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Forbes Says Vista Not People Ready 362

Posted by samzenpus from the what-is-it-ready-for dept.
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."
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Forbes Says Vista Not People Ready More

Forbes Says Vista Not People Ready

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  • My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:5, Interesting)

    by eldavojohn ( 898314 ) * <eldavojohn@noSpAM.gmail.com> on Friday March 24, 2006 @10:55AM (#14987659) Journal
    Surprise surprise, people are predicting that Microsoft's Vista may not be 'people ready.'

    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:
    Microsoft execs also talked about "Impacting People," then they dragged out fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger, who seemed very "impacted" as he sang praise for Microsoft programs. Actually, he was reading meaningless statements from a TelePrompTer. Here is one of his quotes, verbatim: "When you combine people and technology, you have a very powerful combination."
    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:
    Why not at least switch to an Apple Computer (nasdaq: AAPL) Mac? Apple's new operating system is stable, reliable and easy to use. The applications are simple, gorgeous and work well together. And they're here. Today. Steve Jobs must be waking up a happy man this morning.
    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)

      by gowen ( 141411 ) <gwowen@gmail.com> on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:02AM (#14987701) Homepage Journal
      He's an fucking fashion designer! What the fuck would he know about computer software?!?!
      He knows that if you suck up to its manufacturer [windevnet.com], and let them use you as their publicity bitch, you'll get a serious discount.
      • Huh? Tommy needs discounts from Sewing machine companies, not Microsoft. I must admit to ignorance about the fashion industry, but even if Microsoft GAVE Hillfigger free computers AND applications, how much would he save, $10,000? I doubt that he uses CAD software to design the next T-shirt.

        There has got to me more to it than that.

        • Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:4, Insightful)

          by 'nother poster ( 700681 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:26AM (#14987876)
          He doesn't need discounts on sewing machines. The companies that he contracts with to produce a half a mil of his latest fashion obscenity needs the discount on sewing machines. Tommy needs discounts on computers and software because his company neeeds to integrate with and coordinate with all of those other companies in their supply chain. Tommy needs to be able to send the numbers to his accountants firms. Tommy needs computers to work with his ad agency so he can convince even more sheeple to buy his stuff. I'm betting that, just like every other "idea" company in the U.S., Tommy has multiple hundreds of thousands tied up in hardware and licenses for software.

        • Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:4, Insightful)

          by Elvis Parsley ( 939954 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:32AM (#14987956)
          Sure, he's a fashion designer, but his business has the same IT needs as every other business. They do sales and marketing, buy from suppliers, sell to distributors and retailers, hire and pay employees and provide them with benefits, coordinate and pay for travel, and so on. In the modern business climate, he still needs computers for all of that, even if the activity underlying it all involves ultimately swaning about with charchoal sketches and fabric swatches.

        • Re:My Clinically Inept Siblings (Score:5, Informative)

          by bonius_rex ( 170357 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @12:11PM (#14988269)
          I doubt that he uses CAD software to design the next T-shirt.

          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.

    • Let's take my three sisters. Each has a degree in biology. Each considers me their personal tech support when anything "breaks." It sucks.

      Yeah, but when you have questions about reproductive activities, you've got instant tech support...

      • Yeah, but when you have questions about reproductive activities, you've got instant tech support...
        They're my sisters. I don't talk about reproductive activities with my sisters.

        Wait a minute, are you from West Virginia?
        • If your sisters have any reproductive queries, outsource them to my "callcentre", I'd be happy to take them, it's cheaper than a phonesex hotline and I get the satisfaction of doing something for the community.

          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)

            by cluke ( 30394 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @12:10PM (#14988265)
            My mind is kind of boggling at any sort of practical demo that could illustrate that difference.

            "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)

              by Fred_A ( 10934 )
              I wonder who was the first guy to look at semen in a microscope?

              Probably Anton van Leeuwenhoek [wikipedia.org].
            • One of the first things they looked at was bodily fluids, with the early microscopes, but there are so many other wiggly, squiggly things to see, that are much larger and easier to see (sperm are *really* small cells compared to rotifers and bacteria with vibrating or rotary cilia/flagella) that by the time they got good enough to see the really small stuff they were probably initially wondering whether those were just more of what they'd already seen.
    • even if he is an AAPL shareholder or whatever, it is a a pleasant change to read an anti-MS article that is ;

      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.

      /boredom & apologies for spelling
    • The new 'Aero' technology is no match for my sisters' Airhead logic.

      I feel your pain.

    • Why not at least switch to an Apple Computer (nasdaq: AAPL) Mac? Apple's new operating system is stable, reliable and easy to use. The applications are simple, gorgeous and work well together. And they're here. Today. Steve Jobs must be waking up a happy man this morning.

      "Thanks, Dan, I was with you there until that last paragraph where your Apple sales pitch kicked in.

