For normal people, a personal computer is a tool. I often say that my laptop is my third generation writing tool after the pen (used at school) and the typewriter (used to write my thesis and press materials until 1981).

I am a perfectly normal PC user, but over the years I have matured some strong opinions about technologies and IT products. The strongest of them is about Outlook, which I consider the worst email program conceived by a human mind (I use Outlook as a PIM, the task it was developed for before being acquired by Microsoft and transformed with the addition of email features).

When I was working at Fleishman-Hillard, in order to avoid using Outlook I decided to use my own laptop, where I installed Eudora to handle emails (today I have switched to Thunderbird).

I’ve mentioned Outlook several times in my blog (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here, unfortunately always in Italian), and I’ve never hidden my negative opinion.

If you were a PR professional in charge of launching the next release of Outlook, after having thoroughfully read my blog and made a short online search about me, would you still send me a laptop to review the software?

It’s not a problem of ethics or hidden agendas, or anything similar. It’s a pure problem of religion. When the subject is Outlook, I am an integralist.

Apple and Linux hard core followers have exactly the same attitude with the whole of Microsoft. Has anyone heard of Windoze or Mickeysoft? If not, please read Apple and/or Linux user groups or blogs. You will see the light.