Mack, whose blog I read and enjoy, commented on my post about Microsoft spending $100,000,000 to tell me how great their new software is:
So when Ford releases their new F-150 and calls it their best truck ever, do you think that your previous F-150 pickup was a waste of money? Certainly not. (Obviously the Ford is just an example here, I don't know if you own one.)
Why is Microsoft software any different? Especially Office, which pretty consistently gets the job done.
He has an excellent point, and though it is difficult to compare the tangible Ford truck with the less tangible software, I feel it necessary to try.
First of all I need to point out that Ford trucks wear out, as do all mechanical products. Yet there are a number of people still driving 10, even 20 year old F-150s. Software on the other hand does not wear out, but there is almost nobody still using a 5 year old operating system. Why? Because software companies have convinced you that you must upgrade, and they stop supporting them after a while. Software changes frequently, so that is probably reasonable. But imagine Ford saying that they know you love your 5 year old truck, but you will no longer be able to get any service or parts for it anywhere.
So let's use my laptop that died the other day as a basis for comparison. So basically my Ford truck has just stopped working, and a bunch of indicator lights are lit.
The laptop indicated that the system file was corrupt; that I should use the Windows XP CD to restore it. Ok, but I didn't get one with my PC, so now I had to buy a copy for $129. This is roughly equivalent to having four flat tires that are held on with locking lugnuts, but I don't have the key, and have to buy it. Actually it is more like having a broken radiator hose but being forced to buy a new engine instead of repairing the hose.
So I buy the CD, and I re-install XP, but I lose everything on my PC. So this is roughly equivalent to replacing my truck's engine, only to find out that the roll bar, the rims, the custom upholstery, the spoiler, the truck liner, and the body kit have all been replaced by stock parts. I can now reinstall everything if I want to. Oh and the CDs, the pictures of the family, the cash in the glove compartment, my laptop and briefcase are missing as well. Hope you had a backup.
I don't buy a new Ford pickup every two years, though of course some people may. But Ford doesn't force me to. And I know that when I get the Ford it will start, and run pretty well. If not, Ford will fix it for me, at least for the first 5 years. They won't tell me to reboot it, and they won't change me for the privilege of phoning them. I won't need a patch every month to ensure that somebody else can't use their key to drive it away. If someone tries to break into my truck the optional alarm will go off. The truck won't require almost a whole new engine after a year, though Windows XP needed SP2 to fix a bunch of the problems it shipped with.
And my truck won't start driving more slowly as the day goes on. Provided I get regular oil changes of course.
In short, nobody with an F-150 would put up with the kind of stupidity that we are forced to deal with everyday with Windows.
Most of all, a year after I buy an F-150, Ford may try to entice me with a new Ford based on more power, more features, or new body styling, just like Microsoft. But they won't tell me how stupid I am to have bought last year's model; that I'm a dinosaur because I'm not buying the newer model. In fact, Ford is proud of the fact that their cars are durable.
We've just been trained by computer companies to think that their buggy software isn't the problem. Instead they've convinced us that we are the problem for not buying the newest bloatware and putting money in their pocket. In other words, they want you to buy a new, loaded F-150 every year, even if you only drive it to church on Sundays. And if for some reason your F-150 breaks down, well they'll have a new model out anytime now.