We don't really buy software, we rent it. And like lessees, we don't call all the shots when it comes to how--and how long--we use the programs we "buy."
Exhibit A: Microsoft cut off free support for Windows XP and Office 2003 last April. I don't recall the programs coming with expiration dates.
We don't even control when Windows and some of our applications update. More than a decade ago, IBM researcher Clare-Marie Karat published a Computer User's Bill of Rights. (Read more about it in a 1998 BusinessWeek article and on researcher Theo Mandel's site.)
1. The user is always right. If there is a problem with the use of the system, the system is the problem, not the user.
2. The user has the right to easily install software and hardware systems.
3. The user has the right to a system that performs exactly as promised.
4. The user has the right to easy-to-use instructions for understanding and utilizing a system to achieve desired goals.
5. The user has the right to be in control of the system and to be able to get the system to respond to a request for attention.
6. The user has the right to a system that provides clear, understandable, and accurate information regarding the task it is performing and the progress toward completion.
7. The user has the right to be clearly informed about all system requirements for successfully using software or hardware.
8. The user has the right to know the limits of the system's capabilities.
9. The user has the right to communicate with the technology provider and receive a thoughtful and helpful response when raising concerns.
10. The user should be the master of software and hardware technology, not vice-versa. Products should be natural and intuitive to use.
Clare-Marie Karat, Ph.D., Psychologist
IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center
Hawthorne, N.Y.
I wonder what life is like on that planet? Here on Earth, computers don't work anything like that. So with apologies to Dr. Karat, here's my real-world software user's bill of rights.
1. The user has the right to a computer that's actually ready to use within 10 seconds of turning it on.
2. The user has the right to use the computer without unnecessary interruptions from the system or its software and components to install updates. With the exception of critical security or reliability updates, all patch notifications should appear only after a long period of inactivity or when shutting down.
3. The user has the right to software that has been thoroughly tested outside the lab and that is verified not to conflict with popular third-party utilities, particularly antivirus and firewall programs.
4. The user has the right to free, complete, and up-to-date documentation for every commercial program. All freeware must include documentation that describes how to use all of the program's features, although freeware users may be expected to pay for individual support.
5. The user has the right to stop any stalled process immediately and resume normal use of the computer.
6. (I will simply reiterate Dr. Karat: "The user has the right to a system that provides clear, understandable, and accurate information regarding the task it is performing and the progress toward completion.")
7. The user has the right to timely alerts about any security holes discovered in software or hardware and to timely patches for those holes--but only within the guidelines stipulated in Amendment 2.
8. The user has the right to transfer any personal data--such as e-mail archives--from a discontinued product--such as an e-mail program--to an alternative product that's still supported and updated, and to do so without losing access to the data.
9. The user has the right to a trial period for all commercial products and to a full refund before the expiration of that trial period for any reason and without question.
10. The user has the right to know that any information a vendor or developer collects about them is never shared with any entity--even in an "anonymized" aggregate form--without the user's express consent. The user has the right to revoke all personal information and to be assured that all such information is securely erased.
I don't live on that planet either, and I probably never will. Maybe this is the year I make wishes instead of resolutions.
This year my one-and-only New Year's resolution was to begin the transition to open-source software in general and Linux in particular. I thought I was just setting out to learn a new operating system. In fact, I was entering an entirely new world of computing.
My Linux education began with a lesson in community. I struggled to get Ubuntu, my distribution (or "distro") of choice, to recognize either of my two wireless adapters. One of many comments to the blog post in which I described my wireless woes pointed me to a program that got me connected in no time.
Not long after that, I spent the better part of an afternoon troubleshooting my inability to get Flash animations to play on my Linux laptop. I found the solution on one of the Web's many informative Linux user forums (there's more about these resources below). The site listed all the "extras" I had to download and install. The process taught me that Linux is an on-demand operating system that bundles only software that's truly free (which excludes Adobe's Flash Player and most other media players).
It's more than a product; it's a movement
I soon realized that many long-time Linux users have an emotional connection to the OS, and I don't mean the anger and frustration that Windows veterans feel whenever their PCs flake off. I once made the newbie mistake of referring to "Ubuntu" when I was really talking about the Gnome interface that's used with many different versions of Linux. The erroneous reference made many Linux veterans cringe, and I understand their pain. The prospect of Windows users bringing their preconceived notions of personal computing into the open-source community must be frightening for them.
