InBox: Readers Sound Off: Apple, Firefox, Freebies.

It wasn’t just Apple on the minds of alert readers. A few pointed out shortcomings of the highly touted Firefox web browser.

On the lighter side, there was praise for our continued reviews of Mac OS X utilities, and a desire by some readers to get Tera’s measurements (not that great) and her phone number (she won’t call you back).

First up, the firestorm of email and comments from the article “Is Apple About To Explode? Growing Pains or Problems?” From reader “gscottr”:

“What does apple need to do better? They are on the brink of blasting out, providing they have business software support. (Do they?) A small headless mac with a lower end G5, because after all, you are just trying to sell the operating system at some point. Most business aren’t going to shell out 1200 bucks or more for the low end iMac to replace all their windows driven machines, and their IT people won’t want it bacause (as reported) some will lose their jobs. And, do they then have the supply chain in place to satisfy all the needs of the demand that may result from their success, before MSoft can square up their operating system, and they will some day.”

I’m one who happens to think that market share doesn’t matter; profitability, money in the bank, stock price, and a growing body of happy customers are better. Microsoft has the most market share ever, but not as many happy customers. Faithful reader “gojira” had concernes and praise:

“Let’s hope that IBM has worked out the 90nm processor issues and iMac G5s and PowerMac G5s can stream forth unabated! I happened to be in the SoHo Apple Store checking out the iMac G5 the other day. I MUST say, that the photos I’ve seen do NOT do it justice. They’re gorgeous! The case is clear plexiglas over white paint behind it, so there’s a kind of floaty etherealness to them. Because of the size of the monitors, that 2” thickness looks stunningly thin. Thinner than 2”, I’d say.”

Not to be too contrary, but we had a few comments and some feedback from readers who really didn’t want Apple to succeed too much. Think viruses, worms, problems, etc. “jedikindergartener” summed it up this way:

“Is it just me, or am I perhaps the only one who *doesn’t* want Apple to explode in popularity on a momentous level? I don’t want Apple marketting OS X on PC-based machines, and I don’t want them to “dominate” the market. (Subsequently, I don’t want the viruses and user-implicated troubles that come along with domination.)

I simply want Apple to be the suitable, semi-well kept secret alternative that it is. I want Apple to be successful, but I don’t want them to be so insanely popular that they become slovenly and reluctant in their ways. I don’t want them to be the “next Microsoft of Computing.” It’s a far fetched concern, to be sure, but it could very well happen.”

A UK reader took issue with our praise of Mozilla’s new Firefox 1.0 preview browser. Yes, it’s pretty, fast, loaded with features. But, apparently it’s not perfect yet.

“You haven’t written *anything* which describes the problems this browser has. The extra window that shows with Exposé, for example. The fact it’s not dock-aware. The generic drop-down menus, not Mac style. No middle-click to open new tabs. No backspace to move back a page (a must in my eyes, especially for notebook users). Unfamiliar (and unpleasant) key combination to switch between tabs.”

Of course, we get our share of InBox praise, too. Well, maybe not a full share, but enough to keep us hungering for more, not so much that we’re depressed and eat chocolate all the time.

We tend to focus on useful utilities, hyperbole, and stuff we like (and don’t like) when choosing article topics. Utilities, for example. If they’re good, we buy ‘em and use ‘em. If they’re not, we say so. Mostly.

Reader “sergio” (yes, that Sergio) like the piece on Freebie Utilities.

“I visited Devon Tech’s web site and it’s amazing how much freeware of such good quality they have. Especially applications that deal with tasks so simple but that no body else has thought about. WordService, wonderful. EasyFind, very helpful. Even ThumbsUp is great for people with lots of PDFs, photos and movies like me (being totally honest, it took care of organizing a bunch of adult material I have and thumbnails from each movie sure sort things out well). Even if it’s sunday school movies, who cares? It works wonderful!”

As you’d suspect, if you have a favorite utility, tell us what it is and why you like it. We won’t pay you or anything, but we might offer some praise that’ll help others. Or not.

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