Forbes Says Vista Not People Ready 362
Diomedes01 writes "Daniel Lyons has an opinion piece up on Forbes.com about a recent press conference held by Microsoft, and the results are anything but flattering."
Variables don't; constants aren't.
My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:5, Interesting)
Let's take my three sisters. Each has a degree in biology. Each considers me their personal tech support when anything "breaks." It sucks.
I've gotten phone calls from them about the behavior of Windows XP on multiple occasions. Once they thought all their windows kept closing if they opened too many. As it turns out, they had the "grouping" feature enabled for windows of the same type on the toolbar.
*sigh*
Now Vista will have a new 3D effect [microsoft.com] to window grouping. Sweet Jesus, I am turning my cell phone off. I can imagine it now, "All my windows are turning sideways! Make it stop!"
Aside from "Ease of Use," I don't think any of the advertised features [microsoft.com] are going to meld well with any of my sisters. The new 'Aero' technology is no match for my sisters' Airhead logic.
I plan to make up some story for them about how Vista is the devil and if you install it, it will slowly begin to ruin your computer. Oh, and if you try to save your biology notes, it especially hates the medical sciences so it will delete them instantly. Not to mention that its new 'AI' abilities allow it to call you names if it perceives you to be an unqualified user. That should stop them from buying it.
The worst part is that Microsoft can smell this potential market in young people who don't know what they need: That's exactly the kind of publicity stunt that would cause all three of my sisters to run out and buy Vista. *shudders* He's an fucking fashion designer! What the fuck would he know about computer software?!?!
And what is with this part of the article: This article brought to you by Forbes Magazine's Daniel Lyons, owner of stock in AAPL.
Thanks, Dan, I was with you there until that last paragraph where your Apple sales pitch kicked in.
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:3, Informative)
There has got to me more to it than that.
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:5, Informative)
I sysadmin for a company that does some fashion design. We do indeed use a specialized CAD type program for this. It's output is bascally a blueprint of the garment to give to the manufacturers.
This software is hella expensive.
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:3, Funny)
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, but when you have questions about reproductive activities, you've got instant tech support...
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:5, Funny)
Wait a minute, are you from West Virginia?
Outsource them here! (Score:2, Funny)
Interestingly enough, when I was 17 I was asked by an attractive 22 year old woman what the difference between sperm and semen was. I cowardly responded by explaining the differences using technical language, rather than the slightly contrived situation involving a "practical lesson" that I ususally
Re:Outsource them here! (Score:5, Funny)
"Yes, and this stuff in my hand is semen, which I will now smear on to a slide - if you will come over and look into this microscope..."
(As an aside, I wonder who was the first guy to look at semen in a microscope? That dude must have been freaked the fuck out, big time!)
Re:Outsource them here! (Score:3, Informative)
Probably Anton van Leeuwenhoek [wikipedia.org].
Re:Outsource them here! (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Outsource them here! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:2, Interesting)
a) Well written, punctuation & all
b) Focussed, on something!.
remember the OSX vs Ubuntu vs XP thing from a few days ago? this kind of article is diametrically opposite that one (in terms of readability) on the piss pot that is tour wonderful internet.
Best Quote about Vista? (Score:3, Funny)
I feel your pain.
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:2)
Well?? Why not?
I own AAPL as well, but I don't expect the stock price to rise by telling my friends and family to use macs. I exp
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:4, Insightful)
Cheers.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:5, Interesting)
The reason will be simple: I don't use Vista, and I have no idea how to solve whatever problem you're experiencing.
You see, I'm moving to Ubuntu or Mepis (I still have a whole year or two to make my mind up! Maybe something new will come along) once Windows XP looks like it's drawing close to it's death.
I look at Ubuntu bi-monthly now, and I like what I see. Is it yet at the point where I want to make it my primary system? Nope... I'm day to day Windows still. But each time I look, more of those nagging doubts have evaporated, more of those features and usability tweaks I want have appeared.
