I’m going to say something serious here. No really, I am. I AM! Stop with the eye rolling and waiting for the punch line.

OK, XP is not a bad O/S based on the user interface. I doubt many could argue that it is not better than Windows 95/98/ME. It is easy to navigate (especially networked drives, though still not as easy as OS/X’s Finder) and setting up shortcuts to important items is just as easy as it is on the Mac (Easier in some cases). Where it breaks down is security. Microsoft made a big mistake in trying to include everything and the kitchen sink. Not that it is a bad idea; it was their implementation that was faulty.

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Last year Jonathan Last wrote a very witty and intelligent piece for the Weekly Standard in which he argued that the Galactic Empire against which the heroes rebel in the Star Wars movies wasn’t such a bad thing after all. The basic gist of the piece was this: the prequel movies have made it very clear that the Old Republic the rebels sought to restore was corrupt and bureaucratic, that it tolerated trade monopolies and slavery, and that whatever high and noble ideals the Jedi Knights espoused, they were not particularly ineffective when it came to enforcing them. On the other hand, the Galactic Empire enforces law and order, and the day to day lives of the citizens appear to be free and safe. There isn’t any obvious Nazi-like racism either despite the jackboot-symbolism running through George Lucas’ portrayal of the Imperial Starfleet officers and Stormtroopers. Many different peoples appear to be working together, and instead of royals and self-appointed Knights, the people running the Empire are drawn from academies all around the galaxy and promoted by merit. Many of the “crimes” the Empire appears to commit throughout the movies are much less obviously evil when looked at in the context of a government trying to keep order in the face of mounting rebellion. The Empire may be cruel and brutal in its approach to dealing with the Rebels, but then much the same thing can be said about the British in Northern Ireland, the Americans in Viet Nam, or the Israelis in Palestine. Sometimes what works isn’t necessarily dainty or attractive — there are times when cold force seems the only way to keep the peace.

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How Steve Jobs got Microsoft to pay for Jaguar’s Development.

Mac OS X has already become a hit with many consumers. Now, with Jaguar, Apple is about to make their systems as easy to adopt in the corporate world as they have been for consumers to do at home.

Jaguar, Apple’s next major update to OS X, is going to be packed so full of juicy networking compatibility for the corporate market, it isn’t even funny. By adding VPN connections, Exchange Server compatibility for e-mail services, the ability to hook up to any IP network and dynamically seek out available shares, servers and printers without typing in long and involved paths, the ability to share files from a Mac to Window’s users, to visually browse a windows network; suddenly there’s virtually nothing standing in the way of using a Mac on an enterprise network. Except for IT, that is.

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Recently, I wrote an article on how Apple is following Pixar’s roadmap for success called “Geri’s Game.” It was a look at how I believe Steve Jobs is applying what he’s learned at Pixar to Apple’s business strategy. Now I’d like to take a look at some of the new features of OS X 10.2 Jaguar that Apple recently showed off at the Worldwide Developer’s Conference, WWDC. ‘Cause I think those features might be revealing how Apple is also going to steal a page from Microsoft’s playbook and use it to continue Apple’s success.

Microsoft is the undisputed master of gaining market share. Even if Bill Gates doesn’t know what market share is, they sure know how to gain it. I’m wondering if Apple might be using Microsoft’s own strategy against them? If you step back and look at some of the features of Jaguar, it seems to be pointing towards that very thing.

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As memories of goodwill to men and the singing of Christmas carols fade from the hearts of the faithful let us turn our thoughts to a subject that is less sacred. My favourite topic is this realm is, of course, Microsoft – the Evil Empire, the Wicked Monopoly or the pearly Gates down under. But, as loathed as I am to admit it, the house of Bill has much that is holy – not blessed to be sure by definitely holy.

April 2, 2001
Microsoft is issuing a security patch for its Internet Explorer web browser, which could automatically open corrupted e-mail attachments without user intervention.

June 8, 2001
A computer virus that targets Web systems using Microsoft software packs a double punch. This time the worm is selective, attacking only Microsoft software and sending profane e-mail bombs to founder Bill Gates.

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