It’s not as if we have a choice.
If we buy a new laptop computer, we’re stuck with Windows Millennium Edition, the operating system released by Bill Gates and company last fall. A few of us will buy a PC running Windows 2000, the sequel to Windows NT, while a few others will think different and get a Macintosh.
And yet we like to pretend that we’ve got a choice.
When I reviewed computer operating systems for frequent travelers in early 2000, I left readers with the impression that this might be the year that our options expanded. There was Windows 2000 and Windows ME and Linux and even a new flavor of the Mac OS. There was the Microsoft antitrust trial steaming forward, and it looked like the Gates monopoly would be broken at last.
But in much the same way that the airlines failed to reform their ways two years ago despite heartfelt promises, the assurance of more competitive operating systems crash-landed on the realities of the marketplace. We evidently didn’t want more choices, we wanted easy – and upgrading our old Windows 98 SE systems to ME, or our Windows NT servers to Windows 2000, was just easier. Damn the antitrust thing.
Now we’re all pretty much stuck with what we’ve got: more of the same.
PC Magazine’s Edward Mendelson called Windows ME “the most radical upgrade yet in the Windows 9x family,” and I couldn’t agree less. While the under-the-hood improvements may be impressive, the net result is a flawed and largely useless Windows update. Bottom line is, hold on to that Windows 98 SE system as long as you can.
Go ahead, wave as many schematics and technical documents at me as you want. I’ve been using ME for the last two months, and I don’t like it. Here’s why:
WINDOWS ME DOESN’T PLAY NICE WITH MY HARDWARE.
The new OS is supposed to use so-called “digital signatures” to ensure that my PC works well with the latest hardware devices. The virtual John Hancock verifies that a driver has been designed and tested to meet Microsoft standards for compatibility with Windows. However, I experienced more problems with my external devices than ever before. My external hard drive didn’t always register when I plugged it in; ditto for my add-on floppy drive. Give me Windows 98 SE – or better yet, let me have my old Mac back!
WINDOWS ME IS TOO SMART FOR ITS OWN GOOD.
Its new “System Restore” function allows you to undo changes to hardware, software, or settings on your computer to get back to its “great performance” – Microsoft’s words, not mine. Practically speaking, it means that the OS tries to think for you, and we all know what happens when a computer tries to think for us (remember, this is 2001). I haven’t had the pleasure of watching ME restore my system. I hope I never do. However, the system “remembers” when an action leads to a freeze, and then tries to disable the function. For example, my laptop froze when I tried to hibernate. After disabling the “hibernate” function, I couldn’t access it again.
WINDOWS ME ISN’T STABLE.
I’ve lost count of the number of times my programs have spontaneously quit after triggering a system error. And these aren’t clunky third-party programs, but homegrown Microsoft applications like Outlook and Word. Funny, but I always thought that an OS upgrade meant your PC would work better – not worse. My mistake.
WINDOWS ME GIVES US WHAT WE DON’T NEED.
As a home user, I’m sure the new DirectX technology that helps run DVDs and games and features full-color graphics, video, 3-D animation, and surround sound – again, those are largely Microsoft’s words, not mine – are appealing. As a frequent traveler, I’d prefer an OS that boots up faster, that helps me manage the abrupt starts and stops that my notebook endures when I travel (open, close, open, close), and allows me to control my power consumption with more precision. If these features are present in ME, they’re not immediately apparent.
WINDOWS ME OFFERS THE WRONG KIND OF NETWORKING.
I’m intrigued by ME’s new array of networking options, such as the Internet connection-sharing feature, which allows all Windows-based computers and devices to share a single connection. Or its new Home Networking Wizard, which lets you to create a network of computers that generously include Windows 95 and 98 machines. But as a road warrior, I’d have much rather seen an overhaul of its antiquated dial-up networking control panel. The current application is cumbersome, difficult to use, and comes with scant support. I end up creating dozens of panels when I’m on the road – one for each new dial-up or LAN connection.
Is Windows ME right for you? No. It may be OK for the casual PC user or for a small business, but avoid taking this OS on the road with you. I would prefer the Mac family of operating systems, or even Windows 98 SE over this so-called “improvement.”
I’m beginning to think that they’ll never make an operating system that’s suited for frequent travelers. In 2002, when I write the next installment of my annual OS column, we’ll probably be doing the same thing we do now: enhancing our computer operating systems with a patchwork of third-party applications that help us overcome Windows’ shortcomings.
See you then.
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