Everyone agrees that Apple makes some very nice computers indeed, but today's computer buyer still needs a fatter wallet to make it a Macintosh. Apple doesn't let anyone else build Mac computers, so they've got a hardware monopoly on the technology.

But wait.

The Psystar Corporation of Miami is going after the Macintosh wannabe market in a big way with what it calls its Open Computer.

This product looks very much like a generic desktop computer (available in a white or black case). Load it up with Windows; run it with Linux; or perhaps you'd like a little OS X Leopard (Apple's Macintosh operating system) with your new PC?

Psystar says it will turn its Open Computer into a Macintosh clone for an extra $155, giving you a powerful Mac-compatible machine (a "Hackintosh"?) for under $600. That's hundreds less than an Apple-made product with similar specifications.

But buying an Open Computer might be a bit of a gamble right now. The company says it works now with OS X Leopard, but Psystar concedes that "future operating system updates may cause severe system problems."

And there's always the possibility that Apple will get its lawyers involved.

I'd sure like to see what would happen if Apple would release a version of its OS X operating system that you could install on any Windows-capable computer. It's always puzzled me why they haven't, because I think there would be a huge audience for it.

There is no real technical roadblock now that all new Apple computers run on essentially the same Intel processors that PCs use. The OSx86 Project has been able to adapt a number of non-Apple computers to run Mac operating systems (and that's the technology that Psystar is using for its clones).

I think whatever market share Apple would lose selling its own (very profitable) computers would be more than made up by licensing its very cool operating system.

On the other hand, Apple then could face a support nightmare as users deal with inevitable problems trying to install and use OS X on a wide variety of hardware platforms. One reason Mac computers are so friendly and reliable is that Apple has a relatively small number of boxes that it is specifically designed to work with.

Apple chief Steve Jobs has said there's no intention to expand the Mac universe beyone Apple-made products, so — at least for now — you'll either have to be content with that option or else take a chance on an Open Computer (or do it yourself with help from the OSx86 Project).

Last month, we told you about the upcoming demise of Windows XP. You won't be able to buy it after June 30, even though it has become the world's most popular way to run a computer.

Microsoft says it's casting its vote for Windows Vista and something called Windows 7 scheduled to arrive on desktops next year.

But that leaves a lot of folks unhappy about the demise of XP, which appeals to many as being more stable and is admittedly less resource-hungry than its Vista successor.

What to do?

The InfoWorld Web site saw the demand and launched an online Help Save XP petition drive. More than 153,000 users have joined to ask Microsoft to keep Windows XP going as it approaches its seventh birthday later this year.

There is no indication yet that Microsoft plans to cave in.

Some people love their Windows XP so much that they actually have found musical inspiration in those incidental sounds that so many of us simply take for granted.

Ecolodge used the Windows startup and shutdown sounds to craft this nifty little ditty: