I recently came across this story - about which I was reminded when Windows 7 started doing a load of background things that slowed everything up (again) just now. I don't know if it is true; it sounds, perhaps, a little too perfect but it does say something about an experience with which too many of us are familiar. Here it is anyway.
There was a man who, in his youth, professed a desire to become a great writer. When asked to define 'great,' he said, 'I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level. Stuff that will make them scream, cry, and howl in pain and anger.'
He now works at Microsoft, writing error messages.
If this story is true, given my experience of working on Windows, I'm sure he has a very busy, full time job. He is unlikely ever to be out of a job. He is the guy who penned (or typed) something most of us see in parentheses everyday: '(Not Responding)'.
NB Happily, I've recently had the pleasure of moving over to Linux for a lot of my work.
