Windows Sucks

[Aloone_Jonez]

Just to answer the main question...
1. Most built-up computers are bundled with Windows. These days It's either XP Home or XP Pro. If It's a server they are probably bundled with Windows 2003 server standard or a special version (datacenter ...).

2. Most computer courses, at least over here are made with Windows.

3. Many schools use Windows even when the computers are only meant to be used for typing, printing and internet.

4. "Normal" folks use Windows mostly because they feel like it simply works for their needs. They don't care so much about philosophical reasons, security, stability, standards, manufacturers support and business practices. They probably don't use the computer so often either.

5. Most OS commercial/ads I've seen involves Windows.

6. Proprietary software. Most high quality pay software including games are made for Windows. This may be one of the biggest reasons why people use Windows. especially the more advanced users. Some examples of common software that make people locked to Windows are Photoshop, Autodesk products like Autocad and 3dsmax, Illustrator, Quark express, Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks etc.

 Well, there are probably more, reasons why people use Winblows instead of for ex Linux or MacOSX but those are what I could think of.

I agree.

edit:

*** And why I hate Windows hehe....

Price, lack of customizability, in short Windows doesn't give me enough choices, like webrowser for instance - you just cannot get rid of IE no matter what.

1. Bloat and more bloat.

A typical Windows XP installation uses the same or even less resources than a default install of a Linux distribution that uses KDE. This is where choice is an issue. Fair enough Windows isn't bloated if you want a fully featured desktop, but if you just want a command line interface it is as it forces a GUI on you, and if you just want a Window manager it pushes it's desktop too. Having to put up Internet explorer is also a bloat problem as it's something I don't want but is there anyway.

Having to run 3rd party programs to keep the OS secure just takes the piss. Micosoft should provide all the securuity tools to keep the system safe from hackers.

In XP the standard GUI looks like shit and you're forced to hack the system files if you wan't it to look better (change to third party theme). The "better" gui also requires an extra resource hogging service and is kind of patched on the old gui win2000.

That's a matter of opinion my dad prefers the default Windows XP GUI but I don't know why. My Windows XP installation looks the same as Windows 2000, all I did was alter a few options in control panel.

2. Worms, viruses and spyware. The security structure in Windows is a joke which let's any kind of malware to get installed if you don't have some kind of protection.

Not if you're smart like me and only use a limited user account for Internet access and use FireFox instead of M$ Internet Deplorer.

Sometimes even the best antivirus apps like Kaspersky and Nod32 won't protect you good enough so that something could eventually slip in.

My AGV antivirus does a good enough job, the firewall that came with sp2 isn't as bad as some people say - it's not let any shit into my system so far.

I've seen many cases where people haven't been able to clean viruses and have been forced to reinstall.

That is a bitch but if you take the appropriate   precautions this will never happen.

3. Updates and service pack make the OS grow larger and larger.

sp2 was the biggest so far at 266MB but even that wasn't too bad.

This is kinda annoying. In Gentoo, the updater (portage) installs the new files and remove the old ones. If there are problems occuring with the new versions you just mask the new ones and install the old ones back. In windows Windows update keeps all the old crap in the Windows folder. I remember once my Windows install was like 3gb+. After reinstalling with a fully updated nLite disc it left a footprint of like 300mb or something similar.

I agree removing some updates like sp2 is impossible, and I shoud add this to my reasons I don't like Windows. But some of the smaller updates can be removed without any problem.

4. Integrated apps that aint removable. IE, WMP, winMSN and other integrated apps are supposed to be removable, Well what those instructions actually does is to just hide them and keep them lurking in the background. Also, they still run if you find the executables. nLite can fix such things but removing IE can damage functionality in the OS.

I agree Microsoft shouldn't push their programs on us. Yes you can't fully remove IE but WMP and winMSN aren't that hard too remove.

5. Third party apps needed to run and install the OS smoothly. This is one of the most annoying parts of the OS. Should you really be forced to use an antivirus, antispyware, firewall, defragger, registry cleaner, registry defragger, bad application entry cleaner, tweaker (for GUI, internet connection etc) just to make the OS comfortable and running on track. Why do I need to get an third party app like nlite to disable all the crap the XP installs with a standard disc?
Shouldn't these things be inbuilt inside the OS?

Yes they should, they should replace IE and media player and the other shit we don't want.

