jkroon

Doing what I do I reckon people will understand my gripe with this one:  THE ASSUMPTION THAT EVERYBODY USES WINDOWS…

Well, people, I don’t.  I don’t own a copy of Windows.  I don’t intend to ever get one.  Now, my problem:  Buying a copy of Windows is the only way open to me now to submit my TAX statements to SARS.  So SARS:  Are you going to fork out the $$$ required for me to buy Microsoft software?  Keep in mind that the amount of money I am going to throw at you additionally for this particular requirement is naught – the core submissions has already been made using Firefox under Linux and this software is only intended to submit the reconciliation.

Ok, so this example is extreme.  I’ve also received some .docx files off late.  Yes, the supposed OOXML standard from Microsoft that is something like 6000 pages long and has so many technical complaints lodged against it that I’m pretty surprised it was accepted as a standard – especially in the light that the Open Document Format was already accepted as a standard and does exactly the same job – except that it’s even more open.

Then the case where “people with firefox has issues” … yea, I’m on a roll.  This is definitely a rant.

Then there is the case of the retarted nature of the software I’m now being forced to use.  Amongst others, my complaints so far goes to:

1. It’s forcing me to use an OS I don’t want to due to it not functioning correctly under Wine.
2. It bombs out even on the OS it’s intended for (Windows) – about half the time it complains that the software has to be started from the desktop icon – even when I’ve just started it FROM THAT ICON.
3. It’s update procedure keeps on timing out with no option of bypassing it – meaning I’m now unable to submit my statements.
4. I’ve been given NO ALTERNATIVES, eg, like DRIVING TO SARS AND WRITING THE STUFF DOWN ON PAPER FOR THEM.
5. I have to create AT LEAST three user accounts, an ADMIN account, and then at least two more user profiles – what retartedness is this – I’m a single user – who had to go BORROW A WINDOWS MACHINE IN ORDER TO RUN THIS SOFTWARE.  I do not intend to any time soon actually BUY Windows, nor do I think it’s fair to force me to create user accounts that I’ll NEVER USE.

Oh, and by this time – I still have not actually used to the software.  Did I mention how much the Windows interface irritates me?  Just looking at it makes me feel like I want to find a big hammer.  And it’s not that it’s a bad interface, heck, as Bill would tell you:  So many billion people can’t be wrong.  It’s just that I don’t like it.  There’s no multiple desktops.  No focus follows mouse.  The interface just feels clumsy.  I can’t pinpoint exactly why – nor do I really care.  Just get out of my way and let me work.

Oh btw – I finally after about an hour and a half managed to actually log in to the software.  Even with compiling most of my software from the ground up I don’t usually struggle this long.  Well done SARS, Microsoft, you’ve done it once more.

Anyway, enough of a rant – let’s hope this doesn’t happen too often.  Sorry to Microsoft, this one really isn’t your fault, at least, not directly.  But this just does goes to show how deeply Microsoft has managed to embed themselves into the thinking pattern of people.  Computers == Microsoft.

People:  Wake up and smell the roses – Microsoft is but a small part of it all, and there are many, many users out there that DOES NOT MAKE USE OF THEIR SOFTWARE.  At all.

UPDATE:  Now having used the software I’m absolutely convinced that this should have been part of the standard SARS efiling interface.  Makes me want to curse all things considered.  Or find a hammer.  A BIG one.  But neither of those would be the right thing to do.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 12:29 am and is filed under Operating Systems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.