More Microsoft Poo

This morning I hear that Microsoft's IE7 has gone final (release the balloons!). So, since I had the latest beta on my computer, I decided to upgrade. Now, I use Firefox 99% of the time and usually open IE when I either absolutely have to or I am beta testing something and need to test it under IE. Lately, I have been moving farther and farther away from Microsoft products and my update of IE7 clearly illustrates why.

Somewhere deep in the bowels of Microsoft, in a dark, dusty, cobweb infested room filled with old computers (probably Apple IIc's) lives the creature that long ago decided that every single thing you change on a Windows computer should require a restart of the machine. No, not a logoff, a shutdown and restart. Why? No one knows and the restart troll ain't givin' up the company secret. So, here's what it took to upgrade to IE7 final:

First, I go to Softpedia.com for the download, thus avoiding the Windows Genuine Advantage validation of my operating system. Do I fear being caught with a bootleg copy of Windows? No, it's legal and has been validated many times, far too many times and I'm sick of it; so I download from sites that don't require this silly, irritating waste of my time. Besides.....well, you'll see.

Next, I start the program and it uninstalls the old version of IE7. Wait, isn't this an update? Why uninstall all of the old version? Was it written from scratch? Hold on! What's this? A restart for the uninstall.?! Okay, I guess we gotta flush the poo out of the system.

After the restart, the install program continues with, yes you guessed it, a validation of my operating system! That's right, I'm such a notorious criminal that my operating system had to be checked by the Office of WindowsLand Security not once, but twice! That's what I get for thinking I could put one over on the richest man in the world. Silly me, thinking I could dodge validation. I should be locked in a dungeon with Clippy (I see you're trying to breath, would you like me to help remove the noose?).

So, now that I'm all valid and Bill's Billions are safe, IE7 installs and finally finishes with...yes...drum roll please...a RESTART! Moments later the machine starts anew, loads my previously unknown personal settings and welcomes me to the bright new future of IE7 Final, which I promptly close so I can open Firefox and check my Gmail.

Would someone at Mozilla or Google please write an operating system. Wait, Macs don't usually require much more than a logout for program installation and Apple doesn't treat it's customers like criminals. Maybe my next update should be from a Mac Mini to a G5.