Windows 10

[Jim web]

In article <56C1B129.3010309 at soulman1949.com>, Alan Milewczyk
<alan at soulman1949.com> wrote:
> On 15/02/2016 09:45, artisticforge . wrote:

Really *not* the place, but for some balance...

> Oh boy, it must be such a perfect and superior world that you live in!
> ;-) Try listening to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYKWch_MNY0

> Whatever its faults (and they are many), MS helped millions harness the
> power of ordinary computing.

Well 'flocking' behaviour was also used by MS to held drive competing
systems - e.g. the Acorn RO machines - out of schools. Their dealers joined
school boards and wanted the students trained in Word, etc. Both choice and
*education* about computing suffered and we got 'training on how to use MS
programs' in its place. The effect in higher/later education was all too
clear as the cohorts rolled in with more limited understanding.

Made worse when MS and others came up with their own closed and controlled
'dialects'  and compiler quirks etc for nominally standard languages like
'C'.


> As someone who ended his working days teaching (mainly) elderly citizens
> how to use PCs and access the net, I know they were grateful for
> something relatively inexpensive and fairly intuitive - they would not
> have been able to afford Mac prices for their proprietary products 

And as someone who worked for a few decades at Unis I found that
MS-dominated schools and offices tends to sap being able to get many
students to learn about computing. Again as a matter of them being able to
do things as they wanted and really understand, program, etc.

Education != Training.

MS != Computing.

Quasi-Monopoly closed source != individual empowerment of users.

> (MS helped bring about power to the people, something that millions
> value.

<sic>

Bit like how Fox News and News of The World  brought news to the masses, I
guess. Millions probably value(d) them as well... 8-]

However if people like MS products and they can do what they want as they
want with their products, that fine with me. Choose your own socks and tie.
But I don't take that to assume MS lead to what was claimed above as my
experience of the results has been *very* different.

OK, lets stop there. You;ve had your rant and I've had mine. Neither of us
will convince the other. :-)

Jim

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