Have you ever had one of those days when you can't seem to get your computer to do anything you want it to? Say you want to download Windows Movie Maker, so you go to the Microsoft web site, check out the download page, and simply can't find it anywhere. When you do finally find it after performing a search, the page times out before you can download it. And once you've finally managed to get it on your PC, the installation process is excruciating.
It turns out you're not the only person who has trouble getting Windows to do what you want it to. The above scenerio is described in great detail in an email Bill Gates sent in 2003. This letter was released to the public along with a huge pile of other communications as part of the antitrust litigation Microsoft's been involved in for the past few years. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has
posted the text of the entire email, but here are a few of our favorite parts:
- Gates seems infuriated that it takes so long for Microsoft web pages to load
- He had no idea why he would have to use Windows Update to install additional software before he could install Windows Movie Maker
- His computer was unuseable for 6 minutes while applying updates
- He asked why he should have to reboot his machine, which he reboots every night
Upon installing Movie Maker, Gates checks the add/remove programs dialog to see if it shows up, and instead he finds a list of programs with obscure names like Windows XP Hotfix Q329048. hHe writes "Someone decided to trash the one part of Windows that was usable?" he asked. "The file system is no longer usable, the registry is not usable. This program listing was one sane place, but now it is all crapped up."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-25-2008 @ 9:08PM
Muffin_man said...
At least it's better than a Mac ;)
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6-25-2008 @ 9:09PM
Edsel said...
2003 was the same year I gave up on Microsoft products after twenty years of fidelity to the company. I switched to Apple, there's no remorse, only joy.
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6-25-2008 @ 9:09PM
enzo said...
Pretty sure he was playing the "average user" role to show how hard it was to complete the task...
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6-25-2008 @ 9:16PM
Rid said...
I would agree. The quote following that email was important to the story: "As for the message, Gates smiled and said, 'There's not a day that I don't send a piece of e-mail ... like that piece of e-mail. That's my job.' " Did he truly not know why the computer was sp slow during the install? Or whether or not a restart was needed? Likely not, but the more average user may be a different story.
6-25-2008 @ 9:30PM
whiskey said...
The email as a whole is a gem! It's a "must read" for anyone trying the programmer pants.
Imagine how frustrating this is now with Vista?!?
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6-26-2008 @ 7:48AM
ridgecity said...
You know what's ironic? that that's the same thing we have to put up with today, 4 years later, which in computer years would be like 15...
How long has it been since no one in Microsoft listened to Bill Gates anymore?
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6-26-2008 @ 7:48AM
Ethan said...
Extremely prescient. We're all in tune with window's eccentricities, and I'm sure Bill Gates is, but it's bad practise to just let them keep going.
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6-26-2008 @ 11:08AM
pandaslist said...
How can everybody switch to Apple...I see more and more over the internet people talking about Apple being the most powerful company in tech but Microsoft has certainly served us better for years and Apple will behave with such quality and reliability just as long as Microsoft is the dominant player and with the most market share!
I wondered if Microsoft is really still the most powerful company in the world? (as, in my opinion, they used to be)
So i took a look at what companies dominate the world and i wondered, who is the most powerful company nowadays?
So i took a ride on google and came across this website which might give me an answer in a month, check it out:
http://www.themostpowerfulcompany.com
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6-26-2008 @ 12:52PM
Edsel said...
Apple is not the most powerful tech company. They may have become the most influential leader of consumer electronics but, MS still has a immensely larger installed user base than Apple. Unfortunately, MS has become a leviathan, the General Motors of the software world, it's too big.
The most powerful "company" in the world now must to be the Chinese Communist Party (CPC). They ultimately control all means of production in China. Think of the CPC as the corporate parent under which all Chinese and Chinese based foreign companies operate.
7-01-2008 @ 8:11PM
Zippy said...
It seems as though MS doesn't even listen to it's creator. If they can't do that, then what are the chances of them listening to the paying public that detest Vista and want them to continue support for XP. Very little.
For some reason, MS have no longer realised the simple equation that we are customers, customers pay money, money equals turnover/profit. Or an even more simple equation is along the line of supply and demand. The demand for XP is higher than Vista. Is MS on a different planet?
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