The May ’97 issue of Windows Magazine (on page 39) has an article written by Cheryl Currid which no one should miss. In it, she quotes the Gartner Group as pegging the total cost of ownership (TCO) for a Windows PC at about $30,000 over three years. But wait! Before you start laughing at the idea of a Windoze magazine confessing such things, you have to hear the rest: she goes on to state that the biggest part of this cost is the user. That’s right, she blames the poor sap behind the keyboard for the high support costs. I found it amusing that Ms. Currid conveniently ignores the notion that an easy-to-use operating system could greatly impact this figure, given that an application’s user interface takes its cues directly from the operating system’s interface. Ms. Currid instead bases her pipe dreams about future Windoze conquests on the catch-phrase “intelligent technologies.” This vaporware-sounding idea is aimed at changing applications, not the operating system, and is supposed to be accomplished by a coalition of disparate companies. An excerpt: “These software solutions, coupled with industry initiatives, should go a long way toward reducing spiraling ownership costs.” Can you guess which companies are involved? Intel, HP, IBM, Microsoft, and Novell, among others. Can you picture these players even in the same city? And blaming us users for their problems? At least we can beat up Apple in the press until they make us happy! What will they think of next? Instead of bashing our PC acquaintances, maybe we should pity them... On second thought, bashing them is more fun =:-) Windows Magazine is at: http://www.winmag.com It should be in the "Windows at Work" section. Read it and laugh! Matt Warner

Page Last Updated Fri, Dec 10, 1999