6. When not following (no 5) the OS get's slower and slower and finally kind off dies.

I haven't had this problem my XP install is now over a year old and it runs at the same speed as it was when it was new.

7. No good maintainance mode. As I read somewhere "safe mode" just swaps the configuration files and still boots into the GUI. There are many cases where "safe-mode" fails to start. I also prefer coding and browsing in CLI-only mode.

Well there is recovery console but it sucks shit, for some reason it doen't allow you access to half to the files. It should be able to access the whole hardisc and be able to backup your files on a CD-ROM or DVD.

*** Why I don't like Microsoft

1. Microsoft lies in their Getthefacts report. It's obvious that their research is BS. They are talking about Red hat like it was like all other distros.

2. EU software patents. MS are one of the biggest pushers of this extremely idiotic phenomena. Software patents could probably kill creativity, competition, etc. on the software market. This will add more power to Microsofts domination and force us to use their crap. The pressure would also let up on their products so they wouldn't have to patch their OS as they do today (can it actually get worse..?). I read somewhere that MS has patents on double mouseclicks. WTF?

3. TCG and NGSCB. These technologies will take away freedom from anyone using a fritz chip enabled computer. Using their newer OS's with TCG enabled computers will mean that you are even more surveiled and locked in. Every software maker will need to pay a special fee to Microsoft to make their software running on the newer TCG enabled Windows OS'es. This means that freeware and shareware apps + apps from makers who don't have enough money "will be no more". Also, audio cd and dvd ripping will probably not work.

4. Innovations. From what I've heard and read they are either buying small companies or copying ideas from other persons/companies.

------------------------------------

Also one thing that makes me clueless are Windows users who say that we Linux and FreeBSD users are just using our OS's to be cool. WTF? I use my OS because of the reasons above and note because of status or similar. Are Windows users jealous or something?

I also don't understand how some of you say that compability is a strength of Windows? Ehhhr...

If I was some kind of god I would make Microsoft totally bankrupt. :cool: Unlike some other people I find it very good that EU are stopping Microsoft with fines and new rules.

What more can I say I couldn't agree more.

[RaZoR1394]

I agree.



Price, lack of customizability, in short Windows doesn't give me enough choices, like webrowser for instance - you just cannot get rid of IE no matter what.




A typical Windows XP installation uses the same or even less resources than a default install of a Linux distribution that uses KDE. This is where choice is an issue. Fair enough Windows isn't bloated if you want a fully featured desktop, but if you just want a command line interface it is as it forces a GUI on you, and if you just want a Window manager it pushes it's desktop too. Having to put up Internet explorer is also a bloat problem as it's something I don't want but is there anyway.

That's a matter of opinion my dad prefers the default Windows XP GUI but I don't know why. My Windows XP installation looks the same as Windows 2000, all I did was alter a few options in control panel.

Yes you're right but compare it to example fluxbox or xfce. I wasn't comparing XP to distros and Mandriva and Fedora etc, more like Gentoo and Debian. And, off course I know of the win2000 interface but that looks so damn booring .

Not if you're smart like me and only use a limited user account for Internet access and use FireFox instead of M$ Internet Deplorer.

Yes I forgot about that... The problem though is that a standard xp installation leaves you with the administrator account like your standard one. With any distro you're pretty forced to create a user account.

sp2 was the biggest so far at 266MB but even that wasn't too bad.

I agree removing some updates like sp2 is impossible, and I shoud add this to my reasons I don't like Windows. But some of the smaller updates can be removed without any problem.

Well the annoyance was that XP keeps all the roll back crap left, not if you could uninstall it.

I agree Microsoft shouldn't push their programs on us. Yes you can't fully remove IE but WMP and winMSN aren't that hard too remove.

Well I remember that I was forced to roll back the system to "uninstall it" according to some instructions. And still it was present in a hidden folder.

I haven't had this problem my XP install is now over a year old and it runs at the same speed as it was when it was new.

I think you need to install/uninstall a lot of apps and games first. That's what hogs the registry and makes the discs defragged. It's a known fact.

Well there is recovery console but it sucks shit, for some reason it doen't allow you access to half to the files. It should be able to access the whole hardisc and be able to backup your files on a CD-ROM or DVD.

Yes, I think I tried the recovery console and it was pure shit,

edit:

Some more annoyances...

