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Picture this: it’s 2018, and I’m poking around Microsoft’s help pages when I spot a bold claim on the DoCmd.OpenQuery page [https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/access.docmd.openquery]: “UtterAccess is the premier Microsoft Access wiki and help forum.” Premier, eh? I raised an eyebrow, scribbled a post about it [https://www.access-programmers.co.uk/forums/threads/checking-awf-hit-count.301964/#post-1595536], and—credit where it’s due—Microsoft scrubbed that line faster than you can say “query timeout.” Job done, or so I thought.
Fast forward to 2025, and it turns out Microsoft’s got the memory of a goldfish on a coffee break. That “premier” label? It’s still plastered across their site—take a peek at the DAO Database.OpenRecordset page [https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/o...e-reference/database-openrecordset-method-dao] for Exhibit A. I did a quick Google sleuthing [https://www.google.com/search?q=Utt...QzNzZqMGoxNagCCLACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8] and, blimey, it’s on more pages than I’ve had cups of tea this week. What’s going on, Microsoft?
Now, let’s talk numbers—because who doesn’t love a good stat? Access World Forum (AWF), our little corner of the Access universe, pulls in about 35,000 hits a month [https://www.similarweb.com/website/access-programmers.co.uk/#traffic]. UtterAccess (UA)? Around 7,500 [https://www.similarweb.com/website/utteraccess.com/#traffic]. Solid numbers for both, no doubt—plenty of our mates bounce between the two like it’s an Access pub crawl. But “premier”? That’s a big word, Microsoft. Did UA win a secret popularity contest we weren’t invited to, or is this just a case of copy-paste gone wild?
Don’t get me wrong—UA’s got its charm, and I’m not here to start a forum turf war (I’d lose, I’m terrible at arm wrestling). But when Microsoft slaps “premier” on one site and leaves the rest of us in the footnotes, it’s a bit like calling Clippy the “premier” Office assistant. Bold, but is it true? They fixed one page after my nudge years back, so why’s the rest of their site still singing the same old tune?
Here’s my pitch: let’s nudge Microsoft—professionally, of course, but with a grin. Drop a polite note via their feedback forms: “Lads, UA’s great, but ‘premier’? AWF’s 35K hits say hello. Time for an update?” I’ll kick it off with the DAO page—screenshot pending. Or, if you’re feeling chatty, ping @MicrosoftDocs on X: “Hey, love the Access love, but ‘premier’ UA? Did you mean ‘pretty solid’? Asking for a friend (AWF).” Keep it cheeky, keep it civil.
This isn’t about picking sides—both forums have ace folks solving Access woes daily. It’s about Microsoft getting their story straight before we all start calling our databases “premier” too. Imagine the chaos: “My VBA’s the premier bug-fixer!” “No, my query’s premier!” Let’s save the superlatives for the pub and nudge Microsoft to tidy up their homework.
What say you, AWF crew? Shall we gently rib Microsoft into 2025, or just chuckle and carry on? Drop your thoughts below—I’m off to brew another cuppa and dodge the forum pitchforks!
Fast forward to 2025, and it turns out Microsoft’s got the memory of a goldfish on a coffee break. That “premier” label? It’s still plastered across their site—take a peek at the DAO Database.OpenRecordset page [https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/o...e-reference/database-openrecordset-method-dao] for Exhibit A. I did a quick Google sleuthing [https://www.google.com/search?q=Utt...QzNzZqMGoxNagCCLACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8] and, blimey, it’s on more pages than I’ve had cups of tea this week. What’s going on, Microsoft?
Now, let’s talk numbers—because who doesn’t love a good stat? Access World Forum (AWF), our little corner of the Access universe, pulls in about 35,000 hits a month [https://www.similarweb.com/website/access-programmers.co.uk/#traffic]. UtterAccess (UA)? Around 7,500 [https://www.similarweb.com/website/utteraccess.com/#traffic]. Solid numbers for both, no doubt—plenty of our mates bounce between the two like it’s an Access pub crawl. But “premier”? That’s a big word, Microsoft. Did UA win a secret popularity contest we weren’t invited to, or is this just a case of copy-paste gone wild?
Don’t get me wrong—UA’s got its charm, and I’m not here to start a forum turf war (I’d lose, I’m terrible at arm wrestling). But when Microsoft slaps “premier” on one site and leaves the rest of us in the footnotes, it’s a bit like calling Clippy the “premier” Office assistant. Bold, but is it true? They fixed one page after my nudge years back, so why’s the rest of their site still singing the same old tune?
Here’s my pitch: let’s nudge Microsoft—professionally, of course, but with a grin. Drop a polite note via their feedback forms: “Lads, UA’s great, but ‘premier’? AWF’s 35K hits say hello. Time for an update?” I’ll kick it off with the DAO page—screenshot pending. Or, if you’re feeling chatty, ping @MicrosoftDocs on X: “Hey, love the Access love, but ‘premier’ UA? Did you mean ‘pretty solid’? Asking for a friend (AWF).” Keep it cheeky, keep it civil.
This isn’t about picking sides—both forums have ace folks solving Access woes daily. It’s about Microsoft getting their story straight before we all start calling our databases “premier” too. Imagine the chaos: “My VBA’s the premier bug-fixer!” “No, my query’s premier!” Let’s save the superlatives for the pub and nudge Microsoft to tidy up their homework.
What say you, AWF crew? Shall we gently rib Microsoft into 2025, or just chuckle and carry on? Drop your thoughts below—I’m off to brew another cuppa and dodge the forum pitchforks!
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