Microsoft tipping

[Andrew L. Gould]

On Tuesday 30 December 2003 06:12 am, David A. Bandel wrote:
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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.

A latent Mac mouse user?

>
> 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
> - --