"It's the Future. Embrace It".

Published on December 21, 2006 By Gideon MacLeish In Personal Computing

Unlike a lot of computer geeks, I like Microsoft. Partly because I remember a world before Microsoft, a world in which the Internet would have been unlikely due to the need to create drivers for a number of diverse operating systems, not to mention the lack of desire of the average EU to hone up on computer skills.

But I am not an automatic fan of all of Microsoft's innovations. I like Vista, LOVE Media Player 11, but will not at the moment download IE7.

It shouldn't matter terribly, as IE is NOT my default browser. But in my job as tech support, I have received innumerable calls regarding computer problems that can be traced back to the IE7 update on their computer. It's a browser that, in my opinion, should still be in beta.

My instructor thought otherwise when I told him I was deselecting the IE7 upgrade to my personal computer. His comment was that "It's the future. You're going to have to deal with it sooner or later, so embrace it".

One of the things I do NOT like about Windows is their insistence on bundling the browser with the software. Sure, it's nice to have for the basic user, but eventually, I hope to pull it off my start menu and desktop shortcuts altogether, so that when we have home Internet access again, my kids choose the Maxthon browser instead of IE. It may be the future for some people, but it's not for me.

Like the Vista upgrade. I'm somewhat mixed on upgrading, when there's nothing wrong with the two O/S's I currently have (I run a dual boot 2000/XP Pro machine). Sure, Vista's nice and all, but does it make sense to compromise stability for bells and whistles? In the computer world, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" should apply far more than it does, in my opinion. And then there's the issue of price, multiplied across several machines (by the end of 2007, I should have two desktops and a laptop, and hope to be on my way to building a server, and setting up a network with some low end machines for the kids). Innovation's great, and it pays my bills, but to 90% of the market, the latest and the greatest is, to say the least, overkill.

IE7 may be the future. Vista may be the future. But right now, for the moment, I think I'll stay in the present. While I need to learn new software to stay up on the market, I think I'll try to do it on another network; one where I don't have so much personal investment if it fails.

Comments

Jafo

on Dec 21, 2006

"It's the future. You're going to have to deal with it sooner or later, so embrace it".

The phrase "Tomorrow never comes"....springs to mind.

The future is a concept, not a destination...

Dr Guy

on Dec 21, 2006

There WAS a Internet world before windows. ANd it worked well. Indeed Microsoft was late to the internet game, and the INternet flourished in spite of not because of windows. IE is no longer made for Macs, and I dont think it ever left beta for Linux. While Linux and Macs account for only 10% of the market, they are doin gwell, and are not difficult to use. (Macs are the epitomy of user friendliness).

Dont get me wrong, Microsoft pays my bills and I will continue to use it. But Microsoft tried to kill the Internet, not promote it. And Microsoft does not write many drivers, the manufacturers do. That is why they work across platforms and not just on Windows. ANd long before the Trojan writers dream, Activex, came out, Sun had already written and licensed (for a small fee and then free) JAVA. Before IE (a bought product) there was Mozilla and Netscape. And after Microsoft killed off the browser market, IE6 was left to languish and fall behind small startups that produced far superior browsers. But since Microsoft owned the market, Web pages quit being standard complaint in favor of bending to the will of Redmond.

Simply put, the INternet has thrived in spite of, not because of Windows.

Gideon MacLeish

on Dec 21, 2006

And Microsoft does not write many drivers, the manufacturers do.

Yes, but more operating systems means more drivers need to be written. The commercial viability becomes a problem.

I stated it wrong. I should have put that there wouldn't be an Internet as we know it. Because, while you and I might have tinkered with the various operating systems, the average end user likely wouldn't care enough to do it. Microsoft has had more of a positive impact than a negative one, as even O/S's like Linux strive to put together an interface that's somewhat familiar to the EU. True, Bill Gates never met a good idea he didn't steal, but the end result has been a much broader application of the Internet than would have been possible without Windows.

Kevin_C

on Dec 24, 2006

And Microsoft does not write many drivers, the manufacturers do.

I believe this has been posted in threads before, but a more untrue statement has rarely been uttered. Just because MS doesn't write drivers for video cards or sound cards definitely does not mean they don't write drivers. Go through your device manager and check out how many of the devices are using drivers created by MS. You'll find it's probably 90% or more.

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