Declare your independence from Apple, Microsoft, and hackers

It’s almost time to barbecue some burgers, drink too much beer, and blow off our opposable digits using cheap, questionably procured fireworks. In honor of the celebration of our nation’s birth, I offer some examples of my readers exercising their First Amendment rights by responding to my rants and ravings.

Earlier this week in “The Web: Fast, cheap and getting worse by the minute,” I ranted about the declining quality of Web journalism (present website company excepted, of course).

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J. M., a 21-year-old computer information systems student, agrees with me that Web content is poor and getting poorer. He writes:

I read tech “articles” daily and its so easy to see which ones are just a copy and paste of each other and which are very poorly researched and understood (lack thereof). It’s hard to find true articles that dive deeper and give a full story. Some articles are so low-quality that I could write circles around the author. But I must admit I would need more than 25 minutes to write a good article.

Full disclosure: It takes me at least 37 minutes to write a typical blog post, but that includes time spent trying to find a bottle opener.

A Cringester calling him/her/itself “Webform Bitbucket” adds that the good, fast, or cheap (pick two) model extends to more than just the Web.

I spent 25 +/- in IT and wore just about every hat there was to wear. The “good, fast, cheap” trade-off manifested itself on every project. The pointy-haired managers (up to and including CEOs) frankly gave a rat’s ass about quality. They also had no clue about pay-me-now or pay-me-even-more-later when the POS that was slam-dunked into place blows up.

The bottom line, cynical or not, is that only educated consumers recognize quality, and the value of quality when they see it. Most consumers are not willing to spend the time it takes to become educated. As long as people are willing to accept cheap s**t, it’s going to keep getting worse.

In “The real Mac security threat isn’t malware — it’s Apple,” I ended by asking why so many users are so loyal to Apple when Apple isn’t loyal to them. Cringeville newbie C. M. concurs:

I fully agree with the lack of loyalty Apple has… especially to people who don’t just buy a computer from them, but then an iPod, iPhone (and I’m sure soon will be the iCar and iHouse which you can pay for with your iSoul and iFirst-born). …

I should be honest… this email does come sent from my Macbook, which I do like and have for the 5 years I’ve owned it (what can I say… Apple does make good products). But, I haven’t sworn off Microsoft nor do I refuse to use their products. It’s sad what little people will give their undying loyalty for — all because it’s the cool thing to do.

iSoul and iFirstborn? Don’t give Steve Jobs any more bright ideas, C. M.

But reader J. F. offers a simple reason why he’s loyal to the Cupertino Crew:

Because Apple stuff works without jumping through hoops.

That reply is so terse I’d swear it came from the Hand of Jobs — or maybe just the Steve Jobs E-Mail Generator.

In “Microsoft+Skype: What did I do to deserve this?,” I complained bitterly about how companies I hate (like Microsoft and AT&T) always seem to buy companies whose services I love (like Skype and T-Mobile). I asked if Microsoft ever bought anything and made it better. I got exactly one reply, from a Microsoft consultant with the initials S. B.:

The biggest MSFT purchase they improved that stands out to me is Zoomit Via, which has become Microsoft Metadirectory Services, Microsoft Identity Integration Services 2003, Identity Lifecycle Management 2007, ILM 2007 ‘v2’, and currently sitting as Forefront Identity Management. It’s been renamed more times than Puff Daddy.

I think that answer speaks for itself. It doesn’t make me any more hopeful about Skype, though.

Finally, in a story about the hacking epidemic we’ve still in the middle of (“Dial ‘h’ for ‘hacker’: LulzSec is the future of the Net“), I asked Cringeville residents for their hacking survival strategies. A reader known only as gambit1776 offered up a long list of good advice, along with these bits of hard-earned wisdom:

Let’s assume … you are NOT a hacker. You wouldn’t be able to hack if your life depended on it. Yet you run a website that might look like a good target for some hacker. What do you do?

You make every effort to NEVER speak ill of the hacker[s]. Instead, don’t be afraid of giving props where they are due. These hackers and crackers have a skill [one you don’t have] so make sure people know you acknowledge that fact.

Yes I know, that essentially puts you in a position where you are supporting the hacker[s]. But … There is NO law saying you can’t speak good of someone doing ill. All you’re doing is not taunting them, thus minimizing the chance of becoming a target.

I always make sure to never speak too much ill of any hackers. Also, I spend a fair amount of time cowering under my desk.

What are you doing for the fourth? (And don’t say “a fifth.”) Post your holiday plans below or email me: cringe@infoworld.com.

This article, “Declare your independence from Apple, Microsoft, and hackers,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the crazy twists and turns of the tech industry with Robert X. Cringely’s Notes from the Field blog, and subscribe to Cringely’s Notes from the Underground newsletter.