1. Bugs and crashes. I haven't gotten my comp to crash that much. Most times it were faulty drivers or wrong ram config in bios. It's those darn bugs in the Windows OS that annoys me. I remember that unfixable bug that made an enormous blank entry in the add/remove manager. All my software was up to date and there was no fix available for it. It said something about autocad 2002 but I didn't have autocad 2002 installed at all. I can't understand how the program manager could let a software create such a big entry. Explorer.exe also produces a lot of crap from time to time. When an explorer window crashes the whole interface just dies.

2. Price. WinXP is so overpriced that it aint true. For all the trouble the OS causes I wouldn't even want to get the crap for free. And that reduced edition is a joke.

3. No freedom nor nearly any control at all.

[piratePenguin]

2. EU software patents. MS are one of the biggest pushers of this extremely idiotic phenomena. Software patents could probably kill creativity, competition, etc. on the software market. This will add more power to Microsofts domination and force us to use their crap. The pressure would also let up on their products so they wouldn't have to patch their OS as they do today (can it actually get worse..?). I read somewhere that MS has patents on double mouseclicks. WTF?

I hate those bastard-patents too. Apple invented the doubleclick (to my knowledge).
:fu:bastard-patents.

[Aloone_Jonez]

1. Bugs and crashes. I haven't gotten my comp to crash that much. Most times it were faulty drivers or wrong ram config in bios. It's those darn bugs in the Windows OS that annoys me. I remember that unfixable bug that made an enormous blank entry in the add/remove manager. All my software was up to date and there was no fix available for it. It said something about autocad 2002 but I didn't have autocad 2002 installed at all. I can't understand how the program manager could let a software create such a big entry. Explorer.exe also produces a lot of crap from time to time. When an explorer window crashes the whole interface just dies.

I find Windows quite stable it has only crashed once in a year, and then it just locked up there was no blue screen of death. Normally when a program crashes it just crashes and Windows keeps running and running - I've left a Win2K computer on at work for 4 weeks and it didn't crash I only needed to reboot it bacause we needed to move it!

This is just amazing it's unbelieveable how much difference switching from a DOS kernel to an NT kernal has made if you ask me the change has been long overdue. I still find it quite funny how some people have had problems with Windows being unstable and how mine and all the computers both at work and college never crash because they're administrated properly.

2. Price. WinXP is so overpriced that it aint true. For all the trouble the OS causes I wouldn't even want to get the crap for free. And that reduced edition is a joke.

3. No freedom nor nearly any control at all.

I agree completely.

[Shiver]

If I was some kind of god I would make Microsoft totally bankrupt. :cool: Unlike some other people I find it very good that EU are stopping Microsoft with fines and new rules.

I agree. But I wonder why the EU has only fined M$ for the Windows Media Player monopoly. That's only the tip of the iceberg. What about IE, for example? That's no different than the case with the media player monopoly.

And what about all the proprietary systems they are keeping to themselves, preventing them from being properly used on other OSes - like NTFS and DirectX, for example? I don't know if stuff like those classify as monopoly in the eyes of the EU, but it's clear what M$ is after. The more it can force software and hardware manufacturers play by its own rules, from which the open source community is kept away, the better.

All in all, M$ doesn't give a shit how their software works. Buggy software is just a way to make people "upgrade". Of course they can't compete fairly with bullshit, so they have to play against the rules or at least as dirty as they can without being whistled. I doubt they think integrating their crap into the OS makes it work any better, on the contrary. But they want to have some kind of excuse to why they supposedly can't remove their monopolyware.

EDIT: Forgot one thing. My hate against M$ and Windows doesn't come entirely from the crappy OS. It is somewhat usable, although unpleasant, if you know your way around it. Why do I hate everything Microsoft, then? Since computers are such an important part of today's infrastructure (that sounds like politicianish, doesn't it?), they can't all rely on a greedy corporation that seeks only to fulfill its own interests, profit at the cost of everything else, that is.

[Aloone_Jonez]

I thought the EU were forcing MS to give up some of their trade secrets for the sake of intercompatability and this should include their data formats.

I think making them bankrupt is going too far, what about all the job loses? I believe breaking them up into many companies would be a more realistic solution.

[Jenda]

I think Microsoft is one creature that does not deserve to live. We have jointly desposed of the Third Reich, of the Soviet Union, and now comes the Third Evil Empire. The first was destroyed by means of the military, the second economically, so why not destroy the third (and hopefully last) by means of moral integrity and sheer numbers of enlightened souls...

[skyman8081]

Ok, put MS out of business.

