Why do so many people hate Microsoft?

As other software giants emerge and decidedly threaten Microsoft’s virtual monopoly, you’d think the Redmond bunch would have taken a hint and begun showing customers a bit more respect.  And yet, Microsoft remains determined to milk the public cow down to the last drop – while it lasts – in their own arrogant way.

Personally condemned for corporate reasons to endure Windows for yet a while, the daily toil around the cash-oriented compatibility ploys of the Old Microsoftian Empire is a painful reminder of the importance of competition.

Not to sound fanatical, I will give them credit for three things: (i) with all its flaws, Excel is still the best spreadsheet on the market; (ii) the Microsoft mouse works very well; and (iii) Age of Empires, The Conquerors is still the best of games (though they really just bought Ensemble Studios and shamefully will not make it compatible with Windows 7, i.e., buy new games or go to hell!).

Most word processor users will work with the horrible MS Word because it is the most widely used in business. Very few that I know like the software and almost all condemn the inevitable confusion brought about by the recurring changes in interface. By changing file formats all the time (and denying developers access to its most recent code for conversion purposes), Microsoft ensures every user will have to upgrade to the new versions of this very user-unfriendly product. Unfortunately, their marketing strategies are a lot better than the application and with the apathy and fear of change prevalent in the corporate world people just keep using it. And, unavoidably, upgrading.

A user of Corel WordPerfect (which is as close to perfect as word processors have come) since its early DOS versions, now running X5, I am used to opening, editing and saving my documents in the same .wpd format since forever. Money-grabbing tricks like .docx make me sick.

In a fair world, every user should be able to choose his word processing software and save documents in an open format, which all applications could edit. Oracle and Google have made important progress in this direction with their free suites. Unfortunately, none can match the simple yet powerful, clean and transparent quality of WordPerfect.

With the sad demise of Palm Desktop and the end of the ground-breaking Eudora Project (will it rise again with OSE?), I had little choice but to submit to the Outlook dictatorship, only to find that I cannot add or change contact fields unless I purchase Microsoft Business Contact Manager which for new users, lo and behold, is only available for volume licensing…  Once again, you are coerced by Microsoft into spending further or not being able to make full use of what you already bought.

Unfortunately, the other more flexible alternatives involve cloud storage of personal and professional information, which my privacy concerns rule out at this time.

Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox have liberated us from the heavy regime of Internet Explorer, which caused the demise of the excellent Netscape by being shamefully included for free in the Windows OS, until Court orders made them stop.

Why is everyone moving from XP to Windows 7 (without taking notice of the disastrous Vista)?  Not because we needed a new OS version, but because Microsoft will no longer support XP. By support, they mean the endless succession of patches applied to correct defects and vulnerabilities in their expensive software, that were there to begin with. So, if any more defects or flaws are found now, tough luck! Or buy 7…

So, lots of reasons, but are these enough to use the word hate? Perhaps, but for me the worst of all is more basic. I hate the Microsoft attitude, by which I mean their determination to tell you IF you can do it, HOW it will look, WHERE it will be saved and whether you have the RIGHT to make this or another change. Its your computer but they run the show!

Why is this worse? Because being “smart” and forcing you to spend more on things you don’t need can be seen as part of life in a capitalist economy, however little brand loyalty it will build you in the long run. But preventing you from using your own computer the way you prefer is mean arrogant disregard for personal opinion and convenience, as well as utter lack of respect for customer preferences. In all, a deplorable approach to client satisfaction. Which is why, when our chance comes, we’re out!

A very detailed explanation of Microsoft’s hate-gathering history, every aspect carefully researched, from someone who really hates Microsoft, can be found here. This guy says it all!

Photo: Joe Anderson, “ ‘Bin’dows”, Flickr, taken on 17 Jul 2005, Creative Commons (BY-SA). All trademarks mentioned in this post are the property of their respective owners.

Mobile Issues

I fell into the Palm trap. And I enjoyed it, while it lasted. Now, in not so many words, Palm tells me “do as we tell you, or get lost!” The sort of thing we’re used to hearing from Microsoft, the software giant who interferes out of principle in almost every user choice we could make.

I guess I’d better explain. Since 1998, I have been a faithful user of Palm PDAs. My entire life (calendar), relationships (contacts) and database (memos) have been stored, along with photos and PDF files, in several successive and fully-customized handhelds, which I have fed daily through my clean and reliable Palm Desktop application and HotSync Manager. The only less convenient aspect of this long term love story was the need to carry about both a mobile phone and my PDA, which I almost solved with a Treo, but decided to wait for the promised to be best ever, the Pré.

I signed up to be notified of the release and, while I waited patiently for the unlocked version to be available, began to read the most alarming reviews. No more Palm Desktop, no more HotSync, just… the Cloud.

Since placing my personal and professional information in the hacker-attractive remote servers of third parties to be scanned on the side for ad relevance or violated by disgruntled employees is not an option, I guess its time to… get lost!

Just look at what my privacy concerns and independent won’t-be-pushed nature are depriving me of. Isn’t she a beauty?

