I didn’t get anything prepared last night for today, and we’re doing daylight savings patches today at work on everyone’s workstations. It’s the Y2K thing all over again, courtesy of our friends in Congress who probably thought they were actually accomplishing something, and didn’t think about the technological terror they were constructing with this asinine change.
Microsoft wants $4000 bucks for the daylight savings time patch for Windows 2000. Now, it’s one thing to say something is off support, and they won’t be patching anymore. But they are still providing security updates and such for Windows 2000 for free. You have the patch, it’s critical for your customers, you provide that as a courtesy. This is a way for Microsoft to subtly encourage users to upgrade, if by subtly it’s meant that they are hitting you over the head with a 2×4 and shouting “Upgrade, bitch!” at you.
I’d love to switch to something else, but Microsoft has a good little monopoly going, and there’s not much we can do about it. I use Linux and MacOS personally, and at work, so I have no use for Windows. But try convincing people to go without Visio, and things like that. You won’t have much luck.  OpenOffice is a good substitute for Microsoft Office, but it’s almost formats things properly when converting back and fourth to word format. I deviate from my libertarian instincts when it comes to Microsoft, or monopolies in general.
