A lot has happened over the last few weeks. HP appointed Meg Whitman CEO, Apple introduced another iPhone, and Steve Jobs shuffled off this mortal coil. Then there was the endless drama over WikiLeaks and its house-bound leader, Julian Assange, as well as the usual round of dramatic threats from Anonymous. As always, the residents of Cringeville have opinions about all of it. Here's some of the best ones to hit my inbox.
First, though, a correction: My piece on Steve Jobs ("Steve Jobs: Like no other") contains a small error in the following sentence:
...[S]tarting with the Apple I, Jobs presided over over the evolution of how we communicate with machines, from typing (Apple II) to clicking (the Macintosh) to handwriting (Newton) to touching-tapping-swiping (iPhone and iPad), and now with the iPhone 4S's Siri Voice Assistant, to talking.
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In fact, the Newton came to be during that dark period of Apple history known as the Scully Era -- which I knew but simply forgot. Jobs had nothing to do with the dingus and was instrumental in killing it. Thanks to Cringesters T. M. and J. C. for pointing that out.
But that's not all the Cringe clan had to say about the late Apple founder. J. H. writes:
I liken Jobs to Gutenberg. Both enabled the masses to achieve things beyond anyone's dream at the time.
Well... beyond anyone else's dream, that is.
There's been no word, however, on the old Steve Guttenberg.
In "WikiLeaks: Show us the money," I smack Julian Assange around a bit for being such an egomaniac -- though, admittedly, he has great hair. Most readers agreed with my assessment of the Chief WikiLeaker, but T. A. defended the audacious Aussie:
You say: "Given the unholy alliance between government and corporations and the crumbling edifice that used to be called the Fourth Estate, we need an incorruptible source for information." I would say Assange pretty much qualifies as "an incorruptible source of information". ... To me, it means someone who allows the information to pass unchanged and unfiltered to the public. ... I prefer to make up my own mind, even if it endangers some people I would rather not endanger.
Meanwhile, frequent correspondent G. W. believes I'm giving too much virtual ink to cyber criminals with my post about how the Anons are planning to spend Guy Fawkes Day ("Anonymous takes on Fox News"). G. W.'s plan:
November 5th is my birthday. I will be spending it with my mom. We are going to have hamburgers and bison hot dogs. Yum!
Happy birthday, G. W. But buffalo dogs? Seriously?