Microsoft won't see Zune zoom up the charts

Microsoft won't see Zune zoom up the charts

From the article:

Microsoft's dominance on the desktop will not be seriously threatened until a technology is introduced that makes the desktop obsolete. Similarly, the iPod and iTunes dominance is not likely be threatened unless a technology happens along that makes its model of buying and listening to music obsolete.

I wonder if this is true of all industries, that a specific technology or manufacturer can gain a virtual stranglehold just because they invented the standards and control them. Tivo certainly hasn't proved that, and neither have carmakers. What is it about the tech consumers that makes monopolies so hard to break? Don't get me wrong, I'm not sorry that Apple is on top in this instance, and I don't think MS has a chance of toppling the iPod, but still, even the mighty must fall at some point. I can only hope that Apple, or a company with similarly smart, design-conscious people, will be there to take up the banner for the new paradigm when it arrives. The only thing I'd hate to see is another IBM - soulless, ugly products driven by profits rather than user experience.

Symantec admits Zero viruses for Mac OSX

Sometimes the blogosmear just distorts things way too much. The basic truth is that OS X, at the moment, is not under attack from any exploits, whether they're viruses, worms, trojans, or whatever. Period. The level of danger to an internet-connected OS X user is far, far lower than that of a Windows XP user, nearly non-existent, in fact. This should be something that Apple shouts from the rooftops even more than they do already - businesses and government agencies, take note!

I'm tired of the masses flogging every "announcement" about OS X vulnerabilities. It's as if people want it to be dragged down, alongside Windows, into the bog of insecurity. Shouldn't we be rooting for an OS that substantially reduces worries like that? Shouldn't we be demanding that XP behave more like OS X, and not the other way around? The FUD that get spread is irresponsible and most likely attention-seeking - and that's just from the bloggers, not even the shameless OS X "security" companies.

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StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon

This is my latest obsession - a Firefox add-on that lets me do targeted surfing. You download the add-on, create an account that includes your preferred web topics, then use the handy toolbar to "stumble" around different sites that the service (and possibly another user) recommends. So far I've "discovered" Pandora, a slightly out-of-date but still cool page about URL obfuscation, and a flash face creator that I'm considering using in my computer classes with my 5th or 6th graders. Firefox add-ons seem to slow stuff down a bit, but they rock.

Functioning Form - SxSW: OSX and Longhorn Development

The most interesting notes out of this panel discussion about OS X vs. Longhorn design were:

1. MS was really sidetracked by the security issues for about two years, putting OS development on the back burner. I wonder how much of a leg up this gave Apple in terms of development years.
   
2. OS X was developed in such secrecy that there was no user testing. Weird, and probably harmful. I wonder how much testing they do now?