Why do we tolerate poor software reliability?

tomstickland

Internet Explorer:
Auto updates installed ie8. It worked for a week and from then on would say "the last session failed to close down properly, do you want to restore or ignore?". It would then close down the ie window whatever option was chosen.
I started reading up on how to fix it and after 10 minutes thought "why should I bother?".
Uninstalled, run ie7 if I want to run ie at all.

Firefox:
Every day says "the latest update failed to install, do you want to download and install it again?"
Click yes.
A while later it says "You need to restart Firefox."
Do so.
Next day it starts all over again.

I fixed this one by downloading from scratch. After 2 weeks it's back doing it again.

Word for Windows.
No longer opens .doc files. Will start Word and then show a blank document. If the document is opened via Word then it opens.


In every case I've googled the probelms, found 100s of claimed solutions, started to apply them and then thought "I can't be arsed. Why don't they just work properly in the first place."

busenbust

Sounds ominous - I hear peeps shouting from the rooftops: "Mac/Snow Leopard"


:rolleyes2

"Oh dear" indeed

pcombo

Is there a point to this thread.

1. You can pick never to show the IE8 update again so that it dont install.
2. Firfox is optional third party software you picked to install.
3. You can open .doc files with word probably a fault at your side.

custardy

clicks back as opera works fine as usual

DCFC79

Ive not had any problems like you describe OP,must be 1 of 2 things, 1. yur doing soemthing wrong or 2 theres something wrong with the machine

tomstickland

"I'm doing something wrong"? Yes, I'm expecting some software to continue functioning for a number of years without me having to do anything to it.

Every one of my problems, if googled, shows that 1000's of other people have experienced the same problems. There are even fixes that may or may not work. If you read the discussions then you'll find that some fixes worked for some people but not others. Then someone else will explain another fix etc.

My point being, why do we tolerate this as normal? I can't be arsed to fix the problems at the moment.


Eg:
ie8 issue of "the last session
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/InternetExplorer/thread/45a7283b-f708-4d10-944d-ae6b520f2e5c

Within the last week or 2 every time I initially sign into IE8, either from restart or from a full shutdown, I get the error display about "Your last browsing session closed unexpectedly" with the standard options of "Restore your last session---" & "Go to your home page." This is a new problem that did not happen with IE7 & did not initially happen with IE8. It does not happen every time but almost every time.

I don't understand why this is a "discussion" topic with Microsoft. It's clear that this is a bug on Microsoft's IE browser and just plain needs to be fixed. All I see from the "experts" are non-solutions that have peoplke chasing their tail.
To blame it on an add-on when everything worked fine in earlier versions of IE and works fine on other browsers is ridiculous.
Also, to have the average user go in and monkey with the registry is a recipie for disaster. I don't have any idea what a "hash key" is, and the advice here is to delete them?

Microsoft needs to get off it's butt and just fix the problem as opposed to having people wallow in it for months on end, acting as if it doesn't exist.

- !!!!ed Off IE User

Firefox

Word issue:
http://word.tips.net/Pages/T000316_Cant_Open_a_Word_Document_in_Windows.html

buglawton

The modern consumer computer is like a Ferrari with the bonnet left open and some spanners lying conveniently around, plus unknown mechanics come from several different companies & swap parts in the night. The fact that computers run reliably for any period at all is the marvel to me.

tomstickland

pcombo wrote: »

Is there a point to this thread.
2. Firfox is optional third party software you picked to install.
.

All the software is stuff I picked to install.
My point is why do we think it's normal for something to stop working for no apparent reason and then have to fruit about fixing it?

Marty_J

tomstickland wrote: »

All the software is stuff I picked to install

So pick something that works better.

I don't put up with crap software, and no one else has to either.

busenbust

buglawton wrote: »

The modern consumer computer is like a Ferrari with the bonnet left open and some spanners lying conveniently around, plus unknown mechanics come from several different companies & swap parts in the night. The fact that computers run reliably for any period at all is the marvel to me.

Absolutely agree. Although it must be ever so tempting for the Mac/Snow Leopard brigade to rain on everyone's parade

I think a lot of it is discipline (self-discipline ) and adherence to good practice - and maybe even just common sense?

Not a criticism of the OP, in fact I think he makes some legitimate points. :cool:

Esqui

tomstickland wrote: »

All the software is stuff I picked to install.
My point is why do we think it's normal for something to stop working for no apparent reason and then have to fruit about fixing it?

Because software these days is incredibly complex, and has to deal with a near-infinite number of things that could happen - if it was tested for all eventualities, it would never get released.

I'm sure you must be aware of the amount of work that goes into creating a program like a web browser or word processor. It's only natural that there will always be something more that needs doing.

If you want to help, you should start using more open source software, and contribute and try to solve bugs - that way you can help yourself and others to get software that never fails.