It’s true. I love Safari. It’s fast, elegant, uncluttered, and pages look fabulous. It’s true. Sometimes I use Firefox. All those add-ons make it a tempting browser.

Meryl Evans in Salon:

Quick overview for those new to Firefox: Add-ons are little free tools that make your application experience better and easier. Add-ons don’t stop at browsers, either. Email applications like Thunderbird have them, too. They’re very easy to install. Just go to Firefox add-ons, browse, click “Add to Firefox” and click “Install” in the popup window.

I use only three of the 10.

Microsoft apologist Mary Jo Foley says the first Microsoft stores will open this fall near Apple Stores. A Microsoft spokesperson:

“As we progress on our retail strategy there will be scenarios where we have stores in proximity to Apple.  We are on track to open stores in the Fall timeframe. Beyond that we have no additional details to share.”

This will be so much fun. I’m betting there’s no Genius Bar in the Microsoft Store.

You’ve read the book-like volumes about Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference keynote (WWDC), now experience the movie. Nearly two hours of Mac, iPhone, and OS X demonstrations in a QuickTime streaming movie. If you love the not-so-nitty-gritty details, you’ll love this. Starring marketing veep Phill Schiller, software head Bertrand Serlet, and iPhone honcho Scott Forstall.

The premise, from Preston Gralla in Computerworld:

Apple, Google and Microsoft are locked in a three-way struggle for industry dominance, competing to varying degrees on hardware, computer and cell phone operating systems, applications, entertainment, Internet search and more. Today, Google owns Internet search, Microsoft owns operating systems and applications, and Apple owns high-end hardware and entertainment and media devices.

Which will thrive? All are prospering, yes, but which company will thrive in the future? The difference is that Google is a one-trick pony. Advertising (via Google’s search engine). Microsoft prospers on past spoils, Windows and Office. What of Apple?

Apple, far more than Microsoft or Google, has a business model somewhat akin to that of a Hollywood studio: It requires blockbuster hits in order to bring in big profits. When Jobs leaves, those hits will stop coming.

So, let me get this straight. If Apple’s string of hits stop, it’s because Steve Jobs is gone? Forget about the resurgent and highly profitable Mac. Forget about the iPod or the iTunes Store. Forget about the iPhone. Apple will be brain dead when Steve Jobs leaves the company?

The Hollywood analogy is interesting, but not apt. Blockbuster movies make big money quickly—in theaters first, then DVD sales and rentals. A hit movie’s initial revenue gains are lost over time, usually less than a year. Apple’s products continue to grow both revenue and profits and market share over time. How is that like a Hollywood studio? It’s not.

Who will thrive?

Of the three companies, Google is best positioned to thrive in the future. It has a near monopoly on Internet search, the core of the world economy’s greatest growth engine. That gives it both an excellent base to expand upon, as well as a massive war chest it can depend on to fund new ventures.

So, let me get this straight. Google will thrive because it has a monopoly on search advertising, and a massive war chest. Didn’t Microsoft have a monopoly with Windows and Office? And a massive war chest? How’s that working out?

Since when did “the core of the world economy’s greatest growth engine” become search advertising?

Apple is the most diversified of the three companies, and has an even more massive war chest than Google or Microsoft, but will go into a long, slow decline (sounds like Microsoft) after CEO Steve Jobs leaves? What about Microsoft’s fortunes?

Unlike Apple, it doesn’t need big hits in order to grow. With a stranglehold on operating systems and productivity applications, and with solid enterprise tools, it will grow steadily. Google won’t be able to break its near monopoly.

Yet, both Windows and Office are in decline already, Windows Mobile is in rapid decline, and Microsoft’s other ventures have only lost money through the years, and continue to lose money. By the way, Google is an advertising company that runs a search engine. How would they break Microsoft’s so-called monopoly in a market segment where they don’t even complete against each other? The only way to do that would be to give away competing software for free. How’s that working out?

Microsoft won’t unseat Google as the Internet search leader, Bing shows that it can make plenty of money in that business.

Since Microsoft has never made any money in search, when and how will it show that it can?

Gralla’s conclusions are totally lame.

I can only conclude that authoring nearly three dozen books has depleted Gralla’s ability to think and write clearly. What’s fortunate is that he is doing so at a time when Computerworld’s editors don’t need insightful analysis, but are content with occasional hit-whoring articles to drive up page views and advertising impressions.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, right? Even really bad opinions count for something, right? If anything, a horribly misguided opinion or malformed perspective can tell us much about the person giving us their opinion.

I use Tweetie on my Mac and my iPhone (arguably the best of the many Mac Twitter clients). The Mac version costs $19.95 (or, free, if you don’t mind advertising). The iPhone version of Tweetie is $2.99. Here’s the twist. The newest version, Tweetie 2.0 for iPhone will also cost $2.99. There’s no free for current Tweetie users. No upgrade fee. Just $2.99 for the newest version. Outrageous, right? Not.

Patrick of Just Another iPhone Blog:

I just can’t find a way to think of this as anything less than spitting in the face of existing Tweetie users… Offering no upgrade discount is just a slap for those who have helped make Tweetie a success… What do we call Tweetie once Tweetie 2 comes out?  Tweetie 1?  Tweetie Old, Abandoned Version?  Tweetie For Suckers Version?

Whoa. I didn’t realize that PMS was cross gender.

I’m not sure I can get past the horribly bad taste in my mouth on this ‘no upgrade’ issue.  It’s foul and I think if the decision sticks I’m more likely to delete ‘Old Useless Tweetie’ and not look at 2 at all.

Assuming that Patrick meant what he wrote, and his perspective isn’t just typical blog flame bait, here’s a major problem with this kind of thinking. Other than being boorishly insensitive, ludicrously cheap, and obviously ignorant. The price differential—going from Tweetie 1.x to Tweetie 2 at $2.99—isn’t worth an extra liner pad in my panties. Again:

I just can’t find a way to think of this as anything less than spitting in the face of existing Tweetie users.

Maybe, just maybe, Tweetie’s developers need to make a buck to stay in business. After all, if Tweetie for the Mac is $19.95, and Tweetie for the iPhone is $2.99, the differential means they need a lot more customers to make the same revenue, and it’s revenue that must cover ongoing costs to make a profit.

$2.99 isn’t worth the effort required to avoid soiling your panties on those special days of the month, Patrick.

What is? How about Bento, the popular FileMaker-like database app for Mac and iPhone? The first version was $49 and arrived less than two years ago. Bento 2 came last year. Bento 3 came out yesterday.

How much is that Bento doggie in the window? $49. Upgrade? Get a $20 instant rebate if you upgrade to Bento 3 through the FileMaker Online Store. Or, $29 for what? New features or bug fixes?

Bento 3 is surprisingly similar to Bento 2 but costs the same, or $29 more for the upgrade. I like Bento. I don’t like a $29 annual tax for the privilege of using a few more features (10 new templates, shared libraries, iPhoto integration—anything else?).

I’m more inclined to get upset at an annual $29 fee for use than I am $2.99.