By the time I have to face the question of what my next operating system will be, it will no longer be a single answer (whatever the next M$ system is), it will be a choice between a Linux (Ubuntu or Mepis are most likely), and Vista. And given the way that those answers are evolving (hey, Linux need do nothing so long as DRM crapware infests Vista!)... it looks like Linux is going to win hands down.
And in switching... I get to abandon all technical support to anyone on Windows, and let them know that if they want to use Linux, I'll happily help them with whatever problems they have, as I will be in a place to be able to help them.
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:3, Interesting)
Holy crap I wish my mom WOULD switch to Linux! Lots of fun? Yes, I ssh in, see what the problem is, fix it. All during a three minute commercial break. Try that with Windows.
It is MUCH easier to fix someone's problem than it is to walk them through and help them fix it themselves over the phone. WAY EASIER AND FASTER.
Desktop frozen? SSH in, kill -9 , "Ok mom, type startx and press enter". I alre
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:2)
So how much are you charging them to subsidize their Microsoft addiction? Might I suggest $20/hour?
Remember, just because you're their personal tech support doesn't mean you have to be their free tech support!
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:3, Interesting)
My brother and sister are also computer inept, and I end up spending ungodly ammounts removing spyware and such from their systems (most of the time if it's a hardware failure I'll even buy the parts they need without asking from compensation). I wouldn't dream of charging them
Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:3, Funny)
"UNIX is user-friendly, its just picky about who its friends are"
Biologists Don't Do Windows... (Score:5, Interesting)
However, I work in research. Until recently the systems were about 50-50 Windows / Mac with the exceptions of bioinformatics (mostly Linux), and cheminformatics (mostly Irix). However, more recently, vendors have been phasing out the use of Windows for instrumentation control in favor of Linux. Nearly all the structural chemistry applications have moved to Linux, and most genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics software is now Linux-based (and, frequently, runs just fine on Macs too). Macs are still pretty popular, but the use of Windows in research is pretty much considered "legacy" at this point.
If you come from an academic environment in contemporary biology, you were probably weened on Mac OS, or Solaris (when I was in grad school). If it's more recent, it's most definitely OS/X or Linux. It's also clear that Linux is rapidly becoming the platform-of-choice for apps in biotech and pharamceutical research, but with a heavy emphasis on WEB-based technologies.
That's not to say that there aren't users that use nothing but Excel and Word, but that's not so common anymore in research (at least were I work and in my previous job). This poses a big problem for our IT department -- they aren't prepared to support Linux desktops and Mac OS/X, yet those are the platforms where most of our applications run.
Biolgists either don't do computers at all (particularly "old school" biologists), or, if they do, Windows is not what they have the most experience with...
Re:Biologists Don't Do Windows... (Score:3)
That is happening on all research areas. Research takes more of a computer than a normal Windows installation have to offer, and using Linux is much easier than installing all 3rd party apps that you need (installing software on Windows is hard).
The doctor is in (Score:5, Funny)
OK, you clearly have issues.
What you haven't realized is your hostility towards your sisters is a form of transferance. You are transferring your need to show your mother that you are a competent adult (and thus worthy of regard) onto your sisters, and projecting your own infantile dependency onto them. It is worth noting that while you must constantly demonstrate your expertise and competence in computers to them, they have no compulsion to retern the favor by offering you help in their area of expertise. Likely this difference is due to insecure paternal attachment on your part. Could this be unresolved castration anxiety? Certainly that would explain the difference between you and you sisters. In any case, the underlying assymetry in your relationship reinforces your infantile anxiety, which creates rage, part of which is displaced onto Microsoft, the balance of which is sublimated in the form of further demonstrations of technical competence. Naturally, such heroic (dare I say histrionic?) demonstrations of technical finesse that only exacerabate your problem.
