Spyware injection, unrequested popups, trojans and viruses have transformed computing from a joyous engagement into an irksome and irritating chore for many Windows users. Even though I've eschewed the platform in favor of Mac OS X, I still spend countless hours mending the contaminated machines of family and friends. Others have simply ceased their online experience because of the fear and hysteria that have resulted from the unsecure nature of running the Windows operating system and connecting to a global network.

There is a better way. For some, who have specialized software needs that only will run on the Windows platform, it may not be a viable solution. But for a majority of computer users, who mainly use their computing machine to browse the internet, organize photos, send and receive email, listen to audio, write documents, or any other typical computing task, switching to a Mac machine will definitely make your computing experience a much more pleasant one.

Writing from firsthand experience, I can proclaim that my Powerbook is the best computer I've ever owned (*knocks on wood!*) - no fretting over viruses and script kiddie attacks, no need for extensive maintenance and depositing funds into the accounts of PC doctors to rescue my hard drive and no need to endure running an inferior operating system. And it comes bundled with nifty programs and utilities right out of the box, unlike most Windows machines.

A claim repeated incessantly in the PC press is how expensive Macs are, but they really arn't if a suitable comparison is made on the total cost of ownership. Also, resale values for Mac machines remain high, years after initial purchase. I discovered this when I decided to try using a Mac, and first ventured onto online auctions to see if I could pick up a used machine at a discounted price before buying new. Surprisingly, I found that such machines were still selling at a rather high price, whereas comparable PCs were selling at a fraction of that.

So, bottom line, are PCs cheaper than Macs? No, despite what you read in the PC press, it's the other way around. Compare Apples to apples, and Macs are cheaper than PCs.

Folks are growing increasingly dissatisfied with the quality of tech support received. For an understanding of why the sordid state of technical support, check out this in-depth look at tech support center from the vantage point of the tech support worker himself.

When we pick up the phone we're lying. We don't really work for the company we say we work for. Because of the expense of housing and running a technical support operation, many computer manufacturers choose to outsource the work. We work for one such outsourcer, though you'd never know it just to talk to us. To the customer on the other end of the line the distinction, while important, is invisible.

Outsourcers are paid by the computer manufacturer based on the number of calls they handle. The more calls we take, the more the outsourcer is paid. So naturally everything that happens in this vast carpeted warehouse of cubicles is done with an eye toward speed. Our managers stress something called "average call time," which is simply the average amount of time a tech spends on each call. They want us to be under 12 minutes. Our phones monitor our ability to reach this magic number as well as the total number of calls we take, the number of times we ask for help, how much time we take between calls, even the amount of time we spend in the restroom. In short, your phone is always watching you.

It seems silly to use "average call time" as the absolute barometer of technician effectiveness – isn't it obvious that "givers" and "punters" (those call responders who are gifted in passing the problem off by claiming it's something else to blame) are rewarded, yet the truly qualified who are the most helpful will be penalized in such a structure? Then throw in offshoring workers to foreign locales – introducing a language barrier into the process, and there you have one messed up deal.