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Why Microsoft must abandon Vista to save itself | |
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| Time: 00:00 EST/05:00 GMT | News Source: News.com | Posted By: Kenneth van Surksum | ||
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While Vista was originally touted by Microsoft as the operating system savior we've all been waiting for, it has turned out to be one of the biggest blunders in technology. With a host of issues that are inexcusable and features that are taken from the Mac OS X and Linux playbook, Microsoft has once again lost sight of what we really want. As we're more than aware, Vista Ultimate comes at a premium. For an additional $160 over the Premium SKU price, Ultimate gives you a complete backup and restore option, BitLocker Drive encryption, the ever so popular Windows Fax & Scan, and the "Ultimate Extras." But what started with a promise of "Extras" by summer, quickly turned into an apology from Microsoft and the eventual release of DreamScene and Windows Hold 'Em (among others) today. And while each of the "Extras" runs just fine, Microsoft's "Extras" blunder is just another reason why the company must abandon Vista before it's too late. | ||
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| #1 By 28801 (65.90.202.10) at 9/27/2007 7:15:46 AM |
| This guy is a moron! |
| #2 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 9/27/2007 10:45:57 AM |
| #1: That's a well-thought and eloquently stated analysis if ever I've seen one. |
| #3 By 23275 (71.12.191.230) at 9/27/2007 11:04:32 AM |
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The article is so wrought with generalities and inaccuracies that it simply insults the reader.
The author clearly does not know the features available to the various versions of Windows Vista. I'll tell you this... any user who has experienced Vista that is a customer of ours would not want to go back to XP. When they do have to use a machine running XP, they have expressed how much they miss Vista. The number one thing they like about Vista is how easy it is to "see" and FIND documents, pictures, media and programs. "Taken from Mac OS X and Linux..." - he has to be kidding... huge percentages of what was in "Longhorn" and publicly shared and tested, existed long before similar features were rushed into Mac OS X. Having used both side by side, similar features in OS X feel half-baked as compared to the same in Vista. Search, the explorer shell... about all of it. This is beyond ridiculous - it is just sick. People have lost a great deal of the sense that once was quite common. |
| #4 By 7711 (209.204.74.18) at 9/27/2007 11:20:46 AM |
| What drives me crazy about Vista is the hardware driver issue. Vista has been out for how long, and nvidia is still having driver issues. And don't get me started about Palm's support of Vista. Not MS's fault....whya re hardware makers having such an issue with comaptability? And I'm not talking about an Epson dot matrix printer from 1984...I mean stuff that's less than 2 years old. |
| #5 By 1401 (207.192.228.176) at 9/27/2007 11:24:32 AM |
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lketchum - You must be living in the Bizzaro World, because my experience has been the exact opposite. I have customers coming to me begging to get them off Vista and back onto XP.
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| #6 By 28801 (65.90.202.10) at 9/27/2007 12:01:58 PM |
| #2: I'm afraid that's all I could muster for this ridiculous article - besides, I knew Lloyd would cover it. |
| #7 By 3746 (216.16.225.210) at 9/27/2007 12:14:18 PM |
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#5
Every client of mine who has gone to vista has loved it. If you take the time to sit down with them and go over the pluses and Vista instead of throwing them in head first maybe they would like it more. With every new OS there is a learning curve and some people just do not like change even if it is beneficial to them. As for myself - I have been running Vista on my primary machine since RTM and never went back to XP. I just got a new XPS 1330 as my own the road machine with Vista and it is running great. I wouldn't switch back. #4 I agree the driver issues are a problem but I have not had a problem with my Nvidia 8800GTX and the latest drivers. I have been playing team fortress 2, Bioshock and they have run great. Can't wait for HL: Episode 2 and Portal. I am not running SLI or a more complex setup though. |
| #8 By 48398 (70.102.157.10) at 9/27/2007 12:23:31 PM |
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Like it or lump it, Vista is here to stay. The thing that's absolutely absurd about this article is the suggestion that Microsoft should abandon Vista altogether! This isn't Microsoft BOB or the Apple Newton. This OS has an installed user base that's just way too damn large to drop. If people think Microsoft has an image problem now, what would people think if they just said "well, no more Vista. I guess."
