Hmmm. Let’s see. Where’s the center of computer news this week? California? Not really, although we all know who’s really making news out in LaLa Land right now. No, the real Terminator this week is not a machine, but a worm. It’s name: MSBlaster. It’s come, this time from the present, to wreak havoc on computers running Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

I’m not one to say “I told you so”, but, “I told you so”. Just weeks after Homeland Security signed on to Mr. Bill’s “Worm De Jour” program, here comes Ms. Blaster, and the millions of users of the dominant “never met a virus I didn’t like” Windows operating system run for cover again.

Here’s where it gets even juicier. Not one to bypass a burgeoning growth market, guess who’s getting ready to “compete” with Symantec and Network Associates in the security, antivirus, and personal firewall arena. That’s right. Industry analysts say Microsoft is gearing up to sell these products to protect the very system they themselves produce. What a great strategy! Create something that needs fixing, and then sell products that fix it. Why not just fix the system itself? Again I ask – what are they spending that $6 billion R&D budget on?

Now, some would say “why are you harping on this stuff?” Dear readers, I’m not digging this stuff up – practically every week it’s front-page news. Do these viruses/bugs/worms affect me directly? No. Not on my Mac. They do, however, affect me indirectly, when I try to email or surf through an internet that is inundated and slowed to a crawl by millions of Windows computers unknowingly sending virus-filled emails to each other. And I want Microsoft to get it right, because I write this column every week with Microsoft Word for Mac, and I do all my email with Entourage (basically Outlook Express for the Mac version of Microsoft Office). With the introduction of Safari, Apple’s web browser, Internet Explorer is now relegated to an occasional gander to check website compatibility.

Speaking of Office, Microsoft has announced three new versions of Office for Mac OS X. There’s the single-user “Standard Edition”, at $379; a “Student and Teacher Edition” at $149.95, which is installable on up to three computers; and a “Professional Edition” that includes Microsoft (used to be Connectix) Virtual PC with Windows XP Professional, for $499.95

© 2003 Peter F. Zimowski