When the cure is worse than the disease

McAfee went nuts. All kinds of PCs locked up -- actually, went into an endless loop of reboots -- when an update went haywire. The thing is, my MacBook wasn't impacted. Oh, yeah. Right.

Truth be told, I do run anti-virus protection on my MacBook: Intego.

"Why," you ask?

No, really; go ahead and ask.

Okay, then, since you asked. Because, despite what many people think, Macs are susceptible to viruses. There's a current threat to Macs called HellRTS.D (an update to the 2004 HellRTS), though isn't actually in the wild, as PC World reports:

The malicious software can now open a "backdoor" to your Mac by setting up its own server on a private port, complete with a password. The software duplicates and changes its name, identifying itself as other genuine Mac software (like "iPhoto"), making it even harder to spot. The new HellRTS variant can contact remote servers, and then, Intego says, "provide direct access to [the] infected Mac."

... The HellRTS.D variant isn't out in the wild; you can only be infected if you install the rogue software.

Since I don't do the illegal download thing, I'm not likely to be infected. But, one day, a Mac virus will be actually "in the wild," and a lot of people will be infected. I won't be one of those.

I also run Microsoft Security Essentials on my Mac. No, Microsoft doesn't make anti-virus software for OS X. But, I have dual-boot capability on my Mac. So, if I choose to boot my Mac to Windows XP, I'm running Microsoft Security Essentials.

I'm trying it out, and, so far, I'm liking it. It does okay. And, it's free.

For a paid security suite, though, I prefer the Norton security suite, although I also like the Kaspersky suite.

I loathe McAfee. In 2006, I had an installation that came on a computer, and I tried to remove it. It didn't want to be removed. And McAfee was no help. I still haven't forgiven them.

Now, the McAfee program that caused all the problems this week wasn't the one you use as a consumer. It was the business version. Which is harder to repair.

Think about it: you get to work and turn your computer on.

It stars booting, then reboots. And reboots. And reboots. Over and over and over.

How do you stop that?

Well, let's look at how it started. In a corporate environment, the network folks probably sent an update over the network. That messed-up McAfee update.

And, when the computers rebooted, they got into an endless loop of reboots.

And, the network people can't send the fix down the network. Because the computer never fully connects to the network, because when it tries to boot, it encounters the error and reboots. And, since it never connects to the network, the company can't send the fix to the computer on the network.

Which means a technician will have to come by to each affected computer.

They have to fix each one, individually, by hand.

McAfee is costing a lot of companies a lot of bucks.

And that's just another example of why I won't waste my money on McAfee.

I heart my MacBook, except ...

In August 2007, after having DOS and Windows computers for over 20 years, I bought a Mac. And I loved it.

Except when it broke. First time it went into the shop was a couple of months after I got it, when the White Screen Of Death appeared.

And, since August 2007, the MacBook has been in the shop 4 times.

This time, the trackpad was acting up. I thought it was the mouse. That new Magic Mouse. Which absolutely rocks, by the way. But it wasn't the mouse. Or the trackpad. Not exactly.

It was the battery. The battery was swollen, and that was pressing on the bottom of the trackpad, causing the problem.

The local Apple dealership, which is an Authorized Service Provider, fixed replaced the trackpad, but Apple said the battery isn't covered. I have no problem with the local Apple dealer. They've been great to work with over the last nearly three years. So, when I've had to take the Mac to the shop, they've been great. But I've had to take it to the shop 4 times.

The Applecare warranty has been very useful ... except for not covering the swollen battery ... and I'm glad I got it. But I've had to use it 4 times.

I like the screen on the Mac. But it's been in the shop 4 times.

I like the speed and ease of use of the Mac operating system. But it's been in the shop 4 times.

Things work so smoothly and easily on the Mac. When it's not in the shop, which is now 4 times.

I don't miss having to deal with constant security updates on Windows. I don't miss the complicated installation and removal process for Windows applications. I don't miss having to reboot because the operating system locked up.

But I do miss having a dependable computer.

The Mac virus

One of the things that I found pleasing about my MacBook (1-1/2 years old now) was the reduced chance of getting a virus.

I have suffered viruses in the past, on my DOS machines. One was on a pirated -- eek! -- copy of MS-DOS 4.

Yes, a long time ago, I tried out MS-DOS 4 with a pirated copy. I ended up buying a legitimate version, but wanted to try it out first. And it bothered me that it had a virus. ("Stoned" was the virus, by the way.) However, I obtained a clean copy ... pirated, though ... and reinstalled it. And I was satisfied enough to buy a copy. I later regretted the decision, and removed MS-DOS 4 and went back to DOS 3.3.

I bring that up, because it taught me a lesson: pirated copies of software aren't simply wrong (I knew that, but was immature enough to justify it in my mind), they were also dangerous.

Since then, I've helped many others remove viruses from their computers. And many, though not all, had been using pirated copies of stuff. Sometimes, it was a program/application (Microsoft Office, for example). Often it was illegal music or videos. And, sometimes, it was disguised with screen savers and other such.

The bottom line on all this, is that illegal software, music, movies, etc. is a bad, bad idea.

And not just for Windows computers.

Many Mac users like to act all uppity about their computers. And, in all honesty, I really, really like my Mac. But a good computer doesn't make a good computer user. Often, with Macs, it simply shows that some Mac users are assholes.

And dumbasses, too.

There's a virus in the wild for Macs. And, according to Intego, it's on Websites that offer pirated copies of iWork '09, an Apple office suite.

Once again, proving that pirated software is dangerous.

And, that thinking that Macs are safe from viruses is a false sense of security.

For some time, I've been running anti-virus software on my Mac. The current security suite I'm running is Intego Security Barrier.

If you're a computer user, regardless of your operating system, you really should be using a good security suite.

And if you're using illegal downloads, you deserve every bit of misery you suffer.

Problems with Safari browser and WordPress ... resolved!

A year ago today, I wrote about how WordPress (version 2.2.3 at the time) and the Safari browser (version 3.0.3) didn't play nice together.

Well, they do now.

I'm not sure when it happened. But somewhere along the way, either Safari or WordPress ... or both ... changed something.

I'm running WordPress 2.6.2 now, and Safari 3.1.2 (5525.20.1). And, unlike last September 25th, I'm able to write a post on WordPress, using Safari, and everything's just fine.

Whether I use the HTML mode (which I do use most often) or the Visual mode (which is sometimes really handy), everything is now fine.

I wonder if WordPress knows. You see, the topic is one of the items listed as "Under Consideration" for a WordPress enhancement.

And it works with both Mac and Windows (Safari 3.1.2 / 525.21). I wrote this on my Mac, part using OS X 10.5.5 and part using Windows XP SP3.

So, whatever problems there were ... are resolved.

At least for me. At least for now.

Hey, Apple! I could've told you that!

Hmmm. Seems that Apple is reporting issues with some MacBook hard drives.

I found a story on PC World about it. The story was also on MacWorld, of course, but that's somehow harder to navigate for me.

They seem to be not overly concerned, Why?

... it doesn't appear to be a widespread problem, Apple said it has "received a few reports that some MacBook consumer notebooks may have hard drive issues, and we're looking into it."

Not "widespread?"

Okay, I'll believe that. They seem to be keeping the problem focused on a few select individuals.

Like me.

My MacBook went down in early October, then again this week.

The October issue was definitely the hard drive. I haven't received confirmation that the current problem is the hard drive, but I strongly suspect it is.

Booting in verbose mode, I see the word "mount" appear a lot on the two lines that seem to display over and over. And, when I boot from the OS disk, the hard drive isn't visible.

So, yeah, I'm thinking it's a hard drive. But, I gotta remember, I'm PC Guy. Have been for over a quarter of a century. So, I can't say I know as much about these Apple thingies as I do those PC thingies.