Palm say there are third party emulator applications (for which they are not responsible, make no warranty and provide no support) which may allow users to run “old” programmes on the side from the new WebOS. Gee, thanks! Most reassuring…

So other than thanking Palm for rewarding with such consideration 11 years of brand loyalty, all I can tell them is that Palm is no longer an option for me.

Which places me in the difficult position of choosing a new mobile phone+PDA, not really looking forward to the migration challenges ahead.

This is where I hope experts among my kind readers may be of some assistance, with their most welcome comments and suggestions.

Let me start by listing my simple, but apparently hard-to-meet, requirements:

Size — Your typical smart phone size, not bigger or thicker than an iPhone or a BlackBerry, though it will be hard to match the Pré.

Features — QWERTY keyboard, either slide-out or touchscreen (in which case landscape orientation is welcome), good resolution colour screen, good speed web access, a simple camera, the ability to store text memos, customized contact records and (colour categorized) calendar appointments, a good amount of memory space (without having to resort to memory cards).

Encryption — All records must encrypt when phone is locked, AES256 bits preferable. This could be a certified third party application.

Desktop Support — I need to be able to input data on my PC and synchronize. I will not use Microsoft if I can help it, so Outlook/Exchange is definitely out. I guess I’m really looking for a replacement for the Palm Desktop. No Cloud for me, thanks!

Migration — The thought of manually transferring eleven years of data to a new phone is daunting. I need reliable tools to perform this migration without loss. Palm’s disregard for customer preference and convenience also prompts me to seek an alternative which will allow data to be exported with some ease should I decide or be compelled to change platforms again in the future.

Finally, I’d like to be able to customize everything. Screen, icons, fields, sounds, buttons, shortcuts, macros… I want a phone that will do what I want, not tell me how it’s going to be done!

This could mean discarding anything on Windows Mobile (who could possibly go for Tiny Windows when they can’t get the Large ones right) and consider the Apple OS or Google’s Android.

And then, it has to look nice. Design could prove a tough choice, since there are many sleek and elegant smart phones about (the new Dell Mini 3 looks very nice) but, after my main requirements are met, I’ll be lucky if I can still choose between designs.

Though a reasonably proficient user of the gadgets and software I elect, I am very much of a layman when it comes to the technical specifications and under-the-hood stuff. Maybe I want too much out of a phone, though the absence from my list of numerous common found features may suggest simpler needs than most.

I will be most grateful to those kind readers who take the time to help me on my quest.

Photos: O2 UK Official, “Palm Pre open with keyboard showing”, Flickr, taken on 2 Jun 2009, Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND); “Apple iPhone”, from the Internet, no copyright information available, edited by Aventoe; “BlackBerry Storm”, from the Internet, no copyright information available.

Fotopedia

No Internet user can disregard the importance of Wikipedia, the free, collaborative, multilingual, web-based encyclopaedia launched in 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger and supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. While there may be some dispute regarding the accuracy or independence of certain content, no other effort to gather the knowledge of humankind in one site and to encourage limitless individual contribution to the database has been so successful. From a quick check or reminder to the starting point for serious academic production, Wikipedia has become one of the most useful tools available on the Web. I support it and so should you.

Based on the Wikipedia articles, a group of enthusiastic photographers set out to create a collaborative image database built on individual contributions and peer rating. If a picture paints a thousand words, the Fotopedia project will soon become one of the most comprehensive visual reference collections ever organized.

As promised on my Christmas post, I begin the year with one of the first photographs which marks Aventoe‘s début to digital photography. This was taken at the Botanical Garden, in my home town of Rio de Janeiro. I chose this as my first theme because the beauty of the Garden is bound to conceal the photographer’s flaws.

This photo and a few others are part of my Flickr® Photostream, slowly being built, which you are welcome to visit and comment on.

I have also created the Fotopedia article for the Botanical Garden, where some of my photos await Community approval to become part of the collection. Perhaps you may feel tempted to take a peak and consider whether this should be allowed.

In any event, I would like to encourage photographers to contribute to Fotopedia, which seems a good way to preserve beauty and information for the generations to come.

Photo: Aventoe, “Botanical Garden, Rio de Janeiro”, taken on 17 Jan 2010, © Aventoe – All Rights Reserved.

Merry Xmas!

Soon after its first publication, this small island of ideas in the vast digital ocean celebrates its first Christmas. Many thanks to those who, out of friendship or through a search engine, have stopped by and spent some time over my keyboard overflow.

God permitting, 2010 will not only have its fair share of posts, but will see the return of Aventoe to photography, this time digital-style. From black & white, in 35mm, to 12.3 million pixels, a delightful challenge to which – once I’m done with the lengthy manual – you, my loyal or random Readers, shall be the first victims. The lower picture quality shall hopefully be compensated by a more precise connection between text and images, both being the product of the same curious mind.

