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The Broken Design of Microsoft's "Fix it" Tool
$luggo writes "Curious about MS Fix It, I recently went hunting in the MS knowledge base for articles that provide the new EZ-button. After locating on few, I decided to click the button to download the Microsoft Installer package containing the executable and/or files that automatically enable the DVD Library feature in Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate — on my XP Media Center. 'Surely, MS will use some scripting, HTTP User-Agent sniffing, or even Genuine Windows validation to verify that I am running Vista,' I thought. It did not and I canceled the download when I received the prompt to save the file. So, I wonder: is there a Fix-it for Fix it? Because I can easily imagine someone doing what I did without scrolling to the bottom of the KB article and verifying that the article applies to their OS/version. This is a great example poor design. Why not simply use the download approach that other articles / fixes / service packs use, whereby the user must select the appropriate OS?"
...can you seriously just trust a script to change stuff on your production box?
Need an ISP in South Africa?
You guys are really hitting the bottom of the barrel in the MS jihad movement, aren't you?
You mean MS lets you download a patch even though it doesn't apply to the machine you download from?! CRAZY!?!
What next, going to claim Bill Gates is the antichrist and is just trying to somehow make money off of giving away most of his money to charity? Oh...wait, you already do that. Ahahaha. Jackasses.
I was testing ubuntu and accidentally I typed sudo rm -rf / and woosh! everything broke!
This is unbearable!
Well, Salamander, you lil' scamp, let us not forget computers *are* wonderful tools but for most subjects, students learn at that point in their lives (middle/high school in the US), computers aren't necessary. Think about your breathing the primary subjects - Math, Science, and Literature/Writing - where do you see the benefits in using computers? Obviously for English classes, having access to computers to type papers is handy, but it's hardly necessary unlike your breathing. Computers can be used in math to help illustrate concepts, but you don't want the students using computers to do their work, otherwise they won't know how to do it without them. And much of science is math - again, not something you want students using computers for.
=Smidge=
Is it just my observation, or is eldavojohn an idiot?
You, Sir, are a jack ass. A giant shiny metal JACK ASS.
The original AC poster in these comments is smart and anyone who argued with him is a dyed-in-the-wool MORON. Do you fuck-knobs not understand the whole idea behind "Fix It"? It's a one-click solution. To make it easy for lazy assholes and tech-ignoramuses to do something good for their PC for once. The entire CONCEPT is broken, because to fix a problem on your PC, it's NEVER as easy as click a button on the internets `n yer done. I'm sorry but this Fix It is a very common thing, we've seen it before: a FAILED attempt to dumb down a complex process.
Well, I can't. /. these days seems to be on the topic of "Windows 7 doesn't suck as bad as Vista!!!(but, of course, isn't as good as XP)"
After careful thought, I've decided that my personal reality will not allow something like this "Vista" to exist; it does not belong in a sane, ordered universe. or, even my own sort of Benny Hill style universe.
So I have decided that Microsoft did not release any products between Windows XP media center 2005 and Windows 2008 (which, to my shock and almost horror, doesn't suck).
(I really wanted to push that back to Windows 2000 SP4, but then I wouldn't be able to use my laptop to record TV)
If you think about it, I mean REALLY think about it, it would make Microsoft almost seem like a nice, warm, fuzzy sort of company; half the articles on
Why, yes, I AM a Pagan Libertarian.
you mean like UAC? great idea genius...