finding Monsuun | est. 2005

I’ve downloaded the brand-spankin’ new Internet Explorer 7 and I have to say I was quite impressed. I’m not going to use it. But I’m still impressed. Microsoft’s finally joined the Tabbed browsing world and added a Close button on each tab which Firefox 1.5 does not have, but which will be included in their upcoming 2.0 release. IE also includes anti-phishing and increased security, as well as a built in RSS feed reader - all included in Firefox’s new 2.0 release. Once again, late to the game, the new IE includes Add-ons which Firefox has had for pretty much forever. At this point, the only thing unique or original about Internet Explorer’s new version is its Quick Tabs feature which I dig. A pat on the back for Microsoft for finally catching up, but a tsk tsk for not really pushing the innovation envelope. Especially since Firefox will probably be at version 4 before Microsoft even thinks of possibly releasing IE 7.5.

I have been asked recently why I plan to leave my Microsoft (rest in peace sweet Microsoft) roots when I don’t even own one piece of Apple hardware or software. In fact, I have only one friend that actually uses his Mac email address. Thus, my current connection to Apple, Mac, iPod, et cetera is close to nill.

This will all change soon, however, when Apple releases its iTV in the spring, Leopard OS in January, and Andrea and I buy a Mac mini (shhh, I haven’t told her yet) in preparation for the media distribution giant that we will become upon the advent of a child.  And if Mr. Cringely is right this time (and he usually is), by using Apple’s iTV, coupled with an iSight, I can sit on my couch, open iChat on my TV, start a video chat with my Grandparents in Wisconsin, and immediately share those home videos of my baby farting in the bath water. And after that Andrea and I can put the baby to bed, sit back, relax, and watch the Lucky Number Slevin I just downloaded from iTunes. At least until the crying starts…

That dang Steve Jobs and his constant innovation may just win me over to Apple after all. Unless Vista (if it ever comes out) lives up to its hype (which I doubt), our next computer will probably be a Mac. And if iTunes begins offering movie downloads as is reportedly the topic of their press event on September 12, titled It’s Showtime, in conjuction with a yet-unannounced unveiling of a new multifunctional device (published by the US Patent Office), I may actually purchase this new device and brush the dust off that old iTunes account that I signed up for years ago.

Update:

Robert Cringely over at PBS has a good, well-informed prediction of what is to come from Apple’s Tuesday release. As usual, his column (which will soon become a blog) is always an entertaining and insightful read.

And just when I was getting ready to jump into VMware, Microsoft has to go and do a thing like this. I guess now I’ll have to place an order for the CD when it is released in May. *sigh* Anyone interested in donating an x86 PC (preferably XP Pro, but I’d take XP Home w/SP2) for a test install so that I don’t ruin my own computer? Yes? No? Anyone?

via Digg

I love the web. I would much rather produce documents on the web and access them anywhere than have to throw files on a thumbdrive and copy them to the next computer that I sit down at (FolderShare helps with this, but there’re still limitations). I thought that Writely.com had a shot as a web word processor (and maybe it still does now that Google has picked it up), but the new Microsoft Office 2007 looks incredible and unbeatable (sorry OpenOffice but it’s true). The functionality is staggering and could really throw some serious weight onto the side of desktop apps, tipping the scales back into their direction. I’m still hopefull though — Web 2.0 has all of 2006 to kick it into high gear and it’s virtually all open source and it has a plethora of readily available APIs.