Wishing for a Windows winner: Microsoft, Motorola make moves on Macs
Some time ago I wrote a column on problem-solving that used two analogies, that of the first Boston Red Sox World Series victory and the safe recovery of the NASA astronauts on the perilous Apollo 13 mission. My points in citing these two incidents was that almost anything is possible if the right approach is used and that any problem solver must be willing to quickly adapt to the situation at hand if he is to succeed.
One excellent example of a successful adaptive problem solver is Steve Jobs of Apple. Last week Fortune Magazine named Jobs its CEO of the decade. Like Jobs or not, this is a well-deserved honor. What he has done to turn Apple around is amazing.
Jobs had been fired from the company he and Steve Wozniak started together, had started another computer company and delved into the motion-picture business in his absence from Apple. He returned to the company at a time when profits were down and company morale was at an all-time low.
He led the company to its current star status, a corporation that dominates in several fields. He also twice overcame life-threatening illnesses and continues to innovate in every area in which he is involved. We can all look forward to whatever surprises Apple has in store for us, and you can bet Steve Jobs is behind every one.
* I got a kick out of this one: After years of bashing Windows Vista, one reporter recently bemoaned the fact that Windows 7 doesn’t protect you from malware as well as Vista did. He is referring to Vista’s habit of constantly asking if you started an action, or if you are sure you want to do that, and so on. This is the so-called UAC or User Account Control feature.
Windows 7 does try to simplify things compared to Vista, perhaps a bit too much. According to the reporter, eight out of 10 malware programs were allowed to proceed or to install themselves in Windows 7 when he tested the system. He does make the point that the main problem is that most users will expect the operating system to protect the user without installing a third-party malware protection program.
It’s probably best to always have more than one line of defense against viruses and such, so don’t ever rely completely on stock operating system protection. This is probably becoming true even for the Mac, which used to be practically virus-free. As the Mac becomes more popular, you can be sure it will be a target for those braindead souls who love to inflict us with malware.
The best course to follow is to always keep your operating system patched and up-to-date, use at least two malware or spyware programs and don’t open insecure e-mail links or attachments.
* The cell-phone market is always exciting to watch, and there are several new phones out or due out shortly. Verizon just released the Blackberry Storm 2, and I received a demo phone from them last week. I’m experimenting with it and will review it at some point in a column or podcast.
Another phone with great expectations is the Verizon Motorola Droid, based on Google Android operating system. This phone looks to be the first that might actually offer an alternative to the iPhone in pure multimedia design. One reporter noted that the Droid is not an iPhone killer, but it is a killer phone. Online reviews of this phone are glowing; some are ecstatic in praise for it. I will be getting a demo model of this one also to review for you.
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