microsoft

Unbelieveable – they did it again… Microsoft really seems to have massive problems when it comes down to “what users need” and “how to implement it”.

Latest example I just learned of – the .net click-once thingy bitty extension that is installed AUTOMATICALLY and WITHOUT any knowledge of the user for Firefox.

In a MSDN blog entry, MS explains how to remove it. I have not yet tried it – but the extension clearly sits there, also on my box. I disabled it for the time being…. and again, this was a “bye, bye, Microsoft!” nail in the coffin designed for Windows….

Those of you who know me will know that I am not a fan of Microsoft. I think this company plays a very bad role in the evolving of Software with their “stick to closed-source” attitude.

However, one has to appreciate when there is something to appreciate.

After Microsoft did a very good job in revolutioning the user interface of their Office Suite by making it more Activity-centric, they now introduced something they call surface computing.

Check out this video (it’s like 20 minutes and in English, despite the rest of the site’s content being German). I have to say, this is something I would have expected from Apple (with their genius in designing gadgets and user interfaces), but as said – just because it’s coming from Microsoft, it isn’t necessary a bad thing. In fact, things like that will help bringing the whole industry forward (and the real good devices of this sort will run Linux anyway…

A must see – the joint interview with Bill Gates and Steve Jobs (streaming video):

• Introduction
• Part I
• Part II
• Part III
• Part IV
• Part V
• Part VI
• Part VII

It’s fun and enlightning.