I woke up today with recall on my mind. No, not the drama playing out in California these days — the recall I have in mind has much more significance. Hear me out.
I woke up today with recall on my mind. No, not the drama playing out in California these days — the recall I have in mind has much more significance. Hear me out.
When a consumer product poses a serious risk to the public, the manufacturer of that product typically issues a recall, effectively removing the faulty car part, toy, or appliance from use. Whether the goals of the manufacturer are altruistic or merely defensive, the end-result is the same: the consumer is spared injury and expense. Managed well, manufacturers can even generate positive buzz from a recall, endearing themselves with consumers for “doing the right thing.”
On the other hand, companies that debate the necessity for the recall, or worse, hide defects, typically become pariahs, banished from the marketplace forever. But even then, some good is usually distilled from the debacle: publicity, legislation, and improved standards (attempt to) protect the consumer from a repeat performance.
Which brings me to my radical idea: perhaps it’s time for Microsoft to recall Windows.
It’s been more than a month or so since the last round of vulnerability attacks, yet I am still reeling from the effects of the worm and virus — and I don’t even use Windows! Multiply that hassle by a thousand or a hundred thousand or more like the millions, and the cost of Microsoft’s defects is probably in the billions of dollars. I cannot think of a product defect with such…
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