XYZ Computing’s Sal Cangeloso has conducted an interview with Tony Bove, author of the upcoming book, ‘Just Say No to Microsoft.’ With this book Bove intends to help readers rid Microsoft from their life- this is easier said that done, but it is certainly possible. The book goes on to list alternatives to the Microsoft programs on which people have become dependent and probably think they cannot give up.
What was your goal in writing “Just Say No to Microsoft?” How realistic would you say this goal is?
My goal is to provide a road map for using alternatives, or the equivalent of a “12-step method” for getting off Microsoft software (as if it were an addiction). Of course, like any addiction or habit, people have to want to stop; this book helps them realize why they’d want to stop and what they can use instead.
It is obvious now that the Microsoft monopoly, which began sometime around 1983 and culminated with its dominance of most areas of computing by 1998, has created more problems for consumers than it has solved. The road map analogy came to me not long ago, as I fought the traffic on the Pennsylvania Turnpike crossing the state. It looks convenient on paper, if you’re coming from New Jersey and want to bypass Philly on your way across the state. Considering the traffic in Philly, it should be convenient. But once you get on the turnpike, you can’t get off unless you pay exorbitant tolls. The rest stops are overcrowded, and the service monopolies overcharge. The fast food is terrible, and the restrooms are disgusting. It’s a form of highway robbery — for most of the turnpike’s length, you are stuck with two lanes and surrounded by speeding trucks, and nearly half of it seems to be always under construction…
The rest of the answer and more in the full article here.
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You know a company’s doing just great when books like this are being written and published. Hey, Microsofties: “towels.”
Related articles:
Microsoft suffers from malaise, key defections, Windows Vista struggles, lack of towels – September 16, 2005
Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness – December 21, 2003
Mac users should not buy Microsoft software (or hardware) – May 16, 2003
He forgot to add that the Pennsylvania Turnpike isn’t half as straight in real life as it is on paper, gee why is Pittsburgh a 250 mile drive and a 180 mile flight?
And those bastards trapped me on the goddamned road for 10 hours once. No signs telling me that the bridge at Donegal had collapsed before I got on the turnpike. No radio information telling me why I was sitting in traffic. And by the time I arrived at the last exit where I was forced to exit THEY WERE STILL COLLECTING THE TOLLS!!! Jesus that does sound like Microsoft.
I say YES to this initiative
“But once you get on the turnpike, you can’t get off unless you pay exorbitant tolls.”
That’s why they call them “freeways” in California and why they are called “highways” back East (btw, I grew up in Philly but transplanted myself to California).
Still, this book comes at a good time and the analogy is sound. Once you buy into Windows, you end up with a frustrating sub-par experience that falls far short of expectations, and you get nickel-and-dimed the whole way.
No wonder Mac sales grew nearly 50% last quarter. I think more and more people are seeing the light and deciding not to take it anymore.
And don’t forget about the pot holes!
And the road rage!
Another money quote:
“In the name of choice, our choices as consumers were actually narrowed. Rather than encouraging a choice in computer hardware grounded in innovation, Microsoft’s DOS fostered a choice grounded in copycat engineering.”
Sounds like all the iPod-bashers whining how the iPod is “anti-choice” and that Windows-only Napster and Real will have consumers by giving them more “freedom” and “choice.”
How little things have changed, where the players who do the most to limit choice use the promise of choice as a bait…so they can hook you through the lip.
Love it!
I got rid of all M$ junk from my 3 personal (not corporate owned) Macs, with the exception of M$ Office under Classic on one machine for emergency purposes.
I’m also weeding out any other products that don’t want to play well with the Mac OS (such as Yahoo! Messenger — no update in how long?).
People who use microsoft are hostages. And just like hostages, they have some weird affection with their captors.
Someone please explain “Hey Microsofties: ‘towels'”
Me no get it
MDN word: response
G Spank,
Have you read the article below?
Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness
me,
See related articles above.
