Arabic-L:GEN: Views on Microsoft vs Apple

[Dilworth B. Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Tue 19 Dec 2000
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject: View on Microsoft vs Apple
2) Subject: Response to View on Microsoft vs Apple

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1)
Date: 19 Dec 2000
From: Mordechai Kedar <mkedar at mail.biu.ac.il>
Subject: View on Microsoft vs Apple

[moderator's note: this message was cc'd to George when it was sent to me,
and George sent a reply, so I've included the reply here.  Dil]

Dear Ms. Kleinhaus

I am sure that neither Bill Gates nor George Hallaq will like what I am
going to write to you, but truth should be said, afala ta'qilUn.

I am using a Macintosh (LC475 which is parallel to 486 PC) for more than 6
(SIX!!!) years already. Yes, the same old computer with 80MB hard disc and
a 33MHZ processor. I wrote my Ph. D. dissertation on it which is basically
in Hebrew but contains a LOT of Arabic and English texts. Changing
language is very easy, and there are many lines which contain texts in all
the three languages. Add to this the easiness of operating the system, its
stability and friendliness, and you will understand why  my Arabist
friends and I don't even think about going back to PC. As a matter of
fact, I do have a PC (pentium) for internet, since I am too lazy to teach
my old Mac how to get into the web. for email (English text only) it is
perfect,  and for images I use (once a week) my PC. I am perfectly happy
with all the linguistic tools of the Mac, especially the BEST
multilingual word  processor ever created, NISUS. Therefore I highly
recommend a "hijra" to the Mac environment, especially since their new
computers are really the best in the market.

However you should make sure that the Mac provides you with:
1. a good access to Arabic web sites if you need it (try it
on teshreen.com),
2. a good email program which supports Arabic messages.
3. a good converter to convert your documents from PC/Word to Mac/Nisus.
(my old Israeli-made converter supports only Hebrew and European
languages. Nisus might have (or know about) newer converters to deal with
Arabic and European languages).

Nisus software house has a whole variety of software and you can ask them
any question connected to net and web services in Arabic. Try their web
site or email:  sales at nisus.com.  Their dealer in Israel is very good, and
I am sure that they have good one (or more) in Germany.

If net and/or web services in Arabic are impossible in the Mac, you might
think of leaving them in the PC environment, but I do believe that Apple
and/or Nisus can find good solution to any of your needs.

As to prices, Apple computers and some software are more expensive than
PC's, but their superiority over PC makes the investment worthy.

Just to make it clear: I hold no stock of neither Apple nor Nisus or any
other company connected to the Macintosh. I am just a happy Mac and Nisus
user.

Dr. Mordechai Kedar
Dept. of Arabic
Bar-Ilan University
52900 Ramat Gan
Israel
Phone + Fax +972 9 7449162
www.biu.ac.il/faculty/mordechai_kedar.html

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1)
Date: 19 Dec 2000
From: GnhBos at aol.com
Subject: View on Microsoft vs Apple

Dear Mordechai,

I take your comments as a compliment, I mean to put my
name alongside Bill Gates'!

Anyway, to make my purpose clear, I am here to help people
access Middle Eastern languages software, be it Mac or PC.

Commercially, I try to offer both platforms, I am a PC user,
hence, I know it better than Mac.

Maybe the makers of Mac are great technicians, I think,
they are lousy egotistical business people.

I get calls from all over the world to showcase their products
on AramediA's site, I do not differentiate between platforms.
If the product is good and serves the purpose of my clients,
I simply carry it. O, they have to have a superior technical
support system. I know, you're gonna say Mac won't need
much tech support :-)

All the best,

George

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End of Arabic-L: 19 Dec 2000