It's 2008 not 2001

I just received a call from my girlfriend, Esther. She had some problems with her notebook computer which is running on Windows XP. As I talk to her on the phone, I realized that her Windows settings was a "little" different from mine. I realized that the "Start Menu" settings was set to "Classic Start Menu". It irks me so. It's 2008 and not 2001 (when they, the Microsoft Corp, launched Windows XP).

Esther had her computer restored after a hard drive failure. The technician repaired the damage by replacing it with a new hard drive. It also requires the technician to re-install Windows XP on to the new drive. What that technician did was correct and he/she did follow the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). The only thing he left out is he set the Windows settings to “Classic Start Menu”. That is so…so…long past.

The Windows XP has that “Classic Start Menu” setting to help computer idiots (like me) to find our way around and do things (changing settings and other configurations) like the older method (which is Windows 2000 or Windows ME). Microsoft was “kind” enough to let us users to use the older method of doing things while the users continue to go about their business. The users would and should move on to (explore and use) the new features and layout. Remembering the days when Windows 95 first came out and it took a while for us users to get use to the features and “how to do things” from Windows 3.1 (or Windows 3.11).

That was then and this is now.

Here we are in 2008 and still some of the Windows users are not using the “new” (by now it is old) settings and features. Windows Vista is already out and with new features, layout and everything else (a whole bundle). Why are these technicians still going around using the old layouts and features? I just don’t get it. I mean shouldn’t they have enough experience to us the new layouts, settings and “way to do things”? Windows XP is old, it has been on earth (launched on 25th of October of 2001) over 6 years ago (6 years 3 months and 8 days at the time of this writing). What on earth are these technicians doing? I wonder.

I haven’t tried the new Windows Vista yet (didn’t find the need to do that) and when I do, I’ll go straight to use the new features/layout and not trying to figure out the “older method of doing things”. :)

Anyway, here’s to us…looking forward and not backward and trying to say “those were the days and the ways of doing things”. Try not to tell kids or the younger ones about how “back in those days, we had to…” but try to see from a newer perspective. It may just be a pleasant surprise.

Brian over and out.