Seeing as that is your idea, are your going to pay for all the economic effects that doing so would cause.  Would you hire and relocate all the unemployed programmers, honor all of Microsofts contractual obligations, pay off all their debts?

Well, would you?  Otherwise, you should re-think all of your plans to "Put MS out of business".

[Aloone_Jonez]

Exactly, Microsoft should be fragmented into many smaller businesses like I said in my previous post if anyone bothered to read it.

[piratePenguin]

Exactly, Microsoft should be fragmented into many smaller businesses like I said in my previous post if anyone bothered to read it.

That sounds like a good idea but I dunno if/how it'd work.

Judging solely by the name, the ultimate goal of "The Microsoft Eradication Society" is to eliminate Microsoft.
I think we need a plan :p

[BobTheHob]

We could borrow the Ubuntu peoples CD stamper and ship out millions of Linux CD's labled "Windows Uber Upgrade" then when they see linux theyt get addicted and spread the word, MUWHHAHAHAHAHAHA

[BobTheHob]

Ok, seriously though. If you think about it, the most common victims of windows are inexperieced web-surfers. These people are very vonarable to viruses and spyware from obvious reasons. These are the kind of people that like stuff to work all the time, the kind that like consistency. This is what properly installed linux distros are like, stable, uniform, and consistant. I think the best way to win the masses, is to make a linux distro for these people. It would be tailor fit to these users, coming installed with, productivity apps, simple games, firefox with flash plugin etc. The install would be simplified and completly graphical. A simple package manager with specific categorys would be included. I really do think that the Ubuntu people would love to take on a project like this, and they have the equipment for mass production. I'm sure it would be easy to get ad-space thru news shows, writings etc.

[piratePenguin]

There are tonnes of easy to use GNU/Linux distros. Mandriva, Fedora (I think), SuSE, etc.
Mandriva is roumered to be easier to use than Windows, only that most people are used to Windows and Mandriva is different, and, inheritantly, harder. And I believe Mandriva is easier to use than Windows too.

If we could convince people that Mandriva (or whatever distro) is as easy to use as Windows, and somehow get it to the OEMs, and write some kick arse documentation (for noobs), I think that'd be sweet. GNU/Linux already has some class documentation, but noobs won't understand it.
Like if there was a "Ditch Windows and get started with GNU/Linux NOW" kinda book/site (I was thinking of writing some documentation over the Summer...).

That is kindof already happening ATM.

I've gotten a few people onto Mandriva to the point that it's installed and ready-for-teh-noob. And the voyage ends there.
WTF?
The only sensible conclusion I can think of is that they think that Mandriva is not-for-them. And when they're asked to pick which OS to boot, they'll pick Windows, all the time. Because Windows has what they need (seeing as everything (software, hardware) is designed for Windows/Mac, and rarely GNU/Linux). They need nothing in GNU/Linux. They might think they'd like it until it's working.

I think in the next 2-3 years, there'll be lots more people giving GNU/Linux a try. Some will take the time and learn it, and stay and live happy lives. The rest may shrivel up and die.


What annoys me more than MS's monopoly on the OS market, is their monopoly on the Office market (?). I fail to understand why any sane person would prefer MS Office to OpenOffice.org.
WTF is with all the fcking schools/universities/EVERYTHING ELSE using MS Office? I just don't get it.

For example, in my school we pretty much only use MS Office in computer class. When we get on the internet, we use IE for browsing (WWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYY????????). Next year I'm skipping those fckin' MS classes. Thank FUCK my year doesn't do them this year.
When the ECDL exam comes up next year I'll do it in OOo or nothing.

[Aloone_Jonez]

I agree with out piratePenguin, the reason why people pick Windows is simply because it's what they all ready know. Most people have very little inscentive to try out something new, if Windows works for them and their happy with it then why should they bother to learn how to use a new operating system?

The same goes for office suite and email client, the only aception to the rule is FireFox as there's virtually no learning curve. But even then if given the choice they'll always click on Internet Explorer simply out of habit yet if I change the icon they never complain about using FireFox.

[Jenda]

I must say I'd recommend Ubuntu over Mandrake anytime, but that's prolly just  apersonal preference - the two are both *perfect* for noobs and ex-windozers.
I just converted a friend two days ago. Installed a dual boot w2k/Ubuntu (not necessarily in this order), and he's already thinking of reformatting the dreaded C: drive...