What you need to do is to address the imbalance in your relationship to your sisters. A few concrete suggestions:
* Encourage them to install the beta of Vista. Then when they have problems, throw up your hands and confess you don't know anything about Microsoft operating systems.
* Develop a stock response to technical question and consistently use it for every problem no matter how trivial e.g., "Try reformatting your hard drive and reinstalling the operating system." This will encourage your sisters to be less dependent on you.
* Demand that your sisters provide you with equivalent services in their areas of expertise. For example, why did your last batch of homebrew beer come out sour? What can you do about the crabgrass on your lawn? When you are going out on a date after work, how can you avoid having body odor even if you've showered in the morning (claim you are allergic to deoderant)?
Follow this strategy, and you cannot help but develop a more adult, mutually satisfying relationship with your siblings.
Re:Boy, you got my number! (Score:5, Funny)
I know this sounds kind of gross and I have issues, but what does it all mean, doc?
Ah, yes. Excrement that turns into gold. This a dream motif commonly seen in the anal-expulsive personality type, which as we all know is characterized by high levels of conceit and ambition. This should, I believe, be watched closely. We should consider increasing the frequency of our sessions to twice a week (at the normal rate of course), for is not unusal for these tendencies to grow into an intractable and malignant narcissism.
For a fascinating example of a parallel case in which the same dream motif if found, see the case study of "Bill G." published in a recent Zeitschrift der Analyse von Träumen. The details of this case are an extreme example, it is true, nonetheless it is well that they should give us pause.
So I guess you're saying ... (Score:3, Funny)
Dumb it down for me, doc, I'm a freaking Slashdot poster for Christ's sake!
Re:So I guess you're saying ... (Score:3, Funny)
Not Ready? Say it ain't so! (Score:5, Funny)
But, but, but... "When you combine people and technology, you have a very powerful combination." Fashion designer (and part time Microsoft shill) Tommy Hilfiger said so! So it MUST be true! Vista is the future! Viva la Vista!
Seriously, though. A voice command from your cellphone to check email? What are these guys smoking?
Re:Not Ready? Say it ain't so! (Score:5, Funny)
As SciFi has clearly pointed out, this is not a good idea...
Re:Not Ready? Say it ain't so! (Score:2)
Re:Not Ready? Say it ain't so! (Score:2, Funny)
Egad! (Score:2)
As SciFi has clearly pointed out, this is not a good idea...
Goodness. There's a frightening thought. Armies of hostile chav cyborgs in their Tommy Hilfiger jackets, slaughtering their way through the human race...
Re:Not Ready? Say it ain't so! (Score:4, Funny)
I'm sure this is the feature i need to push me over the edge to upgrade my O'97.
Re:Not Ready? Say it ain't so! (Score:2)
The new Microsoft "killer" application/appliance/gadget: the Blackberry killer.
Rejection (Score:5, Insightful)
We can sit around all we want and say stuff like "when people get tired of (malware|viruses|spyware|whateverelse)" they will switch to (Linux|Mac).
It's just not true. People will switch when they are told to. Nothing else. Until Companies FORCE people to switch, there will be no switching.
Re:Rejection (Score:5, Informative)
If the new Office/Vista interfaces are too different from the current Windows setup, the training budget will be cheaper to go to a Linux desktop (GNOME or KDE) and use OpenOffice.org. Never mind the license fees to upgrade being saved.
This has become typical of Microsoft. While SQL has gotten better, and they're getting better with Visual Studio and the new version of IE, so many other things are broken. I can't speak for BizTalk 2006, but 2004 has struck me as a huge waste of cash.
I've been trying to justify using MS products for quite some time (aside from the fact that
Re:Rejection (Score:3, Interesting)
I think you are right that most folks use Microsoft because they simply have no idea that it is bad software. To them its just the way things are and they get on with whatever they are doing. The Linux FUD is going to be around f
Inertia (Score:4, Interesting)
In other words, whatever they're switching from has to get really bad, and whatever they're switching to has to offer a major improvement.
