Microsoft Rant

by patndoris on Sep.09, 2007,under Computers

It started years ago, when Microsoft decided products had to be registered. So ended life as we knew it. Mr. Gates decided he's stop illegal software sharing one way or another (like he doesn't have enough money??). Now I suppose I can understand (well....sort of.) He's the one who pays developers to write software, people to test it (??) for bugs & continues to maintain it (until he decides it no longer warrants support.) There are costs associated with it all I guess. But, having people use your programs happily without having to register would likely increase the number of people who'd fork out the $$ for the next bigger better version if they truly love the program. Forcing them to only makes them look tor other (free?) alternatives to use.

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Of course, what about people who like to build their own computers...upgrade to bigger & better in small increments. Even in XP we saw how too many component changes required Microsoft assistance - just in case the computer was really no longer the one XP was supposed to be installed on. Even with registered products such as Outlook (which I need for syncing my mobile) Watch out! Get a new computer, move the program & you've got to have a green light from Mr. Gates to make it functional again.

Then came the DRM stories. It was integrated into Vista. Not only was it not enough for him to stop you from getting copies of his software, he buddied up with the music/movie industry to stop you from...ahem...obtaining copies of songs & videos. After a bit of reading, I found the DRM issue in Vista really wasn't as big of a deal as it was made out to be, except in relation to Blue Ray which most people can't afford now anyway. But still the threat was there. Another reason to look beyond Microsoft. It's no wonder people speak so highly of moving to other solutions like Linux. Another reason to be wary of the next great Microsoft OS sure to be released before the current one is completely debugged. Sometimes feels like Big Brother is watching doesn't it?

And now, my latest gripe. What's with not supplying recovery discs with new computers? Is the cost really too great? What is a CD or DVD these days is maybe 30 cents for the average user? Does Microsoft not have the purchasing power to drop this to say 5 cents? Does it really take all that much time to burn a couple CDs or DVDs & slap them in a case to ship with new product? Why make the consumer go through another annoying step to make system recovery discs? You're paying for the OS being pre-installed. OK maybe not as much as if you were purchasing an upgrade CD, but still...really...when you're laying out several hundred dollars for a new machine can they not give you a couple of CDs so you can spend more time enjoying your new machine & less worrying about what happens if something goes wrong before you burn them?

Does the average user even realize they need to make a restore disc? I'm not sure. My HP machine prompted me to do it & even included a sheet in the paperwork telling me to do so. My new Acer desktop however, did not. Granted, if you open their Acer specific utility it will give you the option to make a factory default disc, but how many people look to this utility first? They want to play games & surf the net. Ah well, so ends my rant. I just don't understand why Microsoft can't be a little more user friendly. People might well overlook some of the bugs & criticize a wee bit less if they had better people skills.
:vista