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Mac-XP: Good business or bad software?

Mike Yamamoto Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Mike Yamamoto is an executive editor for CNET News.com.
Mike Yamamoto
2 min read

To Macintosh purists, Apple's release of software that allows its computers to run Microsoft's Windows XP is a heretical development. Yet many also thought it was inevitable since Apple stunned the technology world last year by making computers with chips from Intel, a once-unthinkable notion.

macmsft

Philosophical debates notwithstanding, the timing couldn't be better for Apple from a business standpoint. Less than two weeks ago, Microsoft shot itself in the foot with its delay of Vista, the successor to XP, providing Apple with a golden opportunity to who might have been waiting for the next Windows operating system.

All this makes for a complicated mix of reactions among bloggers, at least in their initial take. Some are pleased that they can run more applications on a Mac, but many are simply disappointed that Apple is sanctioning what they consider the inferior work of its villainous rival.

Blog community response:

"There will be people stupid enough to actually bite this. This is akin to buying a nicely polished Scion, putting in an engine of Ford Escort '85 and pretending it's a Ferrari. Sad thing is, there are people out there blind enough that will pay 2x as much for this DRM-ridden piece of trash."
--Vladville

"This is certainly going to make things interesting as people may buy the Apple hardware for one reason, but then be stuck using Windows all the time. So there has got to be something else coming in Leopard that will make someone who is on the fence about running a MacOS machine full time see the light."
--EDITing in the Dark

"It will help you create a partition, and even burns a CD with the appropriate Windows drivers for you. No more third-party hacks. Now it just works!"
--Who Am I? Java and Identity Management

"It will put a hurt on Linux. A lot of folks want what Linux provides without the political drama of the GPL. Either Apple is going to make Linux workstations on Intel irrelevant because Apple provides a superior Unix experience, or else major Linux players such as Apple and Novell are going to have to tighten quality and support, especially during a Linux installation."
--blogbeebe