first tech blog

Once again, my work is impeded by a Microsoft product. The entire project is based on ECMA scripting standards, & works in every browser.

Except for Internet Explorer.

On top of that, IE error messages are beyond cryptic, & to my knowledge there is no good debugger available for it. Contract this with Firefox, which includes helpful error messages, follows EMCA script guidelines, & has a built-in debugger. Everyone wants their projects done yesterday, but everyone also wants their products working in Internet Explorer. No one seems to see the contradiction.

So I'm brought back to the question, why do people use this nonsense? Because they're ignorant. Or lazy. Or a mixture of both. And I sit here, looking like some type of arrogant elitest for even thinking this way. What is the point that truth crosses into jadedness, and into bitterness? At what point do I accept that nearly every one of my friends fall into this category?

Is it elitism if it is true?

I've attempted to get past this for years. I've tried to not care, & I've tried to explain people's choice of software in a tolerant manner. I stopped using their products 5+ years ago, & erradicated my dependance on them. I even made the decision that if it's a choice between leaving the computer industry & working with Microsoft products, I'll change careers.

Yet the same issue exists. People still use Windows, & my hatred of it grows. Everytime I'm at a dance event & I see someone pull a Windows-based laptop, I die a little inside. Is this person really so foolish?

Everyone laughs. They think it's a joke.
It's not.

I've decided I'm not going to help people with Microsoft products anymore. Any time someone has a computer problem, I will deny their request if it involves a Windows machine. Is there not a point where the parent will stop bailing a child out of trouble, so that the child will learn?

There are plenty of other options available. Macintosh is a very user friendly platform, with an interface that is quite literally 10 years beyond anything Microsoft has to offer. Linux, another operating system, is free, can run on any hardware that Windows runs on, & has thousands of free software packages available.

Call me elitest, if you will. But until you either boycott their products, or can prove that Microsoft products are not junk, don't comment. Don't even say a word.