Windows Genuine Advantage servers have been malfunctioning and marking legitimate copies of XP and Vista as counterfeit.That’s right, the program that Windows PCs are forced to contact on a regular basis to prove their copy is legit decided to mark them as pirated instead. Microsoft is reporting the problem is fixed but offers no apology or explanation because, like the Bush Administration, they never apologize for anything. Feh.
As mentioned here before, my next laptop will be a Mac. Rather than create products people genuinely want, Microsoft loads them down with useless bloatware and anti-piracy schemes that backfire. Clearly, they are in decline. As an example, hardcore geeks and long-time Windows users are reporting serious, ongoing, major problems with Vista. Microsoft is quickly losing the core of their support.
From Jim Louderback, retiring editor of PC Magazine
The upshot is that even after nine months, Vista just ain’t cutting it. I definitely gave Microsoft too much of a free pass on this operating system: I expected it to get the kinks worked out more quickly. Boy, was I fooled! If Microsoft can’t get Vista working, I might just do the unthinkable: I might move to Linux.
Do it! I’m running I’m running Ubuntu Linux on one PC and find it preferable to Windows, it’s faster, easier to use, and doesn’t lock up for no apparent reason.
Noted software developer Joel Spolsky says
I’ve been using Vista on my home laptop since it shipped, and can say with some conviction that nobody should be using it as their primary operating system — it simply has no redeeming merits to overcome the compatibility headaches it causes.
Chris Pirillo on Spolsky’s comments
Now, when one of the world’s leading software developers states this (privately or publicly), you have to wonder why I’ve been taking such a beating for my position on Microsoft’s flagship desktop products. Initially, I didn’t complain about Vista or any Office product without always giving Microsoft suggestions for improvement. I only complain about the things I care about – as should you.
But they stopped listening a long time ago – and the Microsoft MVP program is about as effective in influencing product direction as eating graphite makes you a better swimmer.
Why bother with Windows when better, more secure, vastly more stable and less buggy operating systems exist?
