Problems with Microsoft

Y'all know how I feel about Microsoft, it is no secret. I feel that after my time working for them that I have some kind of ax to grind. Sometimes I go a little over the line with my thoughts and feelings about the issue, but when you have the experience I do (and not just me) you get a little prejudiced.
Here are some of the latest issues with Microsoft:

Rootkit May Be Behind Windows Blue Screen
Y'all remember "root kits", wasn't Microsoft supposed to have fixed that so they were impossible? This is a dangerous flaw in their operating system and one that they seem to have neglected to the point of insanity.

Windows Patch Leaves Many XP Users With Blue Screens
While I worked for Microsoft, I had a team under me. We tested Integration, or how the whole of windows worked together. While moving from Windows 98 SE to Windows ME, my team was cut from 6 to 2. This left us with the same amount of work to do in the same amount of time with fewer ressources to do the work. Needless to say, quality suffered.
If Microsoft would take their quality serously, these kinds of things wouldn't happen. But they know they have a corner on the market and they don't really care if it works...cause whattayagonnado? Use Linux!?!? Unthinkable!
Only, now, Linux (especially Mint and Ubuntu) are viable for "regular-every-day-users".

Windows 7 Can Create Rogue Wi-Fi Access Point
First off, Windows has rarely worked well with Wireless. I had all kinds of problems with getting things working. Not that Ubuntu is better, but at least Windows has company support for drivers (unlike Ubuntu (and other distros)). So this really isn't a surprise. But what does it mean? Well for one, don't stansh your porn on a open (unencrypted) drive.

Microsoft Says, Don't Press the F1 Key In XP
F1 is the "universal help" key. The Key that takes the user to the information that they need to get information on whatever subject withint windows. Now they say, "don't push that (big red) help button"? I guess they really don't want people to use or like using their operating systems.

Serious Apache Exploit Discovered
This one isn't entirely Microsoft's fault. Apache should have taken better care to find this issue prior to shipping, but that it only affects Windows Server is what I find interesting.

MS Virtual PC Flaw Defeats Windows Defenses
Another flaw that should have been found while testing. Security is one of the biggest problems with Windows. You hear about some other operating systems and their security flaws, but they are few, very difficult, and fixed within days of being discovered. Windows doesn't do the proper testing in the first place, has a flawed arcitecture, and then takes their time in repairing the flaw.
I have said it time and again, Microsoft needs to scrap it and start over with a BSD or LINUX core.

Internet Explorer 9 Will Not Support Windows XP
Another limitation of the Windows operating system. They don't have great support for backwards compatibility, and they aren't forward thinking.
They will cancel support for IE at IE9 and XP, but what will be next? There are a lot of people who have the jitters about microsoft's shoddy work because of Vista and Windows ME...so if they decide to stay on Windows XP, why not keep supporting it?
It is a simple answer, Microsoft is not "universal" like Linux is. Linux upgrades only what it needs to, and it is usually backwards compatible "for ever".

Bad BitDefender Update Clobbers Windows PCs
It is bad enough when Microsoft screws things up to the point of BSDs or the loss of data, but when other companies do the same thing? Especially ones with a name like "Bit Defender" (it is an anti-virus program).

MS Issues Emergency IE Security Update
More and again. We see microsoft issue patches for this and that. They do it regularly. This is ok, every operating system does it. But the reasons are far from similar. Many linux programs are being updated, not because of security concerns, but because of feature upgrades.
What I find interesting is microsoft's lack of interest in making sure these kinds of thing don't end up in the wild.

Standards Expert — "Microsoft Fails the Standards Test"
We all know this. Microsoft has to do things "their way" even after participating in the whole "standards process". why do they even bother getting involved if they are only going to ignore the results?
The vCal or iCal standards have never fully been supported by Exchange - this makes it near impossible to use Thunderbird or ANY of the other email/news/calendaring softwares, including Google, with Microsoft Exchange. (Thank goodness that Exchange isn't the only "Exchange Like" mail server; there is OpenExchange, Zarafa, Zimbra, Exxchange4Linux, Communigate?, and maybe a few others. All these other are 100% compatible with Outlook and other mail clients.) Don't lock yourselves into a company who doesn't care about you or your choices, that doesn't care if their software does what you want it to do or not, and really doesn't care if they follow their own standards (or any one else's standards) for compatibility. There are choices. Microsoft isn't the only game in town.

De Icaza Says Microsoft Has Shot .NET Ecosystem In Foot
Dot Net. Hmmm. This is an interesting article about how Microsoft even finds ways to screw up its own products and business model. Would you really do business with a construction company or car company that is this careless and selfish (and stupid)?
Did I mention that you have alternatives? Mono will do Dot Net on Linux, so will DotGNU.
But that is the problem, isn't it? Microsoft wants to be the only game in town...awe, so sad.

There are, however, some good points to Microsoft - or, in other words, they are LEARNING from Linux:

Microsoft To Distribute Third-Party Patches
Linux maintains "repositories" of programs. These programs are developed, tested and placed in these repositories so they can be updated at any time by the user. Now, Microsoft has decided to start their own "repository" by allowing others to use the Windows Update type feature.
Well, better late than never!

Microsoft Giving Rival Browsers a Lift
Linux will allow users to use any browser that anyone wants to develop for it. It isn't an integral part of the Operating System, but a perrifferial to it. Microsoft still has a long way to go in this regard, but in this article, we see that some changes have benefitted the "other" browsers. This should help Microsoft see what people are loading and then figure out WHY so they can fix their own crapware and make the Customer their primary focus.

Microsoft Claims Google Chrome Steals Your Privacy
But then that leads Microsoft to start looking for cheap shots. They are claiming all kinds of radical things to try and turn people away from their competitors. This isn't what I had in mind. I though that they would find what it is people LIKE and make CHANGES to their product. Instead, I guess they figured it would be cheaper to belittle the other browsers and keep theirs unchanged.

2 Funny points here:

Office Guardian Angel Worse Than Clippy
They still haven't learned from Microsoft Bob.

Microsoft Employees Love Their iPhones
If their employees are using the IPhone INSTEAD of Windows Mobile 6 phones, THAT SHOULD BE A CLUE! But so far, NOTHING...No light has gone on to let them know they are, once again, NOT doing what people WANT.