I would rather pay for free.

OK, so I'll admit that I'm new to all this, but the .Mac thing is totally wack. $99 a year for some server storage and an email address I'll never use? What the hell?

Let's be honest. When it started, a .Mac subscription (or, even earlier, the free iTools service) was a revolutionary, cutting-edge service. Offering HomePage web hosting, iDisk, a mac.com email address, anti-virus software, Backup, iCards and iReview, it represented something new and innovative in the best Apple tradtion.

Since then, the Internet and a growing bundle of Web 2.0 services have eroded both the value and the innovation of a .Mac account.

Thank god for The notMac Challenge!

The notMac Challenge is offering a prize of $10,000 to the first developer to come up with a open-source dotMac replacement service. Kent, the driving force behind the notMac Challenge is offering to match dollar for dollar contributions from the public towards the US$10,000 ($12,732) prize.

To win it, you will need to come up with "a free replacement to dotMac's client-based services that's easy enough for a first-time Mac user to install and so fully and transparently integrated that a long-time dotMac user wouldn't notice the difference."

I think it's genius. And long overdue, even for a person who's been here for 5 seconds.

Go here now and make it happen!