But I know when it doesn't work.

Still, I can't say that the problem I'm having is related to the issue reported by Retrodata. Because I can't check the firmware. Because the Mac is broken.

But my packing slip does show it is a SATA drive, so that much matches.

If you have a MacBook, you might want to look into your configuration and see if you're in danger of losing all your stuff.

Like I did.

Others report on the same issue: Information Week, Apple Insider.

Again with the hard drive?

The MacBook is down. Again.

That's twice. Since I got it in early August.

No, I'm not a happy camper.

Shut the MacBook down yesterday prior to heading to work. Brought it with me, so that, at lunch, I could get online and check some stuff.

At lunch, I turned the MacBook on, and ... nothing.

Okay, not nothing.

Got the white/gray screen with the Apple logo, and the little "busy wheel" or whatever that thing's called.

And nothing more.

Initial diagnosis was an operating system problem. According to the Apple-authorized technician I spoke with, some Leopard upgrades (and mine game with Tiger -- OS X 10.4 -- and was upgraded to Leopard -- OSX 10.5) had similar issues.

So, since I didn't have my Leopard disks with me, he gave me instructions that I could use when I got home.

And, following those instructions (an Archive and Reinstall, which is essentially a re-installation of the operating system, keeping current settings), I discovered there was no hard drive being recognized.

A couple of months ago, the hard drive went out. Lost everything.

Now, it seems there may be another hard drive issue.

I got all my disks with me to take when I go by the Apple repair place at lunch.

You know, I really do like my MacBook.

When it works.

Stealth

Got to thinking about stealth recently.

No, not because I've been hiding for a couple of weeks.

Okay, I haven't been hiding. I've been busy. With work.

I made the decision when I started this little blog to not blog about work. And that wasn't a problem.

Oh, occasionally, I'd mention the Evil Corporation where I work. Not that it's really evil. But it is a large corporation. And, to hear some folks talk, all large corporations are evil corporations. Therefore, when I' mentioned the place I work, I'd mention the Evil Corporation.

I like where I work. It's, well, I don't know if "fun" is the right word, but I enjoy what I do. And the folks I work with.

But, I'm not going to blog about work. I don't blog at work. And I don't blog about work. Blog and work are separate.

So, why do I spend all this time talking about what I'm not going to talk about.

Well, if I didn't blog about work, I wouldn't have a whole lot to blog about right now.

And that explains why I haven't blogged about much lately. I haven't been in stealth mode. Not on purpose, anyway.

Tonight, though, I ran across something else about stealth.

It's my MacBook.

Or, actually, it's the wireless router.

It began when I found about about Apple's update to Leopard.

Now, being a PC Guy since, well, a quarter of a century, I'm not used to operating systems known as things like "Tiger" or "Leopard."

MS-DOS 2.11.

Now, that's a name for an operating system.

It was the first PC operating system I had.

Oh, I had a Tandy Color Computer running OS 9 before that. But, when I moved onto a "mainstream" platform, it was DOS 2.11.

And Windows 2.03.

That was the first edition of Windows I used.

So, calling an operating system "Leopard" takes some getting used to.

If you're still PC Guy, it's Mac OS X 10.5.1

But they call it "Leopard."

Same thing.

Anyway, Apple released an update to OS X 10.5 on Wednesday. But I didn't know about it, until I got an email from ZD Net talking about it.

I have the MacBook set to check for updates weekly. So, it would have caught the update in the next 5 days ... or sooner.

But, I forced an update check today. And it got it.

After reboot, I checked out the main thing ZD Net was talking about -- the firewall.

I made sure it was in stealth mode, then did something I hadn't done in a while.

I went to Gibson Research and checked out Shields Up!

And was I ever shocked to find out I failed.

Was the firewall screwed up?

No, it turns out the firewall is fine. Or at least, I think it's fine.

