MSFT!

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/150437/microsoft_warns_of_ie8_lockin_with_xp_sp3.html

"Microsoft Corp. yesterday warned users of Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) that they won't be able to uninstall either the service pack or Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) under some circumstances.

...

"Ironically, of the nine applications called out as incompatible with the new IE8, the only two that will lock up and crash are Microsoft's.

"Visual Studio.NET version 7, said Microsoft, will crash on a PC that also contains IE8 Beta 2. "No workaround is currently available," Microsoft said in the release notes.

"The other Microsoft incompatible application is Windows Live Mail, formerly called Windows Live Desktop, and the desktop mail client meant to replace Outlook Express and Windows Mail. "If you install Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2, Windows Live Mail will crash when you create or reply to an e-mail message," Microsoft warned."

Do people really use, or try to use, this junk? If so, why? In all seriousness, I don't get it. How does a company stay in business all this time with products like this? Don't tell me market forces create the best services at the best prices, there are way to many counter examples, Microsoft being a glaring one. Their products are not just not the best available, they are actually harmful. They are broken, frequently in very fundamental ways .