Is It Really A Genuine Advantage, Microsoft?

When I turned on my computer today, I noticed the "Yellow Shield of Protection" on display at the bottom right hand corner of my screen. You know, the "Updates are ready for your computer" message where you usually just click through. And why not click through, it's not like you would run into any problems. Right?

Well, I clicked to open and instead of blindly clicking through, I decided to review what would be installed. I found the following "tool" was going to be installed:



It's a Windows Genuine Advantage Notification tool installation. Now, I'll give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt. They are really trying to get people to buy a real copy of Windows. After all, they are a business. The problem comes into play when this tool installs and then tells you your copy of Windows has been compromised, similar to the situation I had when I tried to reinstall my copy of Windows XP on my laptop (even though the Product Key was stuck to the bottom of it). Then that person will have to jump through hoops to fix the issue. All this tool really does is hurt consumers who really did pay to get the software. Those who got a copy without paying have already figured out how to get around this system. How do you think they installed it in the first place?

Needless to say, I'm not installing the tool right now until I can review the patch later. If I do run into problems, I don't want the hassle right now and I'm just not prepared to switch over all my PC's to Linux, yet...

The Lesser of Two Evils: ISP Caps or ISP Snooping

I recently read an article posted on PCWorld.com titled "Comcast's Cap May Mean Less Snooping on Your Net Browsing". In it, author Erik Larkin comments on the latest news about Comcast and the bandwidth caps they are starting to enforce on their customers. He states since they have caps, there won't be any reason for them to snoop on the use of your internet traffic because it won't matter. As soon as you hit the cap, you'll be done until next month. Why snoop and shape shift the data if everyone has the same bandwidth to use.

I think there's a few reasons to question whether such a "policy" would happen with Comcast or other ISP's for that matter.

1) ISP's make money off of that data
- Would you give up a revenue stream of around $5 per user?

2) ISP's need the data to market their own products
- We already know other companies pay for the data, why wouldn't Comcast keep the data and figure out how to make it work in their favor. They already get it for free.

3) There are other entities that seem to have "legal" interests tied to the data
- Governments, the RIAA, Hollywood

Although the discussion about whether Comcast will stop snooping because of this cap is interesting, I think it's really missing the bigger picture. The real issue is, the cap is really going to stop consumers from realizing and utilizing the innovative products and tools offered on the internet. Web sites like YouTube and Hulu and Netflix will go unwatched while intensive web programs will go unused. Web based companies will have to adapt, maybe causing quicker sites and less intensive programs, but possibly less quality.

If ISP's like Comcast want to keep consumers happy and continue to promote innovation on the internet, caps need to lifted and the full potential of the internet can finally be realized.

How Not to Make a Customer For Life

A prevailing theme at my place of work is "Making a Customer for Life". A customer that comes back for more every time. A customer who doesn't care about other companies are out there, they just know the company they are with right now is the one for them.

Do you want to know how not to make a customer for life? Give them a reason to look for other options. Make it difficult for them to continue to be a loyal customer. Sometimes change hurts when you're a customer. They may stay with your brand just because it's easier not to change, but if you make it difficult, then the will to change will push them over the fear of the change.

I've experienced this first hand in the last few weeks. I, being a fairly loyal customer of Microsoft, decided I needed to make a change. It wasn't because I wanted the change, but because the circumstances I was in encouraged the change.

Here's how to not make a customer for life:

1. Make it difficult for your customers to get replacement media

I know, it's my fault. I lost the Windows XP CD. I should've made a backup (which I would've lost). But it shouldn't be this difficult to get a replacement. I looked all over Microsoft's support site. Didn't find it. I searched the maker of my laptop, Toshiba. Didn't find it. Shouldn't this be in a FAQ? What were my options? I could either download it from a P2P network or borrow one from a friend.

2. Take away the customers ability to install software they own

I ended up trying to install Windows with a friends CD. Shouldn't be a problem, right? I have my product license key stuck to the bottom of my laptop. It wouldn't install with it. I was lifting up the laptop, typing 5 characters at a time. It would never take. Even if I used a different key, I knew from past experiences that Windows won't update any of the service packs without Windows being authenticated.

3. Assume your customers don't have any other options

I could have called Microsoft or Toshiba. But I didn't want to have to. I'm not usually home during the hours of their support line and it was a hassle for me. It was at that point that I looked for other options. My laptop couldn't handle Vista and I wasn't planning on buying a new PC. So I started looking into Linux, settling with the Ubuntu operating system. I'm blogging from my laptop right now, using a free OS that has everything I need.

I'm not convinced Linux is the answer for everyone. What I am convinced of though, is that technology companies need to start thinking they are the ones privileged enough to serve the customer instead of thinking the customer should feel privileged to use the companies product.

It's not like I'm ditching Windows, but they did give me a reason to try something new and challenging. So, I guess I can thank Microsoft for something.

Welcome to The Straits of Tech blog

Let me introduce myself. My name is Kyle Harrison and this is my blog. I plan on sharing my love for technology, business, and my beloved city of Detroit with you. My goal is to enhance and engage the internet community. In order to help me reach my goals, please leave your comments or seek me out on twitter. Thank you and enjoy!