Microsoft: Vista UAC intended 'to annoy users'
updated 01:35 pm EDT, Fri April 11, 2008
Vista UAC meant 'to annoy'
One of Windows Vista's design features was deliberately implemented "to annoy users," a Microsoft executive admitted yesterday at the RSA 2008 conference in San Francisco. David Cross, a product unit manager, explained to an audience that Vista's User Account Control scheme was built to discourage people from running as an administrator on their computers, which in case of attack can grant hackers deeper access than they might otherwise be allowed. "We needed to change the ecosystem, and we needed a heavy hammer to do it," said Cross.
The problem, many Vista owners have complained, is that it is common for users to run as administrators regardless, and UAC can harass people regularly and unnecessarily. Cross dismisses these concerns, noting that "most users" have no UAC warnings on an average day, although only 66 percent of sessions are said to be alert-free. Cross also rejects the notion that that users are shutting off UAC, citing Microsoft statistics that 88 percent of Vista users keep it active.
"Are there some annoyances with UAC? Yes, but advanced users know how to get around them," says Cross.
dismisses these concerns
04/11, 01:41pm reply
This is the Microsoft company motto, correct?
Doofuses.
robttwo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2005
ANNOY it does
04/11, 01:50pm reply
I spent a week behind a Vista desktop at a recent MS training.
First thing I did was find the Windows Classic button to get rod of the POS Aero UI.
Second I was annoyed at UAC. I wanted to look at device manager - UAC to just LOOK. I wanted to remove some icons from the menubar - UAC. Want to poke around and just look? UAC. A smart way would be to UAC you if you try to change something, not just look.
VISTA=POS
itguy05
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2005
Deploying Vista
04/11, 02:00pm reply
Because the UAC introduces a gigantic question-mark ("Does this software now not work because of UAC? Or is it Vista? Or is it an issue with this software?") I turn it off straightaway. Run MSCONFIG to get to the GUI where it has to be turned off.
Second, because Aero is so completely different, it introduces an unnecessary learning curve - so again, I turn it off. Windows Classic - eases the transition.
YMMV.
319please
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Feb 2006
just say it
04/11, 02:28pm reply
If the "goal" of UAC was to convince people not to run as administrators, then the proper approach is to just say it and give the user good tools to do it.
Trying to achieve a goal through annoyance is childish and ineffective.
For all their size, it appears the M$ has no good design sense at all, and this is just one more example.
bradpdx
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2007
negative conditioning
04/11, 02:31pm reply
That sounds a lot like an electric dog collar for users to me.
If they were truly smart, they'd offer alternatives that were more attractive and safer to entice users away from admin accounts, not piss them off until they gave it up.
However, we should know by now that the M$ architecture wouldn't make this easy to design. Their loss, I guess.
danviento
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Dec 2005
and pc fanboys
04/11, 02:35pm reply
wonder why we constantly bash MS. There's simply no end to the reasons why Microsoft sucks a**.
climacs
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2001
What a load
04/11, 02:40pm reply
Does anyone believe that MS just got tired of taking heat for this and just made up this lame excuse? I sure do.
Here's a better idea - design an operating system properly and you can have a secure operating system without annoying your users.
hayesk
Professional Poster
Joined: Sep 1999
Again, "advance users"...
04/11, 02:52pm reply
"Are there some annoyances with UAC? Yes, but advanced users know how to get around them," says Cross.
Why does one seem to need a "PHD in MS operting systems"?
When will MS write an OS for novice, non-techies, who don't want to spend hours figuring out how to stop annoying stuff like this?
Makes me glad to be a "Mac Kool-Aid" drinker than a "PC Kool-Aid" drinker!
MeandmyMac
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Feb 2008
Purposefully to annoy
04/11, 03:19pm reply
Because uncle Bill knows best!
Guest
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 1999
do users know why?
04/11, 03:29pm reply
Ok, so users know that Windows is annoying. But do they know the reason behind the annoyance? Does MS encourage them to create and use a non-admin account? Or do they just annoy their users, but leave it up to them to figure out how to avoid the annoyance? And in that case, what they will figure out will often be the WRONG thing (ie, to disable UAC)!
But to be fair, Apple should also do more to educate (as opposed to MS's annoy tactic) users to not use admin accounts for their day-to-day computer use. It's probably not as big a deal on a Mac, but it's still a good practice. I'd bet that the vast majority of Mac users run as admin, not because of a specific decision on their part, but because that's the account that was created the first time the started up their Mac. And they've never had reason to consider creating a non-admin account to use.
ender
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 1999