But a couple weeks ago, I got a new router: The Apple AirPort Extreme.

Powerful little thing. Great signal all over the house. Like it.

But, as it turns out, it's not stealthy.

The old Motorola router that cost half what the AirPort cost was stealthy.

Used to be able to go to GRC, run Shields Up!, and get a "passed" report. That meant all ports were in stealth mode.

If you're not familiar with that, it might help to know that the Internet is a bunch of computers communicating with each other. But you knew that.

When it was put together, it assumed that all machines talking to all other machines was a good thing.

They forgot one little thing: people would be using those machines.

And some people are mean people. That's why we have to be on our guard against thieves, spammers, hackers, and Democrats.

Anyhow, because some people are like some people are, we don't want our computers to always respond positively to all other computers.

Because, if they did, bad people could put bad things on your computer. And we don't want that.

One way of stopping it is to not let computers respond to all requests.

And, there are a couple of ways to do that.

One is with a software firewall. Microsoft includes a simple software firewall with Windows. And other companies sell more powerful ones. And Apple includes a firewall with OS X. Including an update in OS X 10.5.1.

The other way is with a hardware firewall. And many routers, including my old Motorola router, as well as my older Netgear one, have built-in firewalls.

But Apple's AirPort Extreme router doesn't operating in stealth mode.

Tonight, researching it, I ran across a post at the Houston Chronicle from back in May talking about the previous version of the AirPort Extreme. And they take a classical "on the fence" position.

And, I admit, I see both sides of it.

But, they bring up the same thing that concerns me.

Which is, how big a deal is it if an address -- and your computer on the Internet does have an address -- rejects a request to a port, as opposed to not responding at all.

Here's one way to look at it.

A kidnapper walks up to a house and asks, "Can I come in?"

Now, the kidnapper doesn't want to visit. He wants to kidnap someone. He's a kidnapper. But he's acting all nice and polite and asking to come in.

Now, if he walks up to two houses. One blue and one green.

He asks each house, "Can I come in?"

From the blue house, he gets no response. From the green house, he hears a voice say, "No, you can't come in."

Now, tell me, which house is he more likely to keep trying to enter?

I think he'll keep trying the green house. He knows there is someone there.

And, to me, that's the difference in a firewall responding with a refusal or just not responding at all.

And the not responding? That's "stealth" mode.

That's what I'd prefer.

But, Apple says it's okay.

Me? I'm not so sure. I think I'd rather be stealthy on the Internet. And not by going two weeks between blog posts.

Overthinking things

I mentioned that I've been really busy.

Really busy.

Lots of stuff going on at work. And some issues arising that have caused them to call me in at like 4:00 in the morning. But, hey, it comes with the territory.

And, there's a couple of projects I've been working on at home. One with another blog. Actually, a couple. One after another. And the other project is a family thing. And they've taken my time from this little blog.

Switcheroo

Oh, and we've been switching computers around here at the house.

The Wife has a Dell desktop computer that she's been using. But, we took that down this week. Tonight, in fact.

She's now using the Dell notebook. It's newer than the desktop, and as powerful. Actually, a slightly more powerful machine. And, she likes that she can unplug it, put it on a tray, and sit in another chair or on the couch and do her computer work.

Not to mention that it takes up very little space on the desk. Her big CRT (that's a monitor, Big Sister; that's the TV-looking thing, Mean Sister) is no longer taking up all that space. And no big bunch of wires hanging down, running from the monitor, or from the keyboard, or from the speakers, over to the CPU.

Her desk almost looks clean. At least, you can now see the desk.

She's happy with the switch.

But the timing of it ... well, it's one of the things wearing me out.

Out with the Tiger, in with the Leopard

You see, Apple just released OS X 10.5 ... known as "Leopard" ... and I updated my MacBook.

I like Leopard. It actually allows me to use my old HP LaserJet 1100. You see, that old printer isn't compatible with a Mac. You must have a Windows computer to use it.

