07 February 2002

Windows to Mac - Not More ruminations on the feasibility for a long time Window's user of migrating to the Mac platform.  Dan Gillmor, rant and rave though he may against Microsoft, has a couple of showstopper problems. First of all: "The first problem is data migration, and I haven't found a way to solve this one. My company uses Microsoft Exchange for its e-mail and calendaring and contacts, which means that I'm pretty much forced to use Outlook. Yes, there's a Mac OS 9 version of Outlook, but my company's VPN doesn't run with OS 9, and besides I'm running OS X." I think if you had to settle for OS9 instead of OSX, a large part of the reason for migrating would go away anyway. And then secondly: "The other hassle, also not solvable under the current circumstances, is Apple's lame warranty. The ThinkPad came with a three-year warranty that is good all over the world. The Titanium came with a 90-day warranty that is good all over the world." 90 days?! He goes on to say that you can only buy an additional warranty world wide for up to a year. After that you're on your own. Hmmm. Rough. 3:17:57 PM

Islam - The Story Don't miss this wide ranging account by Tariq Ali on the origins of Islam.  Sounds dull doesn't it?  Trust me, it's worth the trouble: "Judaism, Christianity and Islam all began as versions of what we would today describe as political movements. They were credible belief--systems which aimed to make it easier to resist imperial oppression, to unite a disparate people, or both. If we look at early Islam in this light, it becomes apparent that its Prophet was a visionary political leader and its triumphs a vindication of his action programme. Bertrand Russell once compared early Islam to Bolshevism, arguing that both were 'practical, social, unspiritual, concerned to win the empire of this world." (via Robot Wisdom) 9:49:51 AM