You could look at it in terms of neophobes and neophiles, or the devil you know vs. the devil you don't know, or just plain inertia.
Re:Rejection (Score:3, Interesting)
Ballmer gave what I thought was an interesting answer when Forbes asked whether people will actually be able to use the complex new applications. He said that most people won't, but that some people (like yourself) will be able to do things with them that increase everyone's productivity.
I can see the theory he's using, but I'm afraid where Microsoft has always failed is in addressing the majority of users who need to
Re:Rejection (Score:4, Funny)
I used to use Photoshop to produce $500,000,000 worth of profesionnal-quality documents every months. But then, they introcued some annoying security feature [slashdot.org], and I had to switch to the gimp!
They could charge $2000 for office and I would still buy it,
Careful there. They won't accept "documents" produced by Office as payment for the software itself. That would be too easy...
Re:Rejection (Score:4, Informative)
Most people don't even know what the features of MS office are, let alone prefer it because of them. They use it out of sheer inertia.
Re:Rejection (Score:4, Interesting)
@SQL QUERY@
Then write a perl script that parses the text and replaces the text between @@ with the result.
I do a related trick for my text book where I have @line_number,text@ markups that sync up line numbers in the text with lines in source code. E.g. I can say "The while loop on line @74,while@ performs..." and then it looks around line 74 for the word "while" and replaces the @@ with the actual number.
This way if I add a comment or whitespace my line numbers still make sense. To make a PDF I type
make docs
My point is you don't need to spend two grand on a suite of tools where teTeX and a small perl script accomplishes the same thing. You could edit the LaTeX source with any text editor and view the pdf, ps or dvi output with your fav reader.
If you're not a programmer hire some intern for a week to script it up for you.
You look at that and probably say "oh great now I have to invent my own tools!" I say why not? Why is being clever such a bad thing? It means I can use professional tools [hint: LaTeX does typesetting not just whatever Word feels like] and accomplish my goals in an efficient manner. Instead of being totally dependent on MSFT to come in and solve my problems [with the added bonus of vendor lockin, security holes your parents would be ashamed of and a price tag that is absurd].
Tom
Cyborgs...? (Score:4, Funny)
"When you combine people and technology, you have a very powerful combination." Think about that. Just let it sink in for a minute.
I for one welcome our new Vista powered overlords.
trying not to troll (Score:3, Insightful)
I hate to add fuel to the fire but these sound like indications of a flawed design & development environment...
Re:trying not to troll (Score:2)
and the stock price will go up when Vista finally does ship. You wait and see. MSFT has this uncanny ability to defy all logic.
Re:trying not to troll (Score:2)
Re:trying not to troll (Score:5, Interesting)
The fact that Microsoft operates under conditions like that is indeed a herculean effort, but such a huge amount of resources is wasted in the process and such amount of overhead generated, that there is no wonder for Vista to be delayed 3 years and its feature list slashed in half and its stability and security (whatever amount there ever been) is going down the drain. I can only imagine that Office is in the same boat.
This is not merely flawed development environment, this is a sign of total disaster in making.
Re:trying not to troll (Score:2)
I apologize, I'll try to be more cleare in the future.
Opinion? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Opinion? (Score:5, Funny)
Don't read many newspapers, or watch much television, do you?
colleagues (Score:4, Funny)
Re:colleagues (Score:2)
Not necessarily. Suppose that in company Zephyr, Alice works with Bob on project Yeti, and Bob works with Charlie on project Wingnut, but Alice does not work with Charlie on any project. Then Charlie is Alice's colleague's colleague, but not himself Alice's colleague.
Do we care what Lyons says anymore? (Score:5, Insightful)
He's a troll, and an inconsistent one at that.
The final paragraph of the linked article Really explains alot. I presumed this guy (with his anti IBM, Novell & Linux stance) was an MS shill. Turns out he's just another Apple fanboy.