The ability to apply different interfaces to the OS was a novel concept after years of the Windows monolith. KDE, Gnome, and Xfce are the most popular Linux graphical interfaces, most of which are based on the X Window System, but many hard-core Linux users stick with its command-line interface, which harkens back to DOS. Instead of taking whatever features Microsoft offers, Linux lets you mix and match components and functions to meet your needs and fit your style.
Looking to each other for support
There's something down-right neighborly about the effort so many Linux users make to help other people who rely on the OS. Yes, you'll find no shortage of help sites by and for Windows users on the Web, but in the end it's up to Microsoft to keep the operating system safe and steady. Even though much of the Linux advice is developer-to-developer, I have found answers to many of my Linux questions in various forums dedicated to the open-source OS.
One of the most complete and up-to-date Linux resources on the Web is Linux Forums, which covers all aspects of living in the open-source world and includes plenty of useful tutorials.
The Linux Forums site provides many useful tutorials for new Linux users.
(Credit: Linux Forums)Another great site for Linux tutorials is LinuxQuestions.org, which cover hardware, software, networking, and security. The site's wiki includes a comprehensive "Getting Started" section.
More advanced Linux tutorials are found on HowtoForge, though most of the threads in the site's forums seem to lead nowhere. There are plenty of resources for Linux beginners at the YoLinux Information Portal, as well as security updates for various distros and links to other Linux-related sites.
Finally, to keep abreast of the latest happenings in the Linux world, check out the Linux Foundation, which recently published a white paper on development of the Linux kernel.
Tomorrow: get more power out of your notebook computer's battery.
My 3-year-old Hewlett-Packard PC stopped playing optical discs a couple of months ago. Not only were the built-in DVD and CD-ROM drives out of commission, I couldn't even get a brand-new external DVD drive to work. I searched and searched for driver updates, but came up empty. It wasn't until I happened upon a Registry patch on Chris Pirillo's great Lockergnome site that I got the machine to recognize the optical drives.
The patch was provided by a volunteer who had no affiliation with HP, Microsoft, or the drive vendors. It's not uncommon for PC experts to tell people to update their drivers, but I wonder if these people ever look for updates themselves.
Here's another example: I've got a Samsung SyncMaster 170MP LCD monitor that I've been using for going on five years now. It's a great little monitor (though at 17 inches diagonal it wasn't considered "little" when I bought it). Unfortunately, when I upgraded to Vista, I noticed some minor pixel swimming. As PC nuisances go, the dancing pixels are trivial--they're apparent only where a dark window edge meets a light one--but I'd rather they stopped their shuffling.
I just visited the support section of Samsung's site only to find that the company doesn't offer a Vista version of the driver for this model. Nor could I find one at any of the many sites that specialize in device-driver downloads. So I guess I'll have to put up with the pixel sizzle until I collect enough loose change to buy a new Vista-ready monitor.
Rules for avoiding hardware obsolescence
1) Don't upgrade your operating system. If the OS didn't come with the hardware, there's a great chance that an update will render some of your PC's components unusable.
2) Don't expect hardware vendors to support the products you buy from them more than a year after the purchase. In fact, you can't count on much help from them at all after the standard warranties expire. You may get troubleshooting help from other users of the products, however.
3) Before you buy any hardware, find out when it was originally released. I believe all PC components should come with a freshness date. About a year ago I bought a Linksys router that was reviewed favorably by several independent tech sites--when it was originally released 18 months earlier. In the interim, it was found to require a firmware update, but I didn't find out about its outdated firmware until I spent a day and a half trying unsuccessfully to install it on my home network. (After I downloaded the update, it worked without a hitch.)
4) Be careful when you mix and match old and new hardware and software. Replacing the hard drive on your trusty-but-ancient PC with an enormous-capacity drive that spins twice as fast as the old one will work only if the system is capable of supporting the faster speed and higher capacity. You may find it's more efficient to spend the money as part of the cost of a new PC.
5) When all else fails, bug the vendor. Send an e-mail to the company's support address (but don't bother calling the toll-free support number unless you have lots and lots of time on your hands). Detail the problem, and ask for a solution. Just don't expect to be offered one. However, if enough people complain about the same problem, the chances improve that the vendor will actually do something useful, even if it's simply to offer a discount on a replacement.
Wednesday: The first steps toward a New Year's resolution to compute in a Microsoft-less (and Apple-less) world.
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