[ale] AOL sues Microsoft

[Joseph A Knapka]

"James P. Kinney III" wrote:
> 
> I see no reason to apologize for a harsh responce to what sounds like
> "well I like it because it works for me and I don't have to work to use
> it".

On the other hand, that's exactly why most of us use most of
the products we use. Personally, I find I have to do considerably
more work with M$ products to accomplish a particular task than
I do when using OS products (and when I'm forced to use Windows,
which I am pretty much every day, I use OS products like Emacs
and Python as much as possible). But if there were actually a
task that was easier to perform using M$ products, IMO that's
a perfectly valid reason to use an M$ product.

> I have had the experience of using M$ (everything from windows 2.0 to
> XP), linux in multiple flavors of distributions, Mac, HP (w/CDE), DOS
> (M$ and IBM and DRDOS), OS/2, amiga's, trs80's, and even flipped a few
> switches on a PDP11 and a whole mess of vme backplane stuff.
> 
> Microsoft OS's are absolute, unquestionable, complete and total,
> unadulterated, pure, stinking, flies-buzzing every where, maggot
> infested crap. There's not a single thing that works in any of the
> versions released that was not stolen or acquired from somewhere else.

Oooh. Mind if I use that in my .sig?

> So if someone really WANTS to use M$ garbage because it "works for
> them", I have great pity for their quality standards.
> 
> The world is full of people who will do anything for a buck. We don't
> need people like that. Microsoft is at the top of that list. They have
> done nothing to clean up their mess, prevent IT disasters due to their
> sloppy products, or benefit human development in any way.
> 
> The "let's make it easy to use to more people can use it" mentality has
> led to a dearth of total morons who now use all of M$'s stuff. This

I respect that opinion, but consider that the purpose (well,
*a* purpose) of computer technology is to make people's
lives easier and more comfortable. Ideally, it would be
invisible, and all the morons would use it, *and that would
be OK* because the systems would do their job without any
fuss. So "make it easier to use" is a perfectly reasonable
and laudable goal.

M$, however, is masterful at building software that *appears*
to be easy to use, but is actually an Indiana-Jones-style
deathtrap for the unwary. And I'm sure that's what you meant
to say :-)

[snip]

> Accountability. Integrity. Honesty. These were the virtues that I was
> taught were the important parts of adult life. Microsoft has
> demonstrated repeatedly that these are of no concern to them.

Yes.

Cheers,

-- Joe
"I should like to close this book by sticking out any part of my neck
 which is not yet exposed, and making a few predictions about how the
 problem of quantum gravity will in the end be solved."
 --- Physicist Lee Smolin, "Three Roads to Quantum Gravity"

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