Microsoft extends security patch support for some Windows 7 users

** I was getting long-winded (shocker, Bry), and so separated this.
There’s more to it, but for years Microsoft has tried to be Apple aesthetically. I can’t deny Apple’s solid hardware and pretty software–but Microsoft built their oligarchy on the business world and shouldn’t yearn to emulate Apple’s hipster veneer. MS strip away what once worked well in exchange for what proponents would describe as “cleaner,” but at great cost to efficiency (the fact that so many people prize aesthetics over function is indicative of bigger problems). To think of Microsoft as merely caught up in this is thought-provoking, but few entities have the clout to help counteract it. Yet they won’t–they put more R&D into planned obsolescence than into helping people work.
Hide file extensions for known file types.
This quirk surfaces in filenames like “song.doc.doc.” Remove useful information in the name of being “pretty.” Mistakes are easy: I once duplicated every item on my desktop (in .3 seconds) by bumping a coffee mug with a mouse. Ctrl-Z was my buddy, but if a user inadvertently associates a .PDF with Notepad or a .ZIP with Excel there’s no recourse for someone who doesn’t understand what they’ve done–or doesn’t notice until later. Apparent file extensions would lessen this crisis (right before that big meeting with the boss). MS isn’t alone on this point. And the default behavior is wrong.
“all folders of this type” settings
Mentioned in a prior comment, this is deception masquerading as convenience or AI. Clicking a column header is faster than built-in search…so why hide that option from me? It might be neat to add “track#” columns, but why remove size and modified date?
abstracted “Libraries” instead of simple, direct access to “My Documents”
This ghostly layer of obfuscation makes it difficult to find the actual point on the filesystem where the file resides–the address bar is useless. Now taking backups is more complicated unless you trust Microsoft’s built-in backup paradigm. I’ve been doing them too long on my own and remember when there were no backups–and then when the built-in ones were worse than none. Remember briefcase? It was a marginally neat idea…so we can’t keep it.
With the banner of simplicity (to paraphrase Bruce Schneier, “Convenience Theater“) they continue making it harder for people to understand how their computers work, adding more layers of smoke and mirrors in a steadfast juggernaut of form-over-function.
As our world grows ever more digital, we should see a general trend of increased comprehension. Yet after three decades of Windows people still are more likely to simply give up and just buy a new PC “because the memory got full.” I don’t worry about losing my job once everyone has some basic knowledge–I want people to learn and grow more confident with their computing. We’re all here to help each other. But Microsoft wants people in the dark.
And all this aside the cutthroat monopolistic corporate behavior drastically reducing consumer options. I wish the antitrust suit had stuck here like it did in the E.U. It was good for phones.