Windows Weekly 603. Paul Thurrott is so very wrong.

Paul Thurrott, a tech journalist behind Thurrott.com contributes to a rather useful podcast on the Twit.tv network every week called Windows Weekly. I’ve listened to this podcast almost every week probably for at least 10 years.

This week, Paul went on one of his many rants but this rant was ill informed, damaging and utterly unhelpful. He makes certain arguements that could be perceived as being against inclusion and accessibility. Here are a few of the quotes from the podcast excerpt.

It’s done in the name of accessibility. That’s a crock.

Accessibility at any cost is just a brain dead mentality.

There’s this belief that anything that you add that is accessible is a win.

No offence to people who cant see or who see poorly and who want to set up Windows 10 on their own but if your vision is that bad the act of setting up Windows 10 is not a priority. In the background, Leo laughs. Paul continues: It’s something that is going happen once and you probably have someone else that can help you with that.

I have recorded a podcast that includes several extracts from this week’s Windows Weekly. Between the extracts, I have given my considered views on certain parts of Paul’s rant.

I would really hope that Paul listens to this and more importantly that as many people as possible who heard the latest Windows Weekly hears this as well.

Please comment here on the Blog. Facebook comments and Twitter mentions are great but it would be really nice to have the comments right under the post. Thanks.

IN this podcast, there are a number of audio recordings used. Here they are in full.

Differing opinion

An author on a site called BSG has shared an alternative opinion. The author states:

The blog has gone quite a while without me writing about twitter drama, but that is about to come to an end now. Blind twitter is all riled up and flipping out over something someone said on the Windows Weekly podcast. Spoiler alert, all the rage and offense is being blown out of per portion and there is 0 reason for any of it. People just seem to want to be offended, but of course I’ll show why this is all based on someone taking everything out of context to manufacture outrage.

The link to the full post is here.

I assume the someone the author is talking about is me. I have a few points in response and I have left a comment on that post but for your conveenience, I will include my comment here as well:

You have expressed a few interesting opinions and I except that you are entitled to them. However, I disagree that the origional blog post / podcast was out of context. I deliberately left most of the Windows Weekly podcast in my recording so as I couldn’t be accused of taking things out of context. I also provided a link to the Twit.TV Windows Weekly 603 show so that people could listen to it in full. In addition, I provided a link to a Youtube video showing the full Windows 10 setup experience.

My podcast is here for anyone who is interested: http://www.digitaldarragh.com/2019/01/10/windows-weekly-603-paul-thurrott-is-so-very-wrong/

And to show that I hold no ill will toward BSG for your differing opinion, I will include a link to your post as an edit to my origional piece.

I have been on social media for 10 years and I have had a blog for nearly 20 years. I stand by my content and my record. I have never insighted negativity toward another person however in this instance, I firmly believe that paul Thurrott’s comments were distructive, damaging, incorrect and misleading. Time and time again during the podcast and in messages, I have explained that my issue isn’t with the windows 10 setup. Microsoft can disable that feature I wouldn’t give it a second thought. As many have pointed out, it’s not an accessibility consideration. The huge problem I have here is in the way Paul Thurrott ranted. I have listened to Paul on podcasts for nearly ten years now and in the past few years, I have noticed his tendancy to launch into rants. However, this particular one went too far.

I am happy to discuss this with anyone. Including Paul Thurrott directly. My aim here has and is always to ensure that the message that Paul gave on Windows Weekly 603 is corrected. Not that he is attacked directly. And in faireness, I don’t see any indication that he has been personally attacked. In fact, messages to him on social media have been well worded and considered.

One final point. I respectfully submit that you consider that your take on Paul’s thought’s may be very different if you worked in the tech industry.

The podcast has now been listened to over 380 times. It has had 18 responses on Twitter, 4 on Facebook and 9 comments here on the blog. Not many in the grand scheme of things but for this low traffic blog it’s significant. I remain hopeful that the objective of this post will be achieved and TwiT will correct Paul Thurrott’s statements on Windows Weekly 604 due to be aired this Wednesday 16th January.