Head to Head We should note that you can use any computer for anything -- we know Windows based web designers, Mac based accountants, Linux based poets, and so on. In general people see Macs for creative types, Linux for extreme techies, and Windows for the world. MAC OS Interface easy to understand Rabid and faithful base Perceived to have no software, but actually well supported Excellent for education, graphics and creative work WINDOWS Platform with the best games On more than 90% of the computers in the world Excellent for office work Everybody knows it, even if they can't make it work LINUX Powerful platform for running servers and advanced applications Learning curve that could throw a rodeo rider Lacks popular support Difficult for beginners to understand

EDITOR'S NOTE: We're gonna put more "technology" in the mix with this column, one of an occassional series called "digital divide." This time we'll discuss the options for kinds of computers people can use -- Mac OS on Power PC chips, Microsoft Windows on Intel or AMD chips, and Linux on everything. We'll preface this by saying Damage Control is produced largely on a Macintosh Powerbook G3, and before that on a Macintosh Powerbook 2400. Oh, and hang on to your copy of Wired since the lingo may get a bit thick all up in here.

The history of the personal computer industry is irrelevant.

Like an overweight lover staring on in disbelief as his former lil homie translates borrowed style and improvised ideas into millions of dollars, the story of rivals Apple and Microsoft makes good drama, but to the millions of people glancing at brochures and walking through their neighborhood CompUSAs, it might as well be a fairy tale. What matters to them is being able to cruise their way onto the information superhighway with speed and style make them comfortable, hopefully without breaking down.

Hip hop cybernauts have even more prickly needs. How will the speakers sound? How fast will we be able to download MP3s or stream RealAudio files? What kind of software is available to make beats? In a pinch, will the homies look at it and be like, "whoa?" Can I just get the whole thing ready to rock, or will I have to go inside and build it from the ground up? All these considerations go into picking a computer, not the byzantine history of who stole from whom.

So looking seriously at the situation, one sees that there are (now) three real choices which offer internet access, word processing, entertainment or games, music production, and graphic design.

• The granddaddy of them all, Apple's MacOS is the first and (in our opinion) still the best.
  
• Microsoft's Windows is on more than 90% of the personal computers in the world, and features deep integration with popular Microsoft products like Internet Explorer, Word, Excel and Powerpoint.
  
• Open-source rebels created the "alternative" OS Linux, formerly seen as a solution for servers, but gaining acceptance as an option for personal computing with more intuitive graphical user interface and increased availability of software.
  

If, for instance, you spend $3,000 on a computer, getting 700 megahertz processor (megahertz is the speed measurement on computers, faster generally being better), a 16 gigabyte hard drive, 256 megabytes of RAM (more RAM means more applications you can run) ... and all you do is surf the web and email your sister, you're doin' fo' much, fool.

Then again, if your cousin Shecky sells you his old 100 MHz Powerbook 2300 with a 750 MB hard drive and 28 MB of RAM, and you wanna make glossy newsletters with Quark XPress and Photoshop, produce music with Digital Cubase, create web animation with Flash and bump digital music with GrayAMP and Toast-burned CDs ... you're ska-rewed big time.

Another issue that's rarely discussed is maintenance. Computers, believe it or not, need regular maintenance, just like cars. Running a maintenance program like Norton Utilities every two weeks will keep most people going forever. However, most people won't do that.

Most people will keep computin' until they break, and unlike the glory days of the early 1990s, computers break with greater and greater frequency as companies push for numbers and volume. When little Johnny can't do his homework, Mommy is not gonna be parcelin' out that sweet lovin' unless you can get with the program, potnah, and that's not always that easy.

Here, Linux is at a distinct disadvantage, because someone with no computer expertise will be distinctly unable to configure the GUI that begins making the process easier, staring blankly at the blinking command line. Still, it offers the flexibility of running on any kind of processor, and has a lot of the basic applications computer users require. Linux rewards someone whose nose is to the grindstone.

Windows has a lot of options for support and assistance ... for a reason. Microsoft's current product, Windows 2000 has a reported 63,000 confirmed and acknowledged software bugs -- that means problems all day long. There were more than 3000 in the last build of Windows 98, and even more in Windows 95. There are entire countries in South America with fewer bugs than any given release of Windows. However, as it is so ubiquitous, there's fixes almost everywhere and probably next to no learning curve for most users. You almost have to have used it at one point, and there is more software available for Windows than any other OS. They also have the advantage of megahertz clock speeds that numerically stomp anybody else, with built in advantages for using Windows on Intel chips, always a plus for meaningless bragging.

MacOS is not as bulletproof as it once was -- there was a time (Mac OS 7.6 comes to mind) that you could abuse your Mac insanely, tossing thunderbolts and boulders at it, and it would toss its head back, laugh and keep cranking out documents and work. Today's standard of MacOS 9 is far from that zenith of reliability -- it was one of the first to reveal the Denial of Service attack that was manipulated into bringing down some of the web's biggest sites, and has a pesky problem waking up from sleep. Still, MacOS has an interface that can only be called "elegant," and from novice to expert, it rewards users who gain experience. Likewise, it's normally a snap to fix or upgrade (desktops only -- for the love of god, don't go poking around inside a Powerbook), and handles graphics and music production better than anything else. All the hip hop heads I know wanna do their thing, not be fixing something that's supposed to help you do your thing. In the words of Austin Powers, "It's groovy, baby."

As noted above, Damage Control uses Macs (Mac OS 8.6 to be specific, we're upgradeaphobic), and we recommend them for almost any uses. Linux makes superior servers (once you get it set up correctly, but it has a wide and helpful user base of passionate users. Macs have as zealous a legion of supporters and has online resources just as impressive, with a far less daunting interface. We recommend Windows only for fairly experienced users, as its mainenance can be herculean.

In the end, if it does what you want, whatever computer you use is the right one for you. For instance, the operative's fiancee the international is still using the Windows 3.1 machine that Best Buy forgot to charge her for four years ago.

But remember -- nothing makes you look sexier than a fly outfit, a fresh hairdo, and a graphite iBook.