We spent about 20 hours over the last few days trying to resolve a few “minor” computer glitches whose persistence could serve to explain why Microsoft is doomed. Go ahead and argue if you like. Our PC-savvy friend Cyrus says the firm’s hold on the O/S market is so entrenched that the company doesn’t have to even remotely care what customers think of the product. He says the Microsoft could sell the worst crap imaginable –which, probably tens of millions of PC users are ready to attest, they already do – and that neither PC users nor computer manufacturers would have much choice but to suffer along with whatever ill-conceived version of Windows the company comes out with next.

Fair enough. But we didn’t say Microsoft was going to die overnight. More like eight to ten years, but possibly as few as five if some company – Google comes to mind -- is able to exploit the software giant’s innumerable weaknesses with a comprehensive, Web-based solution. Meanwhile, more and more PC users are bound to discover what is becoming more and more obvious – i.e., that resolving even the most seemingly minor PC problem can eat up hours or even days of one’s time; and that, moreover, some of these minor problems are ultimately insoluble, even by tech wizards.

Up Till 4

The three glitches that had us laboring till 4 a.m. last night, on top of ten hours spent earlier on them, seemed innocuous at first: 1) Outlook could send e-mails via Comcast but not receive them; 2) a laptop screensaver would not work; and 3)  when accessing a POP mail server at G-Mail, Outlook would not save a password for which it prompted repeatedly.  Concerning that last item, if you Google the phrase “Enter Network Password problem,” you’ll see that many hundreds, if not thousands, of PC users have tried without success to solve this issue. We lucked into a simple solution that an apparent army of frustrated PC users and tech support personnel had not been able to find.

Bottom line: the Windows operating system has become so complex, bloated and buggy that even the experts can’t fix it when it goes on the fritz.  Moreover, even if a few $200-an-hour tech geniuses know the answer, their time is too valuable to squander on distress calls from PC users, many of whom could eat up $50 worth of support time merely by re-booting Vista.  And you can forget about Microsoft’s nearly worthless FAQ support, since even a billion Web pages worth of FAQs cannot cover the range of problems that can permutate when a mere half-dozen software applications come into conflict with Windows or each other, or both.

The Windows operating system is increasingly a burden on those who must use it, and each successive version brings us closer to the day when it will suffocate under its own weight. Frankly, we’d be surprised if, sometime in the next two years, Google does not announce something startling that will hasten Microsoft’s demise. For many millions of PC users, that day will fill their hearts with song: “Ding, dong, the wicked witch is dead.

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Only 8 More Days…

There’s good news if you’ve wanted to take the Hidden Pivot course but have been unable to attend on weekend mornings, when the class has typically been held.  In mid-April, I’ll be conducting the six-hour class over two consecutive evenings – Wednesday and Thursday, April 16-17, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. MDT.  Click here, and then on the “Upcoming” tab to register; or here if you would like more information as well as a detailed description of the Hidden Pivot Method and a free Hidden Pivot calculator.