Letters to the Editor

Here’s the letter that sparked the controversy:

Yager’s article on the various  flaws in OS X was laughable. His arguments could be applied to nearly every security flaw on any operating system. Most Windows flaws are  just overhyped potential security risks that Microsoft continuously and proactively  tracks. When has Tom ever written an article jumping to Microsoft’s  defense? The problem with Yager is his membership in the Cult of  Mac. He sees everything through the highly tinted lens of Mac zealotry  and it shows in nearly every column he writes. I thought InfoWorld was  a business systems-oriented publication. Since when does anyone in the  business world use Macs? I’ve been doing this stuff for a long time  and the only place I’ve seen Macs is graphic design firms and schools.  Nowhere else. If that is the case, then why does Yager spend so much time  writing about them? They have 4 percent market share for Pete’s sake, and that’s  total market share, not business market share. Their business market share  wouldn’t even register on the scale. Why don’t you dedicate Yager’s column space  to something that professional IT people can use instead of the senseless  prattle of one of Steve Jobs’ disciples?  

Robert Blanchette

Tucson, Ariz.

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Responses:

This e-mail is in response to Mr. Robert Blanchette’s comments on your March 13th Ahead of the Curve column, “Apple Products Go Wild”. First, you are to be commended on your fair and honest reporting on “Appleville” (that’s Apple Computer, to those not in the know). Keep up the good work. It would appear from Mr.Blanchette’s remarks that, because you work for InfoWorld, he expects you to join in on the “Apple Bashing” like everyone else on the Dark Side.

I’m assuming Mr. Blanchette’s remarks to your column weren’t written on a Tuesday, since we all know 96% of the world’s PC community, along with Mr.Blanchette is busy that day, being “Patch Tuesday” and all.

At least we have something to be zealous about. Write as much as you like about the Mac, since writing about the Windows-based PC is like forecasting the weather in Hawaii; the same thing everyday, another virus, another vulnerability, boring. True innovation is occurring on the Mac side.

Mr Blanchette claims in all his worldly travels, he has only seen Macintosh computers in graphic design firms and schools. To that I say “You really need to get out more, except on a Tuesday”.

May The Force (aka Mac OS X) Be With You Mr. Yager!!

Regards,

John A. Stubbs

Cleveland, Ohio

P.S.  My entire company runs 100% on Macintosh equipment.

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Perish the thought that we should hear about anything from someone without majority market share.  I am not fond of Macs at all, but I would rather see that their partisans can speak and write freely.  I like to be able to expound my own points. “Turnabout is fair play” and all that. I can always blacklist “The Enemy” if I need to.  In the case of a magazine, this is done with a sophisticated technique called turning the page.

Maybe Mr. Blanchette has more than 4% market share and so is entitled to have his “zealotry”, his “senseless prattle” — someone might call it that — printed.

I do not have anywhere even close to 4% market share, let alone a proper amount by Mr. Blanchette’s, uh, standards, but I hope you do not consider this point relevant to whether to publish my letter.

Gene Wirchenko

Bellingham, WA

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‘Tis truly unfortunate that Robert Blanchette hasn’t figured out that, when possible, Tom Yager likes to use good stuff, regardless of what the unwashed masses may choose to use.

Darryl Wally

Raleigh, N.C.

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Responding to Robert Blanchette’s letter in the March 27 edition: “Since when does anyone in the business world use Macs?”  I do! I have an MBA and I got tired of worrying about viruses, malware, spyware, and relying on (sorry!) an IT staff to support my team’s computer network. We manage over a quarter billion in assets and use Marketcircle’s DayLite CRM app. It is Mac-only and the most brilliantly designed business software I have ever used. Our TCO has gone down dramatically since adopting Macs in the workplace.

I was finding InfoWorld to be somewhat out of touch with my needs until Tom Yager came along to bring some new thinking to the magazine. Keep up the great work, Tom!

