Bill Gates christened the latest version of Windows "XP" to indicate it was for the "Experienced" user. It seems to me, adjectives such as "Exploitive", "Expensive" or "Expansive" may be more appropriate. XP is following Microsoft's time-honored approach for rolling out a release of Windows, e.g., release a product with much fanfare, without telling customers the true costs involved with its implementation.

In the October 29th issue of InfoWorld, their Test Center reported on the inferior performance of XP:

"The results of our benchmark tests indicate that Windows XP is significantly slower than Windows 2000, especially under heavy load. Unless investing in new hardware for demanding users is an option, companies should stick with Windows 2000."
(For the full report, click HERE).

Translation: the least expensive cost associated with XP is the price of the operating system. If companies are serious about installing XP, they'll have to seriously consider upgrading motherboards, additional processors, memory, and hard drives. This represents a significant investment with questionable returns. With this in mind, Bill Gates may have some second thoughts about releasing XP at a time when the economy can be described as "fragile" at best. Then again, as Gates well knows, "there's one born every minute."

I find all of this rather amusing. Years ago, programmers were very much concerned with minimizing the use of computer resources while maximizing machine processing efficiency. Not anymore. Now, it is assumed that a faster processor and more resources will compensate for programming inefficiencies. Consequently, programming for machine efficiency is ignored.

What is sad in all of this, is that OS/2 just sits on the sidelines with little interest from the public or the vendor that developed it. Its kind of like having the homecoming queen bound and gagged, while all the other uglier and less personable girls get to dance.

I find it most troubling that despite the fact that everyone recognizes Microsoft as a bona fide monopoly, they are content to let them off the hook with nothing more than a slapping of the wrist. I'm sure the elders of AT&T and IBM, who faced similar charges years ago, are rolling their eyes over this one. I just hope the handful of state attorney generals holding-out from signing off on the federal government's proposed settlement, have the courage to demand stricter sanctions.

Anthrax Aftermath

While the "War on Terrorism" is still fresh in our minds, I want to change gears and talk about how the war is affecting us at home. Recently, we received a suspicious looking letter bearing strange handwriting from a Paul Emile Noel of Brooklyn, NY. Not only did we not know the sender, the letter was atypical of what we normally receive in the mail. Under normal circumstances, we would have just discarded the letter and not given it a second thought. However, remembering a recent notice we received from the Post Office about suspicious letters and packages, we decided to call them and ask what to do with the letter. We were told to notify our local law enforcement officials which we dutifully did. Two deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff's office arrived shortly thereafter. They agreed that the letter appeared suspicious but said it was probably harmless. To be on the safe side though, they called the Fire Department who was responsible for wrapping the letter in plastic and dispatched the local Hazardous Waste Unit (HWU) to our offices. After the HWU arrived, they took the letter and placed it in a portable isolation unit where they could safely handle it. Upon opening it, the letter was nothing more than an innocent inquiry regarding our products. Had it been otherwise, it would have had to be specially transported to Tampa where is would have been carefully destroyed.

By this point, eight people had been summoned to our offices: two deputies, four firemen, and two members assigned to the HWU. In addition, there was the deputies' car with special equipment, fire truck, and the HWU truck also with special equipment. As I was adding up the costs in my head for handling this insignificant letter, I overheard the deputy's radio report two more cases of "suspicious mail." I asked the deputy if "suspicious mail" was becoming a problem in the Tampa Bay area. He told me that although such reports were beginning to taper off, they were still getting about 100 calls a day from our county alone.

I'm sure Tampa Bay is not alone in handling such mail and the cost to the taxpayer must be astronomical. The terrorists may not be beating us on the battlefield, but they sure are making an impact on our pocketbook. As to Mr. Noel of Brooklyn: thanks for the pitiful penmanship. We owe you one.

Keep the Faith!