Okay, that was something of a rant I sent :-), though it it actually wasn't a Mac vs. Windows one, as Melissa accurately noted in a private note she sent to me. It WAS a rant against the conditions which cause the increasing internet lack of dependability that hurts us all, and which seems to just be getting worse due to those conditions. No matter which of the three primary Operating Systems or other OS gets a monoculture, a monoculture is still extremely dangerous and a security risk, so it sure wasn't a promo for anyone. As Melissa pointed out --right on the mark, too -- the problem is not just that Windows is an alluring target for those who write viruses and worms. Every bit as bad is that far too many of those who use that system do NOT keep up with their firewalls, timely patching, timely upgrades, and daily monitoring for viruses/worms. It's kind of an either/or thing since we ALL get hurt if people don't EITHER keep up with those chores OR go with whatever systems they choose that are safer. I guess that I had kind of had it up to my eyeballs about lost posts and evidence of anger or impatience or both due to misunderstandings about lost mail and of the conditions which cause unreliability. EVERYONE gets hurt if people don't suit their actions to their operating system's personal vulnerabilities. That is the point, that, and that it makes no sense to get impatient with anyone about failures in communication during a week when a huge percentage of mail was lost due to proliferating computer ills. It just seems that if people would take this seriously and follow either course, that so much pain and flak could be avoided and everyone would be less inconvenienced and less hurt, even with absolute jerks who still write viruses and worms out being out there. [Moderator's note: I went through about 25,000 e-mails today -- several thousand of those totally manually -- so I do sympathize. That sure is a time zapper. BIG] [Posted in FML issue 4258]