E-mail this story Print this story E-mail updates Home Delivery of The Bee

October 29, 2001 Posted: 07:06:00 PM PST

Los Angeles Times Syndicate

(LAT) - I spent about a week testing Microsoft's newest products: Windows XP, which officially debuted last week, and Office X for the Mac, which ships next month. And I've come to a conclusion: The best computing platform is a Mac - running Microsoft software.

It isn't that I don't like Windows XP. It's the best version of Windows yet - attractive and fast and more reliable than Windows 95 and 98. Its digital hub features work well too. I played back DVDs, moved music between portable players and transferred images from digital cameras.

Windows XP also has the edge over Apple's new Mac OS X when it comes to running older programs. Although software companies must adapt their wares to exploit Windows XP's glitzy new look, the majority of Windows programs function as-is under Windows XP. Microsoft also added special features that enable many older Windows 95 and 98 programs to run, and there's no need to switch between "native" and "classic" modes, as in Mac OS X.

So what's not to like? For starters, Windows XP tries too hard. It's always reminding you of something or offering to help in ways that aren't necessarily helpful. Little pop-up windows tell you that the system is doing things for you, or they tell you to sign up for Microsoft's controversial Passport system, or they ask what you'd like to do now that you've plugged something in. It's as though a precocious geek is watching over your shoulder, saying, "Ooh, ooh - let me show you how to do that." And sometimes you want to smack him.

Nor do I share his decorating tastes. The background on Windows XP's desktop is a photograph of verdant hills with billowy clouds in an azure sky. You half expect to see Julie Andrews running toward you, singing "The Sound of Music."

If she did, she'd be singing in Windows Media format. The MP3 format is a second-class citizen in Windows XP: When you rip a CD onto your hard drive, its tunes are stored in Windows Media format. You can't even create an MP3 file unless you use third-party software. The Windows Media format has some advantages over MP3, but I prefer to have a choice.

This perceived lack of choice pervades Windows XP. It's as though a marketer also is watching over your shoulder, pitching various Microsoft services and herding you toward Microsoft's business partners. There's a bit of this in Mac OS X and some Apple software, but it's far more subtle.

But subtlety is not Windows XP's middle name. The frequent pop-up helpers, the scenic desktop photo, the sound effects that play when you do various things - Windows XP is always trying to show you that it's smart and cool. I prefer software that lets me discover this on my own.

Which brings me to Microsoft's awkwardly named Office v. X for Mac, the new, Mac OS X-only version of Office. I've been using a pre-release copy of Office X for my writing and e-mail, and it's a thing of beauty.

Microsoft has enhanced each of the programs in Office X, but the most dramatic changes are to Entourage, the e-mail, address book and scheduling program. A new main window adds icons that give you one-click access to key features. The calendar and scheduling features are easier to use, and Entourage now provides a multiple-level Undo command.

One major gripe: In the pre-release versions of Office X, you can't turn off Mac OS X's font smoothing - text has a fuzzy-edged look that I find fatiguing. Microsoft might add an option for disabling font smoothing, but if it doesn't, you can do so yourself using the freeware TinkerTool program.

When Office X ships next month, Mac OS X will become not only a viable operating system for mainstream computing but a highly desirable one. Who would have thought that the ideal computing platform would result from the marriage of Mac and Microsoft?

E-mail this story Print this story E-mail updates Home Delivery of The Bee