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Most New Year's resolutions are pretty much the same: lose weight, stop smoking, be a better husband/wife and so on. Instead, here are some resolutions for the rest of us.

1. Prepare for Armageddon. Getting your house in order for the year 2000 really should be Job No. 1 for any IT manager this year, whether you work for the government, a Fortune 1000 company, a small business or yourself. No, I'm not going to prepare a shelter stocked with food, fuel, blankets and cash. If we all do our jobs now and make sure every PC, mainframe and application--and every partner we deal with--is tested ready for year 2000, then by next year at this time everything will be business as usual.

2. Seek common ground. I believe there is a clear 2-to-1 anti-Microsoft majority in this country. Which presents an interesting problem. At least that many people rely on Microsoft software of some kind every day. The situation is similar to Clinton's impeachment. Most of us hate what the guy has done but still want him to stay in office. With Microsoft, many of us wish it would be broken up but don't want the government to pull the trigger because it says something bad about free enterprise. Considering the AOL/Netscape merger and the fact that Windows 2000 still seems a long way off, there's no doubt that Microsoft is as vulnerable as the next company. I vote for censure and heavy sanctions. And get it done quickly before the State of the Union address.

3. Pursue alternatives. You owe it to yourself to seek as many alternatives as possible. You don't like Windows? Try something else. If that means learning Linux and having your PC be idle for months while you figure how to mount the hard drive, then so be it. You don't have to accept what is handed to you, especially by computer OEMs. Better yet, buy from a neighborhood dealer, or build the system yourself from parts. You'll get a better deal.

4. Demand more. Last year was a low point in software quality. PC Week wrote about it extensively and called for software companies to own up to their responsibilities as modern-day manufacturers and start producing products that work the first time and are reliable. Local governments should apply lemon laws to software products. Software companies should offer quality assurances and money-back guarantees. They'll cry foul that they can't make any money that way, but they should figure out a way to do so. If you deal with companies that refuse, try one that will.

5. Caffeine free. Continue developing with Java or embrace it if you haven't. But with one strong qualification: Call on Sun Microsystems to do the right thing and set Java free. Not halfway. All the way. Anything less is The Microsoft Way.

6. Register yourself. Experts predict registered domain names will grow from 3.5 million this year to 35 million in four years. In the future, your domain could be as important as your e-mail address is now.

7. Buy online. If you haven't made a purchase online yet, you don't know what you're missing. No annoying sales people. No traffic or parking hassles. No time wasted. No sales tax. More choice. Easier comparison shopping. There are shipping costs, but prices are generally competitive, and for the most part that added cost is worth it. Another reason to buy online is that, like it or not, most of our purchases eventually will be made this way. So get used to it.

8. Damned Versatile Disks. Get a DVD player--for your TV. Call me old fashioned, but I still don't see the benefit of having a DVD player for a computer. If your new PC comes with one, fine, but you don't need to go and buy an upgrade kit for your current machine. It's expensive and the technology is changing quickly.

9. Change your browser start page. Within Netscape Communicator, to Edit Preferences. Within IE 4, go to View Internet Options. Do this especially if you are still using home.microsoft.com or home.netscape.com or whatever came with your browser as a default. You can pick any page on the Internet, or you can create your own HTML page and include your favorite links there. You'll be happy you did.

10. See a movie. And if you see just one this winter, make it Star Trek Insurrection. It's the best science fiction movie to come along in years, and it reminds us that there is more to life than technology.

What are your resolutions for 1999? Write me at scot_petersen@zd.com. Off the Cuff, an online exclusive column, appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday on the Columnists' page.