Re:Do we care what Lyons says anymore? (Score:3, Insightful)
According to eldavojohn [slashdot.org] (I don't care enough to verify it) he owns apple stock. So I guess that upgrades him from just fanboy to I-like-my-money-so-I-won't-bash-my-investments fanboy?
Re:Do we care what Lyons says anymore? (Score:3, Insightful)
Errr, you linked to speculation posted by someone less then 20 minutes ago. I don't believe eldavojohn actually knows whether Lyons owns stock or not.
Re:Do we care what Lyons says anymore? (Score:2, Insightful)
Even a fanboy should have realized that Apple's stock peak back in January was likely to be the highest it's going to get for a LONG time. There's nothing the press can do at this point that'll pump up Apple's price. The next iPod is going to have to be subcutaneously-implantable nanotech to cause a significant bump. I am an unabashed fanboy, but even I sold (at 21* my 1996 purchase price) in January.
Re:Do we care what Lyons says anymore? (Score:2)
His article was almost as vapour-filled as the press event he's condemning. He could have just said, "Microsoft held a press non-event, and everyone thought it was boring".
And I'm pretty sure promoting a company whose stock you hold without giving notice of this fact used to be considered unethical and/or illegal.
Re:Do we care what Lyons says anymore? (Score:2)
Re:Do we care what Lyons says anymore? (Score:2)
Regards,
Steve
Re:Do we care what Lyons says anymore? (Score:3, Insightful)
osoft can't afford to screw up like this. There are free alternatives to everything Microsoft sells, like the Linux operating system and the Open Office application suite. Rivals like Novell (nasdaq: NOVL - news - people ), Red Hat (nasdaq: RHAT - news - people ), Sun Microsystems (nasdaq: SUNW - news - people ) and, yes, IBM are pushing those programs big time.
Given Microsoft's delays I can't believe open-source stuff still hasn'
Sort of like (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes Yes M$FT sucks we know we know (Score:3, Insightful)
"Find Open Office hard to use? You must be a moron."
I've had it with the love fest with anything that is not M$FT. Can we stop putting "I hate M$FT" opinion pieces on here. And also let's have REVIEWS, and not unbalanced free passes for Mac OS X and Open Office. IE7 does have some cool features like Quick tabs, and the leaner interface etc.
Before the IE7 hate dogs talk about security, let's not forget Mac OS X does have issues too, they have had remotely exploitable security holes they had to fix. Except none of the fanboys were even aware.
Windows hasn't had a wormable network exploit since SP2 (thanks to the firewall).
I have used the Vista betas, they're fine. If someone is going to go on a hate M$FT bash fest, that's fine.. but I don't care about it. I want scientific analysis.
Re:Yes Yes M$FT sucks we know we know (Score:3, Funny)
Waddya expect? (Score:4, Informative)
2006 could turn out to be Microsoft's annus horribilis, since the chances must be very high they'll soon have to fess up and say Janaury 2007 is a bad time to launch Vista. And with every day that passes, more folks will get pissed off with the XP malware explosion. Couldn't have happened to nicer guys
People ready (Score:2)
Windows Vista - People Ready. Just the tool you need to leverage your agile interpersonal synergy to streamline the digital solution engineering process.
A load of arm-waving to distract people from the added lockdown technology? According to this reporter, yes.
Other "Vista" slogans considered by MS marketing (Score:5, Funny)
"Windows Vista -- A Powerful Combination Of Combined Powers"
"Windows Vista -- Sheep Ready"
"Windows Vista -- Because The Richest Bloke In The World Says So"
"Windows Vista -- Almost Ready"
"Windows Vista -- Or I Hit You With This Chair"
Groundhog Day (Score:5, Funny)
> Instead, we got a demo that was about as compelling as a root canal followed by a 15-minute press conference with Ballmer, the Microsoft chief executive who seems incapable of speaking at any level softer than a bellow.
