Rant Mode: On
Yeah, ok. I rant about Microsoft rather a lot. But that’s because (among other things) I am a long time technology professional. Computer designer. Software designer. Programmer of several sorts. Amateur futurist. Plus. I’ve been doing these things for over 40 years. When I see the “big guys” doing it less well than I could do it myself, or at least less well than I can envision it myself, I get a little … concerned. This sort of thing is taking all the fun out of the computer industry.
I’ll keep this short.
Besides 20+ year old bugs that have never been addressed, besides results that look like they were designed by a committee that never met, besides security that’s a joke, besides a so-called operating system that is increasingly merely a marketing portal into your living room, besides a “home edition” that defies understanding by the typical home user, besides a “major” update called “20H2” (apparently no one at Microsoft is a fan of Horror Movies(1)… or maybe someone is and is sending a hidden message?), besides being able to type faster than the operating system can keep up with (on a 4+GHz processor!?!) … besides all that, now Microsoft has something in its interminable and endless parade of updates called — ready for it… ?
“The Cumulative Update Preview…”
Preview? A preview of an update? An accumulation of previews? A pre-update? This Fall’s Most Fashionable Update? What does that even mean(2)?
This is even better than their now-typical error message: “something went wrong.”
I have to ask one more time: why — oh why! — does Microsoft’s stock keep going up? They do not deserve to be told they are “doing well,” which is what stock price increases mean to the Harvard Biz Types that now mis-run the computer industry.
Rant Mode: Off.
[30]
(1) Okay. I don’t always explain my “esoteric” references, but this time I will. There was a movie sequel, on the “Halloween” series, called “Halloween H20” and it was a 20th anniversary sequel of the now-classic [that is, cheesy but successful] horror series Halloween. Why would you name a piece of software after something that might even remotely bring a horror movie to mind?
(2) Semantically very challenging. Almost as good as the local Chamber of Commerce that has a sign saying “Stay 6′ apart when around other people.” I keep imaging my arm in one spot, a leg in another at least 6′ away from the arm… etc. I think they meant “keep 6′ from other people” or words to that effect. The way they worded it tells me there are no semanticists working at the local Chamber. Maybe that’s just as well. 🙂