Well, you used to.

Leopard ... or OSX 10.5, as the PC Guy in me likes to call it ... has drivers for that printer. So, now, I finally have a laser printer on the Mac.

And the operating system upgrade ... even though it went very smooth ... has been another thing going on.

But, there's something else going on.

Running through the AirPort

Since we've been having problems with the old Motorola router, I got the new Apple AirPort Extreme.

This week.

Yesterday, in fact.

And it ran into an issue.

Well, I ran into an issue.

You see, it appears that when you change routers with BellSouth DSL and a Westell modem, you have to reset it. Twice.

At least, that's what the folks at BellSouth tech support had me do when I called them when I couldn't get online with the new router.

Anyway, once everything was working, I was very pleased that from anywhere in the house, we were getting a very strong signal and full speed. The old wireless router began to lose a little signal beyond the door to the bedroom.

So, it's a good thing.

It's just the timing of it all.

Network printing

One thing I overlooked, though, was the printer.

You see, the laser printer is in the office on the far side of the house. Where the DSL modem and the router is.

And the printer is hooked up to a D-Link printer server, that's hooked into the router.

So, tonight, I was going to print something. And that's when I realized I needed to hook the printer server up to the AirPort (the router).

So, I plugged it into a LAN connection, and went to check the configuration.

That's when I realized I didn't know how to do that.

So, looking up on the D-Link Web site, I found that my printer server works with Windows. But not with Mac OS X.

So, I began researching other printer servers, trying to find one that worked with Mac. I found a document that I downloaded to read up on it.

Then, it hit me.

I had never even tried to print.

I had already printed on the old network, just not on the new network.

So, with the document open, I clicked print.

And it printed.

I hadn't done the simplest thing: trying it.

And, when I did, it worked.

And that's how things have been with the MacBook. Everything I've wanted to do, I've been able to do with very little difficulty. And I've found it easy to do.

And almost every time I've had a problem, it's because I was in PC Guy mode. I assumed it didn't work until I configured things.

I've been overthinking things.

It's a habit that's been hard to break, after 25 years of using MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows.

The Mac is Back

My MacBook crashed recently. Lost the hard drive.

And that's not a good thing.

Anyway, Tuesday, took it to the local Apple Authorized place. They sent it off to Apple. And Apple fixed it -- replaced the hard drive, actually -- and sent it back.

Picked it up this afternoon. And have spent most of the evening getting it back running like it should.

Updates and such. Installed latest version of iLife and iWork suites I have.

And, the good news is that it was able to recover my bookmarks and email settings from iDisk. The iTunes stuff, though, I haven't tried. Don't look promising, though.

Anyway, got my toy back. And I can't complain about the service I got from Apple regarding the MacBook. Other than needing the service in the first place.

MacBook down

I've really enjoyed my new MacBook.

Until it broke.

Seems something caused it to not recognize the hard drive.

And, with no hard drive, the computer won't do much.

So, at lunch (I'm eating a sandwich now), I took the MacBook by the Apple Authorized Repair Center in Columbus. And they are shipping it off to the MacBook hospital.

Not sure if it's getting a face-lift, a transplant, or what. But it should be back by the end of the week.

So, for now, I am operating on my old Dell notebook.

I miss my MacBook already. But this old Dell ... well, it's dependable. And I don't know of a better testimonial to give about any computer.

The White Screen Of Death

Windows users know all about the Blue Screen Of Death. It's abbreviated BSOD. It's that blue screen that happens when something very, very bad goes wrong with your computer.

Even Microsoft acknowledges it as the BSOD, though unofficially.

Well, I got a Mac back in August. A MacBook, actually. And I knew that I would get no more Blue Screens Of Death.

Didn't know about the White Screen Of Death.



I know about it now.

The little icon flashes at about 1 second intervals. And it means something is very, very wrong with your MacBook.

