Mac Fanboys Face the Music (and Video)

I've never really understood why usually intelligent people are seduced by the glamour of the Macintosh. Sure, it's a nice confection, but like most confections it's artificial and comes in a box. And in this case, it's a box you can't really open. Here's the comeuppance:

iTunes video rentals and purchases in HD are flagged for HDCP control, and in cooperation with the new Mini DisplayPort connector on the MacBook and MacBook Pro unibody models, those movies and TV shows are refusing to play back on non-compliant external displays.

And, oh look: since you're using a closed system there is nothing you can do about it: payback time for that Faustian pact, people.

Now, about that open source alternative....

Scratching an Icon

Who is this Steve Jobs whereof they speak? I just don't get the mindless adulation of this person (try reading "The Journey is the Reward" to get some perspective).

Take the iPhone: a large mobile phone that has the whizzo idea of making the screen - the most vulnerable part - cover the entire surface, so that it will get scratched to kingdom come in about a week in most people's pockets (remember the iPod Nano saga?).

I suppose it will drive a huge aftermarket in phone protectors: maybe all the Jobs fanboys sell third-party add-ons to his products.

Open Source is Better - Ask a Virus Writer

Virus writers are not known for their morals - or for being fanboys: they will use whatever means necessary to achieve their dubious ends. So when MacAfee warns that

Malicious-software writers are increasingly using open-source methodologies when developing their code

you can be pretty sure that this follows an extremely objective evaluation of the various competing development methods.

Maybe not quite the testimonial most free software enthusiasts were looking for, but a testimonial nonetheless.