In no particular order, I give you my Windows and Microsoft annoyances. Trying not to favour another OS, and yes, I still use Windows.
File/Folder layout
Yup, this is a killer. Windows over the time has been built up of hack ontop of hack, and it’s file structure has changed several times, but with every change the older folders have been left for legacy applications. In OS X, GNU/Linux and BSD operating systems file locations are some what sensible. /etc for config files, /lib for libraries, /home for homes, /bin for binaries. It’s all placed in logical places.
Application Support files / Install
Windows has no single way to install and setup applications. Installers are not standardised and usually make a mess of the system. There is no one location for start up applications and every time you want to install or remove an application you must use a software vendors application, trusting them to clean up their mess.
Support files for applications are scattered throughout the system and it makes backing up a programs setting is fairly hard. It is slowly improving with Local Settings and Application Data, but still fair from perfect.
Standards
Microsoft can’t even follow their own standards, so how are developers meant to. Microsoft event’s a new standard for each problem they run into, and don’t even bother to look at existing standards to improve on.
EEE
Which brings me to my next point. The good old EEE – Embrace extend and extinguish. The wiki page explains it quite well, and even provides examples :>
DIrectX
Well fuck you DirectX.
Shell / Command Line
Oh dear god. The current standard shell is absolutely use, and has barely improved since DOS 6. Oh well, at least we have tab completion now. YAY! The good news is PowerShell is looking pretty cool. Shame PowerShell isn’t supported on Windows 2000.
Dodgy Virus Protection
Windows has protected once again. To slow down virus they have limited our connections and removed our telnet. It hasn’t stopped viruses, although it has annoyed the hell out of us.
Requirement to have a virii scanner
An operating system that suggests you run a virus scanner is flawed. All that should be required is security updates every several days, not a whole new product by a third party.
5000 versions of the same product (ultimate ect…)
Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Business Premium, Ultimate. This makes maintaing computers an absolute bitch, and just silly. Provide one operating system for all computers. Eg OS X :P.
NTFS not being an open standard
This really isn’t a Windows annoyance, but an announce if you aren’t using Windows. NTFS standard needs to be open so other operating systems can read it.
Updates
Windows is excellent at updating every 3 hours, not to mention updating even when automatic updates has been turned off. This is quite annoying for me, and people that just want to turn off their computers. Instead they have to wait an hour just install a simple update.
Warning Messages
If you ever download an application on Windows Vista or 7, you’ll have just under 8 warning messages to click allow to, and due to this, all users become quite jaded towards the messages, and completely ignore them.
Unrelated Note
On an unrelated note, I would like to see Windows have a unified way to saving application data, and sandbox each applications. When applications want to use other applications data files the OS throws up a warning message asking if the program can have control over those files.
I think that windows, linux and OSX all have their good and bad points.
I totally agree on all the points you make Michael.
Linux and MacOSX are perfect in my opinion. It’s just everyone else is locked into Windows which makes alternatives almost possible to use on a daily basis.
The best part about GNU/Linux, and BSD distro’s is most of it is open source. So if you find a problem, you can fix it yourself. If I find a bug or a problem with Windows, all I can do is submit a bug report and hope that MS listens to me, and releases a patch 3 years later…
I’d just like to point out that quite a few of the problems that you mentioned have been fixed in more recent versions of Windows (such as the PowerShell). There’s no point whinging about the past, because frankly, MacOS 9 was crap.
Aside from that, I’d also like to make the point that most of your other points aren’t Windows fault. Take for instance the problems of applications having awful installation/removal programs and leaving support files everywhere. Both of these have been addressed in a Microsoft-supported manner (via Windows Installer and the Application Settings folder) since Windows 2000. It’s just that lazy/clueless programmers ignore them.
Really, what you’re complaining about mostly isn’t Windows… it’s lazy and clueless application programmers, which while Microsoft has had their fair share, occur everywhere.
Yeah I should of pointed that out. Lazy developers are one of the main reasons I hate Windows. I won’t yet count Power Shell until corporate starts using either 7 or rolls out power shell to all terminals.
Quality of Windows apps are very poor except the few made by either Microsoft or by larger companies (but even they still use weird and wonderful installers). I think the biggest cause for that is the lack of development tools in the beginning without paying or pirating.
OS X provides a nice solution to both lazy developers and users but just packing everything up into a .app folder. No need for an installer. xCode is pretty epic, and it seems developers are using it to make decent apps.