>[...]
>I wonder if Ballmer ever feels like the guy in Groundhog Day, reliving the same press conference, over and over. I know I do.
Developers. Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers.
Gee, I wonder why it feels like Groundhog Day.
(I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met Natalie Portman. We ate hot grits and drank pina coladas from tikis made of petrified wood. At sunset we made love like sea otters. *That* was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get that day over and over and over...)
Software Assurance and Date Slippage (Score:5, Interesting)
I wonder if there may be issues with claims salesmen made and this date slippage.
Re:Software Assurance and Date Slippage (Score:3, Insightful)
I wonder if there may be issues with claims salesmen made and this date slippage.
My guess is that is exactly why Microsoft is releasing Vista to certain parties still this year. The delay is only for end consumers of Vista, to which Microsoft has no contractual upgrade requirements.
Re:Software Assurance and Date Slippage (Score:3, Informative)
Wow. Just wow.
It's so obvious, we all missed it. Thank you. That's some awesome corporate crap in action right there. I'm not even sure I understand all of the implications fully, it's so mind-numbingly corporate-contract-hardball. Wow.
Did these guys all just pay for support contracts that essentially ma
Re:Software Assurance and Date Slippage (Score:3, Interesting)
Tools (Score:2)
That's because only tools work with windows, right? Is it tool ready?
It is people ready... (Score:2, Funny)
IBM doesn't innovate? (Score:2, Insightful)
Hmmm... check out a couple posts down on
Something about nanotubes and stuff... hardly innovation.
Vista: "Impacting People" (Score:5, Funny)
You see, this is an example of where the article goes wrong. Daniel Lyons didn't realize they were talking about this kind of impaction [google.com].
Apple = stable? (Score:2)
Obviously the owner doesn't use a MiniMac. I keep a paper list of the three- and four-key magic keypresses you need to reset memory, kill hung programs (especially anything with Java) and force a shutdown taped to mine.
When you combine people and technology.. (Score:5, Funny)
MOD LEGAL GUARDIAN UP (Score:3, Funny)
what a waste of time (Score:2, Insightful)
Slanted, one sided, inaccurate and biased bl
Microsoft is Run by Their Department (Score:2)
It's a good sign, I think.
Daniel Lyons Has a History... (Score:2, Interesting)
He also isn't a big fan of Linux [forbes.com].
This guy is widely considered a hack.
I've been using Vista build 5308 for almost a month now as my primary "home" machine. At first I was a little taken back by some of the UI changes, but overall I really do like it. In fact, when I move back to XP it really hurts because of things I miss from Vista.
This guy's critcisms of Vista are so vague it's hard to even know what parts of Vista he is talking about.
"The new programs are phen
Re:Daniel Lyons Has a History... (Score:3, Insightful)
1.) The address bar.
The address bar in Vista allows for both manual typing of addresses, as well as a more point/click navigational scheme. I can click any of the folder names in my current path and it gives me a list of all sibling folders. Very handy for navigation. It also has a built in progress bar for when explorer is performing a long running task related to displaying the files in a folder. It even lets you cancel that task.
2.) The new start menu.
The start menu is SO much be
Re:Daniel Lyons Has a History... (Score:4, Insightful)
So is Exposé, if that was your implication.
iqu
I'll Use what the bossman... (Score:4, Insightful)
Right now it's XP and Office 2003.
As long as I can hook it up to a projector and bore the crap out of a room full of people with 83 Powerpoint slides, The Bossman is happy.
I don't see big corporations being first in line for a shiny new OS that practically triples the minimum hardware requirement.
At Home I'll use whatever Valve software tells me to use so I can Play Half-Life 3. Sheep, remember?
X-360 (Score:3, Interesting)
MS botched PR 101 (Score:4, Insightful)
This leads to almost universally good news on all the applicable outlets. If the show is interesting, all the better, we will sit there and smile, taking notes and pictures.
