PC World’s 25 ALL-TIME Worst Tech

If you had to list the very worse of all tech devices/software/concepts, what would they be? And, could you get people to agree on what these all time worst ideas were? Well, here’s PC World’s Top 25!

The 25 Worse Tech Ideas of All Time!

Here’s the top 10 of the 25, see what YOU think… I must admit, number one IS a no-brainer!

1. America Online (1989-2006)
2. RealNetworks RealPlayer (1999)
3. Syncronys SoftRAM (1995)
4. Microsoft Windows Millennium (2000)
5. Sony BMG Music CDs (2005)
6. Disney The Lion King CD-ROM (1994)
7. Microsoft Bob (1995)
8. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (2001)
9. Pressplay and MusicNet 2002
10. Ashton-Tate dBASE IV (1988)

What PC World said about thier list: “Picking our list wasn’t exactly rocket science; it was more like group therapy. PC World staffers and contributors nominated their candidates and then gave each one the sniff test. We sought the worst of the worst–operating systems that operated badly, hardware that never should have left the factory, applications that spied on us and fed our data to shifty marketers, and products that left a legacy of poor performance and bad behavior.”

Use Microsoft Word in “Safe Mode”

If you use Microsoft Word… (and NOT OpenOffice? Shame on you!) how can you be safe given the new evil exploit that is unpatched to this day? Well, here’s an article with some tips:

MS-Word in “Safe Mode”

“Because the current attack vector requires that the target is running the admin rights, the implementation of software restriction policies can reduce the effects the attack. Microsoft’s advisory also contains step-by-step instructions for running the vulnerable Word 2002 and Word 2003 in safe mode. The company is recommending that users first disable the Outlook feature to use Word as the default mail editor before changing settings to run Word in safe mode.”

Microsoft Diss of Open Source

I have been a Microsoft System Admin for YEARS… but when I think of stable, solid operating systems… Microsoft is NOT what first springs to mind. Linux does! Why am I a Microsoft Admin professionally, then? Because the people that pay my salary believe that they NEED to run Microsoft products to be viable. They are a “Microsoft Shop.” All hail, Bill Gates!!! However, what do I do for my OWN business (Dr. Bill Bailey.NET), and at home for my home servers? You got it. Linux. But, Microsoft goes on to spread the “FUD” (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt) that if you want to be stable, you need to use proprietary software.

Microsoft Says Open Source is Not Reliable or Dependable

Right! What a joke!

“Zero Day” Attack Using Microsoft Word

A “zero day” attack has been reported on a method that allows a fully patched Windows XP system running Microsoft Word to be compromised. The trojan was apparently written by sophisticated hackers in China and Taiwan.

MS-Word Attack

“The exploit arrives as an ordinary Microsoft Word document attachment to an e-mail. However, when the document is launched by the user the vulnerability is triggered to drop a backdoor with rootkit features to mask itself from anti-virus scanners.”

Bottom line: Do not open e-mail attachments!

Will YOU Be Able to Run Vista?

Check it out, we now know what the official requirements for Windows Vista are:

Requirements for Vista

Absolute minimum:
“So-called Vista Capable PCs, Microsoft is expected to say, will require an 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, and a DirectX9 capable graphics processor, the sources said.”

And to get the REAL (all features with Aero Glass interface) system enhancements:
“Premium Ready guidelines will call for a 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM and 128MB of dedicated graphics memory. But, having met those, a PC’s graphics processor must also adhere to DirectX9, WDDM (the Windows display driver model format for writing drivers) along with supporting Pixel Shader 2.0 and offering a color depth of 32 bits per pixel, in addition to a minimum bandwidth requirement, the sources said. Microsoft is expected to say that 128MB of graphics memory will be capable of serving a display with up to 1.9 million pixels, a resolution of up to 1200 by 1600 pixels. It’s expected to say that higher resolutions will call for another step up in memory, an allotment of 256MB or more.”

Would You Let a Robot Operate On You?

Me? NO! I know, I know… am a radical techno-geek… but I guess I am just not ready to trust, essentially, a software program, to get it right… sigh!

Robot Does Heart Operation

“The 50-minute surgery, which took place in a Milan hospital, was carried out on a 34-year-old patient suffering from atrial fibrillation. Dozens of heart specialists attending an international congress on arrhythmia in Boston also watched.”

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