I'm beginning to change my tune on Windows Vista.

[MV/Liberace!]

Get this: It pissed him off. He bent over backwards DEFENDING Apple...from his office at Adobe!

i'm not a huge fan of flash.  i find it to be a MAJOR security hole, and it fails to use system resources in a reasonable, proportional way (it's a pig).  however, as you said, at least adobe is giving it away.  also, adobe is surely going to protect their brand by improving flash in the immediacy.  oh, and the above quoted anecdote just about made me lose my lunch.  i really hate the undeserved good will apple gets from its fanboys.  it is a tech cult, and like any cult, its followers pump in lots of money and question nothing the cult's leader chooses to do.  just nauseating.

I told him I've always been a GPL-GNU fanatic, not just because it works well (mostly), and not just because it's free, but because I believe in the principle.

same here.  open source is just better.  period (not that flash is open source, but u know what i mean).

...and that google gives away all their stuff. That pissed him off even more.

google has done more to enhance my technology life than probably any other tech company out there, and they've done it ALL without demanding a penny from me.  now THERE'S a company, in my opinion, that truly deserves good will.  sure, they make a mistake here and there, but generally i see google as a rather benevolent enterprise.  apple is cut throat, dirty, and manipulative.  (sorry to frazzle you fanboys out there.  that's just how i perceive the two companies, and i think on the whole, history backs me up.)

I may have mentioned Android, but I do remember my parting shot: I predicted that google will build a (practically) universal WiMax network...and (practically) give it away! Gated communities and internet islands, and that whole business model will not last.

have you heard about google's plan to bring gigabit internet access to homes/businesses in 50 cities?  ooooh gooody i can't wait.

[unclejim]

Right On! When I had that conversation, google was trying to recruit/select one city, I haven't followed up....OMG...the AGE OF AQUARIUS!