A Golden Age lasting 4 months that happened 6 years ago.

Needless to say, I find software to have gotten as adipose, ponderous, and dense, as the bulk of its users.

On new hardware, the cost is down, and no repairs can be made, so everything is disposable. (Surface mount tech.) If it breaks, you have to replace it. Nobody will buy old-school stuff that costs three times as much, so that’s the way the market rolls. But crackling lines are almost always a problem with the wiring, usually a crappy connection somewhere, and if it gets worse when it rains, that’s a dead giveaway. Nowadays the inherent advantages to a battery-backed hardwire connection over such a long distance aren’t worth the money. VOIP and cellphones are making the whole system obsolete (bringing a startling degree of vulnerability with them, too). That’s the way the (manipulated) market rolls.

But don’t ever neglect to keep your browser updated (and avoid IE like the plague, because it IS a plague). Keep IE updated and present for Windows Update only, use something better for browsing, like Firefox with NoScript. Otherwise, surfing the net is like going into a Chicago bathhouse unprotected, if you get my drift.

But from a user perspective, it’s a whole different matter, as you pointed out. I used to be able to adjust my screen resolution, screensaver and desktop background (not strictly “productive”, but I digress) with a simple right-click in windows 2000 and XP, but on windows 7, I have to employ the Start Menu AND the Control Panel before finally being able t call up the display properties widget.