Okay, perhaps Bill Gates is not the devil incarnate. But follow my line of reasoning, and perhaps agree that he is the root cause of technological anger and frustration throughout the universe, nay, even the Solar System. Bringing affordable and essentially limitless connectedness, information, resources, and cat videos aside, let me opine. And save your “first world probs” comments. Do you realize how angst inciting it was back in the day to wait for a cat video to load and play on a dial-up connection? And stealing pirated songs, err… sharing music files? Fuhgeddaboudit!
As much as we have benefitted from computers, they are not devoid of their own inherent problems. I’ll save the pervasiveness of harmful content for another day and simply stick to the operating system itself. And from my own experience, I’ll direct my observations (vitriol) towards the aforementioned Windows, but I’ll freely acknowledge that the Apple OS certainly has its detractors. Now bear in mind that I am to technical explanations what the captain of the Hindenburg was to landing dirigibles. Too soon? lolz.
As I understand it, a computer’s operating system simply makes the machine function, coordinating a power source and hardware components with the programmed instructions to perform specific tasks, ideally those of the user. The OS is not, in and of itself, designed to freeze up, shut down, or crash, CAUSING THE USER TO LOSE A MONTH’S WORTH OF WORK OR IRREPLACEABLE FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS, at least theoretically speaking. Admittedly, this is not the fault of Bill Gates. Although it was pretty hysterical that during a demo of new software, he suffered the “Blue Screen Of Death”, lumping him in with the rest of us mere mortals. And he did foist Windows 8 on unsuspecting consumers, so come to think of it, maybe he is Satan. PCs and Macs, like everything else in our fallen world, can never perfectly do what they are intended to do. Unfortunately, we share in this reality. While this is our daily experience, is there anything we can do about it, or must we resign ourselves to “lead lives of quiet desperation”? There is a fix!
(Click “Stand on Firmer Ground” for deeper look into Windows OS, BSOD…)