Andy Arnold

Louisville, KY

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I never write letters but this time I had to in response to Mr. Blanchette’s ignorant and condescending letter.  Just because 30 or 40 million people use a system he thinks is not for him, he should not say things like “does anyone in the business world use Macs?.”  That he has only seen them in graphic design firms and schools is his problem.  My firm is run exclusively with Macintosh computers as are those of dozens of my clients, which include financial institutions of various kinds including banks and brokerages, technology firms of all kinds, even accounting firms, not to mention all of the theatres, performing arts centers, video production and post-production, advertising firms, and so on.  He may not notice, because most of these smart firms have no need for IT professionals — the Mac system is so absolutely simple to maintain.  Our business grosses millions of dollars, and I am insulted if Mr. Blanchette thinks I am not in the “business world”.  How rude.  In the past 10 years, with dozens of computers running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, we have had Zero viruses, Zero network downtime, Zero server failures, Zero unrecoverable error or failures, and so few crashes I cannot remember the last one, (yes, there were one or two) and a total IT cost of $249 whenever we buy a new machine for three years of Applecare (the absolutely highest rated service of its kind).  We love that Mr. Yager is a voice for the millions of users who are not enslaved by Mr. Gates and company.  Yes Virginia, you can do business without doing Windows.

Stuart J. Allyn

Irvington, N.Y.

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About a year ago I e-mailed you a complaint/query about “Ahead of the Curve” being used as advertisement for Apple products rather than giving us a view of what might be ahead for the much larger windows business platform.

You were kind enough to answer and told me that you gave your columnist great latitude in choosing their topics.  I must say Mr. Yager has continued to use that latitude and demonstrate that his interest lays in whatever Mr. Jobs is currently up to, for instance, the recent, “Apple Products Go Wild” column, 3/13/06.

For the sake of those of us out here in the business trenches who look to you and your magazine for help in discerning what lies ahead for us, would you please modify your policy and instruct Mr. Yager to only give Apple products the coverage equivalent to their 5% market share.

Thanks for listening again,

George Ruehling

Location undisclosed

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I have to take some exception to Robert Blanchette’s letter in the March 27th issue of Infoworld.

It is because of Tom Yager’s careful examination of ALL platforms and their positives and negatives that led our business to move to a mostly Mac environment. We are not a graphics dept. or a school but a full fledged manufacturer/distributor (what I would daresay most business models in America are nowadays). We moved from predominantly Dell systems to Apple Xserves, PowerMacs, and iMacs in our business with a cross-platform accounting and inventory system that runs on both platforms.

Our productivity has increased, our need to constantly keep on top of virus databases, spyware program updates and inevitable re-installs of Windows XP Pro have been virtually eliminated. It’s a joy to work on a computer that does the job instead of being the job.

We still have two Windows systems in use for the programs that have no Macintosh counterpart, but for Robert Blanchette to say there are no Macs in the business world is disingenuous if not completely short-sighted on his part. Sounds like an IT guy afraid of being downsized for no longer being needed for constant Windows reinstalls.

Thanks to you Tom Yager for making our business run more efficiently. Kudos!

Mark Bolick

Asheville, N.C.

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It’s refreshing to read Tom Yager’s columns, especially the ones that appeal to us lowly 4 percent that truly enjoy the OS X / Macintosh experience!  The criticism handed out by Robert Blanchette in this great magazine of March 27, 2006 had very little substance. What was he trying to accomplish with such a letter?  The only thing I could possibly come up is that the PCs in the department he currently oversees are being replaced by Macintoshes, and hence, they no longer need Robert?  Nobody’s forcing poor Bob to read Yager’s great articles about the Macintosh and OS X.  Some of us truly do appreciate InfoWorld letting Tom write about whatever Tom feels is important.

C.W. Madsen

Salt Lake City, Utah

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Yes, there ARE real businesses that use Mac.  Thanks for publishing  information about Apple and OS X.  We need to know about OS X, Linux and any other OS that may be able to compete with Windows.  Competition is good!   Microsoft certainly needs competition in the business world…unfortunately, neither Apple nor anyone else seems to be able to do that.  I believe that Mac’s low market share is mostly related to marketing, not technical excellence.  Most people just “go with the flow” … somehow it seems easier.  Then there are us “cultists” who just have to make waves.  I  think that most Windows users just don’t have much actual knowledge of OS X.  It’s interesting to me that nearly every Windows to Mac convert never wants to go back to Windows.  As for me … I’ve never met a Mac I didn’t like.

In my job I use OS X as well as Windows.  There are business reasons for both.  I think the main reason for Windows use is the available business software.  The main reason for Mac use is ease of use, low support costs, better security. These reasons add up to more productive use of the computer   (I hate spending time trying to clean up spyware and viruses).  So, although there aren’t many Mac users (compared to Windows), please keep the info flowing — and tell Tom thanks for his column. I look forward to it every issue. 

Don McElroy

Eau Claire,WI