Problems occur because of the complexity of the software. Plain
and simple.
In computing realms there is a huge struggle to make complex software
simple in order to allow normal people the ability to perform tasks
varying from using email, visiting a web site to writing documents
and playing games.
With the complex code being run in the background, hundreds of
registry references, hundreds of files being loaded, and a simple
user interface to encourage the user into thinking 'it's easy to
use'. Updates becoming available from software vender web sites,
newer files are available with fixes and new features all interacting
with older files, it's no surprising that problems sometimes occur.
When talking about the reason problems occur, it's this hidden
complexity which really confuses people. Operating systems such
as Linux don't have the number of problems which Windows users have,
because people who use them are a completely different type of user,
generally more technologically aware.
Many of the problems people encounter relate to using new software
on old operating systems. Generally users don't realise that version
control of critical files is often a cause of a substantial number
of crashes, with old files appearing from old software just installed,
newer files appearing in an old operating system causing a problem.
For example if someone was to use Windows 98 with the latest software
using the latest technology, there could potentially be files trying
to work together with a version (or date) difference of 7 years
between them. That is an eternity in computing years.
There is also the issue of running a new operating system on old
PCs, and old operating systems on new PCs. The latter is more likely
to be an issue, as the operating system is less likely to recognise
the hardware. There is a limit to what operating systems can cope
with, as all hardware will require a compatible software driver,
considering the immense variety problems can occur.
Further issues appear when you include the permissions structure
in newer versions of Windows, security is already present in Linux.
Each PC has it's own security database, with each user having a
unique username on that PC, which can cause issues when dabbling
in networking. For many, this is new territory.
Other Security measures, this time in the way of PC security and
data security. Firewall's and Antivirus software both require a
little knowledge in knowing how they work, and indeed the reason
they are needed in the first place. Both types of software can cause
problems in the normal processes on a computer, because it's those
process which are the target for malicious code. For example, a
firewall will play havoc with networking, and antivirus software
can play havoc with software installations. And Wireless technology
can open your entire PC to the outside world if the security aspect
is not looked into very closely.
|
