Sorry to bring this out, but these ads work. People who don't have a vested interest in Windows, that is, non-geeks, don't see the Ads as offensive. They're no different than Coke versus Pepsi or Burger King versus McDonalds commercials. I think this is the first time in history where I've seen people consistently bash a legitimate comparison ad. Regular people, who see computers as tools, don't even understand what an operating system is. They look at these commercials and it gets them to ask questions about their computer choices for the first time. Trust me, I've seen it happen. So please spare us the fake Apple outrage, will you?

These ads are to persuade consumers to give the Macintosh computer a chance the next time they are in the market. They persuade by repetition, just like how Campbell Soup's "Mmmm, Mmmm, Good" advertising does. Campbell's, for forty years, has resisted the advertiser's call that these ads are boring. They are boring, but consumers need them to have confirmation. Often, it takes years of these ads to break down a consumer prejudice and build up another. Apple is overcoming a decade of Microsoft's Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt that it is going out of business soon, it's products are too expensive, it isn't compatible with the computers at the office, it has no software, it doesn't do games, etc.

Yes, a technocrat, such as yourself, knows that Microsoft Vista stinks. You may not like being reminded of that, if you are not ready to switch. But, these ads are not aimed at you. You are not likely to buy a Mac, are you?

PS. Obama is an empty suit; he has no solutions. He is a replay of Jimmy Carter.

The question is not what Obama can say, but what can he do. Will America, if he is elected, immediately lose its Islamic, United Nations and European Internationalist enemies? Will the coming recession turn up its nose and go away? Will racism, even Black racism, end? Will peace, prosperity, freedom, justice, soaking the rich, increased government control and social justice reign?

Not likely since many of these are mutually exclusive.

Mr. Kantrowitz is on target for berating the Cupertino Meanos as they plaster the NYTimes site with those vicious anti-Vista ads. As he suggests, Sen. Barak "Jeremiah" Obama would never ever think of publicly pointing out the shortcomings of a rival. Like Kantrowitz, I was shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, by Apple's mean spirited attack on a defenseless competitor like Microsoft. A quick look at Redmond's recent history cannot help but evoke the type of sympathy that Kantrowitz has articulated even among the most cold-hearted technopundit.To wit:

• Bill Gates is down to his last 40 Billion or so. He has been deposed from the top of the Forbes 400 heap and has retired to spend his time managing Warren Buffet's money.

• Windows market share on the desktop has slipped all the way down to 92.3 percent. Doesn't that fact tug at your heart strings?

• The Zune, despite recent upgrades, has not made much of a dent in the iPod's marketshare.

• The steady Exodus of Engineers from Redmond to the catered halls of Google has created a migraine brain drain.

I applaud Mr. Kantrowitz for rushing to the defense of a pitiful, beleaguered company like Microsoft, a company that has always demonstrated that it understands the meaning of FairPlay. Apple, you should be ashamed of yourself for drawing attention to the many plaudits you have universally garnered for Mac OS X Leopard. And for suggesting that some Windows users are less than ecstatic with their Vista experiences? Apple, how could you? Have you no sense of decency? Do your stockholders really need to see an increase in market share THAT badly that it would cause you to stoop to such gutter snipe tactics? As Gomer used to say: "For shame, for shame, for shame!"