Hi CHARLES! :-)

 CA> True but the majority won't use a compiler if they can avoid it
 CA> and I personally don't like 'office suites'. 
Me neither, 't was just an example.

 CA> At one time OEMs included working apps along with Windows to
 CA> help sell the machine. The costs were rolled into the user's
 CA> cost of purchasing the machine but seemed trivial compared to a
 CA> 'no OS' machine of similar quality. 
Yes, which is one of the main reasons for Windows' market share today. You
just get it with the computer and that's it.

 CA> Windows OS (full installs) are quite pricey. I was a bit
 CA> shocked when I checked recently. :-\ 
Most people get their Windows version as outlined above, that's why many
people don't realize what the real costs can be if you, for example, want
to buy Windows for installation on a machine you built yourself. No cheaper
version available then...

 CA> The security problems of Windows do make you wonder if they
 CA> _ever_ tested them before releasing them into the 'wild'. I
 CA> would've expected a more thorough testing from such a major
 CA> player in the industry. They've shot themselves in the foot
 CA> bigtime. 
Well, obviously, caring for security and doing really thoroughly testing
costs money. Why should a business do it BEFORE problems become public?
Reputation is not a problem for MS with their huge market share already
being a reality.

 CA> Well ... I played with my DOS and W31 setup for over 10 years
 CA> to get it 'right'.
Yes, I did that to when I still ran DOS/W31, but it's a different kind of
playing. In those times, it was mostly trial and error and getting to know
stuff from people who had done the trail and error game before you. With
Linux, I can take a look at the source code if no official docs exist, and
there is no guessing involved (one still does trial and error for
unimportant stuff, of course, but if it's an important matter, you can
really look it up).

The thing is, dealing with software shouldn't have to be trial and error.
Programs running in a controlled enviroment (which is the job of an OS to
provice) should always behave the same given the same inputs, and how they
behave should be documented (whether in a correct manual or source doesn't
matter that much). That way, you can look up what you need to do and it
works. 

And most of "Windows tips and tricks" isn't at all like that.
It's more like "try this and if this doesn't work, although it should,
you can also try this, or reinstall". It has gotten better, granted.
WinXP is much better than 95 was.

Ciao
Pascal

--- Msged/LNX 6.1.1