What Else Is There?

Ok, so maybe you're ready to remotely consider the possibility that Windows ME is not the greatest event in computing since Ada Lovelace first went to bed with Charles Babbage. Ok, we're getting somewhere.

But what else is there? Aside from reverting to an earlier version?

Windows 2000

In a word: 'forget it'. Actually that's two words, but who's counting. This is one of the sorriest pieces of so-called 'software' ever to hit the planet Earth. This so-called 'product' cannot be taken seriously by the programming community at large. And let this be a clue to you: Anyone wondering why you are so negative about Windows 2000 needs to be immediately removed from the gene pool, so call the Gene Pool Police and have them taken away. And above all, don't give them the time of day, for they're completely moronized and will try to moronize you too.

And remember: A successful marketing campaign does not a good product make. Windows 2000 is trash, pure plain and simple, and even Microsoft know it.

Whistler

Perhaps. The word out - by those who like to stick close to Microsoft and lick them where it tickles - is that this follow-up to Win2K shows signs of the development team finally getting its act together.

But don't get your hopes up, don't hold your breath, and don't even think about smiling at it until you and a lot of other people who aren't paid to say nice things do their best to maul it.

Linux

This is where you should already be. Linux is 'smart computing'. It's free too (very smart), which makes one wonder why it's not spreading even faster than it is (Linux is already eating up the server market).

The reason it doesn't catch on faster is that Gates & The Boys have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams in moronizing the computer populace at large. This is no joke: Redmond works continually on the assumption that you, the median computer user, are incorrigibly dumb, and that if you are not, then you should be - and they will try to make you dumb. And so far they have been eminently successful.

Contrast this with Linux, where the assumption is that you are smart and the penguin wants to make you smarter!

Now - which suitor would you choose? The one that insults - or the one that flatters?

Tough decision.

It's going to be rough in the beginning - anything worth the effort will be. There will be moments when you will tear at your hair. But how many years of misery have you had running Microsoft operating systems? What would one year of your life learning Linux properly do to contrast with that? For the certainty is that if you downloaded Linux and started using it today, within a year - no matter who you are - you would be a veritable Linux expert, and would probably be able to get paid for your expertise and sleep happier too.

It's all up to you. The way out, as Confucius said, is via the door. All you have to do to leave Microsoft behind once and for all (with a triumphant smile on your face) is walk through it.

NT

This is a halfway step and the platform radsoft.net supports because of client commitments. We have never run 9x to speak of; we have it around but have not booted into it for ordinary use since the month before Windows 95 was officially released; and at least one of the caretakers of this site has a solid background in UNIX anyway (the idea for the Extreme Power Tools is a 'Software Tools' or UNIX idea, in case that gem escaped you).

NT is not a Microsoft product per se. Officially it is, but the marketing as always obfuscated. NT is a Digital Equipment product - so much so that DEC was able to sue Microsoft and get a generous out of court settlement. Its not being a Microsoft product is NT's strongest point.

NT will give you all the stability you need without making you learn an entirely new operating system. Programs that run under 9x will generally run under NT - it's the NT standard which these 9x programs were meant to follow anyway.

NT can be a headache with drivers (so can Linux) primarily because the OEM driver writers have traditionally been too lazy to learn how to write NT drivers and have for many years categorically refused the free help Microsoft offered them (yes, this is very weird but very true). But if your favourite playtoys run on NT, you'll suddenly find that you don't have to do that old Ctrl-Alt-Delete thing anymore, and that a number of your other ever-present dangers when running a 9x box dissipate into thin air too.

Plus it's a lot cheaper. You can get NT4SP4 online for about $35, about half of what loveable Microsoft wants for just an ME upgrade.

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