Tags: Apple, Linux, Microsoft

Microsoft Windows Insanities

Windows is a necessary evil. Until recently, I was using Windows 98. However, repeatedly it used to crash and cause a lot of heartburn. Repeatedly I had to get my hard drive formatted and loss of productivity. I had enough so planned to shift to Windows XP. Windows XP was talked about a lot when it was launched. The shading effects et al remained all as eye candy. I believe that most of the core of Windows NT was carried over to Windows XP. This was designed to give it stability. Yet my experiences were far from satisfactory here.

The first boot itself, it crashed. Mercifully, there was a tech support person around me who could appreciate the pains to migrate to a new platform. It was with much deliberation that I could have it running. The first thing that struck me was a drop down in the performance with all the bells and whistles loaded. My applications froze or refused to boot up. Configuring the dial up connection was a nightmare. It was more troublesome then BSNL customer support! I guess one can understand and sympathize with me as to what experience it could have been.

Finally, after a lot of trial and error I could make it. The dial up worked mercifully and so did the applications. I turned off the eye candy and switched on the basic interface. It was much better after that. The troubles did not end with getting online. I tried to get online without the firewall installed. I would have been online for around half an hour when the Internet Explorer got cranked up in multiple windows.

There it was. It should have been some kind of a spy ware or a Trojan horse. Microsoft tends to attract them like flies after rotten corpses! I know it is a very crude example, but then this is what I feel about Microsoft anyway.

The next day, I ran through the installation of ZoneAlarm, which is an excellent firewall. It restored sanity to some extent. MacAfee updated its virus definitions in the mean time and my system is quite safe at the moment.

Microsoft realized much before anyone did. It pays to monopolize the desktops. Partly through buyouts or alliances with the original equipment manufacturers, it ruled over the desktops. I remember the days when Intel ran its advertisements about MMX being the in thing. That it would run the graphical applications like a breeze. Much of it was hogwash. To my surprise and disbelief, they discontinued the support to the chips that they got in the market. Microsoft did the same for Windows 98 recently and announced its plans to stop support for Windows 2000. If some one invested a huge amount of money in getting the same, it is clearly a rip off.

Central to the strategy of Microsoft has always been the idea that governments can always be bought and sold. If the current hoopla around outsourcing would not have been there, Microsoft may not have even looked at India. I wonder how many “smart” people are up there who could point India on the world map. Perhaps that is why they need their Encarta for! Microsoft realized that it could bankroll its deployment of software, especially in the government departments. This way they would be big-ticket spenders as well as depend on the support structure forever.

At times I wonder that why does Windows seem to attract so many vulnerabilities. They made a huge song and dance sequence about the Service Pack 2. Within days of installation, there were several issues with the same. Now it has been claimed that service pack 3 is in the offering to remedy the faults in service pack 2! Further trends are a cause for concern. Microsoft has announced its intention to launch anti virus solutions including spy ware software. Initially it is going to be free. However, they intend to move towards a revenue sharing model, which would ensure increased profits. In short, it can be summarized about the business plan. First, ensure your monopoly by any means. Then design a product that clearly SUCKS. After that, make money to ensure security.

True that people talk of user friendliness. The same thing can be worked out for other Operating systems. Apple Macintosh is a world-beater. However, it seems like that they have hired a bunch of mental retards to market their products. I sincerely wish that they were not bogged down in the marketing fiascos that were the trademark of any stunning product. Surprisingly they did not screw up in iPods.

Microsoft needs to be booted out just the way it crashes our sanity. Can Linux challenge that? Only time would tell.

This post was submitted by Dr. Abhishek Puri on the Techwhack Blogs.