# MSN8 -- Stomp the butterfly! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 7, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn8-stomp-the-butterfly/135739 "2002-11-07T17:28:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn8-stomp-the-butterfly/135739/1 "2002-11-07T17:28:49Z")
I upgraded yesterday to MSN8. I hadn’t wanted to, but my computer kept asking me to login and MSN help was no help at all (but that’s another rant). So I get all set up and give it a try. Oh. My. God. There’s this stupid fluffy bunny interface, with too much of the screen taken up with buttons connecting to things I have no interest in. None of the useful buttons are displayed. My Google toolbar is missing to (though I didn’t try to install it). There’s a “Welcome” sound when you log in (if I _wanted_ AOL, I would have _signed up_ for AOL). None of my Favorites were transferred over. And there’s no way to go back to MSIE as your default browser. You’re stuck with the damn fluffy interface and useless buttons unless you open MSIE separately. Worse, if I want to use MSIE, I have to start up MSIE and use Dial-Up Networking (tolerable, but it doesn’t seem to save my password, which makes it useless for when my wife or daughter want to log in) or use a MSN dialer that works but doesn’t automatically bring up MSIE. Since my wife and daughter are not computer pros, this will cause problems. (My wife hasn’t seen it, but my daughter hated it at first glance.) I’m stuck with MSIE until next September (the price I pay for $400 off my computer), but the day my contract runs out, I’m over to Earthlink. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn8-stomp-the-butterfly/135739/2 "2002-11-07T17:49:46Z")
That’s what you get for looking in the Big Cocoon. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn8-stomp-the-butterfly/135739/3 "2002-11-07T20:55:43Z")
_Hey, how’s it goin?"_ ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn8-stomp-the-butterfly/135739/4 "2002-11-08T13:49:57Z")
I wonder if the copyright holders of **The Tick** have scene the Arthur knock-off that MSN is using. Sure looks really close to their character. It would be fun to see Microsoft sued for various IP infringement claims. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn8-stomp-the-butterfly/135739/5 "2002-11-08T14:06:34Z")
I’ve not upgraded yet, party because I haven’t gotten the CD, but also because I’m waiting to see what people think of it. Yes, I know I could get rid of msn, but through my own fault, I’m stuck with them until…May, or I have to pay for two ISPs. One reason I left AOL was because I hated their interface…so this may give me the excuse I need to not upgrade unless forced to. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn8-stomp-the-butterfly/135739/6 "2002-11-08T21:17:33Z")
My suggestion to everyone lately has been to switch to Opera (free download at [opera.com](http://www.opera.com)). It’s a quick interface and it doesn’t have the stink of Bill Gates on it. There’s versions for both PC and Mac.