| View Blog
|
|
|
|
| The Microsoft Syndrome |
I had posted in previous posts about how software engineers develop increasingly crappy programs. The crappiness is compensated for by increasing capacity and speed of computers. Then I was glad to hear people talk about feature shock. At least it's a sign that I'm not crazy to have such "crazy" thoughts.
Now in a competition for creativity of new words and meanings, I propose another term as the Microsoft syndrome. What the term means is the crappiness in omnipresent Microsoft software.
I consider myself as an advanced user of Microsoft windows and office programs. I use "advanced" here leniently. I'm not computer administrator. According to Microsoft classification, I should be categorized as "power" user. But if I'm truly given "power user" authorization to my computer, I would frequently inconvenience both myself and my administrators. So I'm a user with administrator privilege without actually being an administrator.
Most of the people do not use most of the functions available in windows or Microsoft office programs. I use more of the features than the next randomly selected person. For a long time Microsoft had not done a major upgrade of its office products. That's actually a good thing. I get familiar with them and I have already forgotten whether I like them or not. The best thing is that if there is something that does not work as you expect, I know how to get around. I can make it work. If there is no such functions and features that I need, I write VBA programs to do what I want to do.
Now we have Office 2007. It is a major upgrade. For a while I've been refusing to adopt it. But the pressure to switch builds gradually. It is conceptually developed differently. I'm sure for a given person who never has the chance to use Microsoft Office, 2007 is a better start than 2003 or any earlier versions. The problem to me, and many others I guess, is that I know my way around Office 2003. Everything gets shuffled around. My first intuitive response to the shuffling of functions and features was that there should be a 2003 style menus with context balloons teaching you where to find the function in 2007 user interface. If you want to force us to make the transition, why can’t you ease the pain.
The software engineers may be thinking that they know what we need. They want us to build projects to even surprise themselves I guess. Convenience is less important than powerful features. I have nothing to complain if my only source of frustration is inconvenience. In the computer world, even the old dogs create new tricks. We can learn.
The Microsoft syndrome develops when you run to a flower shop at the corner, you are surprised that the flower shop is no longer there. Microsoft sends a messenger to tell you to turn left and right, you should find the flower shop at a different corner. So you feel confident again and do as it says. The flower shop is not there! Then you get the same directions again as if you are a complete idiot who cannot follow simple directions. There is nothing more frustrating than a feature or function working in lower version and no longer works in later versions. It will take you or Microsoft months or years to fix either the direction or rebuild that flower shop. When you finally get to a point to relax, Microsoft rolls out an upgrade......
Yeah, that is my Microsoft syndrome. Microsoft has a way to break my confidence when I think things should work or work in that way, but it turns out not working or working in a different way. Computers are predictable, probably the most predictable thing on earth. People have moods but computers do not. Well, somehow, Microsoft makes computers unpredictable--you may not have this experience if you use only the very basic functions.
Here are my latest experiences.
With Access, I issued myself a digital signature and put it in the root trust folder so that I can use it to sign my own programs to avoid unnecessary warnings. Access is constantly dropping my signatures. It is unpredictable! Sometimes I am successful to put it back.
If you think Microsoft has a problem with my "cheap" digital certificate that I issued to myself, you'll be surprised that for many features developed by Microsoft as essential components of Access, Microsoft will pretend not knowing the author and issue constant security warnings as well.
It's annoying but you still get things done. Now I need to export some reports in Access, guess what, Microsoft says that this feature is not installed. OK, then, I'll install it. I run the setup and made the Access box white and clean like a naked baby--well, basically ask it to install EVERYTHING and run ALL features from my computer. That should fix it, right? You think. But I'm given the same instructions again when I try.
Of course I have to mention good stuff with new versions to do justice to Microsoft. Feature shock does bring you surprises and good stuff. You may not need most of them, but they do make someone who has the need to smile for a while. But on balance, I'd rather Microsoft slowing down the introduction of new stuff and make more robust products. Who not let us enjoy the increased computer power for a change?
I just hate it when Microsoft break what's working for the seek of new and complex features. That's my Microsoft syndrome.
|
|
Posted by TheEye on 2009-11-04 18:46:16 | Rating: | Views: 16
|
|
| |
|
|
Email This to a Friend 