Adam Albright said:
If Microsoft invested as much resources into fixing bugs in Windows
than they obviously do attempting to prevent illegal use of their
software with half-ass activation schemes which NEVER defeats real
pirates or hackers in the first place, (Microsoft admission) then the
millions of customers that keep plooping down money for each new BUGGY
upgrade wouldn't get so pissed-off wasting countless hours of their
valuable time doing what Microsoft should have done itself.
Why should I or anybody else pay $150 or more to be a unpaid beta
tester for Windows?
NOTE, Adam, that I was not complaining about the price of Vista, or what may
or may not be finished. Actually, I was not complaining about anything. I
love Vista. It works great on my machine, and is more stable than any other
Windows OS I've used since 3.1.
For all I know, Microsoft kept the hole in its upgrade mechanism
intentionally, to give folks a break. I would prefer to think well of
Microsoft, rather than evil.
Microsoft spent around 2 billions of US dollars to get it out the door and
on the shelves. How many other software developers spend so much money on a
product? Not many, I am sure.
Additionally, Vista is the most tested of ALL Windows versions. In the
millions of lines of tight code which is the source for Vista, it is easy to
overlook a glaring hole from time to time. Especially when engineers are
under time constraints because of pressure from the bean-counters and high
mucka-mucks in the front office to get the product out the front door.
Something tells me that Microsoft's engineers spent MANY sleepless nights
writing code so we could have a decent product. Nights they should have
been spending with their wives and children. Millions of citizens tested
Vista extensively before it was released to the General Public on Jan.30
this year. Yet NOONE found this hole in spite of all the testing. Only
when citizens started fiddling with their installs did it surface.
Even with automated testing (as they do in their software labs), those test
suites can miss a hole once in a while. Especially logical holes. If code
is constructed correctly, and the logic is correct (but dead wrong), an
automated suite can easily miss something which would be rather glaringly
wrong to a human being.
"Shoulda, coulda, woulda" is easy to say from your quiet desk. It's a
little harder in the Lab.
In conclusion, in NO WAY is Vista (the RTM) a "beta". Among the millions of
users who will be switching to Vista soon, a few here and there will be
unsatisfied, simply because NOTHING can satisfy them. Microsoft could have
spent 20 billions of dollars on the product's development, could have made
the betas and release candidates available to 20 millions of users, could
have submitted the code to a bank of Cray super-computers for testing, and
those few would STILL be unsatisfied with the final product.
I worked in the Restaurant business for many years. The same is true for
their customers. Most will like the product, but a few will be unsatisfied
no matter what.
If Microsoft could have gone to each individual human being in the US and
the EU and asked their opinions one at a time, and there would STILL always
be a few individuals who can't be pleased no matter what. This is because
they are simply unsatisfied individuals within themselves. This
dissatisfaction will show in EVERY aspect of their lives, if they are
carefully examined.
By the way, I paid $135 for my copy of Vista Home Premium (OEM), because I
am not afraid or unprepared to backup my data before changing OSes. I am
fully prepared for clean installations, since they are always best for ANY
operating system, in my opinion. Of course, being retired, I probably have
more time on my hands than most. But my time is just as precious to me as
yours is to you. Maybe even more so, since I only have a few more years
left on this earth. So I do understand your concern for valuable time spent
uselessly.
I personally preferred the old style of upgrading to a newer Microsoft OS.
I preferred this because it was much simpler when it came to Activating the
OS. Nevertheless, I've never spent more than 5 minutes speaking to an
Activation support person via telephone. And I've NEVER been denied an
Activation, even when I shouldn't have gotten one, if truth be told. I also
preferred using Upgrade media, because I could transfer the license to a new
computer, or switch out the motherboard if it went tits-up, or if I just
wanted to update my machine.
My installation of Vista Home Premium took less than 30 minutes of my
precious time. This is the quickest any Microsoft Windows installation has
ever been for me.
But long ago, I learned to slow down, and smell the roses. I get along much
better with myself, my friends and family, and my God if I do that. I am
still learning that my time is too valuable to be spent complaining,
bitching, and moaning over useless things. I am learning to accept things
as they are, and accept others as they are (I don't claim that I am perfect
in this attitude, since anyone who has ever read my Usenet posts can attest
to my imperfection). When I do that, I soon begin to notice the GOOD in
folks and (yes) software, rather than the things which cause me to waste my
time by making a big thing out of a small one.
If you don't like Vista, don't use it. No one is standing over you twisting
your arm. You are a free man, and can do what you please. I would never
try to stop this, nor would Microsoft, I feel sure. My brother finally
made a break from Microsoft products and Wintels a few years ago, because he
didn't like Windows. He now uses a Mac and Apple software, and is
completely happy with them. Even to the point of being an evangelist for
Apples (informally, of course)
I do encourage Microsoft (if by chance they are reading this) to fix this
hole quickly (if it is a hole), and clarify their policy about this
PUBLICALLY (not buried deep in an obscure Microsoft Security Bulletin
somewhere on their various websites.)
Anyway, my 2cents worth.
