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August 15, 2003

Quality Software

Phones ringing. All day (yesterday). Non stop. Not my phone but all the phones around me. I got a few, mainly wrong numbers. All the same: "yadda yadda WORM yadda yadda VIRUS yadda yadda END-OF-WORLD yadda yadda". Speaking from experience, the punters do not appreciate jokes that link worms with garden shops or virii with medical clinics. Nor are they impressed when you explain that you look after REAL computers that run REAL operating systems that do not fall over just because yet another bug has been found in the worlds most dangerous software.

All together now.... 'Here's a nickel son, get yourself a real computer'.

Actually, I had a brilliant thought. When you learn to drive in Australia (16+ years old), you start with L plates (these are attached to the car to warn other drivers that you are a 'L'unatic) and must have a real driver to accompany you when driving. Then after passing tests you move on to P plates ('P'est) and there are various limits (like speed and alcohol consumption) for a period of time. Eventually you move on to a regular licence. The point is that you have to start under supervision. Maybe we should introduce that sort of scheme for the internet. Everyone with a WinTel system has to start with an 'L' plate and be accompanied by a real computer user who supervises the internet for them. Once they pass the 'no virii for three months' then they get their P plates. When they upgrade to something more serious (like Linux or a Mac) they can upgrade to a full licence :-)

Actually that is not really fair. In the case of driving you need to improve your skills but in the case of trying to keep a PC virus free there is nothing you can do - you are competing against Microslosh and they can introduce bugs faster than you can patch them.

Posted by Ozguru at August 15, 2003 06:08 AM

Comments

Tsk tsk...remember your "weakness" Ozg ;-) Oh and btw, in India we just have a Learner's license, and 6 months later a full-fledged one. If you happen to have some "contacts" then you can get the full-fledged one directly too...and even earlier than the stipulated minimum age(18).

Posted by: Jivha at August 15, 2003 06:08 AM

I had no idea about the Learner's license ....a very sensible approach! See? I learn something new every day.

Posted by: Da Goddess at August 15, 2003 06:08 AM

[...] y 1 - I propose a strategy to solve all of the existing IT problems… Here’s a nickel son, get yourself a real computer…** [* i.e. unemp [...]

Posted by: G'day Mate! » Solutions Architect - Windows at August 15, 2003 06:08 AM