Today I tried to set up a Windows Messenger account. I gave up. I have to ask our system administrator to help me. Man, they make things confusing and complicated:
- You launch Windows Messenger.
- It says “Click here to sign in.”
- It is not obvious what username and password.
- On the bottom of the little box it says “get a .NET passport.”
- What they heck is a .NET passport?
- So I click on that.
- I get a wizard dialog with a lot of fluff.
- I click Next and after the screen freezes for a while it asks me if I have an email address.
- Yes, I have many. I have a Controltec one. It also offers to give me a Hotmail one. I already have a hotmail one.
- Which one should I use? I choose “already have one.”
- Now it asks me “have you already signed up?”
- For what?
- I say “Yes, sign in with my Windows Live ID.”
- What the heck is a Windows Live ID?
- I hit Next and it asks me for my email address.
- I give it my Controltec one and my normal password.
- Now it says that is wrong. I know it’s not wrong. I use it all the time.
- But it insists. The options are:
- (1) reset my password – No thank you very much
- (2) sign up with your new email address – Which one? Where does it come from?
- Now I am stuck in a loop. Going nowhere. I give up.
In frustration I went to Google and in 20 seconds I had an instant messenger session going using my gmail account.
Is Microsoft TRYING to make this hard to use?
No wonder people are going to Macs.