OT...... 
Author Message
 OT......

Note, this is from 2003, but who wrote it ?
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Subject: Windows Usability Systematic degradation flame

I am quite disappointed at how Windows Usability has been going backwards
and the program management groups don't drive usability issues.

Let me give you my experience from yesterday.

I decided to download (Moviemaker) and buy the Digital Plus pack ... so I
went to Microsoft.com. They have a download place so I went there.

The first 5 times I used the site it timed out while trying to bring up
the download page. Then after an 8 second delay I got it to come up.

This site is so slow it is unusable.

It wasn't in the top 5 so I expanded the other 45.

These 45 names are totally confusing. These names make stuff like: C:
\Documents and Settings\billg\My Documents\My Pictures seem clear.

They are not filtered by the system ... and so many of the things are
strange.

I tried scoping to Media stuff. Still no moviemaker. I typed in movie.
Nothing. I typed in movie maker. Nothing.

So I gave up and sent mail to Amir saying - where is this Moviemaker
download? Does it exist?

So they told me that using the download page to download something was
not something they anticipated.

They told me to go to the main page search button and type movie maker
(not moviemaker!).

I tried that. The site was pathetically slow but after 6 seconds of
waiting up it came.

I thought for sure now I would see a button to just go do the download.

In fact it is more like a puzzle that you get to solve. It told me to go
to Windows Update and do a bunch of incantations.

This struck me as completely odd. Why should I have to go somewhere else
and do a scan to download moviemaker?

So I went to Windows update. Windows Update decides I need to download a
bunch of controls. (Not) just once but multiple times where I get to see
weird dialog boxes.

Doesn't Windows update know some key to talk to Windows?

Then I did the scan. This took quite some time and I was told it was
critical for me to download 17megs of stuff.

This is after I was told we were doing delta patches to things but
instead just to get 6 things that are labeled in the SCARIEST possible
way I had to download 17meg.

So I did the download. That part was fast. Then it wanted to do an
install. This took 6 minutes and the machine was so slow I couldn't use
it for anything else during this time.

What the heck is going on during those 6 minutes? That is crazy. This is
after the download was finished.

Then it told me to reboot my machine. Why should I do that? I reboot
every night -- why should I reboot at that time?

So I did the reboot because it INSISTED on it. Of course that meant
completely getting rid of all my Outlook state.

So I got back up and running and went to Windows Update again. I forgot
why I was in Windows Update at all since all I wanted was to get
Moviemaker.

So I went back to Microsoft.com and looked at the instructions. I have to
click on a folder called WindowsXP. Why should I do that? Windows Update
knows I am on Windows XP.

What does it mean to have to click on that folder? So I get a bunch of
confusing stuff but sure enough one of them is Moviemaker.

So I do the download. The download is fast but the Install takes many
minutes. Amazing how slow this thing is.

At some point I get told I need to go get Windows Media Series 9 to
download.

So I decide I will go do that. This time I get dialogs saying things like
"Open" or "Save". No guidance in the instructions which to do. I have no
clue which to do.

The download is fast and the install takes 7 minutes for this thing.

So now I think I am going to have Moviemaker. I go to my add/remove
programs place to make sure it is there.

It is not there.

What is there? The following garbage is there. Microsoft Autoupdate
Exclusive test package, Microsoft Autoupdate Reboot test package,
Microsoft Autoupdate testpackage1. Microsoft AUtoupdate testpackage2,
Microsoft Autoupdate Test package3.

Someone decided to trash the one part of Windows that was usable? The
file system is no longer usable. The registry is not usable. This program
listing was one sane place but now it is all crapped up.

But that is just the start of the crap. Later I have listed things like
Windows XP Hotfix see Q329048 for more information. What is Q329048? Why
are these series of patches listed here? Some of the patches just things
like Q810655 instead of saying see Q329048 for more information.

What an absolute mess.

Moviemaker is just not there at all.

So I give up on Moviemaker and decide to download the Digital Plus
Package.

I get told I need to go enter a bunch of information about myself.

I enter it all in and because it decides I have mistyped something I have
to try again. Of course it has cleared out most of what I typed.

I try (typing) the right stuff in 5 times and it just keeps clearing
things out for me to type them in again.

So after more than an hour of craziness and making my programs list
garbage and being scared and seeing that Microsoft.com is a terrible
website I haven't run Moviemaker and I haven't got the plus package.

The lack of attention to usability represented by these experiences blows
my mind. I thought we had reached a low with Windows Network places or
the messages I get when I try to use 802.11. (don't you just love that
root certificate message?)

When I really get to use the stuff I am sure I will have more feedback.
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Source: http://www.*-*-*.com/



Tue, 14 Dec 2010 07:20:28 GMT  
 OT......


Wed, 18 Jun 1902 08:00:00 GMT  
 OT......
DOH !!!!!! Wrong group !!!!!!!!!


Tue, 14 Dec 2010 07:21:24 GMT  
 OT......


Wed, 18 Jun 1902 08:00:00 GMT  
 OT......
Man...I can be a f-up sometimes !!!!


Tue, 14 Dec 2010 07:22:39 GMT  
 OT......

Quote:
> Man...I can be a f-up sometimes !!!!

Not to mention that a link to it was posted a couple of threads over: "At
least I'm not the only one ..."

Seems to be a hot topic. This is the third post I've seen about it today.



Tue, 14 Dec 2010 10:59:58 GMT  
 OT......

released on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:59:58 -0400 bearing the
following fruit:

Quote:


>> Man...I can be a f-up sometimes !!!!

>Not to mention that a link to it was posted a couple of threads over: "At
>least I'm not the only one ..."

And the links are getting posted all over the place for some
unknown reason, usually in some thin attempt to bash
microsoft or it's products.

How many developers haven't had their boss complain about
some aspect of their software (even if they are wrong!)

I don't see how the e-mail proves anything other than Bill
is just like any other boss.

I just don't see why people are making such a big deal over
it. Am I the only one?

--
Jan Hyde

https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Jan.Hyde



Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:31:34 GMT  
 OT......



Quote:

> released on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:59:58 -0400 bearing the
> following fruit:



>>> Man...I can be a f-up sometimes !!!!

>>Not to mention that a link to it was posted a couple of threads over: "At
>>least I'm not the only one ..."

> And the links are getting posted all over the place for some
> unknown reason, usually in some thin attempt to bash
> microsoft or it's products.

> How many developers haven't had their boss complain about
> some aspect of their software (even if they are wrong!)

> I don't see how the e-mail proves anything other than Bill
> is just like any other boss.

> I just don't see why people are making such a big deal over
> it. Am I the only one?

> --
> Jan Hyde

> https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Jan.Hyde

No :)

/Henning



Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:00:58 GMT  
 OT......


Quote:


>> Man...I can be a f-up sometimes !!!!

> Not to mention that a link to it was posted a couple of threads over:
> "At least I'm not the only one ..."

Well that's where I got it from.


Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:11:10 GMT  
 OT......


Quote:

> released on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:59:58 -0400 bearing the
> following fruit:



>>> Man...I can be a f-up sometimes !!!!

>>Not to mention that a link to it was posted a couple of threads over:
>>"At least I'm not the only one ..."

> And the links are getting posted all over the place for some
> unknown reason, usually in some thin attempt to bash
> microsoft or it's products.

To the contrary. Well, maybe not fully for MS, but for BG, it shows an
attitude of typical users when they have issues, and the frustrations they
feel. It shows BG as just being a normal person.


Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:15:11 GMT  
 
 [ 10 post ] 

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