So Vista versus XP (maybe versus Mac?) has replaced Twitter as the collective angst moment du jour. At the end of the month, big computer makers won't any longer install Windows XP on their machines.
The impending transition has ignited the predictable existential gabfest, but I'm with Larry Dignan when he says that the complainers should either move away from Windows or just "shut up."
Amen to that.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
Has the hand-wringing over Vista's shortcomings been overwrought? You bet. Vista is hardly the disaster portrayed by its most severe critics. As Windows XP takes a final bow, let's not forget the initial reaction when it debuted in late October 2001. The country was already in a fretful mood because of the September 11 attacks less than two months earlier. Despite a big marketing push, the product had its automatic legions of detractors. Frankly, Microsoft never receives uniformly glowing reviews for its various operating systems upgrades. That's been the case with every incarnation of Windows I can recall.
Unfortunately for Microsoft, the project formerly known as Longhorn, promised more than it delivered. Without revisiting all the gory details, the product that finally showed up was a disappointment, considering the advance hype. Even today, based on anecdotal evidence, networking on laptops is finicky and it's easier to upset Vista than XP. Meanwhile, lukewarm developer response continues to be a problem. If you want to entertain yourself reading more about what else is screwed up about the product, check out CNET's Windows Vista Forum.
But if past is prologue, many of these issues will fade away. Microsoft rarely produces "wow" products straight out the gate. But it listens to customers and finally fixes most of the really annoying problems. The more immediate problem facing Microsoft is the dearth of Vista-specific software. A recent study claims that 92 percent of developers are sitting this one out.
My guess is that this is just a moment in time. Microsoft may be surprised by the study's lopsided findings but over three decades, but it's learned how to cultivate developer support. This too, will pass.
Guys, the joke's on us. Big time.
Bloggers have been chortling all day over a goofy video made for Microsoft's sales team that made its way onto YouTube.
The video, "Rocking Our Sales," by "Bruce ServicePack and the Vista Street Band," is painfully lame. How bad? A friend from IBM who viewed the video said it made him rip out his spleen. That's pretty bad.
In short order, Microsoft was getting pilloried for not having a clue about cool. The House of Gates was so square, it was beyond lame. Gizmodo put up a post titled "Internal Microsoft Vista Video is as Painful as Videos Get", while Engadget chimed in with "Microsoft burns our eyes with Vista promo video." Not to be outdone, CrunchGear added its 2 cents with "Don't shoot the messenger: Microsoft internal promo video about Windows Vista is hard to watch."
Truth be told, I thought pretty much the same thing. Only one problem. They were messing with your heads.
"This video was a spoof (believe it or not)," said a Microsoft representative familiar with the reason behind the production. Apparently, it was a way for Microsoft to have some fun at its own expense.
"They thought folks internally would get a kick out of not taking themselves so seriously all the time, but some people thought that's exactly what they were being--serious. Anyway, this little piece of art came to life and has caused quite a few laughs in Microsoft's hallways."
Who woulda thunk it?
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