Microsoft pushes out Windows patch ahead of time

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re: Good Grief...Good but not Good Enough: Even though I have long since ceased to use any other MS OS than XP Professional, I find it a little circumspect that Microsoft uses the "Life Cycle" issue as an excuse not to help older OS version users.

Gee... With that kind of attitude, Microsoft should still be supporting DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.x - not that hardly ANYONE uses those. Heck, why not have a support team ready to support DOS 1 or 2?

There comes a point where supporting older OS's goes beyond silly and crosses the line into the realm of ridiculous and absurd. Windows 95 is now 11 years old. Windows 98 is now on the verge of turning 8. Windows ME is an abortion that shouldn't have ever happened. I pity the folks still using it.

As I see it, this is a kind of indirect "threat" by Microsoft to get people to dump the older OS's...I hate to use the term "threat," but that is how I see it. Merely brushing off the concern and then using a poor excuse like it's an OS out of the "Life Cycle," leaves ME and all other MS OS system users feeling being dumped on because ONE DAY, MS will no longer support our OS either...and we will have no other alternative than to "Upgrade" or buy a new OS...so as to fill the coffers at Microsoft.

Obsolescence happens. Get over it.

Yes, Microsoft (and ALL other companies) is out to make a buck. That IS what companies do. It's what they're there for. They're there to make a PROFIT. (Uh oh! Look out, he used the evil P word!)

But seriously, let's look at why Microsoft wants people to move on to newer OS's. Let's face it, the Windows XP family is vastly superior to the older DOS based 9x class family. Be honest now - even you stated you no longer use anything but XP Pro... Why is that, exactly? Could it be because you recognize that it's BETTER than 9x/ME?

As far as buying a new computer or an upgrade goes... I don't see money as a major roadblock. A client of mine recently got himself the upgrade to XP Home for $60. Had he shopped around a bit longer and had the time to spend on it, he could have gotten it for even less.

As far as buying a new computer goes, yes, that would require a bit more money, but most vendors have financing plans that bring the price down to $10 - $20 a month. MANY of these same poor people you speak of blow that much on Lottery tickets every WEEK - in the vain hope they might hit the big one.

And I bet there is a whole class of computer users who use computers to get an occasional letter written, and do a little internet surfing...I know a lot of people who are just like that...and many of them still use Win98 or ME.. because they don't need all the expensive fastest hardware, don't need ultra up to the minute software, don't need a lot of stuff just to write a letter or do a little surf on the net.

Ya know, this is the kind of attitude that is letting the Japanese, S. Koreans and other countries in the world get ahead of the US in many respects ? especially with broadband. Dial-up is almost non-existent in S. Korea. It?s on the endangered species list. Broadband abroad is also at least twice is fast as the fastest DSL available here in the US. Why is this? How can this be? Because there isn?t enough demand from consumers.

The point here is that people have this attitude ? ?We?re poor, so, we?ll make do with what we?ve got - an antiquated OS, crappy dial-up service, junky computer, etc? - because we can?t reach for the next branch higher on the tree and we?re stuck here near the bottom. Oh well??

Sad state of the union? This is NOT what made the US great.

I think Microsoft needs to take a more proactive approach and just stop quibbling with poor excuses. A company with assets in the neighborhood of $60+ billion bucks, can afford to pay for a patch for everyone, including the older OS versions in my opinion.

So, in other words, using that same logic, you?d have say, Ford retrofit and fix every Pinto still on the road so the gas tank doesn?t go BOOOM when the car gets rear-ended? - even though Ford hasn?t made a Pinto in close to 25 years.

Silly, isn?t it?; Posted by: Wolfie2K3 Posted on: 01/06/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use