Okay, so lately (alright, the last seven years or so) I’ve had my issues with Microsoft Windows, but cnet.com’s news service has a headline titled, “Microsoft patches holes in Windows.”

My question is, how is that news? As though that process has ever stopped. Here’s a headline that would be worth posting, “Microsoft releases hole-free version of Windows. Stop laughing, we’re serious.”

Regardless, here’s my latest gripe. I work on web sites. One of my clients has their web site hosted by a shop full of rabid Microsoft lovers. Now, they are dealing with some fairly sensitive data, though not so much on my client’s project. The problem is that this group seems to have assumed that everyone is on their network and is using a Windows machine with an OS of at least 2000.

In order to edit the web site files, I need to mount the web directory as a network drive on my Windows computer (Yes, I have one. It sits in the corner.). They have turned off FTP access. They have turned off access for any system other than Windows. And, Windows 98 or earlier doesn’t seem to be able to play their game either.

Can work get done? Well, yes. Have they made it unpleasant, inconvenient, and stress-promoting? Well, yes.