And, after running all kinds of diagnostics with the guy from Apple support, it seems it doesn't think there's a hard drive.

Well now, I mused, that can't be good.

He concurred.

So, my Apple Care Protection Plan kicks in. I have to take it to an Apple place. There are a couple of Authorized Representatives in Columbus. The nearest full-fledged Apple Store is in Atlanta. That's an hour and a half to two hours away.

Unless there's road construction.

And there is road construction.

So, off to see the Apple Authorized Representatives tomorrow.

And this, on top of another issue that arose that I really needed my computer for.

So, I'm without my new toy.

However, my old toy, this Dell notebook I'm currently on, is working.

It's taking a little getting used to, with the keys and functions all a little different. Sure, I use a Windows machine at work all day. But I don't have my blog up there. Having the blog up puts me in blogging mode. And blogging mode now means MacBook mode.

Only not right now.

Oh, well. After spending all day Saturday working on my daughter's computers (a Dell desktop and a Dell notebook), I get to experience my own computer issues.

Seems she gets it honest.

Problems with Safari browser and WordPress

See update.

¶ If this post is hard to read, it's because I'm using the Safari browser to write this on a WordPress blog. ¶ You see, I got a MacBook computer recently. And I've been trying out all the functions of a Mac as I make the change from 20+ years of PC computing. ¶ Now, to be sure, I do like the MacBook. I like it a lot. Oh, sure, there are some differences. But the main thing is, the MacBook is easy to use. Really easy to use. ¶ But it's not perfect. ¶ You see, Apple has their own browser: Safari. ¶ It's a fine browser, to be sure. It's pretty fast. Everything on the Mac is fast. Except for my Microsoft Office 2004 suite. ¶ So, Safari is fast. But it has a bug with WordPress. ¶ Now, if you don't use WordPress, you might be just fine. But WordPress and Safari don't play nice together. ¶ It seems that if you use the Visual Editor for writing ... and I do ... the paragraph formatting screws up. ¶ How bad? Well, you see those little paragraph marks all through this post? That's where I put paragraphs when I wrote this. ¶ And, you see how this has all run together as one big paragraph? That's because of the bug in Safari. ¶ Now, there are reports that the new version of Safari has solved this issue. ¶ But it hasn't. ¶ You see, I'm using Safari 3.0.3 (522.12.1) ... and WordPress 2.2.3. ¶ Yes, that's a beta version. But it's the version that they say has the issue fixed. And it doesn't. ¶ So, excuse how this post looks. But it looks this way because Safari 3 hasn't fixed the bug. ¶ Which means I'll continue using Firefox. Which I like. And won't be using Safari. Which I thought I'd like ... and would if Apple would get off their butts and get it fixed.

UPDATE: Some time in the past year, things got better. They play nice now. Read about it here.

WiFi woes

So far, I'm liking my new Macbook.

There are some things that are different. But some things are the same.

My browser, for instance. I quit using Internet Explorer when Firefox came out. And I use Firefox on the Macbook instead of Safari, Apple's own browser. So the browser's pretty much the same. Minor differences, sure, but only minor.

My old Gateway laptop had WiFi connectivity. After I added a card. Old computer, after all. The Dell notebook had it built-in, which was really handy.

The Macbook has built-in WiFi, of course. And, it's really easy to connect to hotspots around town.

For example, the Wife and I often eat at the Subway on Broadway in Columbus. It's not that far from where she works or where I work. And the first time I used the Macbook there, the network connection thingy popped right up, asking me if I wanted to connect to "Subway On Broad."

I did.

And that's actually a couple of mouse-clicks easier than it is to do on the Dell. The Windows machine. So, yeah, it's easier.

Well, that was last Friday.

Monday, I decided to take the Macbook out to lunch. And we went to McDonald's. The one on Veteran's, near 14th Street. It's not too far from where we work. And we had a couple of Arch Cards we hadn't used. And they got WiFi.

Or so they say. It didn't work for me.