      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:5, Interesting)

      by buro9 ( 633210 ) <david&buro9,com> on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:21AM (#14987837) Homepage
      I am actually doing very much the same... abandoning support for MS crapware to all family members and friends.

      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: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
      Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Let's take my three sisters. Each has a degree in biology. Each considers me their personal tech support when anything "breaks." It sucks.

      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!
      • That doesn't work on my Mom, "Ok, you pay me back for those four years of college I sent you to for your Computer Science degree first!"
      • Don't know where you're from, but it's not considered "right" to charge siblings for something like that in most parts. If you can help a sibling with nothing invested but your time, then you do so. Eventually, they'll do the same.

        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
    • Prehaps its following that old *NIX joke.

      "UNIX is user-friendly, its just picky about who its friends are"

    • Biologists Don't Do Windows... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by FellowConspirator ( 882908 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:26AM (#14987880)
      I work for a large biotech company. Upper management uses Windows-based systems, as does manufacturing.

      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...

      • 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)

      by hey! ( 33014 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:28AM (#14987904) Homepage Journal
      Let's take my three sisters. Each has a degree in biology. Each considers me their personal tech support when anything "breaks." It sucks.

      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.
  • Vista not People Ready

    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?

  • Rejection (Score:5, Insightful)

    by kc0re ( 739168 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @10:57AM (#14987672) Journal
    People reject OpenOffice and reject even Mac, because they don't know any different. They have been "programmed" to use Microsoft Windows, therefore, until they are told different, they will continue to use Microsoft Windows.

    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)

      by Cyphertube ( 62291 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:08AM (#14987732) Homepage Journal
      Of course, if things are half as complex as this article makes it sound, well, I think there will be the issue of training budgets for companies.

      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 .NET programmers are cheap). If the user interface is more complex for most of our users, then there will be little to no reason to stick with it.

    • Re:Rejection (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Moby Cock ( 771358 )
      I think articles like this one may also help. It is scathing. Seldom have I seen such a brutal assault on Microsoft in a mainstream publication. If a similar rebuke was aired on CNN or 60 minutes ran a piece that tore apart the hype for Vista I think there would be an effect.

      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)

      by Kelson ( 129150 ) * on Friday March 24, 2006 @01:34PM (#14989062) Homepage Journal
      It all comes down to the fact that most people would rather stick with the inconvenience they know than risk starting over on something that might not be worth the effort.

      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.

  • Cyborgs...? (Score:4, Funny)

    by drrck ( 959788 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @10:58AM (#14987678)
    FTA: Microsoft execs also talked about "Impacting People," then they dragged out fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger, who seemed very "impacted" as he sang praise for Microsoft programs ...
    "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)

    by psbrogna ( 611644 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @10:58AM (#14987681)
    Delay + Delay + Delay + Bad Review ...

    I hate to add fuel to the fire but these sound like indications of a flawed design & development environment...

    • Delay + Delay + Delay + Bad Review ...

      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.

    • Naw, it's just an indication of an R&D department working 28 hours a day trying to catch up with the promises of the Marketing department.

    • Re:trying not to troll (Score:5, Interesting)

      by aralin ( 107264 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @12:04PM (#14988208)
      Up until a year ago it took some three months to actually produce a working build of Windows Vista. Now they managed to pull a miracle and get it down to about a week or so. I work on a similar scale software and we produce working builds every day or two on multiple codelines. If we ever get to third day without a working build on main codeline, the developers scream like mad. If we would get to a week, the development would halt for the sheer number of conflicts from thousands of developers pounding it day and night. If we hit three months, the product would become totally unbuildable and the company would implode in a big puff of smoke, or maybe godzilla would eat us all, I just cannot even imagine that possibility.

      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.

  • Opinion? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Since when has an Opinion piece become a piece of tech news? Oh right this is Slashdot. As long as the opinion piece is Anti-MS then ya'll can just pat yourselves on the back and bash MS till there is no end in sight and feel good about yourselves.

  • colleagues (Score:4, Funny)

    by mattoo ( 909891 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:01AM (#14987696)
    From the article:
    ...that lets you see how your colleagues and your colleagues' colleagues rate various Web sites.
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't your colleagues' colleagues by definition also your colleagues?
    • Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't your colleagues' colleagues by definition also your colleagues?

      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)

    by tpgp ( 48001 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:02AM (#14987700) Homepage
    After all, he's the author of such 'provocative' articles as Who is Pamela Jones? [forbes.com] Linux's Hit Men [forbes.com], Linux? No Thanks. [forbes.com] and SCO's 'Smoking Gun' [forbes.com]

    He's a troll, and an inconsistent one at that.

    The final paragraph of the linked article
    Why not at least switch to an Apple Computer (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) Mac? Apple's new operating system is stable, reliable and easy to use. The applications are simple, gorgeous and work well together. And they're here. Today. Steve Jobs must be waking up a happy man this morning.
    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.
    • ...he's just another Apple fanboy.

