To Saijin_Naib: Oh, you know I can't resist biting on: "And yet, it [XP] works
brilliantly for me in every situation".
But first, I'll largely agree with you: XP is almost adequate. I used it for a
couple of years, and had almost none of the troubles that ordinary people do,
because I took measures against, starting with getting rid of IE.
Hanging around a PC repair shop will provide you horror stories about Windows,
yet MOST of those aren't exactly due to flaws, but to insane defaults such as
IE having "Install on Demand" and Javascript on, because otherwise users might
miss out on "web features". Just those two items almost ensure that a system
will be infected / trashed if it gets onto the internet. And there's Messenger
running by default which opens a window for nuisance, at best. Much of what I
rail about is the mindset that believes those should be ON by default, when
trouble is certain to follow. I bet that YOU are behind a router, and use
Mozilla, besides know enough to operate Windows "safely".
I'd like an answer to this specific: Do you LIKE having to click on a balloon
tips box telling you that you have unused icons on your Desktop? Or have you
turned balloon tips off? -- Heh, heh. You see the implications, I'm sure.
Below is mere ranting...
Took Crimosoft only 8 years for XP to really rival OS/2 2.1GA on several
fundamental technical points, an HPFS-equivalent being the most glaring
example. Of course the almost unlimited money poured into development resulted
in numerous conveniences, but with Vista, even that didn't work.
Evidently you're NOT using Vista either, so agree with me that Crimosoft can
go too far. You're just behind me on the geezer cycle of "good enough", and I
bet will be another Vista resister. I predicted that effect to acquaintances
three years ago: pretty much happens to everyone.
My case is best made by comparison between OS/2 and what was released at the
same time from Crimosoft: compare OS/2 2.1GA to Windows 3.1. -- EASY choice.
As I've said, there's nothing intrinsically better about Windows, nothing that
couldn't be done under OS/2 as well or better, it's just that all recent
APPLICATIONS are written for Windows. Yet Crimosoft is actually a hindrance to
development: they want to control EVERYTHING. We can only be thankful that
they aren't competent enough to be as evil as they'd like.