Erik, What you say is true. I am not disputing your point. Bill Gates and Microsoft are notorious with their software design and their integral apps. Just look at the Internet Explorer debacle a few years back. But Apple is just as guilty, if not more so. At least with a PC, I can freely customize my hardware, or move to any open source O/S. I can reformat and delete my Microsoft O/S and free myself from Mr. Gates for life with any flavor of LINUX, which I do run on another of my machines. And the MAC is just another flavor of LINUX. There are numerous open source browsers, office suites, GUI's, security software, firewalls, what have you... for much much cheaper (free) than purchasing a MAC. In fact, I have not purchased a piece of software for probably over fifteen years. With a MAC... once you make that HUGE purchasing decision... you are locked in, hardware and softwarewise. I am not a gamer, nor do I use graphic intensive software... so I have no need for the overhead of the Apple schism. But, from others I know and even from folks on this website who use Windows O/S, it appears to work well for their graphic intensive needs. Windows has come a long way in support of vector graphics, admittingly taking a very, very long time to get there. I have never heard of anyone using a PC, that after deleting a software program, deleted vital code to keep their machine running. Unless of course, it was some kind of malware app or something of that sort, which is what this thread entails. My point is, even though the two corporate computer overlords are two heads of the same dragon, if one stays patched, uses a good firewall and runs weekly scans of their machine, a PC is just as secure as any MAC. Perhaps even more so, since many MAC users think they are not susceptible to any kind of malicious intent from the internet. I suppose we are just talking apples and oranges. You have an Apple and I have an Orange. And speaking of privacy matters, check out the link below: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42717490/ns/technology_and_science-security/ Jon http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42717490/ns/technology_and_science-security/ Jon, Believe me when I say I know about jumping through hoops, my doctor gets very tired of all the redundant documentation I must provide (she must provide). Bureaucrats must justify their jobs I guess, but 12 page documents on a yearly basis is rather extreme. I think this is all a privacy issue, even TV providers install software to track your viewing habits so they can target you for advertising, they are currently capable a targeting individual receivers with custom adds. I always hear nightmares from PC users, like deleting a program to find it also deletes vital code and their PC becomes non functioning. What was intended as innocent tracking has morphed into this huge hacking problem. Internet aside, from day one, I could do things with a Mac that mystified me with PC's. The only problem with Mac is that manufactures of items needing programing often ignore making it Mac compatible. Mac's just make more intuitive sense. My sister in-law, a retired IBM systems analyst, tells me Microsoft is famous for omitting info to other software writers, so only Microsoft products are truly compatible with windows. They only provide info law requires of them and lawmakers seem rather clueless about technology. Both her and my brother are Mac converts. ISP providers have plenty of info on your habits, cookies, etal, are not needed and is not a plus for the consumer. Erik