The only image problem Microsoft has is generated by people who don't understand how to use a computer but somehow their opinions get published. It's sad. |
| #9 By 2332 (66.92.78.241) at 9/27/2007 12:46:17 PM |
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This guy really is a moron. Let's take it claim by claim:
The first indication that Microsoft should abandon Vista is its poor sales figures. Actually, they're not. In fact, Vista's sales are on par or exceeding that of XPs. See: http://www.news.com/2100-1016_3-6149468.html http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2007/mar07/03-26VistaDebut.mspx Indeed, the only sales that are "down" are boxed copies, which is to be expected considering far more people get their OS with a new computer today than they did 7 years ago. The author then claims that Vista was released too early, but doesn't offer any REASONS for this conclusion. One significant problem that I have with Vista is its inclusion of new DRM Uh huh. Guess what, this in NO WAY prevents users from backing up DVDs. It in NO WAY prevents users from viewing HD content that is NOT copy protected on a non-protected path. The DRM is a NON-ISSUE. People who make it an issue are either ignorant or stupid. Or both, in this case. I also find it interesting that Microsoft decided to take the user access control concept from Mac OS X and make it much worse. Can someone please explain to me why I need to be asked if I wanted to do something entirely innocuous like open a third-party app from a well-known software company? Right... because Mac OS was the first OS to prompt for credentials. Idiot. But I'll take the bait... here is an explanation on why UAC is the best possible solution to a problem that ONLY EXISTS on Windows: http://www.robertdowney.com/2007/02/fuding-of-windows-vista-part-3.html Not only does it cost too much, it requires more to run than XP, there is still poor driver support, and that draconian licensing scheme is a by-product of Microsoft picking on the wrong people. Funny, it costs LESS than XP when taking into account inflation, it requires approximately the same hardware as XP for doing the same stuff, it has MORE driver support than XP did at this stage, and the only significant change in licensing has to do with virtual machines and won't affect 95% of users. With Mac OS X hot on its tail, Vista is simply not capable of competing at an OS level with some of the best software around. Hot on its tale with < 5% market share? Give me a break. So, in summary, this guy is a moron. |
| #10 By 1896 (68.153.171.248) at 9/27/2007 12:55:40 PM |
| This guy must be on something; the article is so poorly written that I wonder why it has been published. |
| #11 By 6175 (164.223.72.5) at 9/27/2007 1:48:18 PM |
| This sounds like the democrats attacking the president in regards to Iraq. In both cases, cutting and running is the wrong choice. |
| #12 By 2332 (66.92.78.241) at 9/27/2007 2:22:25 PM |
| Majik - Huh? |
| #13 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 9/27/2007 3:39:55 PM |
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#9: All I see form you are statements without any backing data. Your initial link is to a story from January 2007, so not exactly current. Your second link is an MS press release, which isn't exactly objectiveI just read this at Bink:
""The named accounts, the ones that have volume, have complained about the end of life for XP, and that's because adoption of Windows Vista has been slow," said one Microsoft partner who requested anonymity. "This is a pretty important development for larger partners, and it's also somewhat surprising because it shows that they've been listening to us." The move comes as little surprise to VARs and system builders who have been ripping Windows Vista off the desktops and notebooks they sell and replacing it with Windows XP ever since the next generation operating system debuted in January." Your last link is to yourself. Everything else you've written is basically you saying he's wrong because you say so. That's hardly valid refutation. I'm not saying that this guy is right, but throw facts at him if you've got them. |
| #14 By 7754 (206.169.247.2) at 9/27/2007 3:47:12 PM |
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#4: it sounds like the latest nVidia drivers have really improved (I wouldn't know--I've been avoiding them specifically because of the driver issues). In some cases, the Vista results are even slightly better than the XP results.