Till then, dear Readers, my very best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Photo: Breno Peck, “E Chega O Natal”, Flickr, taken on 21 Dec 2008, Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA)

Les Mis

23 years running on the West End and 22 on Broadway, Les Misérables is one of the most successful musicals of all time. Composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, from the libretto in French by Alain Boublil, the play is based on the homonymous work by Victor Hugo, published in 1862.

When it seemed impossible to increase the success of the show, the unexpected and underestimated appearance of Scottish amateur singer Susan Boyle in a talent show on British television, performing “I Dreamed A Dream” one of the play’s most beautiful songs, combined with the unprecedented audience of the video presentation on YouTube (78,784,808 views by 20 Nov 2009), gave the show a further boost that ensures it will continue to beat in public and longevity all the other major productions.

The performance also brought the debate about the best interpretation of this lovely song. From Patti LuPone and Randy Graff, first interpreters of Fantine in the English and American productions, through Laurie Beechman, Debra Byrne, Daphne Rubin-Vega and the talented Rebecca Seale (current performer of the role in London), to the fabulous Lea Salonga and Ruthie Henshall, and numerous covers over the years, such as Petula Clark (in Paris), Canada’s Allison Crowe, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Gunilla Backman, Susan Egan, Judy Khun (in 1988, for the Reagans at the White House) and many others, versions and voices make up a fascinating menu of talent and emotion that is polarizing opinions.

Unfortunately, some of the clips available on YouTube are poor in quality, especially those older or recorded from the audience, but the available links are there for the delight of the readers.

My favourite versions are five: Laurie Beechman who played the role in the first US tour of Les Mis in 1990, Ruthie Henshall at the 10th year anniversary presentation at the Royal Albert Hall in London (subtitled), Elaine Paige, celebrating 40 years on the stage (8 March 2009) at the Theater Royal Drury Lane, beautiful New Zealander Hayley Westenra, the singer with the perfect pitch (2002) and, in fairness, the amateur Susan Boyle, here in the competition finals when she lost to a group of dancers.

Which is your favourite?

Photo: Lila/greennlonely, “Les Mis”, Flickr, taken in the Theatre District, New York, 30 Dec 2006, Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA)

Applause!

The song ends. The audience erupts into applause. The spectators now stand and cheer intensely. Would it have been a memorable presentation by a musical genius? A rewarding Susan Boyle-style unexpected surprise? A brilliant performance, the perfect pitch, a wonderful voice?

Although the reaction of the audience so suggests, there seems to be an increasing disparity between the intensity of the ovation and the merits of the performance. Maybe it is the politically correct applause, which rewards the effort – even when the result is poor. Or perhaps the audience cannot distinguish a good from a deplorable presentation. It can be pity for the tone deaf singer or relief that the ordeal is over. Perhaps the production is lighting the “Applause” sign, claiming retribution for a free ticket. Or it is all just a way to relieve stress. But I think it is really a new conditioned reflex, the curious notion that applauding is what the audience is expected to do.

This compulsive applause disorder also applies to sports, even the most noble, in which insulting the referee is still not the rule. Few moves escape vigorous acclaim. A tennis player at Wimbledon scores fifteen points in the second game of the first set thanks to a double fault of his opponent, and vivid applause follows. Worse, for a few years now, when clapping subsides, the contest for squeals of encouragement begins: “Come on Roger!”  “Way to go Andy!” Until the referee calls for silence, or even later.

In short, audiences have lost their measure. In a noisy and annoying exercise, true talent, the great play and the masterpiece are rewarded in a very similar way to mediocrity, uninspired play and pathetic improvisation.

I have always found clapping very uncomfortable. Slapping one’s hands red is only justified by a performance so impressive that we are driven to applaud almost without noticing. It is the genuine reward, the result of unrestrained admiration, which overflows in recognition and justifies the pain of each clap. It is the “Bravo!” which was reserved for excellence and that today praises even the commonplace.

But this is how things are. The denier of applause is frowned upon. Frantic accolades are the rule of the day.

Photo: Felipe Trucco, “Audience in Red”, Flickr, taken at Roskilde Festival, Denmark, on 10 Jul 2005, © 2009 Felipe Trucco Ahumada, All Rights Reserved. Used by kind permission.

Musical Chairs

Two chairs, empty, before the world. The photo does not show, but around them anxious people dance in circles, waiting for the music to stop. When this happens, only two people will sit. Side by side, they will see the sun rise and set, share days and nights and what else the future may bring, leaving behind those who did not find an empty chair when the music stopped…

Such is life. A lucky few sat in good time in fulfilling lives they never wanted to leave. Many remained seated, afraid to take a chance after a wrong choice. Others, finally, stumbling along the world, remain in pursuit of that special someone, to sit and lie down with, and belong to, before the music stops and it is too late.

There are no empty seats for every two lonely people who wander in the quest for love. There are only chairs for those who find it.

Search then, with all the radiant intensity of those determined to yet one day share a life.

Photo: Docnic, “Two Chairs“, Flickr, taken in Naoussa, Paros, Greece, on 27 Aug 2008, Creative Commons (BY)