Being forced to use Windows due serious Entourage 08 problems

Question

I posted this over in Markspaces forums but my last year of many happy years of using the Mac has not been happy. I thought I'd share this as I think this issue around core software for the Mac might put the recent rise of the Mac in jeopardy. I'm sure not happy with what I might have to do but I'm thinking I'm going to have to revert to running Outlook as Entourage 08 is a mess:
I posted this as a response to a Spotlight Markspace Notes issue I encountered as a result of having to give up on Entourage due to its many issues but primarily due to its sync issues. I thought I'd post it here as a general thought on what is happening at least for me which I suspect will happen with others and thus potentially threatens the Mac:
I never would have come across this if I didn't need to stop using Entourage due to its sync issues (post at Markspace due to a Spotlight issue with their Notes app not getting properly indexed due to some problem in Leopard 10.5.5). I've talked to Microsoft again yesterday as they released an update 12.1.5 but it doesn't fix the problem. Microsoft is now being much more candid about the sync problems in Entourage. They just can't figure out how to fix it and she even said they are looking at a conduit but I can't see how this would resolve my problem as I now use both my Palm TX (had this for over 3 years now) and a BlackBerry Curve.
I told the Microsoft rep I'm actually thinking of using Outlook but I hate to have Parallels and XP running all the time as it is really intensive on the system. Also, since Outlook would be what I'd live in as it was when I ran on the PC and Entourage was when it worked on the Mac, it then begs the question well why would I write my documents on OSX - I've got XP running so just open Word in Windows (plus Outlook runs tons faster than Entourage and so does Word in XP than Word on OSX). But, now I'm really living in XP so then this really begs the question why have I got a Mac. Its cool that you can run Windows on the Mac but I only do this to say install an app to my BlackBerry or look up information that I created in Outlook in the long past or maybe peruse and an Access DB. But I really don't create any info in XP.
However, if I do decide to move back to Outlook, I'd just use the BlackBerry Desktop Manager for BlackBerry sync and Palm's desktop Manager for the Palm. In some ways, this is way more efficient than sync services under OSX as these desktops, although discrete, have been designed specifically for their respective products and thus work incredibly well. Especially in the case of the BlackBerry, its Desktop Manager is totally current and even with Missing Sync for the BlackBerry you still have to use the BlackBerry Desktop Manager for app installation and backups or as I recently did, upgraded my BlackBerry OS from 4.2.2 to 4.5. I can't really remember what the Windows Destop Manager is like for the Palm but as far as I remember, when I ran Windows, it was fine.
I just hate to see that I'm being pushed backed to Windows due to the problems in Office for the Mac 08. But, in addition, the other major app I use all the time is Quicken. My version is 2006 as Quicken has yet to release a current version. They are working on something called Quicken Financial Life for the Mac but they have been for months and they still are asking for beta testers, which I've signed up for more than once but no one has heard anything. The Windows version of Quicken is just so much better than the Mac version and they have released their 09 product. Although my 06 Mac version meets my needs it is lame against the Windows version and there are a few things in the Windows version I could put to use. But I really think here's another big software player that doesn't seem to be able to deal with the Mac and releasing an Intel product either because they are finding it too complex or just not worth the effort. I don't know why.
I suppose then my only concern with running XP continuously and running all my core apps from XP is the overhead its going to put on my machine and then really I have to ask the question well what am i using OSX for. I don't have a good answer to this but I know once I start thinking this way I'll slowly start testing sync under Windows for the BlackBerry and the Palm and if it seems viable from my virtual machine I'll just buy updated Windows version of Office and Quicken. Now I've migrated back to Windows, gone through the learning curve to get back and well even if the Mac stuff gets resolved (Office, which I think is a long way off in terms of a fix as its a mess and who knows with Quicken as there is literally no info) am I going to feel like doing the reverse of the above - maybe yes and maybe no.
I will let Apple know about this as I'm not really sure if they might be strategically aware of the impact of the failure of Microsoft to deliver a robust Office product for the Mac and Quicken as to how this could create a problem for the Mac. I don't think the Mac is a viable environment without Office unfortunately. It never would have survived if Microsoft hadn't gotten in back in the beginning, would have died if they pulled out as the threat indicated a few years ago and will cause problems once users catch on to this.

Answer 1

I am unwilling to attempt navigation away from these sites. The pop-ups that occur on the attempt to leave a site or to close the browser are exit traps offering incentive to stay.
Once upon a time, when the internet was less dangerous, I would be willing to close the exit pop-ups. Now, after twice being infected with malware trying to close the pop-ups, I now force close whichever browser I am using.
Recently, I clicked on the red X to close one pop-up, and it installed a trojan that I had to pay to be removed. When I clicked on 'Leave' in another exit pop, it didn't exit and it turned out I was giving permission to run a script file. Now that criminals have learned these exit pop-ups can be used to force a click action, the sites using them have become dangerous.
If I force the browser to close using Task manager, Please tell me how to stop FireFox from sending me directly back to the same site because it mistakenly believes it crashed when it did not. I forced it to close because I was on a site that had taken control of my browser and was not allowing me to leave the site.
No other browser sends me back to the potentially dangerous sites. I prefer Firefox, but the new version must have a setting that allows me to get safely away from a problem site?