Is this slashdot or Classiccmp? Re: Microsoft bashing

Christian Liendo wrote: Personally, I see this as having nothing to do with vintage computing. So why is is here? I have a couple of 20 year old computers that use Windows were purchased new with Windows for Workgroups. Dunno, but 20 year old computers seem to be "classic" computers to me... Is there an "official" definition for "classic computer" for this list? I would also note that the interface and interconnection of older computers and newer ones is, or at least SHOULD be part of the process. Emulators (thanks, guys!) for various old computers which run on modern PCs are (IMHO) an utterly appropriate topic, but consist of modern software running on modern hardware. They only ACT like old computers together. Ouch. This "topic NAZI" business gets complicated quickly, doesn't it? I would also note that my message only appeared on the "On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" lists. However one judges it, it should qualify under at least ONE of those categories... no? Dont like the OS, dont use it. Keep your rants off here. You like telling others what to do, don't you? Sorry. I can tell I'm going to be a frustration to you. I have been in a situation for about a year and a half in which I have almost no choice but to use Windows XP very nearly exclusively. I'm not upset by this. I shut my machine down about twice a day, and then have relatively few O/S related issues in my life. I find that acceptable. The fact that Windows doesn't have "commands," but "suggestions," meaning that the O/S is apparently designed with the ability to choose to comply or not, I find somewhat confusing. I also find the lack of stability disturbing when compared with other O/S software, especially given the truly obscene amount of money Microsoft has earned. Seriously, give almost anyone here double-digit billions of dollars and twenty years, and I think ANY software product could be made incredibly stable -- I KNOW I could have done a better job that Microsoft has done, and I find that somewhat confusing. But these are fairly objective observations, no? They were, I would add, put in terms of comparison with OTHER ancient software manufacturers, who DID take faulty products, and made them much better once they got some decent sales money. Would you accuse me of "ranting" if I made similar observations comparing, say, the various Macintosh operating systems, or Linux distros, or HP's MPE versus Unix versions? Each platform has plusses and minuses. Does criticizing Windows violate tenets of YOUR religion? Otherwise, why the post? I hardly think you would be claiming that Windows (pick your favorite version) is perfect... or are you claiming that? I've been involved in electronic communications for a long time. A friend of mine and myself wrote an e-mail program for HP2000B Timeshare BASIC (Hey, it was all we had) back in 1971/1972. That's 27 years of e-chatting of various kinds. (Now I REALLY feel old.) I've SEEN rants -- many rants. I would certainly not call what I was doing "ranting" even if I was in a very hyperbolic mood. What about my post seems to be a "rant" to you? I would say that your post, while distressingly short, and devoid of any clever insults, is actually more of a rant than mine. I was not telling anyone else what to do, I was expressing opinions of my own. I often get paid very good money for my opinions, even without backing them up with logic and examples. I mean, people here are talking about UHF connectors, the PL259s and SO239s, in a rather negative way. Are they creating hardware rants? I think not; what's YOUR opinion on that?

Warren