      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?
      • According to eldavojohn [slashdot.org] (I don't care enough to verify it)

        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.

      • I guess that upgrades him from just fanboy to I-like-my-money-so-I-won't-bash-my-investments fanboy?

        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.

    • 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.

    • Well the fact that he is now trolling the other side says something... it says there are enough people that hate Microsoft to justify a 'flame piece' written just to attract readers.
    • He also owns apple stock. Tell me that isn't biased or a conflict of interests.
      Regards,
      Steve
    • I love the way you carefully neglected to quote the preceeding two paragraphs:

      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)

    by DaveAtFraud ( 460127 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:09AM (#14987740) Homepage Journal
    Dan Lyons saying something bad about a Microsoft product is about like FoxNews (you know, "Fair and Balanced") saying something good about a liberal politician. Next thing you know, Dan will be saying good things about Linux and FoxNews will endorse Hillary for President.

  • Yes Yes M$FT sucks we know we know (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:12AM (#14987767)
    I can hate Microsoft as much as the next guy. But seriously, I think I must be one of the few on here who's actually had it with all the M$FT bashing in spite of hatred of Microsoft. Why? Because it seems that Open Office and Macs get a free pass on here, while there is a serious bias towards Microsoft being negatively reviewed. Meanwhile any inferiority in Mac OS X and Apple monopolistic tactics are openly defended by an army of fanboys. A lot of Windows users simply DO NOT LIKE the Mac. And rather than figure out why, the Mac elitists claim the fault must lie with the user.
    "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$FT bash fest, that's fine.. but I don't care about it. I want scientific analysis.
    • I think I must be one of the few on here who's actually had it with all the M$FT bashing...
      I've had it with the love fest with anything that is not M$FT...
      I want scientific analysis...
      I'm not sure you're really getting this whole slashdot thing...

  • Waddya expect? (Score:4, Informative)

    by FishandChips ( 695645 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:13AM (#14987768) Journal
    Vista and MS Office 2007 are the two headline-grabbing cash cows of the business and Microsoft has nothing to show until next year. Folks can scent blood behind the scenes with rumours of massive rewrites, etc. Microsoft is a big business with lots of products, but these are the two everyone focuses on, in the pop press at least. And the press and Wall Street have the whole of the rest of this year to stick it to Microsoft, if they so choose, and get a little payback for all the uppity treatment they've received over the years. And with nothing in the locker except more press announcements that no one really believes, Microsoft will just have to stand there and take it on the chin.

    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 :):)
  • So the new slogan is Windows Vista - People ready.

    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.

  • Groundhog Day (Score:5, Funny)

    by Tackhead ( 54550 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:14AM (#14987778)
    Quoth Daniel Lyons in TFA:
    > 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)

    by E-Sabbath ( 42104 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:14AM (#14987780)
    As I understand things, many Software Assurance Plans, which were essentially forced on customers with the claim that Longhorn would be available, expire as of 12/31/06.

    I wonder if there may be issues with claims salesmen made and this date slippage.
    • As I understand things, many Software Assurance Plans, which were essentially forced on customers with the claim that Longhorn would be available, expire as of 12/31/06.

      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.
      • 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.

        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

    • I've just learned that Vista Corporate is not gettin delayed -- and the place I work for will be rolling it out in our call centers, unfortunately. Even the people doing the installations don't want it because the new hardware requirements are ridiculous, but we're forced to upgrade or go unsupported because of Software Assurance. The odd thing is that everyone worries much about support -- yet in call centers totalling over 7000 employees, plus another few thousand in other areas of the Company, I am not
  • Forbes Says Vista not People Ready

    That's because only tools work with windows, right? Is it tool ready?
  • ...people will just have to twist their ways until it fits. "To open the CD-Rom you just have to press ALT+E+P with you hands then Num Lock with your nose and it will eject"
  • So Balmer says IBM doesn't innovate anymore?

    Hmmm... check out a couple posts down on /.
    Something about nanotubes and stuff... hardly innovation.

  • Vista: "Impacting People" (Score:5, Funny)

    by shrubya ( 570356 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:17AM (#14987800) Homepage Journal
    Quote:
    Microsoft execs also talked about "Impacting People,"

    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's new operating system is stable, reliable and easy to use."

    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)

    by clickety6 ( 141178 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:19AM (#14987811)
    ... you get the fricking Borg !!


  • what a waste of time (Score:2, Insightful)

    by matt328 ( 916281 )
    This is why I hate blogs. I see a story on slashdot, and click through to the article expecting to find news. You know, a simple reporting of some facts. Only after reading the article do I realize this isn't news, its just some asshole bitching about Microsoft, and I really don't give two shits what he has to say. The only real news I can gather from this article is that Microsoft held some press conference or tech demo of some sort, and this guy hated it.

