"Here's a scary thought: Microsoft can take over your computer wherever you are, and do whatever it wants to."

No, they can't. Microsoft has nothing to do with my computers, which are running FreeBSD or OS X.

No Microsoft here. Debian, Vector Linux, and Slackware. So, while for some, that may be a scary Halloween story. For me, it's just another occasion for Thanksgiving!

What's scarier than Microsoft taking over your computer? Evidently, the answer is "switching to something non-Microsoft". If people were really scared, worried, or incensed by this, they would be up in arms and take interest in something like Ubuntu or Red Hat -- or, if they were buying a new computer, perhaps even OS X.

However, for most people, it would appear that attempting to compute in a foreign environment is the scariest proposition.

http://www.techlawjournal.com/cong106/encrypt/19990928a.htm#weldon1
But the point is that when John Hamre [ Then Deputy Secretary of Defense ] briefed me, and gave me the three key points of this change, there are a lot of unanswered questions. He assured me that in discussions that he had had with people like Bill Gates and Gerstner from IBM that there would be, kind of a, I don't know whether it's a, unstated ability to get access to systems if we needed it.

Future generations will look back on this and say: "You mean they paid for the computer and then let someone else own it?" No my dear children, it's worse, they also let someone else control their computer. But wait there's more (that's an inside joke little ones). The computer didn't work as delivered. It needed more software to make it safe to operate. At his point my aged self sees the eyes glaze over.

It is my misfortune to witness the horror of this Halloween every day. The best I can do is to keep my family and my friends safe from the Redmond Beast by keeping them up to date with PCLinuxOS.

I can't help but have mixed feelings when I read this. For years we had people screaming at Microsoft to make all the security updates and related automatic because the great masses of computer users were too ignorant or naive to keep their systems up to date. Microsoft does this in the most comprehensive way possible and then there are complaints because Microsoft takes advantage of it to push out things they consider desirable. Why should anyone be surprised at this?

Scarier yet is a bill before Congress that certain big money lobbyists are, well, lobbying for. The bill will grant software or media copyright holders the "right" to access OUR computers in any manner they find necessary in order to verify that their software hasn't been pirated.

Latest reports give it a good chance at passing by the end of November.

Boo.

Say what you want about the virtues of Mac vs. Win, but the facts are that on some frequency I control in my Macs, I get a human-friendly dialog box that asks if I wan't to install the above listed updates, and then I can choose YES or NO. No automatic anything, no "oops, so sorry" needed, no "uninstall...some software left behind." Both flavors (M & W) allow me to read email, word process, access the interent... - which is the KIND OF COMPANY I want to deal with?

Windows-free home since 1984 (10.4.10, but waiting for 10.5.2, or .3...)

And you know why I am another smug Mac user? No matter how critical, like Michael mentions above, I chose to install it or not BUT if there is a whole, it is usually handled much quicker.

On the other hand, I'm definitely keeping an eye on Linux. Never know...

I am a satisfied Windows user. I love the wealth of the rich operating environment and the power f the applications. It is exciting to be part of the company that is creating the future intellectual tool environment of the next century.

Best of all I don't have to view myself as constantly living in Jonestown drinking Kool Aid with Mac Users and, god help us, pseudo professional open source desktop advocates.

The past two months have been a real last straw for me re: Microsoft. Instead of just threatening, I am starting the move at home to LINUX. I have a new motherboard and case on order, and plan to install RedHat latest release as a workstation for my hobby business. I believe I can use LINUX and open source apps to accomplish all I need to run a business, and I intend to find out if this is so this month. I am seriously looking at moving my web server which supports my hobby business out of my home to Apache on LINUX away from the IS 6.0 server it is running on now. I don't do anything that requires Windows or Microsoft apps on the server, so really all I have to do is figure out how to do virtual hosting on Apache, and migrate on over. I guess I really am utterly disgusted with the Big Brother/Mafioso attitude that now prevails at Microsoft.

"The ugly truth is that Microsoft is using security fears to force its enslaved base (that would be you and me) into installing stuff it wants us to have."

Perhaps you, but not necessarily me. Microsoft has yet to force an update to my Ubuntu computer.

Most of you overlook the sad fact that Microsoft is by far the most deployed OS on the PLANET. I agree with all of you that its products are greatly flawed, however, they manage to stay the lesser of all of the evils.

As bad as they are, you can download any application for Windows and it will install. It won't tell you you need another library, only to get that library and have that one tell you you need yet another. Linux anyone??

Apples are, well Apples. They are capable of email, internet browsing and word processing. What do most people use on the Apples for this? IE and MS Office. I know there are others, but I am talking majority here, so you are right back in the MS camp. Gaming anyone?? I think not.

Linux has its place for the tinkerers, who have (and want to spend) days to get something simple, like a media player, working. It is free. It really feels free when you try and figure anything out. 30 different flavours, all doing slightly different things in slightly different ways - none of which are compatible with the next.

Apples are great for people who are computer illiterate - somehow they just seem to communicate with these types better.

I enjoy bashing Microsoft as much as the next guy, but the fact remains their stuff works better out of the box for ANYONE. If you have any idea of how Windows works, it is very easy to set it up so that viruses and hacker attacks are a thing of the past. I do not have a firewall, or AV software - my XP based (let's not start in on Vista, that's a whole other (ME) story) PC runs just fine, virus and hacker free. I am also smart enough to pay attention to pop ups, and unwanted or un solicited emails. Why on earth would ANYONE select Automatic anything?? Just your own fault for being lazy and not wanting to check the Update site regularly for patches, and intelligently decide for yourself if they are needed or not.

MS has tons of problems, internally, with both hardware and software, however on a day to day basis, overall ease of use for the MaSses still has to go to the evil overlord Bill.

Amazing. People installed OneCare, whose entire purpose is to help manage the machine. It does that, then people complain?

If they didn't want updates automatically installed they shouldn't have installed OneCare. Robert, how far did you have to dig to find idiots like that?

Hey, Dave, apparently you haven't seen any Macs in use for the past 5 years or so. NOBODY uses IE on Macs any more. And very few use Office's email client.
BTW, since Macs started using Intel chips a few years ago, they can now run ANY Windows software. In fact, they will run those programs faster than comparable PC machines.
In Japan, Apple has the MAJORITY of new OS sales since the release of Leopard in late October. As usual, they are showing us the future of computing in the USA.

Hey Paul,

I must admit it has been a while since I dealt with anything Apple. I notice you only discount Entourage, not the entire MS Office suite. Guess you aren't using Appleworks for spreadsheets and word processing.

Who is Apple competing against for OS sales? MS and Vista? Vista is crap, and everyone including MS knows it. That's why they offer a free DOWNGRADE now. Vista also comes pre-installed on new computers - were all of these OS copies accounted for?

I don't think OS sales can be a true indicator of the future of computing in North America - especially when there are truly only two choices - with one of the choices coming pre-installed on any new computer.

Hello Paul,

I have been in the 'computer' business since 1971, I am an expert user and I ONLY use OS X! Why? Because it works. I needn't worry about virus, trojan, malware, spyware attacks and all the rest. New Macs with OS X 10.4 and above just work.

Apple has spent the time creating a computing environment that is consistent and dare I say fun to work and play in... I have never heard Windows called or even considered fun.

Go get some hands on time with a Mac. Go to a CompUSA, Best Buy or an Apple store and see with your own two eyes. Apple users are more than that - they are fans.

Thanks for the post.

Between this, and Tom Yager's review of Leopard, I just got another person to rm -rf /windows.

The day is coming soon, when I will never have to handle another exasperating Windows support call!