profession as a graphic designer, the Mac was the first to computerize this field and has always been the best at it. My opinion. However, this doesn't mean I'm one of those blind-to-the-facts, died-in-the-wool Mac fanatics who think Apple can do no wrong. I use a Mac as my primary computer solely because for me it is still the best tool for my trade. Nothing more, nothing less.
    To me, the kind of computer I use is no more important than what brand of lawn mower or power saw I use. I simply want the best one for me. If I felt Windows or Linux were the best, that's what I'd use. I have no undying loyalty to the Mac and I'd drop it in heartbeat if something I felt was better came along. However, it doesn't look like Windows XP is going to be the crowbar that pries me loose from the Mac.
    So, read the articles I mentioned above and at least be informed. There are good reasons why the US Government is prosecuting Microsoft for misuse of its monopolistic position and if Microsoft isn't brought under control, and soon, it will be us peons who will be paying the price. hmmmph!