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--Steve Fox,
editor in
chief,
CNET.com
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Dear
readers,
I can't resist a good
fight: Napster vs. the RIAA, Intel vs. AMD, Palm vs. Pocket
PC. But in my opinion, nothing beats the PC vs. Mac rivalry.
It's an ongoing conflict that has generated more bad blood,
accusatory e-mails (just ask any tech editor), and overall
charges of press bias than any other high-tech confrontation
imaginable. The responsible folks on the CNET Software team
considered playing peacemaker to the warring tribes, possibly
building consensus and even trying to heal old wounds. But
that wouldn't be much fun, would it? So instead, we've decided
to add fuel to the fire with the third installment of our OS
death match, this time pitting Mac
OS X against Windows 2000. This highly unscientific battle
royale compares the two heavyweight contenders from each camp
to see who gets to wear the crown. Tell us what you think at
software-mailbag@cnet.com.
We've braced ourselves for the onslaught.
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 | Net
payment nightmares
It may be convenient to
pay for goods digitally, but that path is fraught with danger. Your
money may get lost in the ether, you might get locked out of your
account, or you may end up paying for goods you never receive. Read
on for five frightening tales of transaction terrors, plus tips on
how to avoid or fix them. In Software
Get
the PDA that's right for you
There are as
many ways to use handhelds as there are hands to be held. But to
make things a little easier, we've narrowed down the field a bit to
students, executives, gamers, musicians, and a few other categories.
If you're looking for some advice on which PDA is just right for
you, click the link above. In Electronics
Ask
the cell phone diva
We were so impressed by
the response to our Wireless Insider "What people are asking the
cell phone diva" story that we decided to make it a regular feature
on CNET Wireless. Senior Editor Joni Blecher will do her best to
track down the answers to all your questions about cell phones,
service providers, and accessories. So keep 'em coming! In Wireless
OS
death match: OS X vs. Windows 2000
OS X
versus Windows 2000, eh? Sure, why not? Both of these operating
systems are workstation ready, server friendly, and easy enough for
even the smallest home office. So how does plain-Jane Windows 2000
match up with OS X's bells and whistles? We tossed these two
operating systems into the arena in a heavyweight matchup, and only
we can pick a winner. In Software
For
richer or for poorer: WinBook X1, J1
How
different can two 1GHz notebooks from the same company be? Quite a
bit, actually. We pit the sleek WinBook X1 against the bargain
WinBook J1 to see which is the better deal. In Hardware
Tricks
of the trade
As dot-coms fold and thousands
of Web workers get pink-slipped, adult Web sites remain a reliable
and profitable online venture. Learn how the technologies that are
commonly used to put adult content on the Web can be used on any
site to successful ends. In Web Building
The Chernobyl virus is back, this time lurking
in messages that promise naked pictures of actress/singer Jennifer
Lopez. The e-mail tempts credulous users with the subject line
"Where are you," and an attachment (jenniferlopez_naked.jpg.vbs)
that, when opened, can delete files and make hash of your hard
drive. Fortunately, few people have fallen for the Lopez virus. But
in light of this latest attack, coupled with February's Anna
Kournikova worm,
we here at CNET are worried about future celebrity-based viruses.
Here are 10 nasties we hope never make it to your in-box:
| 10 |
The Madonna virus
This
unstoppable pathogen defies antivirus programs by constantly
reinventing itself. |
| 9 |
The Jim Jeffords
virus
Partitions your hard drive so that the two
sides don't want to work together. |
| 8 |
The Michael Jackson
virus
Launch this bad boy and your entire screen
slowly fades to white. |
| 7 |
The Anne Heche virus
Changes
all your system settings...then switches them back to the
original defaults. |
| 6 |
The Ozzy Osborne virus
Bites
the heads off BAT files. |
| 5 |
The Calista Flockhart
virus
Claims to eat up your RAM, but we've never
noticed any significant impact. |
| 4 |
The Dan Quayle virus
When you
run spell-check, this macro virus randomly adds the letter
e to the ends of words. |
| 3 |
The Marcel Marceau
virus
Deletes all your MP3 and WAV
files. |
| 2 |
The Oprah Winfrey virus
Resets
your Amazon.com cookies so that you have nothing but Oprah's
Book Club titles on your wish list. |
| 1 |
The Claus Von Bulow
virus
Rumors that it puts your PC into permanent
sleep mode are patently false. |
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