I’m no sellout. I don’t like their
business tactics. I don’t like their CEO. But please, leave the
defenseless software alone. Could you build it? Could 99.99% of the
world build it? The answer is no, and that is why there is a select
few who manufacture Operating Systems and browsers.
You have over 7 million transistors
alone in the CPU, billions more throughout the PC. Mountains of
machine code that make Everest look like a molehill. An unheard of
amount of peripherals from another unfathomable amount of companies.
You have almost an infinite amount of different conditions, and
possible errors, that would take even a thousand years to foresee
Now, in two years time, I want you to
design an OS that works, looks pretty, is intuitive, powerful, never
crashes, supports every driver known to man (even the ones that come
out after it’s made), is compatible with everything, and controls
every damn transistor and diode in that box on your desk.
Oh, and on top of that, allow
competition, market well, and take into account the user’s
"skill". Now, you won’t do it alone, there will be a whole
team of 1000+ people helping you, so you’re going to have to keep
teamwork and communication perfect on this massive project. You will
have to talk hardware manufacturers into supporting you, and will
have to make plug and play a reality. Oh yeah, why not innovate
while you’re at it?
Starting to reconsider bashing
Windows? There are two outcomes to that question out there. Either
you crank out an OS that works fantastic for techies, or an OS that
is user friendly, but about as flexible as steel.
Windows seldom crashes for me. I’ve
never had a problem with it. I work it like a dog; I don’t screw
things up. I don’t accidentally move a whole directory (C:\Windows
perhaps?) I don’t delete registry keys like crazy. I check IRQ
settings when I install devices, I know how to recover the registry,
recover from a hard drive meltdown, and you name it. I use the OS;
the OS does not use me. I don’t let the Temporary Internet Cache go
on for a month filling up. I defrag and virus scan regularly. I keep
an eye on all running things, free RAM, and HD space.
All work and no play? Hah. If you
know your OS and there’s plenty of time for play. On top of all this
upkeep I give my OS, I also do graphic designs, play games, surf the
Internet, and download, download, download. I create programs, I
tweak my MTU. I produce graphics and reports as fast as they are
thrown at me. I’m productive, and it’s fun. I enjoy the Easter eggs
I can uncover. I tweak the system to match my personality.
Microsoft has a buggy product, of
course, but it’s impossible not to. One of the reasons Windows
crashes so much is because of end users. The ones that think,
"Oh, I think I’m going to throw these .DLL files in the
trash!" Or, "Hmm, the system directory needs a cleaning,
how about good ole’ DELTREE?"
You’ve got to be kidding me, it’s not
that hard, I’m sorry, but the crowd who still can’t program their
VCRs is thinning. Computer literacy is 75% intuition and judgment,
and 25% facts. It’s common sense; the laws of the universe apply in
computers too.
- If you downloaded it, it is
there somewhere - If you delete it, it goes away
for good - If you don’t know what it
does, either learn, or leave it alone - Regular maintenance is crucial
for well being - If you don’t clean it out, it
is still there taking up space - Moving critical things to
where you can’t find them by accident does cause trouble - Be careful where you step in
the file system
It’s common sense. If you are smart
with your OS, your OS will be smart with you. Once upon a time, it
was normal to not know jack about technology. Unfortunately, you
will be left far, far behind, so hop on, learn to use it, it’s not
that hard. If you don’t, you will be the person who pays the tech
support guy good money to turn on your speakers. You’ll be the one
who pays $65 to a "web-designer". I have news for you;
you’re paying about 100% more than you could be paying. How much do
I pay for tech support? $0. How much do I pay for "web
design"? $0. How much have I paid supporting this PC since
March ’98? A grand total of zero dollars and zero cents.
But, where will I be when the world
moves finally into computer literacy? I won’t be able to chuckle at
the person who’s freaking out over a JavaScript that is saying
"Upload of virus" in his status bar for IE or Netscape. I
won’t be able to bust out laughing when someone asks where he or she
can download Windows 98. Or even better, download a sound card!
We laugh, even though we help you, we
laugh, because… it’s not really hard, not at all. About as hard as
reading, maybe riding a bike. It’s just that you’ve engraved it in
your head, over and over, that you can’t learn. Until then, we will
offer our help if you ask for it.
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