Microsoft tipping

[David A. Bandel]

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On Mon, 29 Dec 2003 21:58:47 -0600
Alma J Wetzker <almaw at ieee.org> wrote:

[snip]

> > 
> When I say "ease of use", I mean the hand holding that a new user
> needs that doesn't care about where files are stored, or even what a
> file system is.  I am thinking of the mentality that just doesn't care
> what is happening as long as it works.  (I don't think anyone on this
> list fits that description, so we all, rightly, complain that the
> label doesn't fit.)
> 
> I tend to think of computers as being like cars.  There are mechanics,
> that know how to make the fool things work.  There are enthusiasts,
> that understand how a car works and are willing to do some of their
> own repairs.  And there is the driver, who just wants it to get them
> where they are going and barely tolerate putting in gas.  The ones who
> take it to a mechanic if anything goes wrong.  I curse the day when
> they took out gages and put in "warning lights".
> 
> M$ caters to the last group, and caters to them well.  That is smart
> because that group is significantly larger than the other groups,
> combined.  M$ even has them believing that buggy, insecure software is
> the best they are ever going to get.  I find that situation very
> disturbing and try to change it one user at a time.  At some point,
> the good folks on this list need to remind themselves that they are
> not typical computer users.  (Who wants to be typical?)

My mother is 82.  She can barely turn a computer on.  I have to remind
her if the name contains an @ in the middle, you use Sylpheed, not
Mozilla, and conversely, if it says www.somecompany.tld, you use
Mozilla, not Sylpheed.  She's used both Windoze and Linux.  She says
Linux is easier to use and she can find what she wants.  She says
Windoze is confusing.  My mother is _not_ the typical computer user
you've described above, most of them can figure out the difference
between an e-mail address and a web address.  She also has a problem
with mice because they have two buttons instead of only one, but that's
another story.

My wife, a Medical Examiner, isn't much better, and also has used both
and prefers Linux.  In fact, everyone I've ever introduced Linux to and
tried it has preferred Linux.  But most had never even heard of it and
didn't know it was a choice.

No, M$ caters only to M$ (and their own greed).  Not to users.  Not
ever.

Ciao,

David A. Bandel
- -- 
Focus on the dream, not the competition.
		Nemesis Racing Team motto
GPG key autoresponder:  mailto:david_key at pananix.com
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