The Corporate Rules of Software Quality
1. Having someone to call (blame) is far more important than actually
being able to fix the problem.
2. Expensive, faulty, proprietary, bloated, slow systems are superior to
Cheap, robust, open, efficient, fast systems.
On some of the other issues, lots of hardware is not supported under NT,
but only have Windows 95 drivers. Microsoft has a tech support line, but
I think Caldera may offer a similar service. Microsoft has lots of bugs
and incompatibilities, though Windows NT is much more stable - only
Microsoft office seems to be able to lock it up (and maybe the recently
rumored ActiveX application). Windows NT is full of "secrets" and quirks.
My coworker cannot change something because it doesn't think he is the
administrator of his own computer. He cannot install some package because
it can't find the correct Win32 API, and it comes with Win32s.
Back in the early 1970's, General Motors owned 50% of the US auto market,
and they had faulty gas-guzzlers with terrible service. But people kept
buying them. Until the oil shock gave reason for people to check out what
the Japanese car makers were doing. During this time, no one got fired
for buying IBM, though their software/hardware value was greatly exceeded
by the hype. Time has a way of dividing truth from error.
MS need not make the code open, but they should try to make it reliable
and efficient before coming out with a new version with even more
problems. If they don't, they will start to lose market share even as GM
and IBM did.
tz@execpc.com
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