The folks there ... or the ones that were there Monday ... didn't know a whole lot about it.

The little girl who was cleaning up tables pointed me right to one of the ladies behind the counter. The lady behind the counter offered one suggestion, but it wasn't applicable.

You see, I was connected to their WiFi. I know so, because, just like it had a couple of days before at Subway, the little connection thingy popped up, asking me if I wanted to connect to "McDonald's."

I did.

And it connected. But wouldn't get on the Internet.

Which told me their network was running, but their network wasn't on the Internet.

I've had that happen at the house on occasion. It usually means that the router isn't routering -- that's a technical term -- properly. It happens every couple of months or so. I suspect because it's a cheap router I bought one night from Wal-Mart. Anyway, when it happens, if I tell the router to restart, it usually fixes it.

Well, that's how McDonald's was acting.

And the lady behind the counter, once she understood that I was on their network, but wasn't on the Internet, told another lady, who was a manager. Or at least, was wearing a blue shirt like the managers at that store do.

After several minutes, this other lady finally told me she didn't know but would ask her manager. She went to some fellow wearing a blue shirt.

After several more minutes, she came back and said they didn't know why it wasn't working for me because it worked a couple of days ago.

I thanked her and walked away, put my computer up, and left.

To me, they ought to either have a working hotspot ... and be able to do simple troubleshooting when it goes out ... or they ought to take the thing out.

I realize that a free hotspot isn't the most important thing about a McDonald's. The most important thing is getting the new toy in the Happy Meal. But, if they aren't going to do something right, they ought not to do it.

And, no, it's not my computer. I'm sitting in the Subway on Broad as I type this.

Yeah, I really do need to get a life.

Thinking Different

I've loved and hated computers for years. Usually the love of computers wins out. But the hate surfaces from time to time.

First computer I ever dealt with ... hands on ... was at Brunswick Junior College. One of those dial-in terminals with the large black telephone and an acoustic coupler. If you don't know what an acoustic coupler is, you're new to computers.

Anyway, a friend was going to school over at Brunswick, and I'd ride over there on occasion, since I had days off after working nights. He showed me the computer terminal room, which he was enjoying because of the computer classes he was taking.

I fell in love with the computer right away.

Those old terminals, which dialed in to the computers in Athens (UGA), didn't have a screen. Paper output only. Looked like a teletype machine. Sort of like this one.

When I enrolled in school there and took my first computer classes, I thought I was in heaven. I knew I had to get me a computer. Once I had a few million dollars.

Of course, not long after that, computers showed up in stores. And they were years ahead of the old teletype terminals I had used just a couple of years earlier.

I bought a Radio Shack Color Computer 2, an Adam, a TRS-80 Model 4, and an MC-10. I never had a Commodore 64, though. I saw one and just didn't like it. But, in the small computer geek circle I hung around, I was the first one to venture into the land of MS-DOS. I bought a Tandy 1000, which ran MS-DOS 2.11. Later, I upgraded to DOS 3.2, then DOS 4, but removed that after just a little bit. I upgraded it to DOS 5, then DOS 6.

Along the way, I tried out this little thing called Windows. Version 2.03.

I got into putting together my own computers from parts, and eventually upgraded to Windows 3.0. Later, 3.1, then Windows 95 and Windows 98.

Bought a Gateway desktop with Windows ME, and got rid of that piece of crap operating system almost as soon as Windows XP came out. I later bought a Dell desktop, Gateway laptops, Dell notebooks ... for me, for the Wife, for Number One Son, and for the Little Princess.

The whole time, I was still having a love-hate relationship with computers. At times, I was amazed and thrilled at all the things one could do with a computer.

At the same time, I was quite frustrated with lots of the things I'd run into with computers. Like the Blue Screen Of Death.

Oh, sure, I don't think I've had a BSOD since I dumped Windows ME. But still, there'd be lockups and crashes and such.

And viruses.