    Slanted, one sided, inaccurate and biased bl
  • I've always said that Microsoft is run by their marketing department, not their engineering department. The thing is that, now it's starting to show. And, now that people are starting to get exposed to what they can get for free, some of them are starting to wonder why they're paying hundreds or dollars a pop for useless eye candy.

    It's a good sign, I think.

  • ... of bashing Microsoft and promoting Apple [forbes.com].

    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

  • I'll Use what the bossman... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by i_am_the_r00t ( 762212 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:31AM (#14987947)
    puts on my laptop. I'm a sheep. Aren't we all?

    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)

    by glenrm ( 640773 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:32AM (#14987955) Homepage Journal
    XBox 360 and Games are all MSFT has going for it now. But why don't people switch? The answer is obvious XP works well enough for most people, of course that doesn't help Vista either. To me the place where open source will make up the most ground is on the application side. Linux may not gain ground for a long time, but Mozilla, Thunderbird, and Open Office will, as can many other closed apps.

  • MS botched PR 101 (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Groo Wanderer ( 180806 ) <{charlie} {at} {semiaccurate.com}> on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:35AM (#14987984) Homepage
    It seems MS missed the basics of press relations. When you call the press out to a dog and pony show, we (yes, I am one) generally try to give a fair representation of what happened. Events and press conferences are generally one sided, IE good for the people putting on the act. So are trade shows, you get to see the shiny happy things, and there is no time or forum to dig in and see all the warts.

    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)

    by drgroove ( 631550 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:37AM (#14987992)
    I won't purchase Vista, nor will I purchase a PC if I am forced to take it with Vista on it.

    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 /all/ of the software I either need to run is available for OSX and/or Linux.

    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)

    by FridayBob ( 619244 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:48AM (#14988070)
    But, of course they can! They're a monopoly, and there's nothing that Steve Jobs, the Open Source community or anybody else can do about it (well, the US Justice Dept. tried before Bush stopped 'em).

    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)

    by S3D ( 745318 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @11:58AM (#14988153)
    From TFA:
    It's amazing, but people will wait months and months for products that are so complicated that no ordinary person can figure out how to use them.

    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)

    by nightsweat ( 604367 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @12:20PM (#14988367)
    You DO NOT TALK about Forbes. Second rule, well you can guess.

    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)

    by aevans ( 933829 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @12:46PM (#14988608) Homepage
    So Vista won't be ready for another year. Or two. Or three. Novell Netware lost the race to a vaporware NT5, but it was Linux and then Active Directory that killed it. Microsoft has a habit of delivering late, and poorly. But they are bringing onnovation to the (mainstream) desktop. Yes, Unix is a better architecture. But Windows is so much more featureful than Gnome, KDE, or *especally* Mac OS X. Office is 10 years ahead of any of it's clones. Granted, the main reason Star Office is so far behind is because most of their energy is spent on compatibility. But they shouldn't worry too much about it. Like Word Perfect shouldn't have. Microsoft saw a collaboration suite where everyone else saw desktop publishing. Office 2003 is a credible competitor to the browser for application development. With a growing .NET library and the push to port decent scripting languages (like python & php5) to the CLR, it's a compelling platform. Infopath is the new Visual Basic form, only backed by SQL Server and XML instead of Access. I'm not praising MS unconditionally. They still have weird, arcane ways of doing things. And lots and lots of bugs -- and security issues. But they're offering more in functionality than anyone else. Ajax isn't a competitor to OLE. I'm simply noting that unless an *alternative* to MS Office integration is offered, alot of open source zealots (like myself) will be switching over. I'd love to see an open source web framework tied to Windows and Office automation, but I don't see it happening. I wrote a list of Microsoft technologies I'd need to learn to be as productive as I am using open source. It was a long list and it was ugly, too, with words like "Exchange", "IIS", and "VBA" on it. I don't want to learn to use Active Directory (but at least it's not NT Domain Controllers), and it is a pretty good LDAP server, too. I don't want to learn VB, VB.net, and C#. (and maybe I won't have to, at least no more than necessary to translate api's to Python or Ruby.) But Office and Exchange are unmatched in the open source world, and there's really not a reason they should be.

  • Wrong (Score:3, Interesting)

    by fm6 ( 162816 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @02:21PM (#14989445) Homepage Journal
    Microsoft 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.
    Except for the first sentence, that makes no sense. These "free alternatives" have been trying to capture the market for years now, with almost no luck. Microsoft's competition isn't Sun or Red Hat or Novell or IBM. It's their own "obsolete" software. If Vista is as bad as it seems to be, than people will simply refrain from upgrading, or insist on using XP on their new hardware. Which will certainly hurt Microsft, but not do anything to cure the appalling monoculture in the end-user software market.

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