Why Microsoft is a threat not only to consumers, but also to national security.



In Praise of Things Not Microsoft <

Regarding "Why Buy a Mac?" iTech, Nov. 5, and "Apple Users Reply," Nov. 19:
I am a business person who uses no Microsoft products but does not follow theApple way blindly (as my site www.appleblunders.com can attest).

The issue of Mac vs. PC for me is not an issue of which one is better. I think theMac is better, but I see that as a matter of personal taste. The issue is a matter of monopoly and security.

Monopoly: If we compare word processors from, say, 1984, like MacWrite, withtoday's Microsoft Word, we certainly see some progress, but not revolutionarily so.Why is this? I maintain that at least part of it is Microsoft's owning the entire computer environment for professionals and being able to deny competitors access toMicrosoft documents. Remember the complaints of "compatibility" from the 1980sand early 1990s? Things have changed now that translators are more reliable andavailable. But the damage has been done. You can exchange documents between Microsoft Office on a PC and on a Mac with no problem. You can even open and Save Word and Excel documents on competing applications, though with limited success.

So Microsoft has an installed perception of what is professional,"compatible" and available in the users' heads.

Beyond the obvious advertising campaign that Apple could put together to inform the public of the lack of compatibility problems on the Mac, there is still one important issue:

Do we really want one company to dictate and control how we do our wordprocessing (Word), mathematical and financial modeling (Excel), Web browsing(Internet Explorer), e-mail (Outlook) and our planning (Entourage)?

Security: Why are there so many viruses on Microsoft Windows as compared withMacintosh and Linux? It's because Windows holds a near monopoly on the market.If you want to sabotage computer users and networks, Windows is your naturalchoice.

Frode Hegland London
Link To Article on the International Herald Tribune Web Site

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