Experts Warn of Microsoft 'Monoculture'

The Apple ][ was not a "technological advantage" over the Mac.

If you wanted (or needed) color it was. Apple underestimated this feature for graphics and games and when the color EGA 286's from IBM/Zenith etc came out they answered the only shorcoming of the PC, while Apple seemed to be going backwards to the tiny B/W screen. Resulting sales of the two speaks for itself, people just weren't going pay more for something that didn't run "print shop" in color, the post visi-calc killer app of the day.

Keyword: LOWQUALITYCRAP

I think we've figured out who keeps spamming the keywords an any thread even vaguely about Windows. Is there a particular reason you like polluting the search function here?

I didn't invent the phrase, but it is synonymous with Microsoft products - and it's a precise and useful way to retrieve articles about worms, viruses, spyware, and other Windows problems. As a keyword, lowqualitycrap works very well, and it doesn't meet the definition of keyword pollution.

If you don't like a particular keyword, you can send a complaint to the moderators. They have the ability to delete keywords, but those situations usually involve keywords that are personal attacks or profanity.

Actually, the biggest problem is threads that contain no keywords at all.

Thank you for not insulting me by denying it. That being said, it is inflammatory and unnecessary, not to mention childish and petulant - I rather doubt you would be so sanguine were someone else running around and attaching the keyword "Macintrash" to any Apple-related thread or "Linuxcommies" to any thread that happened to mention the GPL, but that sort of thing is the inevitable result of making a habit of this. Eventually, others will also abuse the keywords in this fashion, which can only lead to a reduction in the usefulness of the keywords, or a crackdown by the moderation staff once it gets seriously out of hand.

If you wish to search for "Windows" or "Microsoft" or "Virus", allow me to suggest the use of "Windows" or "Microsoft" or "Virus" as keywords. If keywords such as those are not fine-grained enough to capture the threads you are interested in, your browser undoubtedly has a bookmark function whereby you may capture all the threads you wish in order to snicker in secret glee at others, without also turning the keywords into your own private playground. And if you wish to promote the idea that Microsoft products are, in fact, low-quality crap, the proper place to do that is on the thread where your points may be examined, addressed, and rationally discussed. That would be in contrast to promoting an agenda via the keywords, which are intended to serve as a means of indexing and retrieving articles, not as a side-thread for further debate, nor as a platform from which to snipe at people whose choices you happen to disagree with.

I can't make you stop. I really have no interest in trying. I'm not about to ping the mods, because I have other ways of dealing with it than in involving them. But I'm asking you to stop nonetheless - it reflects poorly upon you, it serves no purpose that cannot be served in a less inflammatory way, and it will only lead to further abuses by others.

If you wanted (or needed) color it was. Apple underestimated this feature for graphics and games and when the color EGA 286's from IBM/Zenith etc came out they answered the only shorcoming of the PC, while Apple seemed to be going backwards to the tiny B/W screen.

A high-resolution, high-frequency color screen would have been prohibitively expensive in the original Mac, but the operating system did contain some support for color graphics. The original Mac also supported networked laser printers when PCs were restricted to impact dot matrix printers. Given the choice of Apple ][/DOS low resolution color graphics and Mac's crisp, professional looking black and white graphics, most professionals would choose the Mac.

The Mac patterns were hard on the eyes, many people just upgraded to RGB cards in their Apple II's instead, even the IIc's. But that full Apple II market was squandered as the IIGS was way too late and many of us had already gone with PCs. And NOT PCs from IBM.

I for one wish Apple well, always have. They've just never done anything to lure me back. If they lowered their price some, it would help.

But I'm asking you to stop nonetheless - it reflects poorly upon you, it serves no purpose that cannot be served in a less inflammatory way, and it will only lead to further abuses by others.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I respectfully decline. If it's any consolation, I'll make this pledge: The first time that Macs get hit with a real worm, virus or spyware spreading in the wild, I'll post the lowqualitycrap keyword on that thread too.

Since many FReepers are having a rotten, miserable experience with Windows, I simply want to point out that there are better platforms available.

Whatever.

Note: this topic is from February 15, 2004.

Nice to get a five year perspective, not least on the comment stream.