Good Week
Google seemed to have a pretty good week last week with the announcement that Capgemini would sell its Apps line, but that news was trumped by Microsoft’s shrill retort that included a Top 10 of reasons to doubt the web-based programs. These include such gems as, “Google has a history of releasing incomplete products, calling them beta software, and issuing updates on a ‘known only to Google’ schedule”. And this somewhat similar entry: “With Google Apps in perpetual beta and Google controlling when and if they roll out specific features and functionality, customers have minimal if any control over the timing of product rollouts and features.” I guess we’d better stick to Microsoft if we want rock-solid release schedules.

Bad Week
Apple Lisa owners thought they had benefited from a windfall when Steve Jobs was quoted in an online article saying they were entitled to a $7,000 credit at the firm’s stores. The Lisa is 25 years old and the Apple boss was cited as saying the bounty was merited because he felt guilty that buyers of the notoriously slow-selling system “really got screwed”. Some took the story seriously while others caught on that this was a spoof. However, one person may have suffered even more than the Lisa system loyalists who thought they were going to be compensated. Many believe the computer was named after Jobs’ daughter Lisa but Apple always insisted on using the unflattering acronym Local Integrated Software Architecture.

Word of the Week
Convergence. It used to refer to the coming together of computing and communications and was going to be the Next Big Thing for many years. Now convergence has been relegated to referring to converged threats where malicious folks combine evil activities.