RE: Bill Gates blames the victim (LONG)

[Bill Borton <bborton () conwin com>]

At 11:02 AM 9/3/03 -0500, Robert Ahnemann wrote:

> Let's relate this to real life (flame that line if you want).  Your car
> has a defect that causes the oil pan to leak.  Ford (I drive one, I can
> talk) issues a recall saying they know about the leak and are offering
> you a free fix, if you would just take the time to take the car to the
> shop.  You decide that you know better and that you would rather not
> invest the time.  You engine is lying on the ground three weeks later.
> Whose fault is it?  They told you it was a problem.  You neglected to
> address it.  I can tell you who will be paying for the engine.   Today's
> society is about dissolving accountability.  I'm all for changing this
> around.

Ooh! I love the car/OS analogies!  (Hmm... or are they metaphores?)

Okay, now lets make Ford like Microsoft...

My Ford has an oil leak. Ford doesn't call to tell me to tell me there's
a big problem with oil leaks and a fix is available, but I find out from a
guy on the Internet that they will fix it for free.  I get my car back
home from the shop and the next day there's oil all over the floor.
I call Ford and they tell me they'll fix it next week.

A month later a repair is available.  On the way home from the shop
I crash into a tree because the oil leak fix conflicted with the brake
system.  Ford says, yeah, that's been happening... there should be
a fix for the fix next week.   I spend more than the car is worth rebuilding
it,  (Ford said I should have test driven it before I drove it home.) but can't
really drive it safely until the fixed fix is available.  I get home from
the shop without getting in an accident (after the fixed fix) and as I pull
into my driveway my neighbor says, Hey bill, did you know you've got a
pretty bad oil leak? Disgusted, I take my Ford to the dealer and want to
buy another car, preferably non Ford.  He informs me that all the dealers
in the area carry only Fords.  But, he says, the newest, fanciest, most
expensive Ford has been completely redesigned and is guaranteed not
to have oil leaks.

Without much choice, I tell the dealer I'll take the new Ford and would
like to trade in my old Ford.  He informs me the old one isn't worth
anything, but for a few dollars off he can give me an upgrade.  I just
have to keep my old Ford at home and every time I want to start the
engine of my new Ford, I have to put the key in the old one first.  This
works okay for awhile. (Although I have to have the new Ford rebuilt as
well because I'm T-boned by a guy in an older Ford that just repaired his
oil leak.)  A little bit later I come out and my new Ford has an oil leak!

I call Ford and they tell me there will be a fix next week.  The fix is 
available
in a couple of months and I take it in for repair.  Remembering my brake
incident, I stomp on the brakes several times hard, check the lights, washers
and air bag.  It all works well.  I try to drive home but can't get there 
because
the interstate is blocked with leaky Fords that have been T-boned by leaky
Fords with bad brakes.  I try to pass the time by listening to the radio... 
but it
doesn't work any more. Since I can't get home, I head back to the dealer to
complain about the radio.  They tell me they can get the radio working but the
"work-around" will kill my rear defogger.  If I wait another 6 months 
though, a new
model is being released that won't have oil, brake or radio problems...

I get angry and drive out of town to a dealership I heard about that can supply
me with a custom configured *NIX Automobile.  The dealer is cool but the new
*NIX is way harder to drive than the Ford.  I like it though and decide to 
buy one.
Unfortunately, there is some kind of law or agreement that says I have to pay
for a Ford (even though I don't get it) as well a fee to have my new *NIX setup
and delivered.

At this point I give up with the dealers, go buy the book "Rebuilding your Ford
into a *NIX in 21 days", do so, and live happily ever after. ( Later, I 
have a good
laugh when a Ford rep comes on TV and tells the world that the latest Ford
fiasco could have been avoided if all owners would just give a spare set of
house keys to them so they could come in whenever they want and work on
them when the owners aren't around. )



Okay... That was long and convoluted.  My apologies to those who didn't 
find it amusing...
I guess my point is that I don't think software companies can/should be 
held responsible
for their code except in cases where that was part of the sales 
aggrement.  Software is
a business like any other and users should vote with their money.  If a 
product doesn't
work as advertised and/or their service is lacking, I don't buy it.  Other 
consumers
catch on and don't buy it either.  Unfortunately, this is a market where 
the informed
consumer is rare.  It's a shame that circumstances have been such that M$ 
could gain
the foothold/leverage it has.  I still use M$ for some things... sometimes 
it's just easier
to drive a leaky Ford that to build a custom *NIX.   I don't get too upset 
about it crashing
though and, as a good "Netizen", I make sure it doesn't damage anyones 
else's property
when it does.

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