The next generation Windows and Office: an open letter to Microsoft

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I wouldn't forward this letter...

Where do I start?

Well I'll start with saying that I hope that Microsoft takes the time to at least read your letter. It would be nice if they did. That's about as much as I'd agree with you on...

1. Integrating Windows and Office? I'd like to introduce you to a few friends of yours called the EU. They raise a stink over Microsoft bundling a web browser and a media player...and now you want them to bundle Office? They did that in the mid 1990's; most computers in that era came bundled with Office...but that was a problem and they stopped that unless it was specifically ordered by the customer. Now, every computer ships with a demo of Office, but not a full version. Bonus points: if they integrate Windows and Office, whether by bundling or through integration, do you think it's going to be free? guess again - your computer will simply cost you more! How is that advantageous?

2. In my five years of going to school, I never once saw a classmate use outlook. Everyone used hotmail, gmail, yahoo, or the school's OWA portal. No matter which way you sliced it, e-mail was the domain of the web browser. Onenote's to-do list was sufficient for my scheduling needs; Google Calendar can take care of the rest. If students *really* need a POP3 client, Thunderbird is great...and free. Bonus points: Microsoft offers "The Ultimate Steal" - Office Ultimate, which includes every program you've mentioned, for $60. Granted, it may not be available in the EU, but it's probably coming soon. That'll give you everything you want in Office.

3. Students need security...FOR WHAT? no student I ever attended class with had sensitive personal data on their computer. Some of them had data they would *miss* (photos, papers, music, whatever), but no one kept their credit card data or SSN on it. In fact, most students I dealt with would have been HINDERED if they used bitlocker, because I had plenty of classmates ask me to rescue data from their virus laden, unbootable laptop. A quick run around the block with Knoppix or UBCD4Win made everyone happy, but if they were using bitlocker, they would have been utterly screwed.

4. Were they going to take Media Center out of Win7 Home? Last I checked, they weren't.

5. If you want extra functionality, prepare to pay for it with either time or money (or both). I'm not defending Microsoft here; this is just common sense. The tone of your letter makes it seem like you want Microsoft to give you more functionality for the same money. Well, that'd be admirable of them, but Microsoft is a business, not a charity. Would you write an extra 3 blogs for ZDNet without asking for additional money? of course not! That's the way life works. If you want free software, download ubuntu or Fedora. No one is stopping you...

6. ...and besides, you and everyone else will pay for Windows whether they integrate it or not.

I admire your desire to make Microsoft further service the student population. At the same time dude, run your own business for a year or two, then tell Microsoft how to run theirs.

Joey

Posted by: voyager529   Posted on: 02/02/09 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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