"Rob Hemmings" wrote:
> Hi Sue,
>
> > Last evening we watched "Reflection in the water" on TV - I'm just pleased
> > by the deep trust in computers they all share. It makes me think of a
> > pre-Microsoft age - where computers did not have bugs.. Words such
> > "reset", "crash", "lost files.." as well as "Oh no, it's stuck again...
> > #@]@ " are not familiar to them. Lucky people!
>
> No way! While I'm not the worlds greatest MS fan, they're simply not
> to blame for inventing computer bugs! Every system I've ever worked
> on, from mainframes and mini's (some of which looked just like SHADO
> computers, complete with whirling tape drives, flashing lights and
> clattering teletypes!) through to modern microprocessor-based systems
> has "fallen over" on a regular basis. Today's software is just so
> much more complex that there's more scope for human error by the
> programmers, and the continual addition of more functions for
> marketing purposes (so we buy upgrades) simply compounds the problem.
> In my opinion, MS could make (say) Word 100% stable within months, if
> they stopped adding bits to it.
>
Absolutely, I was going to write something similar before I saw
Rob's mail - computer programs have always suffered from bugs,
and the term is older than Microsoft.
I do think Microsoft stuff is particulary prone to bugs, bloat
crashes and inefficiency though (not to mention insecurity)
- however you don't have to put up with it, and I certainly
wouldn't even though I use an intel-based laptop for internet
use at home - see
http://www.linux.org/info/advocacy.html.. if interested.
Cheers
James
Locked
