Life, the Universe and Everything
Time to roll up the sleeves
Windows is hosed. The military has a special acronym for it. FUBARed. I wouldn't be a bit surprised at the '10,000,000 worms and counting' figure.
When you consider how buggy the code base is, it is simply not worth it. Even if it is free. Microsoft has spent more than a dozen years piling one layer of programming on top of another. Each time it has resulted in making Windows slower, burying bugs that may never be found by experts, and leaving old archaic code in place. Does anyone recall that Vista was SUPPOSED to be a total re-write? Windows is so hosed, even with the near limitless resources of Microsoft, they couldn't reverse engineer it. If it looks like a dead cat, feels like a dead cat, and smells like a dead cat.. it MUST be a dead cat. Windows is dead. Bury it in peace and move on.
Then there are the issues of following the best practices to make Windows secure. Root Kits and Ghost Ware are well over a year old now, and no one has come up with an all encompassing solution yet. So, step one to running Windows is to run it as a virtual machine. Preferably something distinctly non-Windows, such as OpenSolaris, Linux or Mac. Step two, you need to protect your documents and data, even if you are sure your machine won't get permanently hacked to pieces. Configure automatic updates for Windows and Office. Install real-time Anti-virus, then configure automatic updates. Install MS Defender (or whatever they're calling it this week) and configure automatic updates. Install real-time anti spyware, ad-ware, browser hijacking, etc, etc. protection, and schedule automatic updates. Install a firewall (that doesn't SUCK like the MS one does). Don't forget about updates. Keep tabs on all your anti-windows-bug software, so you can install a new one if your brand falls 'behind the curve'. If you want some protection from new threats, that nobody knows about yet, grab some sort of real-time registry and service lock-down software, and a sandbox to run everything in which you aren't certain is 100% safe (which is basically everything). So now you have a full time job managing the security of your desktop or laptop (god help you if you have 2 or more), your internet connection is constantly being jammed up with updates and checks for updates, and even the shiniest, fastest new computer starts choking on a simple 'cut and paste' routine. How many end users want to sign up for that joy ride? I'll tell you how many, the exact some percentage of people who did NOT return their OEM Linux computer. NO one else wants to deal with the learning curve or the commitment. They want it to just work.
I must make a completely separate category for the 'sprawl' of the Windows OS. Has anyone noticed that MS adds layers upon layers of programming code (essentially adding 'hoops' to each new version of windows) that slows even the most efficient programs down to a crawl? Unless of course you are using a brand new computer. I personally fully believe that IBM would have a decent lawsuit against Windows, and I think they could sue for OWNERSHIP. Bill left IBM on the supposed grounds that he wanted to develop an operating system that everyone could use, even on their old computers. Well, that lasted till Windows 3.1. After that, they started to pile crappy code on top of crappy code, instead of fixing things properly. That's why they now have a code base that they can't fix, and that's why we have the Windows OS trying to 'pack its butt into a pair of pants' smaller than 1.5 gigabytes. Absolute insanity.
So there you have it. It's time to put Ol' Betsy out to pasture, her milk has turned sour. Microsoft already has their 'Project X' operating system, or whatever they are calling it this week. My advise is that they start over with that nice clean core. Drop all the essential components to assembly language and freeze them. Permanently. Then they can impress everyone with the OS GUI Bill promised them a couple of decades ago.
While they are at it, they could impress those of us that are sick of their bull**** by finally converting to open document formats. Think of where the world could be today if the entire computer industry hadn't been forced to spend billions upon billions UPON billions of dollars trying to re-write everything they had every time Microsoft decided to 'pull the rug out from under them'. The days of changing document formats, and embedding web features that FORCE people to use Microsoft products is over. Microsoft is going to have to grow up, or get out of the game.
Finally, and for-most, the topic at hand.. Microsoft should give a Windows 7 upgrade away, and pray enough people buy the OEM version to pay for the development costs. While they're at it, they should cover their butts against releasing crappy software to lock features into the OS from Windows 3.11 to the present day. I'm certain there are a couple of class action lawsuits in there somewhere that nobody has explored yet.
In my (hopefully) esteemed opinion, Microsoft will face some dire roads ahead if they don't start changing the core ways they do business. Virtue has won out. Microsoft can't simply prey on the greed of small business ventures to buy the features they want anymore. The valorous code warriors of this era have integrity and honor, and are giving it away for the common good. I couldn't be more proud.
