OneChele writes an open letter to Microsoft:
Dear Microsoft,
I feel betrayed. I have defended you and stayed with you when time after time you have done me wrong. I stayed when people implored me to leave. I have downloaded upgrade after upgrade of Windows. I left WordPerfect and QuattroPro to embrace MS Office when you guaranteed me no drama. The price of this relationship escalates exponentially, I'm not sure I can afford to be with you anymore.
Speaking of expensive, I flirted with Apple to experience a different way of life but quickly realized that adding anything beyond the basics is too high a price. I had a brief affair with Netscape when your browser demanded update after incessant update. But Netscape couldn't give me what I needed. Just when I thought you and I could co-exist peaceably, you suckered me into Vista. L
There's no easy way to say this… Vista sucks. The amount of memory needed to operate this with any efficiency literally drains me. The constant permission asking and hidden programs running and upgrade/solution/update nonsense are too exhausting. And still I persevered. Then you introduced Office 2007 and rocked my world… not in a good way. All the easy shortcuts and simplistic commands that worked so well in the past have been replaced with slick-looking menus that as might as well be in Greek. What happened to ease of use? Why did it take me DAYS to configure line-spacing in Word? What is all the goobledy-gook in the Table Menu in Excel? Why does Outlook freeze for no reason?
Okay, I learned to work with it. After all, we've been together for so long that I couldn't even imagine being with anybody else. And then you forced me to upgrade to a new Internet Explorer. This was the last straw. My once quick and agile computer slowed to a crawl. Pages that opened in seconds now required me to go get a cup of coffee and then come back. Don't try and blame it on the size of my hard drive, speed or memory. It's not me… it's you!
A few months ago, a dear friend introduced me to Google Chrome. And even though you tried to make it hard for me to leave by declaring that nothing would work as well as you and things would never look the same, I defied you and left anyway. I have no frozen pages, my images load with the greatest of ease. Today, my new love Chrome gifted me with an awesome upgrade that already warms my heart.
Just you wait, Microsoft. If Google hooks up Gmail with more bells and whistles, I'm dropping Outlook. I've already started looking around for an Office Suite replacement and I swear for God my next laptop is going to be XP. You can keep your Vista. [Updated note: My new laptop has Windows 7 and Office 2010 beta - we'll see how it all works out] Let Google (or anyone else) come out with an operating system that doesn't require an update every two days… I'm out!
You have abused my trust for the last time; I'm going to have to go Lauryn Hill on you: I used to love him, now I don't. Yes, it's the break up, Microsoft. Shocking after all my years of loyalty and fealty but it's time. When you miss me I'm gone,
OneChele
P.S. Love to Bill, I'm still down with him if he and Melinda want to fund a black blogger… I'm just saying.
Can you tell I'm having computer drama? How many of you have left Internet Explorer behind?
13 comments:
Ah yes, the love hate relationship with Microsoft. I refused to even try Vista. I knew that was going to be a hot, memory guzzling, mess. I would see friends trapped on the side of the Vista road, waiting for pages to load like a truck from AAA. Nah, no thank you. Same goes for Office 2007, I still don't know how to get down with that. I just bought a laptop w/Windows 7 and I installed Office 2003. I try to go with what I know.
I will say, so far Windows 7 is looking like it's on the up and up. I asked my boy who's a programmer before it comes out what his thoughts were and he gave it a thumbs up. I already expected it to be better. Vista was like Windows ME, a bad thing that happened and some things just shouldn't happen.
I admit I am still reluctant to get down with Google Chrome. I"m not sure why. I like Google, a lot. I tend to wait and see how something sticks or if there is any fallout. I expect Office 2010 to be great because 2007 was so not great. So that's my pattern I wait and I watch. I primarily use Firefox but I also use Internet Explorer. Different browsers which serve different purposes. Please let us (me) know your continued experience with Chrome and your thoughts on 2010.
Don't worry, we'll get through this together.
I guess you have pointed out a silver lining to the person economic downturn of the last number of years :-) No questions about buying new computers, operating systems or any other software here. I have XP, Office 2003, Firefox, and other software that is a couple of version behind. BUT, it all clicks along with admirable stability day after day. The biggest improvement in computer experience this last year was going from dial-up to cable modem. I'm going to be one unhappy person if I have to go back to dial up speeds. With dial up, the upgrading of operating system and other software was a drag. With cable modem, it is a zip. There was a time when I wrote computer code on main frame computers so I don't begrudge computer software engineers their upgrades. It is an inexact science or art. I would be very interested in hearing what you think of Windows 7 and Office 2010 at some point.
I went Apple about five years ago and I'm not looking back.
I had the same feelings about Vista and I switched to Google Chrome a while ago. Since I got my new laptop with Windows 7 life is much easier.
Who has tried Office 2010 Beta?
Switched to Chrome months ago, love it.
I have it. Not bad. The program sits on the internet though so if you don't have a live internet connection it won't open.
I love Google Chrome. I have always hated IE
Windows 7 is great so far. I'm holding my breath that they don't jack it up.
This is timely, I've been thinking about Chrome but hadn't heard enough about it. This at least compels me to give it a try.
I have Internet Explorer and recently upgraded to 8, so I have no complaints. Also, I have XP and Office 2003, which has been so good to me. I do not want Vista because I heard to many horrible stories, even my mom hates it. LOL I used Apple on more than one occasion but the price is soooo not there right now for me. At the end of the day, technology is technology and it can be a pain in the a$%. :)
Well after hearing all of this I may have to try something new. My computer is always running at a crawl even after a wiped the system and started from scratch. Microsoft Vista is crappy and the 2007 is hard to work with. I can never find what I am looking for on it.
Tiffany
http://liferequiresmorechocolate.blogspot.com
Has Bill contacted you yet? Maybe he isn't surfing the net on the weekends. I'm sure that you'll hear something on Monday!
Post a Comment