MacIntoshes have always been able to open PC disks (until Vista) but never the other way around. This PC chauvinism is curious and stupid.

I live in the Seattle area and know, through multiple sources, that Microsoft never beta tests anything, but rather inflicts that on the public. Each new OS is huger and slower. I also know that their corporate culture rewards mismanagement, incompetence, ignorance and back-stabbing mendacity. I like Bill, and don’t want to believe he would approve of what his company has become, but I could be wrong. Anyway, his charities absolve him of sin in my book. Still, a thorough house cleaning would make Microsoft better and more profitable. They could easily fire most middle management. Their customers should be happy, not beset by a never ending assault of viruses, spyware, patches and things that crash, like my poor friends have to endure.

It doesn’t seem like the facts are bearing that out. Vista sold on new machines performs adequately and meets buyer expectations due to the efforts of the OEMs involved. I do not believe that very many people have or will upgrade XP to Vista, particularly if they use the “upgrade advisor” which commonly points to so many issues that even the hardened computer geek is frightened off. But the retail units, I know, are not being returned at any exceptional rate and it has been a 18 months since retail outlets have shipped nothing but Vista computers.

[My satirical comments about Microsoft are not on the same level of as Microsoft's official comments about its competitors. Also, I didn't lie. Microsoft willfully presented false information about vulnerability counts to deceive the public. ]

As for Windows Vista and it’s stability and security. I have used this product now for over a year and a half and have found it to be an improvement over Windows XP in many ways. I have tested various applications and hardware and have had only one crash, which was directly related to a hardware failure that required replacement. For those stuck in the PC world, for application dependant reasons, Vista is a fine product that will perform well. And while many may say “albeit with the right hardware” I challenge anyone to put a new operating system … Mac, Windows or Linux on an old piece of machinery and expect it to run well. For those making the switch to a Mac I wish them well and if it pushes Microsoft to be better then we all benefit.

[Vista has improved security, but the problem isn't that Vista isn't secure enough, it's that nobody is using it because of software/hardware compatibility issues, cost, and not having enough features to warrant buying it (or in the case of businesses, training and migration). Also, your experiences are clearly not reflective of the public at large, or everyone would be happy with Vista, no?]