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The software included free with a Mac is superb, and it all works together. I can transfer from a video camera to iMovie, add music to the movie from my iTunes library (including music purchased from iTunes Music Store, which also works on iPods), add photos from my iPhoto collection for still images, compose a theme song with Garage Band, edit the movie and transfer it to iDVD for burning, then watch it with the Apple DVD Player application on my Cinema Display. Any single one of those apps is better than what is included with Windows, and Windows does not allow that level of seamless integration between applications.

You know, the funny thing is, I produce a half-hour public access cable TV show, and actually do the very things you mentioned. Regularly. Easily. All on my Windows box. True, I had to go out and get VideoWave and CoolEdit 2000 (now Adobe Auditions), but that set me back what, less than a hundred bucks? DVD burner for a Windows box? You can pick those up at Wal-Mart if you like. Most PCs now, even the ghetto-cheap ones, come with DVD burners in 'em. So from what I'm seeing, your list of features reads to me like the guy who paid too much for his Mac and is trying to justify it by listing out the stuff he'll likely never do with it.

"You know, the funny thing is, I produce a half-hour public access cable TV show, and actually do the very things you mentioned."

I used to do that back in the 1970s and 80s. Of course, the equipment was far more primitive and expensive compared to the digital technology available now.

The point is that Macs are bundled with excellent software that is well-integrated and easy enough for the average home user - or public access cable TV producer - to operate successfully. Mac owners don't have to buy and install a bunch of extra equipment for video production, or digital photography, or digital music, or videoconferencing, etc. Macs are ready to do all of that stuff out-of-the-box, with no hassle.

"So from what I'm seeing, your list of features reads to me like the guy who paid too much for his Mac and is trying to justify it by listing out the stuff he'll likely never do with it."

Drop by sometime and I'll force you to watch my vacation DVDs. It's true that I don't use each and every application frequently - for example, I've only composed one song on Garage Band. Still, I'm glad Apple included several excellent apps with the Mac. It's fun to try them all, even if some get used more freqeuntly than others.

I've lost count of how many computers I've owned over the past thirty years, but Macs are definitely the best purchases I've made, and Windows PCs are the worst. Dollar-for-dollar, Macs are an excellent value, and they're actually a bargain for anyone whose time is valuable.

I think Macs are the best machines for FReeping on the Internet, but here is an opportunity to show us how your computer can do it better. The challenge is simple: Design a page of HTML links to news sources, and post it on Free Republic.

I used the Mac's Safari web browser, the built-in Apache web server and a text editor to create one, and posted it here. All you have to do is create a better one on your OS of choice, and post it on FR. And try to be original.