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/amd_nvidia_windows_vista_driver_performance_update/default.asp Looking over the performance results, it’s clear to see that both AMD and NVIDIA’s Windows Vista drivers have come a long way in the past seven months. NVIDIA in particular has made tremendous strides with their latest Vista driver, SLI support is fully functional for all GeForce card owners and it scales well in most cases. Unfortunately, CrossFire compatibility is still an issue for AMD. ...If you were holding off on Windows Vista due to the driver situation, it looks like the situation has largely been resolved for both AMD and NVIDIA. |
| #15 By 8556 (12.210.39.82) at 9/27/2007 4:23:49 PM |
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Sure there are some issues. However, I always tweak my customer's PCs before they get them. I turn off all the internal animation but leave transparency and shadows on. Vista then outperforms XP. I've had several customers tell me that they were surprised how fast Vista was and how well it performed, after reading all the negative hype. Vista doesn't suck.
It is amusing to read a pauper writer comment on what a $51US billion profit company needs to do to save themselves. The writer should be embarrased for putting pen to paper when drunk. |
| #16 By 48398 (70.102.157.10) at 9/27/2007 5:13:39 PM |
| #11, writing little quips that are just regurgitated sound bites from fox news channel is a pretty easy thing to do. Let's hear your master plan. |
| #17 By 20145 (71.72.141.39) at 9/27/2007 6:20:41 PM |
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I have seen both sides of the Vista Issue. The program is really great and runs fine on my four computers. However, I purchased a printer from HP with promises that drivers worked on Vista and was lied to about this issue.
The other point brought out and one that everyone ignored is that I purchased three copies of Ultimate with the expectations of receiving these great add-ons and special software only for Ultimate subscribers. MS has totally ducked this issue, dispersed the group and appears to have no interest in the customers that were foolish enough to believe MS. Guess Bill and his crony Steve Ballmer needed the extra money, Bill for his kids and Steve to replace his missing hair and feed his fat gut. MS has absolutely no qualms when it comes to bilking the customer out of a $100 here and there and then just ignores the customer when they complain. This is typical of large organizations that have little or no management. |
| #18 By 28801 (65.90.202.10) at 9/27/2007 9:29:04 PM |
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#13 You accuse RMD of not buttressing his argument by saying that he links to himself. Yet his blog carefully refutes much of the FUD about Vista.
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| #19 By 23275 (71.12.191.230) at 9/27/2007 10:14:40 PM |
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#18, Right on! RMD has a very well written and informative blog, which skillfully refutes a lot of garbage published about Vista.
RMD should reference it - he presented factual and provable information. #5, C'mon, Chris, you're a lot better than that, man. Please do know [I'll say it again] we make zero dollars on MS, or other SW we do not ourselves write. Even hardware is sold as a service - NOW.... think about that.... "Hardware sold as a service" That means I have to ensure that what we service, a) can be and b) can be serviced profitably - so there is ZERO incentive for us to favor Vista if in fact it was bad and if in fact users did not like it [as we deliver the systems we build and support]. Hard, cold, dirty, gritty, and brutal realities full on, would drive me to be the worst critic Vista ever had - IF, it were a dog. It isn't and we can make it fly and with it, we can make our customers more productive and happy. That said, ya'll remember BETA 2? Ya'll remember whwn I flipped out and said that Vista was going to have one very rough time? Well... now ya know... - see... it is all about developers and in this case developers of "Rich Internet Applications (RIA's)" and where are they? Not any around... where are all the developers? fumbing a football dumping PHP all over creation [and making me puke, too]. So... best I can do is what...? Show people how to do it... hence the new Awin and all that I have put in it. So, Chris... stick around...we'll show you what Vista is really all about. Maybe that is "Bizzaro World" - if it is, then I'm staying right here in it - where people still dream and aspire to be and do what is great. |
| #20 By 23275 (71.12.191.230) at 9/27/2007 10:14:58 PM |
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deleted double post. This post was edited by lketchum on Thursday, September 27, 2007 at 22:15. |
| #21 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 9/28/2007 9:00:42 AM |
