A combination of medical issues, family obligations...and a strong desire to focus my attention on interests outside of the computer industry prompted me to retire. And I'm very pleased to announce that "Patch Lady" Susan Bradley is taking up the cause here at Computerworld with a new blog: Microsoft Patch Lady. She will also serve as Senior Director of AskWoody.com, publisher of AskWoody's newsletters, guide for @AskWoody's Twitter upload, and most importantly, spiritual advisor to millions of private Microsoft customers. rights. I know Susan and have worked with her for decades. As part of the original Windows Secrets team and a regular contributor to the AskWoody newsletter, she also hosts the patchmanagement.org mailing list and writes essential security columns for CSOs. In her day job form, Susan is an IT administrator and forensic investigator at a well-known public accounting firm. Susan is well known in the industry for her knowledge of how to troubleshoot recovery issues...and resolve them.
What a long and strange journey it has been
Life has changed dramatically since my first “Meatspace” book, “Windows 3.1 Programming for Ordinary Mortals,” appeared 28 years ago. Windows has gone from a rickety infrastructure built on a rickety operating system to a rickety operating system in its own right. I don't miss the original incarnations of Windows, full of bugs. But I miss the fire and vision that led to the unconditional success of Windows XP and Windows 7. And I'll continue to complain about the bugs that are introduced, and sometimes re-introduced, with each round of updates. Microsoft has a long history of troubleshooting Windows. Some things never change, huh? On a personal note, I'm back in Thailand. We have spent two weeks in quarantine and are now able to visit family and friends across the country. I see this as an extended vacation, camping while America fights the pandemic. We will eventually be back in the United States, but “when” is an open question. Above all, please be assured that the "Open for Business" sign remains lit at AskWoody. We still stand for the little guy and I'll stop by every once in a while to give my two cents. But the ongoing effort to guide and assist all PC users here is now in new and much more capable hands. Susan has already warned me that I need to jump in from time to time to offer a glimpse of technology outside of the Redmond bubble. Challenge accepted. See you later and thanks for all the fish! Feel free to join us at AskWoody.com.