[H-GEN] I love Microsoft (long response)

[Harry Phillips]

(Note reply-to: being general at humbug.org.au vs Harry Phillips <hfphillips at iname.com>)

Mark,

Did you really take me seriously? I am sick to death of explaining to the
users "No, you can ignore the Windows password the only important one you need
to remember is the Novell password, just click on cancel"

I would love to get a job where I actually did *real* work instead of repeating
the same thing over and over again to different users.

I used to work at Telstra they have one of the best setups I've seen. They 
get all their rights/icons/apps from the network. At the moment I get "I can't
run cc:Mail" because the user still has an icon pointing to the old version of
the client after the post office was upgraded.

Where I work (TAFE - QLD) they don't even use a standard Novell client!!!

Regards
Harry

On Sun, 18 Jul 1999, Mark Suter wrote:
> (Note reply-to: being general at humbug.org.au vs Mark Suter <mark at zwitterion.humbug.org.au>)
> 
> Harry,
> 
> > I know most people in this list won't agree with me but I love Microsoft and the
> > software they put out.
> 
> This does not appear to be the case.  From what you write below,
> it appears as though you like the *circumstances* that Microsoft and
> their products create, not the company or the products.
> 
> > Let me explain the reasons.
> > 1. Their software is easier than linux for a beginner to use.
> 
> Possibly; however, certainly not to the extent that many people would
> like to believe.  Just because "the Microsoft way" is known amongst a
> large proportion of users does not mean that it is inherently easier
> to use.
> 
> The problem with determining "use of use" is that it is very difficult
> to find someone who doesn't already have expectations about how the
> system should work.
> 
> In addition, I find that as a moderately experienced user, I can get
> far more accomplished, far more quickly, with the CLI under Unix than
> with any version of Microsoft Windows.  To place this in perspective,
> I use "vi" as editor of choice - pure power.
> 
> > 2. Their software is pretty crappy.
> 
> And this is a good thing?  As other people have pointed out, we,
> as an industry, should stop fixing the same problems every day and
> start doing new things.
> 
> > 3. The ordinary users isn't interested in learning about their computer,
> > it's just a tool they use to get a job done.
> 
> This only goes so far.  Please, find me another tool where the level
> of ignorance is as high, and the use is as complicated.
> 
> Windows is too complicated to be called a "simple no-thought tool";
> however, it is not usable by the advanced user without significant
> modification and re-working.
> 
> > I work in a job where I assist users when Windows/MS Office does something it
> > shouldn't and they don't know what to do.
> 
> This could be a good thing, so long as you were both continuing to
> learn and grow.  If you were explaining the same thing repeatedly,
> then this is a waste of your time and theirs.  It would be far better
> if the software were consistent and worked in a predictable manner.
> 
> > I have two recurring nightmares. The first is Microsoft makes their software
> > stable. The second is they keep going they way they are, linux becomes
> > easier and easier to use and puts MS go out of business.
> > 
> > The results of both nightmares are they same. 1. Ordinary users get usability
> > AND stability on their PC. 2. My job becomes redundant..
> 
> Yes.  Your job should be made redundant if its sole reason for
> existence is the extremely low quality of the products you service.
> 
> How many people can take pride in their work if they are continually
> reminded of the low quality of what they are working with?
> 
> > So I say "Hip hip hooray Microsoft" keep NT so hard to administer that you have
> > to go on a course to figure out how to do it. Keep 95/98 and the next
> > generation so unstable that I get a heap of calls and I don't lose my job.
> 
> Please, ask yourself, "Do I really want this job?"  I can't see many
> people answering, "Yes, I enjoy fixing the same problems every day."
> I'd rather see a more stable platform be developed where we can
> concentrate on doing our job and not fixing the tools.
> 
> > I love Microsoft, I won't use their products, but I hope ordinary users keep
> > using them. So if anyone knows how to get a message to Microsoft that they will
> > actually read or listen to please pass on my wishes for them to keep including
> > code in their latest products that was first written for DOS 2.
> 
> People continue to spend money, unfortunately that is all the message
> that they need.  Many problems, for example, security issues, will
> not be corrected by the major vendors until people stop buying the
> products that don't meet their requirements.  As long as people buy
> insecure products like Microsoft Windows, companies like Microsoft
> will continue to sell them.
> 
> 
> One of my main reasons for being a Unix-advocate is that I can
> perceive value in the family of operating systems known as "Unix".
> I feel that learning about how Unix works and learning to use it well
> is something that is worthwhile.
> 
> For me, Unix is awesomely easy to use.  I type a few characters and
> all the magic happens.  When I try to explain what the following does
> to a NT admin, they start seeing very large dollar signs.
> 
>     collect.pl | ssh server1 "process.pl" | ssh server2 "store.pl"
> 
> When I explain further that this is nothing special, that I wouldn't
> even blink at this, that I felt that this was secure (we have the
> Source, Luke), they want to borrow the CD :-)
> 
> Unix is very easy to use, you just have to know how.
> 
> Yours sincerely,
> 
> -- Mark John Suter | I know that you  believe  you understand
> suter at humbug.org.au  | what you think I said, but I am not sure
> PGP encryption is OK | you realise that what you  heard  is not
> Ph: +61 4 1162 2316  | what I meant.                  anonymous



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