If Ford had developed technology like Microsoft

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Discussion Overview

The discussion humorously explores the hypothetical scenario of automotive technology being developed in a manner similar to software by Microsoft. Participants share various exaggerated characteristics and quirks that would be present in such cars, drawing parallels to common frustrations with software. The scope includes conceptual humor and commentary on technology.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that cars would crash unexpectedly multiple times a day, similar to software failures.
  • There is a claim that new cars would require drivers to relearn controls with each new model, reflecting software updates.
  • One participant humorously notes that a car's airbag system would ask for confirmation before deploying.
  • Another point raised is that options in the car could be accidentally activated, requiring extensive troubleshooting to deactivate.
  • Some participants express confusion about the reference to Macs only running on 5% of the roads, with interpretations suggesting it relates to software compatibility issues.
  • There is a mention that using emulation on Macs would consume significant CPU resources, potentially affecting performance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the humorous nature of the comparisons, but there are differing interpretations of specific references, particularly regarding the functionality of Macs and their market share.

Contextual Notes

Some statements rely on assumptions about software and automotive technology that may not be universally applicable, and the humor is based on exaggerated scenarios that do not reflect real-world technology.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those who enjoy humor related to technology, software development, and automotive design, as well as individuals who appreciate satirical commentary on user experiences with technology.

davenn
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I love this, ain't it the truth! ;)
cheers
DaveIf Ford had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash...twice a day.

2.. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

...
3... Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows,
shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4... Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5... Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6... The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.

7... The airbag system would ask,"Are you sure?" before deploying.

8... Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9... Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10... You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.when all else fails, you could call "customer service" in some foreign country and be instructed in some foreign language how to fix your car yourself!
 
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I've owned a car like that.
 
Ha Ha , Great laugh.

10. .. If the start button is not there in your model, start buttons can be obtained freely from third party distributors.
 
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Software in general.
"If builders built houses the way programmers built programs, the first woodpecker to come along would destroy civilization."
Gerald Weinberg
 
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11) There would be options that you can accidentally turn on by checking a box, but would have to do Google searches and take apart the engine to turn it back off.
 
12) Whenever you wanted to drive it on the motorway/freeway you would need instructions to get onto it that you can only get by driving a distance along the motorway/freeway to find them.

Garth
 
I don't understand the line about Macs only running on 5% of the roads.
 
zoobyshoe said:
I don't understand the line about Macs only running on 5% of the roads.
Most large companies only use Microsoft, it may be a reference to Macs not being able to run many popular applications so are not used. At work, we couldn't use Macs. (I understand that Macs can be made to emulate windows)
 
True, but then the CPU is dedicating much of it's time to just doing the emulating.
 
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FactChecker said:
11) There would be options that you can accidentally turn on by checking a box, but would have to do Google searches and take apart the engine to turn it back off.
Yeah - the worse being - checking the Arabic/Chinese/Japanese language box - what the heck is 'English' in Arabic/Chinese/Japanese, or "Google" for that matter?

Garth
 
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