I got my first virus back in the days of DOS 4. Stoned. That's when I learned to have an anti-virus program on my computer.

I had McAfee (before they were bought out), Microsoft AntiVirus, IBM AntiVirus, Norton AntiVirus (before they were bought out) ... I tried several. And was happy with most of them.

Well, okay, "happy" is a little strong. I had accepted that I needed security software. And those packages worked rather well.

But it frustrated me that I had to add security software to my operating system. However, that was the reality of having a computer that ran a Microsoft operating system. And that's what I had.

After a while, I decided to try to find a different platform to try. And I tried Linux.

Linux didn't work just right. Well, not with my hardware. I really liked Linux, but there were some issues with the video card in my laptop. And there's not a lot of quality help with issues.

So, I was stuck with a Microsoft operating system.

Vulnerable to all kinds of security threats. Running slow. Frightening upgrades. Software crashes. Hardware crashes. Hard-to-use software. Hardware folks blaming the software folks while the software folks blame the hardware folks.

And on and on.

Linux was supposed to take me away from all that. But it didn't work with my hardware.

So, I was stuck in Windows world.

Until ... this week ... I did the unthinkable.

I bought a Mac.

Pod People II

The Wife and I went on a trip this past weekend. We sort of went to Atlanta.

I say "sort of," because that's not where we were planning on going to start with. And not were we ended up. But where we stopped along the way. And not just to grab a bite. But we did some shopping. Or looking.

You might recall that the Wife got her an iPod. One of those little iPod Shuffle things. She likes it. And so do I.

When we were contemplating purchasing it, we actually said aloud that we'd probably get that one because we didn't want to spend a lot of money. Actually, a lot lot. Because, when you get right down to it, $79 is a lot of money. But the iPod Nano is $149 ... and higher. And the big iPod is $249 ... and higher. So, the Shuffle is a lot of money. But the Nano is a lot lot of money. And the iPod is a lot lot lot of money.

Anyway, we figured we'd spend the money on the iPod Shuffle and then want either a Nano or a big iPod.

We wanted the big iPod.

Okay, she's actually happy. I want the big iPod.

And, this weekend, we were going to South Carolina ... and just happened to be heading through Atlanta.

Yes, there are places in Columbus where you can buy an iPod. But not places where you can ask questions.

But Atlanta has places like that. Called the Apple Store. And there's one in Lenox Mall. So, we jumped off of I-85 (if Apple owned it, it'd be i85) and headed up Lenox Road to the Mall.

Being hungry and all, we ate first. Then worked our way up the elevators and escalators to the top level, where the Apple Store was located.

And got in line.

You might want to read that again.

We got in line.

There was a line to get into the Apple Store.

People were queued up to talk to 20-somethings who had either too much facial hair or too many bits of metal in their heads.

Okay, not all of the folks working there looked like that. But the PC Guy in me has to think that way.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/FdA51hlTKrM" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

So, we stood in line and were eventually seen by a young man ... "Kevin" according to his name tag ... who had facial hair, but in the "I grew a beard" style, not the "I'm too lazy to shave" style.

Kevin was actually quite courteous and helpful. He didn't seem to mind answering questions for a couple of folks who talked like they were from around there.

But I noticed some stuff about the folks there. Not the Apple folks, but the customers.

They stood in line to get into a store that sold expensive stuff. The line had as many people in it as there were people in the store shopping.

They stood in line to pay for expensive stuff. There seemed to be as many people in line to pay for stuff as there were people standing in line to get in ... or in between, shopping.

Oh, and it wasn't just a couple of Mac geeks or iPod salesmen in t-shirts keeping people in line. Mall cops were there with badges and uniforms and everything.

But the folks there were very helpful about the different questions we asked, whether about the iPod or the Mac computers.

How helpful?

There's an iPod in my pocket as I type this. The 80 GB. That holds 20,000 songs.

Yes, I'm a Pod Person, too.