I have a word for Microsoft, but it'll get me in trouble if I spell it out

I'm using Windows Media Player -- and make no mistake, my opinion of the application itself is much higher than most others have of it -- and I get a message that an upgrade is available. Now remember, I'm IN THE MIDDLE OF USING THE ACTUAL APPLICATION. Being a Linux user mostly, I forget that Windows makes you reboot about 90 percent of the time when updates are done.

The download takes seconds, but it's about 20 minutes before everything is unpacked and installed.

Then I'm informed that I have to reboot for changes to take effect, and would I like to reboot now?

And no, I CAN'T EVEN USE WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER UNTIL I REBOOT. I would just abandon the whole thing, but I only started Windows Media Player because I agreed to help someone burn a couple copies of an audio CD.

No, I WOULD NOT LIKE TO REBOOT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I have about 20 windows open right now and prefer to reboot WHEN I WANT, and I would appreciate you TELLING ME BEFORE I AGREE TO AN UPDATE THAT I WILL HAVE TO REBOOT TO MAKE IT TAKE EFFECT.

So I write about four blog entries because I have the links open in about 20 Firefox tabs, then I methodically close everything, log out of Pidgin, log out of our Unisys newspaper publishing system, reboot ... AND THEN I HAVE TO SIGN ANOTHER DRACONIAN MICROSOFT SOFTWARE AGREEMENT. I didn't do the default configuration (NEVER do the default configuration ... that's my tip of the day), and eventually got to a screen on which I could choose the media types that Windows Media Player would handle. As I said above, I actually like using Windows Media Player when I'm using Windows, so I'm happy to have it handle pretty much damn near everything. I found it interesting that Windows Media Player is now equipped to handle FLAC and OGG files -- the free, open-source alternatives to MP3, WMA, AAC and all the other proprietary crap that operating-system makers are supposed to pay royalties for including in their software. But the option to play FLAC and OGG is NOT checked by default. You have to manually check all the boxes -- yep, I did it -- so now I should have less trouble playing OGG and FLAC files.

Note: I could already play OGG files in WMP since I had previously downloaded a codec that made it possible, but it's nice to see Microsoft acknowledging that these open-source alternatives exist and supporting their use.

But making me close dozens of tabs and windows in the middle of a workday just to get a freakin' Windows Media Player update? In the end, Redmond, you wound me.