Microsoft readies new ‘don’t blame Windows’ tool

I can just see it now. A window pops up that says:

Blame Microsoft ?

YES NO

Actually, that would be:

Exonerate Microsoft?

YES HELP

Funny those two comments triggered a funny thought. Windows PG, pay as you go, you get the OS for free and then like the prepaid cell phones you get charged per key stroke / mouse click.

Right - don't fix problems, tell the users why it *has* to suck...

Or define the suckage as the new "standard".

Oh, wait, they just did that with Office Open XML.

Quoting:Windows PG, pay as you go

Isn't it already that way? You get Windows "free" with that $300 computer, then "pay as you go" for everything else.

"Oops. progra/update/something hosed the install." $$ to get someone to retrieve your data/restore the comp/put data back. "Oops. got a virus." $$ to get it fixed and more $$ to get AV prog. "Oops, got infested with spyware." $$ to get it fixed again... and again and again and again.... (Of course, NONE of this has ANYTHING to do with the stability/security of Windows, because we all know Windows is perfect...it's all the User's fault.)

Exonerate Microsoft?

Already done.

Read the EULA h

I think it's a good tool for Microsoft. By telling the users a problem may be some other vendor's fault it reduces the load on their Windows tech support team and makes it someone else's problem. After a few hours on the phone with various level 1 tech support card readers the user will give up and assume they need a new computer which results in another Vista sale. It's a win-win situation between Microsoft and their OEMs (users don't count).

Hey, you've got to give the users some choice. If you don't, after about 10 - 15 years they start to wonder if you are really focused on customer needs.

Quoting:After a few hours on the phone with various level 1 tech support card readers the user will give up and assume they need a new computer which results in another Vista sale.

Taking a page directly from Dell's tech support manuals.

>> Taking a page directly from Dell's tech support manuals.

I have to say that I've received excellent tech support from Dell. However, I'm a corporate client and the corporate support is handled by a completely different organization than the consumer support.

Here's a tip. They decide which support you will get based on the model of computer you are calling about. Purchase an Inspiron and you'll get consumer support. Purchase an Optiplex or a Vostro and you'll get corporate support.

The best thing about the Optiplex models is that they come with a three-year NBD warranty included, and I have to agree that Dell's corporate support is top-notch, and blows HP's and IBM's out of the water. And the Optiplex models are pretty good for a good price, particularly for a generic workstation. I have a Vostro laptop that I use and I am very happy with it also. It has a one-year warranty by default, but a three or four years is not that much more expensive.

Not quite on topic.

http://www.progio.com a Windows server serving pages for a fitness company, has been pwned. I went there today, and it's redirecting to an online pharmacy.

heh tracyanne, that's funny. Though that's one area where FOSS users shouldn't gloat too much, because thanks to overly-complex LAMP stacks and bad scripting, Apache-based sites get pwned a fair bit too.

TC, I know, but I bet they are a damned site easier to recover from. Because of the way IIS is integrated into the Windows OS stack, it's highly likely the OS itself was compromised, which would mean a complete reinstall to be on the safe side.

True- it seems that Windows' one reliable ability is its uncanny speed and ability at delivering malware into the core of itself, while putting up roadblocks against legitimate users to do anything useful.

Quoting:speed and ability at delivering malware into the core of itself

Wait... I thought Windows *was* the malware...