Hmmm, has Microsoft become too big of a snowball in the PC world?
I opened Internet Explorer last night to do my daily check of e-mails, Twitter and Facebook. I do this habitually every evening. But something interrupted my routine this time. A pop-up window appeared with the following invitation.
MICROSOFT RECOMMENDS UPGRADING TO WINDOWS 10
We would like to schedule your upgrade for
Monday, April 11, 11:00 pm
Where do I begin to describe the myriad ways this annoys and, yes, even frightens me? First of all, I dislike pop-up windows. They are more than a little intrusive – a bit like walking up the steps to your house and being slapped in the face by a salesman poised to make his pitch.
Back to Microsoft. So you recommend upgrading to Windows 10. Thank you so very much, Bill, for the recommendation. But I do not recall asking for your opinion. And if I do decide to seek advice on the matter, I will go to someone without a vested interest in the outcome.
Furthermore, the pop-up window leaping onto the screen with the recommendation is curiously similar to the alert I would get from my virus protection program if it detected a potential infection. Coincidence? I think not. There is a subtle psychological ploy at work here.
Is it not rather presumptuous to present me with a scheduled date for the upgrade? Ummm… YES, IT IS!! If I was inclined to take your advice, Bill, this act of presumption would kill the deal.
The fact that all I have to do is click “Okay”, to schedule the upgrade, is more than a little disconcerting. It implies that Microsoft will be able to access my computer on their own at the specified future date and time without my even logging on to the web.
Should I give Microsoft carte blanche to have their way with my PC? I rather think not. If I were paranoid or a conspiracy theorist, I would wonder what else they might decide to do when I have effectively left opened the front door to my PC while I sleep.
The invitation assures me that: Windows 10 is the most secure Windows ever; upgrading is free; I can go back to Windows 7 after thirty days; my PC is ready for Windows 10.
All very reassuring. But how does Microsoft know that my PC is ready for Windows 10? Perhaps it makes no difference whether or not I leave the front door opened. They might already have a keyhole which they have been using for quite some time.
The snowball metaphor describes a situation where something small and insignificant builds upon itself over time and becomes large, powerful and even unstoppable. I rather think Microsoft has become the giant snowball and is trying to leverage that status.
Eventually I will have no choice but to upgrade to Windows 10. Such is the law of the computer world. But it will be when I decide I am ready. And I will not be giving Microsoft a blank cheque to my PC for that purpose. (Oops, did I just mix my metaphors?)
~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.
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Tags: Bill Gates · Internet Explorer · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · Microsoft · snowball metaphor · Windows 10No Comments