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#18, 19: His blog looks like a bunch of subjective opinion, much like the Register article he's supposedly refuting. It's chock full of Yes, it is No, it isn't. No, it can't. Yes, it can. Sarcasm & derision are not proof of anything. Perhaps everything he says is true, but nobody would know without trying it all themselves, and if that's the case then his blog post is irrelevant. I don't want to pick apart the entire post, but this is a highlight of what I mean:
As usual, Windows enables far too many services by default. "Examples? Oh, that's right... we don't need examples. This is The Register." It would have been far better for RMD to show the total number of services present versus the total number enabled by default, and then a quick analysis of which ones could be considered unnecessary. |
| #22 By 28801 (65.90.202.10) at 9/28/2007 9:58:27 AM |
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#21: "Perhaps everything he says is true, but nobody would know without trying it all themselves"
Well, I guess that's pretty much true about anything, especially on the internet. "Sarcasm & derision are not proof of anything." That’s a Good one! Latch, perhaps you should practice what you preach. |
| #23 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 9/28/2007 10:11:54 AM |
| #22: While I can be sarcastic & cynical at times, it's usually to illustrate a point and not just for its own sake. Notable exceptions occur when I'm attacked by particular users in this forum. |
| #24 By 23275 (71.12.191.230) at 9/28/2007 11:48:43 AM |
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Some while back I did a piece on the top ten things I love about Windows Vista.
I should have done a second one titled, "184 things I'm grateful for in Windows Vista" - 184 new security features as part of the most comprehensive approach to computer security in the industry's commercial history. Developers, systems engineers, administrators and single end users each benefit from the Trustworthy Computing initiative and the Secure Development Life-cycle that underwrite the security inherent to Windows Vista. I've mentioned and linked to "Securable Objects" as an example available to all developers - and how it is used to support IE 7's Protected Mode on Vista and similarly about the UIPI that is used to broker transactions for the same. These are practical examples and tools available to all and they represent only one the 184 features inherent to Vista's enhanced security and the initiatives that drove its development. As a species we're a forgetful lot of critters... we seem to have forgotten that our own lust for features and Microsoft's response to them as the web grew from a small innocent child to an out of control party crazed teen, resulted in a lot more holes than any of us would like to remember - without letting up in any way opposite our demand for more and more features, we, demanded that Microsoft also make it all secure - regardless of what we, as users and admins do and allow. They did that, and still we complain and still, we obfuscate the truth - demanding more and more all the while. We are what we are - spoiled and out of control and equally out of touch with the reality we ourselves created. Against that it is both easier and more fashionable to score hits on one another - shoot, even when I do agree with Latch and extend an olive branch, it is either ignored or cut off entirely... sad - no room for discourse, I guess, because that would require compromise - even small ones. So here we are - about one year into Vista's launch with two distinct camps - on the apparent left, we have the Vista stinks no matter what crowd and on the right, the we can and will make anything work and eventually great, including Vista group. Like it or not... I can't help but examine that and come away, with more than a little sadness, that the Vista stinks crowd may not being doing a whole lot to make things better in other areas - and that perhaps keeping score and noting only faults isn't a real good strategy - for anything. Meanwhile, Majik at #11 offers a useful comparison - that quiting is what really stinks - no matter when or why.... and many pretend they don't know what he meant... Oh no... we all did and we all do and deep down we all know he was right. Quiting is the very last thing one should do when presented with any challenge. I tell you, I know who I would want on a deployment - the kind of people that work to make things great and never the kind of people that just keep score. I mean, most of them don't even step onto the field. |
| #25 By 32132 (142.32.208.232) at 9/28/2007 12:25:56 PM |
| #23 "While I can be sarcastic & cynical at times ..." and downright dishonest and disgusting the rest of the time. |
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