I was a WinRogue in the early '90s. Why am I telling you this now? Be patient, you'll see.

At the time, I bought Windows 3.0 for my home PC. And it was good.

So I talked my boss into letting me expense a copy for work. The Computer Guy hated me for it. Guys like me, other WinRogues, were making his life miserable.

Normally, he'd deter the use of unsanctioned software by withholding assistance. That's unapproved, he would say. So you're unsupported. The sonofaVAX actually seemed to enjoy saying that.

I guess I hated him, too.

That's why Windows was so satisfying. It wasn't just a utility some office geek installed on his PC, so he couldn't expel it so easily. My system turned heads. The graphical interface was far more appealing than the text menu the Computer Guy loaded. I could run more than one program at a time. I even used my mouse!

My system was clearly better. Because of Windows.

So everyone around me wanted Windows. The Computer Guy wouldn't help. So they expensed their own copies, and came to me for advice. The Computer Guy was starting to become irrelevant.

Maybe he hated me more than I hated him.

My tale isn't unique. There were lots of WinRogues out there. Revolutionaries, we. Taken together, we goaded a reluctant enterprise into the Windows era.

I bring this up now because we are in the midst of the biggest revolution to hit the enterprise since Win 3.0; it's called WiFi, my friends.

Rogues today are installing WiFi at work, to the dismay of the Computer Guy-and to the envy of their colleagues. At meetings, they have access to schedules and other in-house data. They can tap a faraway co-worker with an instant message. They can reference the internet.

Sure, they're unsupported. However, Wi-Fi Rogues are also more informed. So their co-workers want in-and they will find a way to get in.

That's good news for suppliers of Wi-Fi hardware. They have been preaching to IT for two years now about the virtues of Wi-Fi. Thus far, however, their pitch has sputtered.

However, IT's customers-company employees-are already sold. Like WinRogues before them, unsanctioned Wi-Fi adopters are forcing the issue.

Indeed. In this day of let's-wait-a-little-longer IT spending, the most compelling argument for Wi-Fi in the enterprise may be that the revolution has already begun.

Right on.

Mike Feibus is principal analyst at TechKnowledge Strategies Inc., a market research firm in Scottsdale, Ariz., that focuses on components for mobile systems. Reach him at mike@techknowledge-group.com.

http://www.eet.com