I could be wrong.. but I think the towel remark refers to the fact that microsoft took away cloth towels for thier employess as a cost cutting move. don’t quote me however…
Microsoft would have to commission books that were favorable to them, whereas people do this on their own accord and write favorably about Apple. Remember the “grassroots” writing campaing to the DOJ to have the anti-trust suit dropped that turned out to be orchestrated by a ghost company MS had started. And remember the Windows “switcher” campaign where apparently only people who have their photos taken for stock photography switch from Macs to PC’s.
Yeah, MS is sunk.
“People who use microsoft are hostages. And just like hostages, they have some weird affection with their captors.”
The effect you refer to is The Stockholm Syndrome.
Read about it here and see the amazing similarities
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome
and
http://web2.iadfw.net/ktrig246/out_of_cave/sss.html
guys, slightly (but not much) off topic. m$ are running a tv ad in the uk with a young girl talking about plugging her guitar into her laptop and getting dumped by her boyfriend. she makes out that as long as she can record her music and maker her album she doesn’t care. my question is this, what is out there for the sorry m$ users which does the same job as garage band? i have looked and could find nothing. if there isn’t anything, i feel a letter to the advertising standards agency coming on…
MW:people as in who do these M$ people think they are?
The other psychological force in effect in the Microsoft customer’s mind is probably ‘cognitive dissonance’. In this theory, a person makes a choice for whatever reason that later turns out to be invalid, but the mind of the individual doesn’t like this dissonance, so they basically auto-brainwash themselves into deciding that they did make the right decision, but for a different reason.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance
Note that cognitive dissonance is in effect in almost all buyers’ minds. People don’t generally like to admit that they bought crap, even after that has been proven to be the case.
I was forced to buy a DULL pc for my girlfriends work at home. Her company would not allow Virtual PC to be used. My iBook G3 I swear, works better than this brand ne pc. The pc already locked up on me and would not recognise her iPod. i could not beleive this for a brand new computer. She now realise everything I was telling her about microsoft..
Tergenev and hammer,
It’s all right here and perfectly related to the topic at hand:
Defending Windows over Mac a sign of mental illness – – SteveJack, December 21, 2003
It’s like buying a car. Are you going to admit to your friends that it’s a lousy car? No, you’re going to say what a great deal you made, and that you outwitted the salesman.
For you PC people -the sales it.
Amen Brother Bove! God…how I hate Microsoft and Billy Gates.
Reminds me of the movie “Speed”, in which M$ plays the mad ass freak.
In the UK this evening we had a “gadget show” on TV (rubbish actually). In this program it includes an item about retrieving files accidentally deleted and also deleting files securely.
So, if you are a Windows lemming, what do you have to do? Their recommendation is some silly Destroy It Pro crud that retails for £40 ie $70!
What kind of farce is the world living in I have to ask?
(For Win users we have secure deletion built into the OS).
Excellent Quote regarding viruses:
“Is it bad code? That’s not the point. Locking people into a monopoly is simply not healthy, in any industry. It’s time to introduce new genes to the gene pool. To maintain the health of the software industry, we need an influx of code that has nothing to do with Microsoft.”
A very good read!
Don’t go writing the Ad board quite yet; while there isn’t any one program that matches GB’s ease of use, there are solutions out there for those who have to suffer through Windows. The problem is, none of them come with a new computer, or are bundled in an integrated multimedia suite such as iLife. And they all sound more difficult to use. Here’s a guy who wrote about such products, and what he recommends:
http://www.jakeludington.com/ask_jake/20050401_garageband_for_windows_xp.html
I swear that if Microsoft was NOT in it’s position, if not for all the thousands, no,.. millions of manyears spent keeping their crap running, we would all have flying cars, cancer would be history, no poverty, world peace… well, maybe not world peace. But seriously, how much more fantastic engineering and science could have beenn done with the wasted time on the Windows monopoly? It boggles the mind.