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When you consider how buggy the code base is, it is simply not worth it. Even if it is free. Microsoft has spent more than a dozen years piling one layer of programming on top of another. Each time it has resulted in making Windows slower, burying bugs that may never be found by experts, and leaving old archaic code in place. Does anyone recall that Vista was SUPPOSED to be a total re-write? Windows is so hosed, even with the near limitless resources of Microsoft, they couldn't reverse engineer it. If it looks like a dead cat, feels like a dead cat, and smells like a dead cat.. it MUST be a dead cat. Windows is dead. Bury it in peace and move on.
Then there are the issues of following the best practices to make Windows secure. Root Kits and Ghost Ware are well over a year old now, and no one has come up with an all encompassing solution yet. So, step one to running Windows is to run it as a virtual machine. Preferably something distinctly non-Windows, such as OpenSolaris, Linux or Mac. Step two, you need to protect your documents and data, even if you are sure your machine won't get permanently hacked to pieces. Configure automatic updates for Windows and Office. Install real-time Anti-virus, then configure automatic updates. Install MS Defender (or whatever they're calling it this week) and configure automatic updates. Install real-time anti spyware, ad-ware, browser hijacking, etc, etc. protection, and schedule automatic updates. Install a firewall (that doesn't SUCK like the MS one does). Don't forget about updates. Keep tabs on all your anti-windows-bug software, so you can install a new one if your brand falls 'behind the curve'. If you want some protection from new threats, that nobody knows about yet, grab some sort of real-time registry and service lock-down software, and a sandbox to run everything in which you aren't certain is 100% safe (which is basically everything). So now you have a full time job managing the security of your desktop or laptop (god help you if you have 2 or more), your internet connection is constantly being jammed up with updates and checks for updates, and even the shiniest, fastest new computer starts choking on a simple 'cut and paste' routine. How many end users want to sign up for that joy ride? I'll tell you how many, the exact some percentage of people who did NOT return their OEM Linux computer. NO one else wants to deal with the learning curve or the commitment. They want it to just work.
I must make a completely separate category for the 'sprawl' of the Windows OS. Has anyone noticed that MS adds layers upon layers of programming code (essentially adding 'hoops' to each new version of windows) that slows even the most efficient programs down to a crawl? Unless of course you are using a brand new computer. I personally fully believe that IBM would have a decent lawsuit against Windows, and I think they could sue for OWNERSHIP. Bill left IBM on the supposed grounds that he wanted to develop an operating system that everyone could use, even on their old computers. Well, that lasted till Windows 3.1. After that, they started to pile crappy code on top of crappy code, instead of fixing things properly. That's why they now have a code base that they can't fix, and that's why we have the Windows OS trying to 'pack its butt into a pair of pants' smaller than 1.5 gigabytes. Absolute insanity.
So there you have it. It's time to put Ol' Betsy out to pasture, her milk has turned sour. Microsoft already has their 'Project X' operating system, or whatever they are calling it this week. My advise is that they start over with that nice clean core. Drop all the essential components to assembly language and freeze them. Permanently. Then they can impress everyone with the OS GUI Bill promised them a couple of decades ago.
While they are at it, they could impress those of us that are sick of their bull**** by finally converting to open document formats. Think of where the world could be today if the entire computer industry hadn't been forced to spend billions upon billions UPON billions of dollars trying to re-write everything they had every time Microsoft decided to 'pull the rug out from under them'. The days of changing document formats, and embedding web features that FORCE people to use Microsoft products is over. Microsoft is going to have to grow up, or get out of the game.
Finally, and for-most, the topic at hand.. Microsoft should give a Windows 7 upgrade away, and pray enough people buy the OEM version to pay for the development costs. While they're at it, they should cover their butts against releasing crappy software to lock features into the OS from Windows 3.11 to the present day. I'm certain there are a couple of class action lawsuits in there somewhere that nobody has explored yet.
In my (hopefully) esteemed opinion, Microsoft will face some dire roads ahead if they don't start changing the core ways they do business. Virtue has won out. Microsoft can't simply prey on the greed of small business ventures to buy the features they want anymore. The valorous code warriors of this era have integrity and honor, and are giving it away for the common good.
posted by - T at 19:11
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