Now, if you bore us to tears with stupid, irrelevant and wrong info, we will sit there for 60-90 minutes and think up ways to make your life pain, usually in the form of an article. We sit there, turn to the guy next to us and crack jokes about everything and anything, relevant or not. Nothing tends to be sacred.
Yep, the MS people botched this one bad, and the Lyons piece is a good example of this. They promised the moon, gave nothing, and did it in a way that from the sound of it was thoroughly unpleasant to watch.
And they are wondering why they got hammered. Duh. If you are going to take up our time, don't waste it. If you do, you almost guarantee your product will be panned.
As a corolary to this, fill the press section with syncophantic or bribed tame press, then do what you want. This is a time honored tradition that works well, but if you do it too often with sucky presentation, it will bite you, your costs will go up. Look at... well, that would be telling.
-Charlie
P.S. Take this article with a big grain of salt. Anyone still defending SCO is pretty suspect in my book, but that is just one reporter's opinion.
Windows XP is my last Microsoft OS (Score:3)
I'll still use Windows XP and/or 2000 as a dual-boot, either on an Ubuntu AMD system (after converting my HP AMD laptop to Ubuntu), or on an Apple OSX dual boot with XP on it. This is only until
I've already moved the other PC's in the house - those used by my wife and son - to Ubuntu. Regardless of the OS - XP or Ubuntu - all PCs are running Open Office, Firefox, etc.
I mention Ubuntu for a reason - its the strongest Linux desktop OS that I've encountered thusfar, easy to install, and easy for non-techies (like my wife) to manage on their own (download/install other apps, configure ones already running, use peripheral devices, use already installed apps for communication/productivity, etc.).
"Microsoft can't afford to screw up like this" (Score:5, Insightful)
Unfortunately, Microsoft's customers (i.e. most of the world) are willing to wait a really long time before they give up on the Redmond giant. It's that damned critical mass that they've built up over the years: everything's geared to supporting Windows before anything else, from hardware manufacturers to ISVs to ISPs to media companies, etc. Even Google doesn't support anything but Windows for Google Earth! (okay, there's a Mac beta for it now too, but you get my drift).
Therefore, I figure that Microsoft's monopoly position can only be threatened if one of their next new operating systems turns out to be a total failure. If Microsoft aren't able to dump it and replace it soon enough with something better, only then will significant numbers of their customers begin to loose faith in them and move on to alternative operating systems.
Let's hope Vista turns out to be that dog.
Why people won't switch ? (Score:4, Insightful)
Let me tell you big secret: Most people don't want to switch. They hate to have to learn a new system, new UI and new buttons. It's bad enough as it is. Think about 60 years old, who is struggling with office, e-mail and web, and calling his/her free tech-support(children) whenver he/she accidentally minimize window. Those people stay with XP as long as MS provide minimal support, that is fixing exploits. And may be even longer. So many people are actually happy of Vista delay, as long as it means longer support for XP. It would be even betted if Vista cancelled at all.
First Rule of Forbes (Score:4, Insightful)
Forbes is responsible for more wrong-headed ideas about technology in the executive suites than any other publication. Pay them no heed. Ignore them. They do not have a clue.
They may even be right this time, but that wouldn't make up for the multitude of times they've made technologists lives worse.
That's okay (Score:3, Interesting)
Wrong (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:All empires (Score:2, Funny)
I find your lack of faith disturbing.
Aiming too high (Score:3, Interesting)
Microsoft keep aiming too high. In the end, it's as simple as that.
The executives who are driving the show like to promote corporation-wide initiatives (.Net springs to mind) but they lack the clarity of vision and coherence of presentation to get their message across. This is, of course, assuming that they're clear themselves about what their initiative seeks to achieve, which I doubt in many cases. Once you're detached from clear goals and clear plans to achieve them, and you descend into corporate init