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They still suck

So here's what I think. Remember that I am coming from a technical point of view, I understand the web very well, and do a lot of development. I don't use many (any?) visual tools, and don't feel the need for the computer to treat me like an idiot.

This is where the crux is, I admire Microsoft's focus on the customer. They focus very well on the average every day person, who in all honesty knows nothing about the computer. If this is you, go right ahead, use MS stuff, just don't ask me questions like: Help me, I can't read this complicated HTML stuff, can you fix it for me?

Things that bug me:

  • AT&T tried to get us to use PC's to monitor the long distance network. No Way we said. Eventually common sense prevailed, and we gained an exemption. (Well we had to, the idea of relying on PC's for a 100 million dollar a minute (???) network is ludicrous, and no-one wanted that on their heads if there was a problem).

  • People think that because 20 million people use a product, then it must be good. Not true, look at Windows 95, it's a piece of junk. Compared to apple, they are still way behind on the user interface, and it's realy not very flexible.

  • I like having a choice, it's really the "Live Free Or Die - UNIX" attitude, I don't like to feel constrained to one particular application or program to do the job. This is how I feel on Windows.

    I hope all this battling between Netscape and MS doesn't leave us with just once choice. Both browsers are getting better, and are medium quality products (compared to mission critical products), certainly they are quite featureful and will continue to become more so...

    Notes

    Open Standards: What a crock, if you hear someone say this, ask them if someone else uses the same standard.

    MS is the big bad guy who can't say anything bad about netscape (heard at Java One (where I assume there was a lot of MS bashing :-)), Also a crock. Check the MS home page and Netscape HP on a daily basis and you will notice MS is the one doing all the bashing.

    WinBloze 95 is a piece of junk.

    Captive X is not a replacement for Java, it is a competitor to native methods in Java.

    Craptive Desktop is a piece of junk. Not because it is buggy (it's just a developer release), but because it slow and inconsisent (the desktop is single click, but File Menu Popups are Double Click). Also the Single Click desktop is just another indicator that MS treats it's users as if they are idiots (because double click is just too complicated)

    GPF (System Crash) is just part of the development cycle when developing on a PC.

    Internet Exploder, is just that. When you install, it throws files everywhere all over your system, and well, there is the other form of exploding (which Netscape does just as often).

    MS has some pretty savy marketting people. someone once suggested that Netscape does too. Pretty true, but I still think MS has them beat!

    MS is a follower, not a leader.

    I hate seeing: This site optimized for [Netscape] or [Microsoft]. To me, this indicates that you didn't know enough to account for both, or were too lazy to even try the other.

    I hate seeing: This site built with [whatever], unless of course it says Notepad (or in my case VI). This also tends to indicate that you don't have a clue what is going on. But hey, not everyone can be technical, but just so long as you know that this is a warning sign!

    Windows will eventually become UNIX, well at least they will take the good bits from UNIX and incorporate them. Great! Would love to see all the freedom that UNIX gives you running on a PC. Hell, I might even like to use one then.

    Live Free or Die

    Cameron Gregory - cameron@bloke.com